“Doing exactly that. Doesn’t help much.”
“Then maybe sit up for a bit, lean forward over some cushions. A warm compress, if you’ve got one.”
“I will call Mary in an hour to prepare one, she gets up at five.”
“Having a rough couple of weeks?”
“Ugh, I don’t wanna talk about it. I’m never doing this again.”
A soft chuckle.
“That’s a frequently heard statement, dear.”
“What’re you doing?”
“Reading.”
“What’re you reading?”
“I’m halfway through Reflections from the deeper undercurrent by Helga Minsch.”
“Oh, I read that one last week. Thanks for your TBR list, by the way. I was out of books. I loved the part where she finds the letter she hid as a child in the hollow of a tree.”
“Yes, absolutely. That part hit close to home for me. I think for you too, right?”
A soft giggle
“Let’s not unpack my McKenna mess. I… I actually wanted to say I appreciate your cooperativeness. I knew you’d understand.”
A long sigh. Silence.
“This is the test, right? The test the pack laid out for me.”
“Perhaps. Perhaps this isn’t about you.”
“I think the test is that I’m the one who’s testing.”
A laugh.
“I was right to put my faith in you.”
“It was necessary. I didn’t see it at first, but I see it now.”
“I’m happy you see it that way. The pack needs people like you.”
“My complete devotion is with the pack, and the pack is you.”
“Glad to know I can count on you. I need to know who’s on our side before moving. We’ll do things differently than Jay.”
“How can I help?”
“We’re stepping back from all of this for a while. We need to focus on ourselves now.”
“I understand. Big changes are coming for you.”
“How about you? How are you holding up? I heard you and Tom are talking again. I was really relieved to hear that.”
“Yeah, we’re figuring things out. I fucked up pretty bad. Did Tom tell you what happened the day I left?”
