bled away, and she looked so much younger. Unguarded.
Pretty. Kind. She blinked and there was real moisture in her
eyes. It made Coralyn feel terrible for the thoughts she’d just
had. “You’ll call me later?”
She didn’t have Giana’s private number. Of course she
didn’t. “No. Call me when the doctor is done. Tell me
everything. I want to know. I’ll leave my phone on.” She made
herself reach out and take Giana’s hand and squeeze it
reassuringly. “It’s going to be okay. Everything will be fine. I
can come back here after I visit the hospital.”
“You’re probably exhausted. I’ll call you and I’ll let you
know. You should get some rest.” Giana’s gaze probed too
intimately, roving over her face. “You do look really tired. I’m
sorry I didn’t notice before now. You probably haven’t been
/> sleeping with everything going on with your dad.”
“Not really.” That was the truth at least. Coralyn couldn’t
remember the last time she’d slept well.
“What about your mom?”
The storm was back, the rain pummeling her insides. That
grief, still so fresh and raw after years, twisted up and uncoiled
and bit back hard. She felt like she could scream. She hated it.
She hated the fear of it. She was afraid it was never going to
stop hurting and sometimes that made her frantic. She was
going to lose her dad and she’d be desperate all over again.
“She actually passed away. A car accident.”
Giana’s mouth dropped. “I’m so sorry! Oh my God.” She
smacked her forehead, not gently either. “I don’t know why I
don’t remember.”
“Hey.” Coralyn wrenched her hand away. “Don’t do that to
yourself. It’s fine, Giana. Just let the doctor look at you and