Walking over to the glass curtain wall, Sophie could now be absolutely certain: the man lying in the hospital bed was indeed Ned.
The ICU was filled with all kinds of life-support medical equipment. Whenever a person lay surrounded by such an array of machines, they always appeared especially fragile.
Four years ago, she had stood in a similar spot, her heart aching as she waited for him to wake up.
But in the end, she hadn't waited for him to regain consciousness before boarding the plane to America.
Four years had passed, yet that heartache had not lessened—instead, it had been joined by a deep bitterness.
Why had he come to America?
Why had he been driving on the highway at the border between the two states?
The man in the ICU lay with his eyes closed, still unconscious, his sleeping face peaceful, yet his body was covered in tubes and wires.
Sophie knew the answers to these mysteries would have to wait until he woke up…
For now, all she could do was wait.
