Kevin fell asleep in a chair and didn’t wake until long after sunrise. His back was stiff and there was drool running down his chin. A little dazed, he wiped his face, opened his eyes, and felt a sudden rush of panic as the hospital room slowly came into focus.

“Amy! Where are you?”

“Dad, it’s okay . . . I’m right here.”

He spun around and saw his daughter staring back at him. Propped up in bed with a stack of pillows behind her back, she had a tray positioned across her lap filled with food—a bowl of fruit, toast, some water, and orange juice. Kevin jumped up from his chair and threw himself across the bed to hug her.

“I thought I’d imagined it, Amy. For a second, I thought you coming back to me had all been a dream!”

He straightened, looked her in the eyes, then went quiet when he noticed the wedge of buttered toast in her hands. “And you’re eating!” he laughed, so happy he could cry. “I can’t believe it, Amy . . . you’re eating something!”

Amy managed a smile. “I’m trying.”

“How are you feeling?”

“Got a headache,” she said, speaking slowly. “And I’m a bit woozy, but not too bad.”

“Has the doctor been in to see you? Have they checked you over, have they—”

“She’s doing just fine, Mr. Tucker. Someone’s already been in.”

The polite interruption came from a woman who had just entered the room. Professionally dressed in a pin-striped skirt suit with dark-red hair sharply pulled back into a bun, she approached Kevin and offered her hand.

“I’m Dr. Grace Kennedy,” she said, introducing herself. “Psychiatrist.” She smiled at Amy, then looked back at Kevin, gesturing toward the door. “Amy and I have already spoken. How about you and I step out for a moment?”

Kevin nodded and followed Dr. Kennedy into the hall.

“How is she?” he asked.

“As you know, your daughter went through a traumatic experience last night. She’s dealing with it admirably well, but the days ahead may be tough, and she’s going to need a support network around her—people who love her, people she can trust.”

“And she’ll have it, absolutely.”

“Good to hear, because that will be important.” Dr. Kennedy took off her glasses and slipped them into the top pocket of her suit. “As for what happened, your daughter and I had a good chat, and after hearing her speak on the matter, I’m comfortable that she didn’t take those pills with the intention of causing herself any harm.”

“But she nearly emptied out the whole container, Doc. What else could she have been trying to do?”