❝ –– perhaps it’s true that things can change in a day. and when they do, those few dozen hours, like the salvaged remains of a burned house—the charred clock, the singed photograph, the scorched furniture—must be resurrected from the ruins and examined. and suddenly, they become the bleached bones of a story.
“Congratulations, Teddy. Do you want a prize?” The teen rolled her eyes, just because the doctor had a daughter didn’t mean she knew Carter. “I would hope you’re not stupid, Altman no one wants a stupid heart surgeon,” the brunette bit back sarcastically. Biting her lip, Carter tried her best to look Teddy in the eye, but the nystagmus she had because she had been drinking made it difficult for her to focus.
Teddy had seen the way regret could cling to a person like a shadow, for it became a burden you could never let go. And she never wanted to see Carter bear
a burden like that. Life had a fuse that always burned faster than they wanted
it to, and Teddy would never choose to waste any more time if she could help
it.
“Come back to us, Carter,” Teddy said quietly. “You have your whole life
ahead of you. We’re all rooting for you, you know? You don’t have to go down
this road, and it isn’t too late to turn back.”
