He remembered picking her up–Vanessa, a toddler–and carrying her, and she squirmed like crazy, wanting down. He put her down and watched her wobble, wearing that determined, toddler-hell-bent-on-walking look. He remembered her hitting the dirt, looking up, checking with him, and he looked down and said, “You’re okay. It’s just a fall. You wanted to […]
“She’s not a little girl anymore. You know that. I know that. When I look at her, lying in a hospital bed, I want to open a vein and say, ‘Vanessa, take my life. I don’t want it anymore, and I want you to have one, and if that’s all I can do for you, […]
“Ethan!” His parents were in the kitchen when he walked in. He’d figured they’d be waiting for him. His mom, neck stretched, hands on hips, barking. His dad, closemouthed, sitting on a stool at the breakfast counter, both feet planted on the floor, one elbow down on the counter, one hand in his hair. “Are […]
On a scale of one to ten, Taylor Hoffman’s confidence bounced between 7.5 and 9. He knew his little sister was going to die, had known it for some time, hadn’t said those words to anyone ever, and didn’t intend to. A solid student, he lived off-campus with two other guys and worked two afternoons […]