She slept hours at a stretch. Meredith and Joe took turns sitting with her and Libby, making sure she could shower, eat meals, and watch more football—although the night before, Meredith insisted on a movie and Melody had fallen asleep on Joe’s arm watching an old black and white film noir. The Marine captain and his parents took her and her daughter under their wings and as profoundly grateful as she was, she didn’t want to get used to it.What happened when Joe got better? Or if she couldn’t be more than friends? Her attraction for the man overwhelmed her, and she constantly had to remind herself he was still in recovery and she should be worried about her daughter, not thinking about what his lips would feel like.But while standing in the surgical waiting room as her daughter disappeared behind the heavy doors for a procedure that could improve the quality of her life and end it in the same breath—everything crashed in on her. She couldn’t move. Her rigid muscles cramped, her chest hurt, and spots danced before her eyes.
