Wishard cleared her throat, and for the first time, Becca could tell the woman was flustered, maybe even a little nervous. “I realize I’m overstepping here by saying this, and I’m not one of those ridiculous women who is going to tell you to stay away from my man. Christian’s a grown-up. He makes his own choices. All I ask is if there’s something going on between the two of you, you don’t make me look like an asshole,” Wishard said.

Becca’s cheeks flushed. She could still remember learning about the personal trainer, and screaming at Christian, “What kind of a pathetic person goes after a married man?” The last thing Becca wanted was to be on the other side of the equation.

“All I want is for Christian to be happy,” she said.

Wishard offered Becca an honest-to-goodness smile. “Good. We’re finally on the same page.”

Becca watched as Wishard headed out. In a perfect world, she would say to hell with Wishard. She would fight for him. She could fight. Maybe it would be enough. Near-death experiences changed people. What if they’d gone through all of this to find their way back to one another? It would be the silver lining to everything. Her husband back. Her daughter home. She wanted it to be that easy, but she knew it wasn’t realistic. She meant what she said to Wishard though. She texted Christian. I need to see you.

Visiting hours were over when he arrived, still in uniform. “If it isn’t Sleeping Beauty,” he said with a wry smile. Becca clocked the edge in his voice. She didn’t blame him for being pissed. She would be too if the roles were reversed, and he did something so reckless. He reluctantly sank into the chair beside Becca’s bed.

“I heard that Ash is making a remarkable recovery,” he said. His words seemed a bit too formal, his manner uneasy. Becca forced a smile.

“The doctors say if we behave ourselves and our progress continues, we could both be out of here next week.”

“That’s good, Becs. That’s really good,” Christian said. He was quiet, his eyes wandering to the TV in the corner. An awkward silence lingered. Christian finally spoke. “You said you needed to see me. I’m here. What do you want?”

Christian wasn’t going to make this easy for her. She probably deserved that.

“I owe you an apology. What I did… the situation I put you and Nina, even Wishard… Joanne in, it wasn’t fair, and I wanted to tell you that in person.”

“I appreciate that. Is that it?” he asked.

Becca’s breath caught in her throat. “I didn’t have a choice. I need you to see that.”