“You’re looking well today. How do you feel about waking up?” The nurse touched her arm, picking up her wrist to take her pulse. Yes, soft hands.

What is Lyme disease?

“Jane? Did you say something?”

“What is Lyme disease?”

She knew it.

“Jane?” A hand pressed her forehead. “I can hear you. Try again.”

The host read the next prompt. “In 1910 physician James Herrick became the first to identify this blood disease that affects many African Americans.”

“What is sickle cell anemia?”

“Jane, that’s right. That’s”—the nurse raised her voice—“Can I get some help in here?”

The bed was moving, the nurse sitting her up.

“What is sickle cell anemia?” said the contestant.

She knew it. She could almost see the room, she’d drawn it so often in her mind. The television centered in the corner, a window overlooking the mountains, and—

A woman was looking at her. Long dark hair, Native American features. She wore a kind smile as she held her hand. “Jane?”

She blinked at her, clearing her vision.

“Latin for poison, it’s a submicroscopic agent infecting living organisms and causing disease.”

A virus.

“What is a virus?” said the woman on the screen.

Jane stared at the nurse, her heart slamming against her chest.

Awake. She was awake. And that meant—

She looked at the television. Took a breath.

And screamed.

What Comes Next . . .

It felt good to finally sweat.

“Hey, Echo, got another sheet for me?” Dodge walked over to the edge of the roof, where the sun had heated the tin and puddled any remaining snow long ago. Around him, the ranch was coming alive, the grass greening with increasing sunlight hours, the baby fir and white pine dotting the valley amid budding purple shooting stars and white chickweed. The lake had opened, too, deep-blue water lapping quietly against the seaplane dock.

Dodge wore a thermal shirt, pushed up at the elbows, but with the sun high and the sweat prickling his spine, he pulled it off and dropped it on the roof as he reached down for the sheet of tin Echo held up to him. She had shucked her sweatshirt and wore a short-sleeved shirt, her blond hair back in a red bandanna.

“That’s the last piece,” she said. “Hope it’s enough.”

He brought the piece over to the massive hole he was repairing and fitted it over the gap. “It’s enough. But I’ll need to replace this entire roof sometime soon.”

Right after he inspected and patched the other roofs, as well as rebuilt the deck on cabin 4. And then there was the supplying of Sky King Rescue. Although Nash hadn’t let him purchase his beautiful DHC-2 Beaver, Dodge had found an equally perfect model, rebuilt in 2018 with a Hartzell Prop, Sky Force GPS, and plenty of cargo space.

Durable and exactly what he needed for his fleet.

His fleet.