I told Mom over the phone before dinner. I ran my fingers alongside the staples on my thigh. Just a few more days and this shit would be out of my body. “I don’t mean to be all mama-bear, but I’d really like to see you,” she said, her voice heavy with emotion. “Yeah, of course. I have some things to take care of here in the next couple of weeks. Do you want to come here? I’ll pay for a ticket if you want.” I looked up where Ember was chopping lettuce, and she gave me an approving nod before turning her eyes back to the greens. It was the closest thing to communication I’d gotten since the doctor’s appointment hours ago. “Oh, a plane? I don’t know.” I closed my eyes and rubbed my temples. “Planes are safer than cars, Mom. By about forty-three thousand to thirteen.” “Says the man who just got himself into a helicopter crash,”
