Laden with purchases after her time in town, Sam pulled out the bag of red lollipops and two pounds of coffee--one pure, whole bean Kona, the other whole bean Sumatran. While waiting for someone to give her permission to see Jack, she put them on the counter, cursing inwardly at having forgotten to get a card.

If Jack was really starting to get better, she needed to start bribing the clinic staff now, before they threatened to dump him outside, or, worse yet, on her doorstep.