Troy drove back to the hospital that evening. His baby sister, Nicole, had arrived from New York to be with their mother. He hadn’t seen Nicole since that past summer. She worked as a senior analyst at a large firm on Wall Street and toiled long hours, but she dropped everything and flew in that same day when he called her about Mom’s accident.

As he was pulling into the hospital’s parking garage, his side chick, Liz, called him on his backup cell phone.

“Have you thought about my offer, baby?” she asked, purring like a cat. “I haven’t heard from you.”

So much had happened lately that Troy could scarcely remember what he and Liz had talked about the last time he’d seen her. But he knew his answer to her question.

“Sorry, Liz, but the answer is, no can do.” He expelled a tight breath. “I can’t do any of this, not anymore. My family needs me.”

“Hmph. Is that your final answer? Better think about it, ‘cause I won’t make this offer again.”

“Good-bye, Liz. You deserve better than me.”

He clicked off. On impulse, he flung the cell phone out of the window, heard it shatter somewhere on the concrete. He immediately felt better, as if an anchor had been lifted away from his soul.

He should have ditched the backup phones and his philandering ways a long time ago. Coming face to face with an ongoing nightmare that had flipped his life upside down had given him a new, wiser perspective.

He had to be a better man. For himself. For his family. Life demanded nothing less.

He didn’t know whether he would confess his sins to Monica. Right then definitely wasn’t the time, as they had bigger threats encroaching on their lives. But if their relationship were to be made whole, ultimately, some day, he would need to come clean.

Inside, Nicole met him in the ICU’s waiting room. More than any of his siblings, she had taken after their mother. Looking at Nicole was like viewing a photo of his mom from thirty years ago, and only intensified his anxiety over possibly losing her.

They hugged. “Thanks for coming, sis.”

“It’s Mom, Troy. You say the word, you know I’m here.” Her eyes were bloodshot. A piece of luggage stood next to the chair in which she’d been sitting, the airline tag bristling from the handle. He realized Nicole had come there directly from the airport.

“Have they let you go back to see her?” he asked.

“Only for a few minutes.” Sniffling, she blotted her eyes. “She’s still unconscious, Troy. It was tough to look at her, the condition she’s in . . .” Her words trailed off, and she pulled in a jagged breath. “I’m trying to understand why this happened to Mom and I can’t. Hit by a truck? It makes no sense.”