He meets my eyes for just a moment. Then he hands my mother my cell and makes his way past my bedside fan club.

– 7 –

I wake up hours later, clawing my way out of the Vicodin haze. It’s dark, but my room is lit with soft yellow light. If I squint just right, I could be in a romantic restaurant. On a really bad date.

The first thing I see is Solo, looking with intense focus at the iPad they use in lieu of an old-fashioned clipboard medical chart. It’s not the concentration of someone trying to make sense of something he doesn’t understand. It’s the concentration of a guy confirming something he’s already suspected.

He hears me moving. The iPad is back in the slot at the foot of my bed and he’s smiling at me. Covering up. Looking innocent.

I think: Strange boy I really don’t know, don’t you realize nothing is more suspicious than an innocent look

Before I can say anything, Solo slips out the door. Seconds later, a nurse arrives. I haven’t seen her before, so I