Carson knew better than to go to the hospital to see Mrs. Winters without taking her a bouquet of roses, so he'd stopped on their way there. Her son had called and said she was in high spirits and ready to leave. They were holding her for one more day, just until they were sure she could go to the new facility where she'd live.

Hearing that made Carson's heart ache. He knew that the health of some seniors declined when they were put into housing facilities, and it worried him that Mrs. Winters would give up on life. Though, he couldn't imagine her doing so. He'd never known anyone who embraced every part of life—the good and the bad.

But, Abigail had said her time was almost up. She'd even said Mrs. Winters knew that too. Why wasn't he ready for it?

Abigail reached for his hand as they sat in the car out in front of the hospital. He realized when she reached for his hand that he'd sat there too long thinking about what waited for them when they went in, and what waited for Mrs. Winters when she got out.

"Are you going to be okay?" Abigail asked as she gave his hand a gentle squeeze.

"When Jeffery died, his grandmother was my strength. She had her own kids to worry about, and the grief over her grandson. But she made sure I was okay. Over the past few years, we've grown very close. It's hard to know she won't be going home."

Silence returned between them. Carson wondered if there would be calm for him when he saw Mrs. Winters. Would Jeffery be there? It was true, right? He believed Abigail and in her ability. Still sounded crazy in his head.

Carson finally opened the car door, and Abigail followed suit. Hand in hand they walked into the hospital. They remained silent as they rode the elevator to the third floor, and walked to Mrs. Winters room.

Glenn Winters, Jeffery's father, sat next to his mother's bed. They both had their attention directed toward the television. The movie they were watching was in black-and-white, a favorite pastime of Mrs. Winters.

Glenn saw them at the door first and stood.

"Carson," he said as he walked across the room shook his hand. "I was hoping I’d get to see you soon. I wanted to thank you for getting Mom out of that house. I'm eternally grateful to you."

Carson felt the sting of his words in his chest. He wished they could have said the same thing to him years ago when Jeffery died. Though they never blamed him, Carson always felt guilty.

"Glenn, this is Abigail Weston."

Glenn didn't reach his hand out to shake hers. Instead, he pulled her in and hugged her tightly. "Mom has told me all about you. Thank you for going to her."

He watched as the tears filled Abigail's eyes when he stepped back.

Abigail wiped her cheeks. "I'm glad we got there in time."

Glenn turned back to his mother. "I'm going to go get something to eat. I'll bring you back something," he promised.

As he walked out of the room, he patted Carson on the shoulder.

Carson moved to the bedside, and leaned in and kissed Mrs. Winters on the cheek. "How are you feeling?"

"Cooped up. I'm ready to fly."

Carson chuckled. "I'll bet you are. Can Abigail and I sit with you for a bit?"

"Of course you can. Abigail, I'm very happy to see you."

Abigail moved to her, kissed her on the cheek just as Carson had before. "I'm glad you're doing so well."

He noticed that the kiss was quick, and she didn't touch her. Was she afraid of what she might see?

Abigail sat in the chair next to the bed, and Carson took the chair on the other side. He wasn't even sure where to begin, but he needed a few answers for himself.

He reached for Mrs. Winters' hand, and she smiled sweetly at him. "Ask your questions, sweetheart. You want to. You're confused."

Carson noticed the smile that crept across Abigail's lips. He took a deep breath and thought about what he wanted to know.

"I'm not sure where to begin," he said. "This is quite new to me. I've never given much thought to abilities like this. And I didn't know you had them."

Mrs. Winters laughed. "Most people are close-minded. It's not something you talk about a lot."

"So that day we met Abigail," he began as he shifted a glance towards her, "you knew everything about her. Didn't you?"

"Oh, sweetheart, why do you think I wanted to go there?"

Carson sat back and chuckled. "You've always amazed me."

"And you me," Mrs. Winters replied. "It's not easy, Carson. I'm sure Abigail has shared that with you." She gave Abigail a kind smile, before turning her attention back to him. "Her gift is not getting a reading from you. My poor husband, he couldn't take a potato chip without me knowing. It was probably a curse for him as well."

"It saved your life. All that matters," he admitted.

Mrs. Winters shrugged as folding her hands over her stomach. "I'm glad you kids were there. I've never seen my demise in a fire. Just so you know, I'll just continue sleeping."

Carson fisted his hands to keep them from shaking. He didn't want to know how she would die, or when.

"Abigail told me you talk to Jeffery."

The smile returned to Mrs. Winters dry lips. "Oh, yes, honey. He's comforted me for years. Of course, I would rather have had him here with me all this time, but he has been waiting on the other side."

"And that's why you don't talk about it, right? It does sound crazy."

Mrs. Winters shrugged. "I'm much too old to care who thinks I'm crazy, Carson. But yes, that's why no one talks about it. And I knew his death traumatized you. You've never quite recovered. Abigail is here now, explore the future."

Carson glanced toward Abigail, who sat very quietly in the chair. "I'm sorry I walked out. You need my support, emotionally. I'm sorry I ever even considered you had anything to do with Katie Meadows' death. Obviously, I'm not open-minded enough."

He watched as Abigail brushed another tear from her cheek. "I'm not sure I am either," she admitted. "Until I met Mrs. Winters, I'd never known anyone else with such a gift. I don't want to see what will happen. I want to experience it."

He reached his hand across the bed to take hers. "We'll experience it together," he promised.

Mrs. Winters began to laugh. "Oh children, you make me very happy. Remember that the name Ellie is a great name for a little girl."

Abigail pulled her hand back quickly as if Mrs. Winters had given her some deep information. Carson knew to laugh. The old woman's sense of humor was something you had to get used to.

When Glenn reappeared at the door, he looked at his mother with a smile. "Good news, they’re coming to spring you."

Mrs. Winters let out an exasperated sigh. "It's about damn time." She turned her head toward Abigail. "I'll be at your shop for our birthday. Carson said you'll join us, and I'm going to hold you to that."

Abigail had tucked her hands into the pockets of her jacket. "I look forward to that."

She turned to leave the room as Carson gave Mrs. Winters another kiss on the cheek. But she raised her hand to his cheek and held him near. She studied him closely. "Your plans for the church are perfect. She will understand. There's no need to change."

Carson processed the information for a moment. "Okay," he said, not truly understanding her comment. He had thought about redesigning it, but there had been no plans to go forward with it.

He shook Glenn's hand and promised Mrs. Winters he would be there to pick her up for their birthday tea.

Abigail waited just outside the room for him. He moved to her, placing his hands on her cheeks, and kissed her softly. "Thank you for coming. That woman is very special to me, and you are very special to her. I'm glad she saw us together."

Abigail rested her hands on his shoulders. "I'm glad too."