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“What are you doing here so early?”

With a start, Annie realized that he ake, and that he was looking at her “II thought you ht need me ”

Frowning, he sat up The covers fell away fro a chest that was covered with coarse black hair

She waited for hi, but he just sat there, his eyes closed His skin had a waxy, yellow cast, le of silvery-white hair and the blackness of his eyelashes A fine sheen of sweat had broken out on his forehead and upper lip

She pulled up a chair and sat beside the bed “Nick, we’ve got to talk ”

“Not now ”

“You’ve got to make a better effort with Izzy ”

He looked at her finally “I don’t kno to help her, Annie She scares me ” The words were spoken softly, and they were steeped in pain “I mean to have one drink with the boys after work, but then I start thinking about cohter, and one drink turns into two”

“You’d be fine if you’d stop drinking ”

“No I’ve always been shitty at taking care of the women I love Ask Kathy about it ”

Annie fought an unexpected urge to brush the hair away fro to let him know that he wasn’t as alone as he felt “You couldn’t make her well, Nick ”

He seeh slipped from his lips “I’d rather not talk about this now I don’t feel good I need—”

“Izzy loves you, Nick I understand your broken heart— at least to the extent anyone can understand such a thing— but nursing it is a luxury You’re her father You siht to fall apart She needs you to be strong But mostly, she needs you to be here”

“I know that,” he said softly, and she could hear the heartache in his voice, the hushed admission of his own failure “I’ll be ho Okay? Is that what you want from me?”

Annie knew that it was another lie, a promise that would be broken Nick had lost faith in himself, and without it, he was in a turbulent sea without any sense of direction, waiting to be sucked under the current once again