My lamp was lit, and when I saw my nurse, my breath caught. Evie was leaning with her back against my bedside holding one of Rosa’s books. I hadn’t seen her since her birthday, and I’d been too frightened to ask anyone where she was. She looked at me and smiled. “There she is,” she said in a soft voice. “How’re you feeling now?” I nodded, easing myself up to a sitting position. “How long have I been asleep?” “Oh, since yesterday. Doc gave you more laudanum for the pain and said you should sleep it off.” “Where’s Teeny?” My voice was thick and rough. “Don’t worry about her,” Evie said. “She bunked in with Rosa last night.” I pulled up my shirt to reveal a hideous purple and black line around my torso. Evie gasped. “Oh, god, Hale!” “Better than being dead, I guess,”
