“No, no, I’m not mad. I’m thrilled. John’s thrilled. We’ve missed you.”

“I had to go,” she said, her words running together.

Emily questioned, “You had to go? Where did you go?”

“Away… for N-Nichol.”

“Honey, we know all about that. It’s all right, you’re back.”

Claire sighed. “Yes.”

Her sentences were short, but it was obvious that she was fully comprehending every question that anyone asked. Eventually, John knelt beside them and touched Claire’s knee. When her piercing green eyes met his, John grinned. “Hey, lady, I’ve missed you.”

Claire leaned forward and wrapped her arms around John’s neck. “Thank you… thank you… for not being… upset.”

“At you? Never.”

Claire sniffled. “You were… I’m sorry.”

“Hey, don’t be sorry. Just stay with us, okay? No more going away.”

She nodded. “I don’t know… where… I’d go.”

Everyone giggled. “That’s good,” Emily said, “you just stay right here with us.”

“And… Nichol?” Claire asked.

Emily nodded as her gaze went to John and back to Claire. “Yes, eventually, of course, she needs you, but not yet. We need to get you better first.”

A tear escaped Claire’s lower lid and descended her cheek. “I understand… but… I’ve missed… too much.”

Emily looked up to Dr. Brown. “Where’s Ms. Russel? She should be here. Dr. Fairfield, I know it’s been your regimen, but Ms. Russel has helped to get my sister to this point. I want to thank her.”

“She should be at the meeting downstairs. I’ll ask Valerie to bring her up,” Dr. Fairfield offered.

John had never experienced a more emotional morning. He didn’t know for sure how long they stayed in that room, but by the time they helped Claire back to her room and joined her for lunch, he knew he’d be no good to anyone at Rawlings for the rest of the day. He was spent. It was all too much: hearing his sister-in-law responding, seeing the comprehension in her eyes, and watching her feed herself, was truly a dream come true.

They never were able to thank Ms. Russel. Valerie said that she brought her up to the floor, and they’d watched through the window. She said that Ms. Russel didn’t want to interrupt this important family reunion, and said that she was too emotional. She was afraid she’d upset Claire.

“Oh, I wanted so much to speak with her,” Emily replied, though she and John completely understood. It’d been more emotional than either one of them had expected.

“Please… don’t… stop… her from… coming,” Claire said.

Emily grinned and patted Claire’s knee. “Don’t worry about that. Of course, we wouldn’t stop her. Do you like her?”

Claire nodded. Between her posture and drooping eyelids, it was obvious she was getting tired.

“Why don’t we let you rest?” John offered.

“I’ll be back tomorrow,” Emily said, “to see how you’re doing. Will you be all right?”

“Yes… Tomorrow… will… you bring, Nichol?”

Emily pressed her lips tight and shook her head. “Honey, let’s wait on that until we’re sure you’re all right. I showed you her picture. I’ll bring some tomorrow for you to keep here in your room.”

“She’s so… big.”

John replied, “She is, but she’s still little. You’ll have plenty of time with her. Right now, you concentrate on getting better. Listen to the doctors. I know you’ll be feeling like your old self in no time at all.”

Walking from Everwood into the autumn air, Emily squeezed John’s hand. Although he felt as though he’d been through an emotional roller coaster, he couldn’t help but smile. His wife looked beautiful. With her makeup gone and her eyes red, Emily’s smile was the brightest he’d seen in years. “You’re lovely,” he whispered.

“Ha. I’m sure I look stunning. My head is throbbing and I’ve never been happier. Honestly, I could use a nap. Then,” she added, “let’s get the kids and celebrate. This was a miracle.”

“I think that sounds like a great plan,” John replied.

If love is without sacrifice, it is selfish.

—Sadhu Vaswani

Brent stared at his wife. Finally he asked, “Are you seriously going to meet Meredith Banks, the woman who wrote that vile book, at this hour of the night? Tell me again why.”

Courtney reached for her purse. “Brent, I’ll be fine. I’m meeting her at Short’s Burgers in Iowa City.”

“You’re going to a bar—at 9:00 PM?”

“She said it was about Claire. She knew that Claire was getting better. I need to find out how she’s gotten her information. I know I should call Emily. I do, and maybe I will. But Meredith also knew that I hadn’t been allowed to see Claire. I mean, it was one thing when all Emily would say is that Claire’s not well. Now it’s different. Even though I can’t tell Emily, I know she’s getting better. Phil’s reports have tons of great information from her medical records. However, every time I ask Emily to put me on the visitation list, she has some reason why the time isn’t right.”

“I don’t like this,” Brent said. “I don’t like Meredith. Sometimes, I’m not thrilled with Emily, but I know that Emily thinks she’s doing what’s best for her sister.”