Abby didn’t realize how late it had gotten until the hallway lights dimmed into their evening glow.
She balanced two plates of food in her hands, the scent of roasted chicken and herbs following her down the corridor. Her steps slowed the closer she got to Joe’s room, her chest tightening with every footfall.
She had left while he was still asleep.
Not because she wanted to run, she told herself, but because she needed space. Because he needed time, like Kari had said. Because healing did not happen all at once, no matter how badly she wanted it to.
Give him time, Abby.
She stopped just inside the doorway.
Joe was awake.
He sat propped against the pillows, the television murmuring quietly in the background. The light from the screen cast soft shadows across his face, and for a momen
