55

“What are you doing here? Dad’s upstairs and you have to leave before he wakes up. He asked me if there is something he should know about and he even said something smells different. No idea why he has that sensitive nose, but he does, and I nearly lost it and he knows, Dan. He knows something’s wrong, because he’s Dad. He knows things and I can not lie to him. I can not do this—”

“Hey. Deep breaths.”

I inhale, then exhale harshly, staring at him from beneath my eyelashes. “I…I am scared. I am scared of making him mad or losing him after I have finally got him back. It is a miracle that he’s home and has recovered so fast, and I can not…I can not think of losing him.”

“You will not. I’ll make sure of it.”

“Really?”

“Have I ever made a promise and not kept it?”

“No, you have not.”

“Then trust me one final time.”

“Are you…going to talk to him?”

“It is about time I do. I waited for him to recover, but I need to be the one who tells him before he goes back to battling with Susan and finds