Zoe awoke to the sensation of a cold wet compress against her sweaty forehead. Her mother’s arms tightened around her from behind, hoisting her up. Wait, not her mother. The arms were covered with brown hair, strong and muscular. And then she remembered: Galileo. “You’re back,” he said, in a voice filled with relief. She struggled to sit up, fighting nausea. She was stretched out against him in the leather backseat of the cop car. Theo and Natalie were in the front, watching her through the divider. “Slow,” Galileo commanded. She sank back against his arms, closing her eyes. “What happened?” “You had a seizure. We couldn’t find your medication.” “Oh my God.” In her mind, she could see the bathroom cabinet where she had forgotten the bottle. A lump clogged her throat. Stupid, stupid, stupid! Why was she so absentminded? Why couldn’t she be more responsible? “I have to go back,” she said. “I’m so sorry.” Now everything was ruined. Natalie wouldn’t get to do the research, and Gramps would be stuck with his advancing age.
