Beth had had to believe otherwise, right up until the end. Maggie wasn't there in Grady with them, but she'd had to be nearby. They must have found her--and once they'd left the hospital, all of them together, they'd meet back up.

If she thinks any longer of what all this means, what Maggie must think happened to her, she'll only start crying again. Nobody should have to be the last of their blood, however little blood matters at home these days. Her sister's going to live the rest of her life thinking she's dead, and there's nothing she can do about it. And that means, Beth tells herself fiercely, you have to think about something else right now. It'll pull you under if you don't.

"You found them," she says, because she's not up for agreeing with him about Dawn. That would mean telling him just how much she'd deserved it, and the idea of talking about what happened in Grady makes her feel like the blood's draining out of her. It's nothing she's up for tonight. "Was everybody okay? Was Judith--"