I sat there in my hospital bed and looked out at the rain.
I thought about Sarah at seven, in a pink tutu, falling off the stage at her dance recital and getting right back up. I thought about Michael at four, crying because a worm got stepped on, and making me bury it in the backyard with a little stick for a cross. I thought about David at ten, doing my checkbook with me at the kitchen table, so proud he could add faster than me.
David. Who was going to stand up in front of a judge and say I couldn’t add.
“Adrienne,” Malcolm said quietly. “You don’t have to decide anything right now. You just had heart surgery.”
“Yes, I do,” I said.
I turned back to him. My voice was steady. I was surprised by that.
“Dr. Chen,” I said. “I need a lawyer. And I need one today.”
