“Did you know Caleb’s four?” Jax said, terrified. She blew out a breath when Gretchen nodded. Maybe not everything was lost. Maybe their lives hadn’t been flushed away in one split second.

Gretchen clamped her eyes closed and moved her lips, struggling to speak. “In kit-kitchen?”

Jax frowned. “What about a kitchen?”

“Fell…kitchen,” Gretchen said more firmly.

She might be speaking clearly, but now Jax worried Gretchen’s brain injury affected more of her memory. Jax slumped forward in disappointment. “I have to get Dr. Melendez.”

Gretchen gripped her hand tightly and gave it three little squeezes, something she hadn’t done in years. Her watery eyes were filled with fear. “Don’t,” Gretchen said, intertwining their fingers. “Please.”

Jax didn’t dare move, but she also said not another word. She watched Gretchen’s eyelids grow heavier and heavier by the minute. Visiting hours ticked away, and Gretchen eventually fell asleep. Jax pulled away from Gretchen’s surprisingly tight hold and grabbed her jacket. She slid on her heavy coat and looked at Gretchen. She looked so peaceful, the complete opposite of how Jax felt.

“It’s not fair, you know?” Jax spoke into the silent room. She studied Gretchen’s eyelids carefully to see if she could hear her. Gretchen’s chest rose and fell rhythmically. Jax sighed, a sound that came out louder than her next words. “I don’t want to be the only one who remembers the past three years. So you better remember.” She hated herself for being so resentful, but she felt strangled by her anger. She needed fresh air to help clear her head.

Jax left the hospital and sat in her truck for nearly ten minutes before driving away. She felt completely drained, but she knew she wouldn’t be able to sleep. She stopped by Wyatt’s to pick up Caleb, who was sound asleep in Wyatt’s arms. She couldn’t thank him enough for taking care of Caleb. She waited until she was home and had Caleb settled in his own bed before typing out an email to her boss explaining the situation and how she’d be out of the office again. She struggled to not end the email with her resignation. Her nightly routine felt robotic, and Jax walked into her bedroom just after nine o’clock, hours earlier than her normal bedtime.