Chapter 2

The next morning, I was still in my hospital bed when Daniel stormed into my room.

"Alice, what were you doing at the nurses' station?"

Still in his work suit, he dropped a thermos onto the table.

"The nurse called me. She said you were trying to pull out your oxygen tube and get out of bed. Have you lost your mind? You know you're paralyzed. What exactly were you trying to prove?"

"I wasn't trying to leave." My throat was raw. "I only wanted to wash my face. I'd been waiting since dawn for someone to help me sit up, but no one came."

Daniel frowned. "Then you should've pressed the call button. You can't keep putting yourself at risk."

"The aide isn't here anymore."

"So?"

"Ethan fired her. He said the money would be better spent on Madison's rink time."

Daniel's expression barely changed. "Ethan was right. You're in the hospital. There are nurses on every floor. Why do you need a private aide? If you need something, press the button."

I had once thought Daniel would always protect me. Now he couldn't even spare someone to help me wash my face.

Daniel had used his favor to get Madison into an elite skating program. Lucas had used his on her, too, and Ethan had just guaranteed her victory at Nationals. Three chances to help me. All three given away. Now even the care I needed to get through the day was considered an unnecessary expense.

"Here," he said, opening the thermos. "I brought you breakfast. The doctor says your stomach is weak, so you should avoid anything greasy."

He poured thin, pale oatmeal into a bowl. No butter, no fruit, not even a pinch of salt.

I tried to swallow a spoonful, but my stomach turned.

Daniel checked his phone as he screwed the thermos lid back on.

"I can't stay long. I have to take Madison her lunch. Mom made grilled chicken, brown rice, and roasted vegetables for her. She's been training so hard, and she needs to keep her strength up."

I stared at my watery oatmeal. He was rushing off with a proper meal for the girl who already had everything.

"Daniel," I said, "could you ask the nurse if there's anything stronger for the pain? My chest feels like it's being crushed."

I pointed to the medication pump beside my bed.

He glanced at it, then at me.

"You're already getting pain medication. You can't keep asking for more every time you feel uncomfortable. Those drugs are addictive."

"I'm not asking for them for fun. I can barely breathe."

Daniel picked up the patient control button from my hand and placed it on the far side of the bed.

"That's enough, Alice. You need to stop relying on medication for every little thing."

"The doctor prescribed it because I'm in pain!"

"And Madison needs treatment, too." He straightened his jacket. "Her ankle has been swelling from all the jumps she's practicing. I've arranged for her to see a sports medicine specialist and start physical therapy. I had to use some of the money we'd set aside for your extra care to cover it."

My stomach dropped.

"You used my care money for Madison?"

"She has Nationals coming up. She can't afford to fall behind now."

"And what about me?"

Daniel sighed.

"You're already in the hospital. What else do you need? Madison is working toward an Olympic future. You need to understand that her situation is different."

I looked at him, unable to believe what I was hearing.

"My lungs are full of clots. My heart is failing. The doctor says I have seven days."

"Enough with the dramatic speeches." He picked up the thermos. "In six months, Madison can use her favor on you. You'll be fine. Just be patient."

"Then let me call Mom." My voice shook. "I want to tell her what's happening. I want to see her."

Daniel's expression changed at once.

"Absolutely not. You know how fragile Mom's health has been since Dad died. We can't put her through this."

"She's my mother. I don't want to die without seeing her."

"You're not going to die. Madison will use her favor in six months, and you'll be back on your feet. We'll bring you home then, once you're better. There's no reason to scare Mom now."

His words took me back to the ICU after my accident. The first thing I'd asked for was my phone. I wanted to hear Mom's voice.

Daniel said she'd barely recovered from Dad's death and that the shock of my condition could make her health worse. He promised they'd tell her everything once I was out of danger.

Instead, they told her only that I'd been in an accident and was stable, with a long recovery ahead. They never mentioned the paralysis or the blood clots.

Ethan took my phone, saying I needed rest and he'd keep it safe. Whenever I asked for it, there was another excuse: the battery was dead, it was being repaired, or Daniel had it.

I was too weak to fight them, and I believed they were protecting Mom. Now I understood they'd been keeping her in the dark, waiting for me to recover so they wouldn't have to tell her the truth.

"Daniel, please," I whispered. "Just let me talk to her."

He shook his head. "We've kept this from her for months. We can't tell her now, with Madison so close to the biggest competition of her life. Let her have her moment. Once she uses her favor and you're healthy again, we'll take you home to see Mom."

"Daniel, I'm your sister."

His expression hardened.

"And we've done plenty for you. Stop acting like the whole family owes you something."

He picked up the thermos and headed for the door.

I wanted to call after him, but pain tightened in my chest.

The heart monitor beside me began beeping faster. I struggled to draw a breath and reached desperately for the call button.

My fingers brushed it once, then slipped.

I tried again, but my arm felt impossibly heavy. A wave of suffocation rolled through me, and I pitched sideways against the edge of the bed.

The bowl tipped from the tray. Cold oatmeal splashed across the floor.

I lay there, unable to pull myself upright, listening to the monitor shriek.

Outside my room, Daniel was already on the phone.

"Maddie, make sure you eat before practice. I'm almost at the rink."