No, no, no, no, Suhani thinks as she hears the certainty in Zack’s voice, a certainty that fills her with fear. Is what they’re going through just a rough patch that comes with the first year of marriage or a deeper sign that they don’t fit? She refuses to dwell on the latter.

Natasha would know how to talk through this with her. She’d give the most essential mixture of reassurance and analysis.

“I just need a break.” Zack shoves his hands into his pockets.

“A break from our marriage? Really?” The question doesn’t even sound real. How is he saying this? “You can’t just do that!” she says. “You’re my husband.”

You’re my world, she thinks. She wants to pull him into her, inhale the mixture of his natural, citrusy scent and Jack Black body wash. She wants to rub the back of his neck, tuck her chin into the groove of his slim shoulder, feel the edge of his glasses press into her cheekbone.

But something about Zack’s stiff posture and the hard expression in his eyes keeps Suhani rooted in place. For the first time ever in their relationship, she’s hesitant to touch him.

Another request for a neurology consult, this one more urgent, echoes from the overhead speakers. Brian, one of the phlebotomists, waves and wheels past them with his cart full of needles, tubes, and syringes. Suhani’s grateful for the brief interruptions even if she and Zack shouldn’t be having this conversation here.

Zack sighs.

Please argue with me, she wants to say. She knows from her own training that as unhealthy as it is to bicker nonstop, it’s much more dangerous when a couple stops fighting, when there just isn’t much left to say. Silence only leads to hopelessness, and after that, there really isn’t anywhere else to go.

“SUHANI!” Mom’s booming voice travels from the other side of the ER. No wonder she used to act. The woman’s voice is powerful.

“Mom. Try to calm down,” Anuj says.

“How?!” Mom points to the rows of curtains. “Which one is she in? They won’t tell us anything! Since Dad’s only been seeing a few patients in the clinic, he doesn’t know the doctors working in the emergency room now. He’s talking to the charge nurse to ask where she is.”

“I know the doctors here and she’s in great hands.” Suhani points down the hallway. “She’s in a bed over there and doing okay. Don’t worry.”

“I’ll go check on her,” Zack says before he gives Mom a hug. “She’ll be fine. I promise.”

Suhani watches Zack leave and ignores the compulsion to run after him.

“But what’s going to happen to her?!” Mom’s eyes are wide with alarm. It’s as if she doesn’t know whether to scream or cry.