He was staring out the window. I picked at the sheet that was pulled up to my waist and waited for him to respond or laugh or leave or do whatever it was he was going to do. Finally he seemed to remember where he was, and he looked at me and smiled. “Well, thanks for the message. I’m glad to see you’re going to be all right.” He stood and straightened his shirt. “I hope you get out of here soon. What is it you do?”

The wall he erected with those words was almost tangible. I felt my heart sink. “I’m a teacher. Fifth grade.”

“A teacher; great. Well, don’t let those kids wear you out when you go back.” He moved to the door. “Take care, Grace. Nice meeting you.”

I nodded. “You too, Jack. Take care.”

With a final smile he turned and disappeared out the door. I closed my eyes and let out a long, painful sigh. I’d done my part, there was nothing else I could do.

At least I could tell my students I’d met Jack Harrington, even if he did think me mad.

JACK

I NEARLY RAN out of her room and down the hall to the elevator. Being in the enclosed space of the elevator felt more comfortable than that room. Talk about crazy! I’d never met someone so delusional before. All that talk about God and “heaven”—and to think that someone would actually think it possible that God, if He really existed in the first place, would send a message like that. The whole thing was completely implausible. Stuff like that just didn’t happen.

I drove back to my apartment and grabbed a brew from the fridge before flopping onto the couch and turning on the TV. I flipped through the channels for a while before landing on a college ball game, but my concentration only lingered there for a little while. She had seemed pretty sincere, not your typical religious fanatic. And she’d been lucid; it didn’t seem like painkillers talking. But come on, a message from God?

I shook the thought from my head and focused on the game. I wasn’t going to spend my time dwelling on this obviously trauma-induced trick of the mind she’d experienced. I was glad to see she wasn’t going to die; I didn’t think I could handle being involved in anything else where I had to watch someone else’s life end. With a final mental shove I rid my mind of all thought of the afternoon’s nonsense and eventually fell asleep on the couch.