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Nick deflated. “No. I want to go back to my dad and forget all of this.”

“That’s going to be hard to do. Forgetting. Seems pointless.”

“I can do it.”

Jazz sighed. “I think you believe that. Can I tell you something?”

“Are you going to apologize?”

“I didn’t do anything wrong.”

“You… you knew about—ugh.” Damn her for being right.

“That’s what I thought. I worry a lot about what happens when Gibby leaves. You know. Graduates. While we stay here.”

Nick struggled to keep his annoyance down. “I think there’s bigger issues we need to—”

“I thought she’d go to college. Maybe move on to bigger and better things. Leave us all behind. Leavemebehind. We’d break up, and maybe we’d stay friends who talked to each other every now and then, or maybe we wouldn’t. I mean, it’s not exactly realistic that you meet the love of your life when you’re sixteen, right? And besides, we’re young. People think we don’t know what we’re talking about. That our feelings aren’t valid. I thought about it a lot. All the time, really. It hurt. But you know what I realized?”

“No, but you’re going to tell me anyway.”

She laughed. “I am. I realized that it’s okay to have doubts. That I’m a person, and I have a right to feel the way I do, and so does she. If something happens down the road, it won’t make anything I’m feeling now any less important. I care about her a great deal. It boils down to trust, I think. And faith. I lost my way a little bit. I forgot to believe in her and myself. So I told her about it. And you know what she said to me?”

Nick shook his head.

“She said that I was stupid. That she loved me, and that even if something happened in the future, it would never change this exact moment.” Jazz smiled. “It’s good to talk about how you’re feeling. But it’s even better to fight for the things you believe in. I’m fighting for her because I know she’s fighting for me. Who’s fighting for you, Nicky?”

Nick couldn’t speak.

Jazz leaned over and kissed his cheek. “Sometimes, the people we want to protect the most might not understand why we do the things we do. But that doesn’t mean they love us any less. Only you can decide where your faith lies. We’re glad your dad’s okay.Call us if you need anything. Day or night. We’ll always come running.”

She left him standing next to the penis table.

Mary and Cap were gone by the time he went back to the fifth floor. A woman at the nurse’s station said they went to grab a bite to eat and would bring him something when they returned.

His dad was back in his room, but he wasn’t alone.

There was a woman sitting in a chair next to the bed, cradling a child in one arm, her other hand grasping one of Dad’s.

Nick hesitated in the doorway. They didn’t know he was there. He thought about speaking up, but then he heard the quiet sob coming from the woman.

“It’s okay,” Dad whispered, squeezing her hand. “It’s okay.”

“You save us,” the woman said, her accent thick. “You save me. Aleksey.” She muttered something in a language Nick didn’t recognize. Then, “Why? Why you help?”

“Because it was the right thing to do,” Dad said gruffly.

“Not everyone helps,” the woman said, pulling her hand away as the baby started to fuss. “You did.”

Dad shook his head. “Lady, it was my job—”

“Guardian,” she insisted. “Guardian angel.”

Dad flinched. Nick didn’t know why, but Dad recovered quickly. “Can you do me a favor?”

She nodded. “Anything. Anything for you.”

“I’m going to ask the hospital to help you. I don’t want to see you back out on the streets, okay? There are shelters that can help women in your position. People who will take care of you and your kid until you can get on your feet. This is a chance for you.”