“That hasn’t happened in a while.”

“All the more reason I need to respond.”

She gazed up at me. “Any idea when you’ll be through?”

“Not for a while—enjoy, guys.”

“Least it’s not another acting gig,” said Milo.

“No, this is honest labor.”

Bunny Rodriguez met me in the hospital lobby. We rode silently up to the ICU.

She said, “I didn’t want to bother you but it happened quickly. She just …”

Fighting tears.

I squeezed her hand.

“There’s nothing here for a kid,” she said. “Nothing age-appropriate, I mean. The nurses were nice enough to unlock a side room off the waiting area. My husband’s with him, at least he had the presence of mind to bring a couple of books and the drawing materials. But it’s pretty bleak.”

“What’s Chad’s understanding of what’s happening?”

“I was going to ask you that. Developmentally, I mean. How he actually feels, I can’t tell you. It was so sudden, I wasn’t paying attention to Chad. Talk about dereliction of duty.”

“Your mind was on Gretchen.”

“Even though she told me it shouldn’t be. Yesterday. When we were discussing Chad’s schooling up in the Bay Area and I stopped to ask her how she was feeling. She nearly took my head off. Barked that I should mind my own fucking business and follow instructions.”

“That sounds about right,” I said.

“Feisty to the end … the almost-end. One moment she was sleeping peacefully, actually looked better. The next moment the hospice nurse came in and told us her breathing had stopped, she’d gotten it restarted but it was weak, what to do next was up to me. I know Gretchen wouldn’t want to suffer but I forgot about that, it went right out the window because what I wanted to do was save my sister. As if. I hope I didn’t create a mess.”

“Have the doctors told you anything?”

“They don’t expect her to last the night.” Throwing up her free hand. “So maybe it won’t be a mess.”

The hand I held turned clammy. “You did right, Bunny.”

“Why do you say that?”

“It came from the right place.”

“Road to hell and all that? No offense, but that’s meager comfort.”

“One way or the other, it’s going to end,” I said. “She won’t suffer needlessly.”

“I want to believe you.” Gripping my biceps. “You come across believable, that probably works well for you.”

In all sorts of situations.

We walked toward the main entry to the unit. She pointed to a closed, unmarked door.

“In there. I’d better go see Gretchen.”