LITMIR.BIZ

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call you, of course. Thank you, Adam.”

      He nodded, patted her shoulder. “I’ll go now. Be sure you call me.”

      Finally he was gone. Alone with her son, Deidre wrapped Kevin’s hand in both of hers. “You’re going to wake up soon.” She kept her voice soft. “All the boys and girls from your kindergarten class have made cards for you. When you open your eyes, you can look at them, okay?”

      She heard the door and stopped, but Liz Donnelly just smiled and nodded. “It’s okay to talk to him. But right now Dr. Jamison and I want to have a few words with you.”

      Jamison followed Liz into the room. He stood silent for a moment, studying a chart he carried, and Deidre’s heart began to thud. At last he looked up and focused on her.

      “As we explained to you earlier, the reason for the sedation was to allow the brain time to rest and recover by reducing swelling.”

      He seemed to expect a response, so she nodded.

      “All of the tests we’ve run are looking good, so we’ve ordered to stop the sedation. Once your boy wakes up, we’ll be able to assess the situation in a different way.”

      “Does that mean you’ll be able to tell if there’s been any permanent damage?” Her throat tightened as she said the words, and her hands felt clammy.

      Jamison looked at Liz, as if passing the question off to her. Liz came and sat down knee to knee with Deidre.

      “We just don’t know. Once Kevin is awake, we’ll want to see if there are any overt signs of damage. But signs can be very subtle, and there’s also the fact that he might demonstrate some impairment at first and then have that completely disappear as his brain continues to heal.” She patted Deidre’s hand. “It’s a game of wait and see at this point, but we’re agreed that we don’t see any indication of trouble now.”

      Deidre managed to nod. What it boiled down to was that they really didn’t know. But when she looked at Kevin, his cheeks rosy as they always were when he slept, she found it impossible to believe he wouldn’t simply be himself when he woke.

      “When do you think he’ll wake up?”

      Liz glanced at her watch. “Anytime in the next hour or so. You can talk to him the way you were, but don’t make any other effort to rouse him. It’s better to just let him come out of it gradually on his own.”

      Again Deidre nodded, but with a flicker of irritation. What did they think she was going to do—try to shake him awake?

      “Good.” Liz rose, and Dr. Jamison was already halfway out of the room. “We’ll leave you with him, then. When he starts responding to you, just ring for the nurse and have her page me. I expect to be here in the hospital.”

      “All right.” Much as she liked Liz, she was ready to have her go. Talking about the possibilities of difficulties with Kevin’s brain made them uncomfortably real.

      But apparently she wasn’t destined to be alone with Kevin, because no sooner had the doctors left than Jason came in. “You haven’t been left by yourself, have you?” He seemed to echo her thoughts.

      She managed a smile. “You just missed Pastor Bennett. And Judith was here before that.”

      “Good.” Apparently he, like everyone else, thought she needed company. He looked at Kevin and nodded, as if pleased with his appearance. “What’s the verdict? Are they waking him up today?”

      “Yes.” There was a world of relief in the word, but it was tinged with anxiety.

      Jason seemed to pick up on what she didn’t say. He studied her face and then came to sit next to her. “What’s wrong?”

      “Nothing.” She shook her head, trying to deny the longing to spill out her worries and fears.

      “There must be something, or you wouldn’t look that way.”

      She couldn’t help smiling at his words. “You’ve only known me a few days. You can’t possibly know what my expressions mean.”

      “Granted, it hasn’t been long, but they’ve been eventful days. You get to know a lot about people when you see them in a crisis.” Jason’s face tightened, making her wonder what had induced that grim look.

      “Kevin’s going to wake up soon.” She squeezed the small hand that lay in hers. “When he does, we’ll have an idea of whether there’s any permanent damage. And we’ll know what he remembers.”

      That was on everyone’s mind, it seemed. The police, of course, but maybe also the person who’d attacked Dixie. Was he still here in Echo Falls, waiting? Or had he fled? Surely that was what he’d have done.

      “Whatever happens when he wakes up, at least you’ll have him back again.” He put a hand on the back of her chair rather than on her shoulder, as Adam had done.

      She blinked back sudden tears. “Yes. Maybe I’ll be able to take him home soon. I won’t know what to do when we get back to real life.” She gestured to their surroundings. “This...all of it...doesn’t seem real.”

      Jason seemed to consider her words. “It’s not normal, anyway. Well, today is the first step back. By the way, Judge Morris sends his apologies. He wanted to be here this morning, but he had to be in court.”

      So that was why Jason had come. It wasn’t anything personal. Surely she wasn’t disappointed. She couldn’t be relying on the man. She barely knew him.

      “I’m sure. I’ll call and give Sylvia the latest news once Kevin is awake.”

      Sylvia hadn’t come to the hospital to see Kevin, and Deidre had been glad for that. It wasn’t that Sylvia didn’t care; it was that she was too fragile emotionally to be helpful.

      Kevin’s hand stirred in hers—just a butterfly touch at first, then a definite movement.

      “Kevin.” She leaned over him. “Baby, are you awake?” She sensed, rather than saw, Jason snap to attention next to her. “Kevin?”

      Nothing happened for a minute that seemed to last forever. Then Kevin moved, wiggling a little as he did when she woke him for Sunday school. His forehead wrinkled.

      “Wake up, baby,” she said, keeping her voice gentle. “It’s time to get up now.” They were the same words she said every morning.

      And, just like all those other mornings, Kevin blinked and opened his eyes. At first he stared, seeming puzzled, at the ceiling. Then he focused on her face. His blue eyes widened and he smiled. “Mommy.”

      She’d never heard anything better in her life. It took a giant effort to keep her voice calm, her manner casual. “You awake, baby?”

      “Sure.” He started to get up, then stared at the tube leading into his arm. “Mommy?” His voice shook. “What’s happening, Mommy? What’s that thing?”

      “It’s okay.” She eased him back on the pillow, putting her arms around him. “You had a little accident and had to come to the hospital. But you’re getting better now.”

      “Oh.” He settled down but still looked troubled. She thought he was trying to remember. “Did I fall out of the tree? That’s what happened, right? You told me not to climb so high, but I wanted to see.”

      “Climbing the apple tree, you mean?” At a movement from Jason, she glanced at him. “That morning,” she said quietly. “Is that what you remember, Kev?”

      He frowned. “I remember climbing up high in the tree. That’s all.”

      Kevin was making up his own story about what had happened. It was a story that probably seemed normal and comforting to him.

      Comforting because he didn’t know how he got hurt. Here was the answer everyone had been waiting for. Kevin didn’t remember anything about the attack on Dixie. However the police

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