Page 47

The thought makes my chest tighten.

I know almost nothing about her family, but I remember Nikolai saying Anya had been unsettled for some time, and the way she clung to me after the accident makes more sense when I think about how much she has already lost.

I don't ask her about it. Instead, I hand back the glass and look at the book she abandoned. “What are you reading?”

“Mathematics.”

I stare at her. “Voluntarily?”

Anya nods. “It's about patterns.”

I glance at the cover. A children's book about numbers, shapes, and mathematical puzzles. “Okay, now I'm interested.”

She brightens immediately. “Do you like maths?”

“I like maths more than most people like their relatives.”

Anya laughs. “Why?”

“Because numbers are generally honest. If you do something wrong, they tell you exactly where, and they don't send you an email saying they were extremely impressed by your qualifications before rejecting you,” I say.

She looks at me for a moment. “Sounds like a bad email.”

“Thank you. I intend to recover eventually.”

A knock sounds at the door before she can ask anything else.

Dr. Levin enters, carrying a tablet and looking considerably more rested than he did yesterday. “Good morning, Ms. Bennett. How are you feeling?”

“Like I had a disagreement with a car and the car made some excellent points,” I say.

He smiles. “I'll take that to mean you're feeling better.” He pulls a chair closer to the bed. “I've reviewed your scans, and the good news is that there are no fractures or internal injuries. You have a concussion, a significant contusion to your left hip, a shoulder strain, and several superficial cuts and abrasions.”

Anya sits very still beside me, listening to every word. I glance at her. She has the expression of someone attending an important business meeting.

Levin continues, explaining that the bruising will worsen before it improves, that I may have headaches and fatigue for several days, and that I need to avoid strenuous activity while my shoulder and hip recover.

“How long until I can work?” I ask.

“That depends on the kind of work you mean,” Levin says. “You should avoid driving until your concussion symptoms have resolved and you've been medically cleared, and I would strongly advise against lifting heavy objects or doing anything that puts additional strain on your hip and shoulder.”

I stare at him. “So basically everything I currently do for money.”

He gives me a sympathetic look. “I would recommend taking at least a couple of weeks to recover before returning to anything physically demanding, and we can reassess you at your follow-up.”

Two weeks.

My mind immediately starts calculating rent, food, and the amount of money currently sitting in my checking account.

I stop myself before I can ruin the morning.“Okay,” I say. “And the concussion?”

“Rest, hydration, and a gradual return to normal activity as your symptoms allow. You don't need to spend the entire day in a dark room, but you should avoid anything that makes the headache or dizziness worse.”

Anya raises her hand.Actually raises her hand.

Levin looks at her. “Yes, Anya?”

“Can she do maths?”