“Very good. I’ll be back in tomorrow if there are no sudden changes.”

Jax watched her leave and stood in the center of the quiet room. She checked the time and sat beside Gretchen’s bed. After a deep breath, she looked at Gretchen’s profile. She took in Gretchen’s long eyelashes and healing bruises. Jax checked the doorway quickly to make sure no one was watching her.

“It’s Thursday,” she said. “Today was Caleb’s first day back to school. I wanted to keep him home another day, but he insisted. I’ve never met a kid who loves school as much as he does. He must get that from you.” Jax let out an airy laugh. Gretchen’s ventilator hissed back. “This is stupid. What good will this do? Hearing my voice is probably the last thing you want or need. You didn’t want to hear it when we were together—why would you want to hear it now?”

“Sorry I’m late.”

Jax jumped up at Amanda’s sudden intrusion. “You just missed Dr. Melendez.”

“What did she say?” Amanda tossed her heavy down jacket on the foot of Gretchen’s bed, treating the room like her home. “Anything new?”

“No,” Jax said, her tone heavy with disappointment. “She did recommend something crazy.”

“What’s that?”

“She said we should talk to her, to Gretchen, because hearing us could be the push she needs to pull through.” Jax analyzed the way Amanda looked at Gretchen with the softest, most hopeful gaze. “I know it sounds ridiculous—”

“I talk to her every minute I’m alone with her.”

“You do?”

“You don’t?”

Jax shook her head. “I just didn’t think of it.”

Amanda rolled her eyes and went about setting up for the day. She always brought a knitted blanket, an e-reader, and her own tea bags. “I read to her when I run out of things to talk about. One time I even read the ingredients off a pack of crackers. I want her to know I’m here.”

“Maybe I don’t want her to know I’m here,” Jax said quietly, more to herself than to Amanda. “She won’t wake up then.”

“Oh, cut the pity-party bullshit.”

Jax looked at Amanda in shock. “What?”

“This isn’t about you, Jax. I know you believe everything is, but not this. This is about Gretchen and Caleb. Not you.”

“I do not—”

Amanda raised her hand. “Don’t even. Since day one, you’ve made sure your relationship was about you. Gretchen gets a new job, you talk about how it affects you. When she was pregnant, you talked about her symptoms like they were your own. Now this? Step back and realize who this is really about. For once.”

“Wow.” Jax paced in front of the door. “Tell me how you really feel, Amanda. Was my selfishness what killed my marriage, too?”

“Gretchen wasn’t a saint.”

“You’re goddamn right she wasn’t.” Jax looked at Gretchen’s still body with guilt.

“But she’s the one in a coma, and we need to figure this out together, with Caleb in mind.”