Cai’s distraction led him to lose three games of Uno in a row, and eventually Nora had mercy on him and let him quit. They waited impatiently for the doctor to arrive, but lunch came and went, and the hours ticked by.

Resting her cheek on her hand, Nora alternatively stared out the window and checked on Cai. Their silence was comfortable, though each time she caught his eyes, he would smile tightly.

“Take a nap,” she whispered when she noticed his eyelids drooping. “I’ll wake you up when the doctor comes.”

“What will you do?”

When he didn’t argue, she smiled. “I brought a book. Another Apollo read.” Inside her backpack, she found the book she’d most recently borrowed and held it up. Cai squinted, leaning forward to read the title before he rested back.

“Looks like a good one.”

Apollo had introduced her to sports biographies. “It is,” she said, and paused significantly.

“Fine,” he said, giving in. “You’ll wake me?”

“Promise.”

With a long sigh, he shifted on the bed to find a comfortable position. Nora reached for his hand to squeeze it in hers. He tightened his fingers around hers, tucked it close to his chest and, within moments, was asleep.

For a long while, she stayed in that position, but with her arm extended, hand starting to sweat in Cai’s, she had to disentangled herself. A final squeeze and she took her hand back.

The hospital air conditioning clicked on, blowing a cool breeze over her neck and across Cai. She’d been visiting enough to know where the extra blankets were, and she got one for him and another to cover her shoulders like a shawl.

When Cai was moved from the ICU to this wing of the hospital, they’d exchanged one uncomfortable set of chairs for another. Nora seated herself there now. With her legs folded beneath her and the blanket wrapped over her shoulders and knees, she settled in. But she couldn’t concentrate. The book, which had held her attention, fell to her lap each time someone walked by the room or she heard a door closing.

She was as anxious for Cai to come home as anyone. He’d been away from home too long, and she wasn’t the only one who needed him. Tyler needed him. The kids at the youth center—though supported by the other social workers—trusted him implicitly.

Nora stared out the window, thinking about Tyler. A big part of her carried guilt for his breakdown. When she’d first met him, he’d been so outgoing. One of the many things she’d liked about the young man was the way he challenged her. Nora, who’d volunteered at the center, made excuses for the situation she was in. Her life had been hard. She’d had to struggle to find jobs and make money.

Should I just give up like you? Tyler had asked.

His words had struck her dumb. Somewhere along the path her life had taken, she’d turned into a Debbie Downer, an Eeyore. It wasn’t a purposeful decision. She’d done what she thought he intended—she went for what she wanted.

Early Tyler never would have attacked her, at least not physically. With sarcasm and snark, yes.

So what had happened to him? A break in the clouds sent a shaft of sunlight streaming through the window, and she stood, moving closer to lean against the wall and stare out at the scenery. Not far away, the stones of Converse Hall gleamed black, saturated with rain from the downpour.

She drummed her fingers, eyes going automatically to the top floor and the window she’d seen Tilly Mason fall from. Why had she jumped? Between Tyler and Tilly, God, and even Reed, everyone she knew who’d participated in Dr. Murray’s study seemed to have lost their minds.

Holy shit.

Like a bright, flashing light, a link appeared between each of the young adults who’d overtaken her thoughts. She’d been so stupid—so incredibly stupid. The guys were right.

All of those things Dr. Murray and his study did that needled her and chipped away at her fledgling confidence had to somehow be related to the others. Something was rotten in Denmark.

As if her thoughts summoned him, her cell phone chirped from her backpack. The sound caused a rush of anxiety to flood her system. It continued to ring before chiming a voicemail. There was no way, after realizing she should have been listening to her instincts all along, she was going to respond to Dr. Murray’s summons.

This was bad, but it could be worse. At least now she had a job, and while the relationship between her and the guys was new, she didn’t doubt the commitment they felt for her. Matisse and Ryan had shared their pasts with her and told her their worries. Even Cai, who she knew was bothered by something he wasn’t yet ready to share, implored her to be patient with him and trust him.

Her decision not to continue with the study would affect all of them. It would mean debt and payment plans, but there was nothing for it. This was a connection she’d be stupid to ignore.

Cai’s doctor arrived not long after he woke up. Thank God. Because Cai was crawling out of his skin.

With his bag packed and ready, he paced the room. The door was open and periodically he poked his head out, only to have the nurses call to him, “We paged him! Be patient!”

He mumbled under his breath, but waved at them, before calling out, “Hey!”

“Hey!” Matisse’s voice filtered into the room. Footsteps hurried down the hall. “Hey. You were right. Holy fuck, Cai. You were—” Barreling into the room, he stopped short when he saw her. His pale skin was flushed. Sweat beaded on his forehead and ran down his temples.

Cai had gone white, and he stepped backward to crash into the bed.

“What happened?” she asked, voice high and scared. “Cai. Sit down. You look like you’re going to pass out.”

He didn’t argue and sat. “Matisse…” Flicking a glance at Nora, he trailed off.

A groan of frustration built in her chest, but she stifled it. “I’m going to step out. You guys talk.”

Both guys must have been off-balance, because they didn’t try to argue or hide their relief. “Okay,” Matisse answered. “Just give us a few.”

After dropping a kiss on Cai’s cheek, she nodded. Matisse kept his eyes on her, tracking her as she came to him. His face was shiny with sweat, and she pulled her sleeve over her hand and swiped it over his forehead. “I’m going to walk around. I’ll be back soon.”

“D’accord,” he answered as she headed to the door. Quick as a flash, he grabbed her hand, tugged her back to him and kissed her. His tongue swept past her lips, tangling with hers in a bruising kiss that left her knees weak. “Thank you, cher.”

It was hard to smile, but she managed it. They’d tell her soon enough.