[Georgia 03] Fallen

take care of yourself or you’re going to end up blind or in a wheelchair or worse.”
    Faith said, “You look different.”
    Sara patted down her hair, which was sticking straight up in the back.
    “You’re practically glowing. Are you pregnant?”
    Sara laughed, surprised by the question. An ectopic pregnancy in her twenties had led to a partial hysterectomy. Will wasn’t that much of a miracle worker. “You’re one-thirty?”
    “One thirty-five.”
    Sara dialed out the correct dosage on the pen. “You’re going to inject this, then I’m going to cook breakfast for you, and you’re not doing anything else until you’ve eaten every bite.”
    “That stove cost more than my house.” Faith leaned over the counter for a better look. Sara pushed her back down. “How much money do you make?”
    She took Faith’s hand and wrapped her fingers around the insulin pen. “You do this, and I’ll go get Will.”
    “You can call him from here. I know what you’re going to say.”
    Sara didn’t stop to explain herself, especially since Faith was obviously having trouble processing information. She grabbed her clothes off the counter and went into the bedroom. Will was standing in front of the dresser putting on his shirt. She saw his broad chest reflected in the mirror, the dark stain of electrical burns traveling down the flat of his belly and disappearing into his jeans. Sara had put her mouth on every inch of him last night, but standing here in the light of day, she felt awkward around him.
    He looked at her reflection. Sara pulled her robe tighter around her waist. He had made the bed. The pillows were stacked neatly against the headboard. This wasn’t how she’d envisioned her morning.
    He asked, “What’s wrong?”
    She put her folded clothes on the bed. “Faith is here.”
    “Here?” He turned around. He sounded almost panicked. “Why? How did she know?”
    “She doesn’t know. She asked me to call you. She’s terrified her phone’s being tapped.”
    “Does she know about her mother?”
    “I don’t think so.” Sara put her hand to her chest, cinching the robe again, feeling every bit of her nakedness underneath. “She said that people are watching her. She’s acting paranoid. Her blood sugar is off the charts. She’s taking her insulin now. She should settle once we get some food into her.”
    “Do I need to get breakfast?”
    “I can make her something.”
    “I can—” He stopped, looking extremely uncomfortable. “Maybe I should do that. For Faith, I mean. You could cook me something after.”
    So much for the honeymoon period. At least she knew now why Bob had smelled like scrambled eggs the other night. “I’ll stay in here to give you some privacy.”
    “Could you …” He hesitated. “It might be better if you were there. I’m going to have to tell her about her mother.”
    “I thought Amanda said to wait.”
    “Amanda says a lot of things I don’t agree with.” He indicated that she should leave the room ahead of him. Sara walked down the hall. She could feel Will close behind her. Despite what had happened the night before—some of it in this very hallway—he felt like a stranger to her. Sara gripped her robe tighter, wishing she had stopped to change into some real clothes.
    Faith was still sitting at the kitchen bar. Some of her nervous energy had dissipated. She saw Will and said, “Oh.”
    He looked embarrassed. Sara felt the same. Maybe that explained his standoffish mood. It seemed wrong for them to be together given what had happened to Evelyn Mitchell.
    Still, Faith said, “It’s all right. I’m happy for you.”
    Will didn’t acknowledge the comment. “Dr. Linton says you need to eat.”
    “I need to talk to you first.”
    Will looked at Sara. She shook her head.
    “You need breakfast first.” Will opened the dishwasher and took out the frying pan. He found the eggs and bread in their proper place. Faith watched him make breakfast. She didn’t speak. Sara didn’t know if she was crashing or if she just didn’t know what to say. Probably a little of both. For her part, Sara had never felt so uncomfortable in her own home. She watched Will break the eggs and butter the toast. His jaw was rigid. He didn’t look up at her. She might as well have stayed in the bedroom.
    Will took three plates out of the cabinet and loaded them up with food. Sara and Faith sat at the bar. Though there was a third chair, Will stood, leaning against the