Chapter 3

That weekend, I took Mom to another Juniper Hospital location and paid out of pocket to add a bone density scan and tumor marker screening to her exam.

While she was in the examination room, I waited on a bench in the hallway.

A large screen was built into the wall across from me, playing promotional videos for the company's various facilities on a continuous loop.

When it reached the segment about Juniper Pet Center, the video switched to a live stream titled, "Behind the Scenes at Juniper Pet Center with Alana."

Alana sat on an examination table with Goldie in her arms. Brandon stood beside her, holding an ultrasound probe as he explained the cat's digestive tract to the camera.

Comments scrolled down the screen, overlapping so quickly that they were almost impossible to follow.

"The boyfie really knows his stuff!"

"The boyfie looks so good today!"

"Look at how sweet he is with Goldie!"

Alana smiled into the camera. "Stop calling him that! He has a girlfriend."

Rather than stopping, the comments came even faster.

"Does his girlfriend know how much he spoils Goldie?"

"She'll come and drag him home if she finds out. LOL!"

A woman waiting nearby with her child glanced up at the screen and started talking to me.

"That man sure treats his girlfriend's cat well."

I didn't respond. Instead, I pulled out my phone and joined the live stream.

The newest comment read, "Wasn't that woman in the clip where he got busted by his girlfriend? She looked pretty scary."

I locked my phone, rose from the bench, and headed toward the pet center.

When I reached the glass wall, I stopped.

Brandon was crouched on the floor, entertaining the Ragdoll cat with a feather wand. He wore an easy, relaxed smile that I hadn't seen in a long time.

As soon as he looked up and noticed me, the smile disappeared from his face. The feather at the end of the toy continued swaying in his hand.

Alana followed his gaze and saw me standing outside. She quickly glanced toward the camera, but her smile remained firmly in place.

Brandon rose to his feet and stared at me through the glass, still gripping the feather wand.

"You're wearing the coat I bought you on her live stream," I said through the glass.

He glanced down at the coat as though he had only just realized he was wearing it.

I continued, "Everyone in the comments is calling you her boyfriend. But just the other night, you wore the shoes I bought you while taking her mom to the ER. You spend more time with her than I get to spend with my own mom."

The live stream went silent for a second. Then, the comments exploded.

"Oh, my God! His girlfriend just showed up!"

"Someone, screen-record this!"

"What is happening right now?"

Alana scrambled to grab the phone and end the live stream, but it slipped from her hand and landed face-up on the floor. The live stream continued.

Brandon took a step toward me. His mouth hung open as though he wanted to explain himself, but nothing came out.

I didn't wait for him to speak.

Turning away, I headed back toward the examination room, my heels clicking against the floor with every step.

Before I reached the hallway, my phone buzzed with a message from Mom.

"Hannah, I'm done with my exam. I came out, but you weren't here. Where are you?"

I stopped, locked my phone, and continued toward the examination room.

Behind me, Alana's voice echoed through the building, her tearful sobs cutting short in ragged, broken gasps.

I didn't look back.

When I first saw the comment saying I looked scary, I didn't think much of it. Now, however, it left a bitter taste in my mouth.

I thought about Mom's indigo jacket. Then, I remembered the expression on her face when Brandon stood us up, followed by the image of her standing on the subway with her eyes closed and one hand resting on the pole.

Those memories flashed through my mind one after another, each one far clearer than the ultrasound images of Alana's cat.