Cassie parks next to Heath’s car and the passenger door flies open. Sam yells, “Heyyy!” and practically falls out of the car.

Holy shit, she’s wasted.

Heath laughs and puts his car in reverse. “Glad to see you’ve got this under control, G. Happy birthday.” He backs up, and I can see him laughing down my long driveway.

“I’m really sorry, Garrett. I don’t know how she got like this,” Cassie says and runs to help Sam into the house.

“You gave me shotsssss,” she says almost incoherently.

“Only a couple. Sam, what else did you drink?”

Sam mumbles something and goes limp in Cassie’s arms. “A little help?” she calls out to me, and I rush to help get Sam inside.

We bring her right upstairs to one of the guest rooms. Sam falls onto the bed, and I leave her with Cassie.

I walk down the hallway toward Kai’s room. Peggy steps out into the hallway, holding him in her arms. He’s sound asleep and looks content. Good.

“I thought I heard the girls come in. Are they here?” she whispers.

“Yeah, Sam may have had a little too much to drink,” I warn her, and she smiles.

“It’s been a while since she got out, and I expected she would enjoy herself a little too much.” She shakes her head and turns to go back inside his room.

“You can go home tonight, if you want,” I suggest. “I can take care of Kai if you need me to.”

“That’s okay. It’s your birthday too, so you both should have the night off.”

“How did you know?” I ask Peggy, curious. I don’t make a habit of telling many people.

“Your mother called the house phone earlier and she mentioned it.”

Cassie emerges from the guest room down the hall. “I’m so sorry, I thought I only gave her a few drinks, but wow, she’s a mess.” She giggles a little and walks down the stairs. “I hope you don’t mind if I leave. I left our friends at the bar and I’m the designated driver.”

She disappears through the front door, and Peggy says, “Why don’t you get some rest? Happy birthday, Garrett.”

I walk past the room where Sam is passed out, and I’m tempted to peek in. I restrain myself and head toward the other end of the floor where my room is.

I strip down to my boxers and climb into my huge bed. I sink into the mattress and immediately fall asleep.

I WAKE UP WITH A START, and I feel my covers being pulled off of me. What the hell? I look at my feet, and Sam is curled up at the end of the bed and she’s attempting to roll herself in my comforter. She seems disoriented, and I whisper, “Sam? What are you doing?”

Startled, she sits up straight and pulls the blanket up to cover her chest.

“Where am I?” she asks, clearly confused.

“You’re in my room,” I state, and she gasps.

“How did I get here?”

“I have no idea.”

She looks around, her eyes squinted. “Wow, I feel like shit.” She holds her head, and she doesn’t look so good. I glance over at the clock, and it’s almost five in the morning. The blanket shifts and I see she’s wearing a tight tank top.

“I guess you don’t know how long you’ve been in here?” I ask her.

Her embarrassment is evident, and she begins to get up.

“Wait,” I say to her, doing everything in my power to stop a half-naked Sam from leaving my room. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, just insanely hung-over.” She plants her hands into the mattress, pressing downward. She seems to be trying to steady herself.

“Why don’t you lie down for a second. It may help you feel better.” I can’t believe what I’ve suggested, and she does so without hesitation. She’s no longer at the foot of the bed but closer to the headboard. She tucks her knees up toward her chest, and they brush up against my thigh. Her legs are bare. Is she wearing pants?

“So you had fun last night, huh?” I ask.

She looks mortified. “I don’t even remember coming home. I didn’t think I had that much to drink, but apparently I did. I’m sorry for coming in here. This must feel totally weird to you.” She holds the blanket close to her face, and I see her eyes get heavy again. It’s not weird at all. It feels… good. “I must have thought this was Kai’s room.”

“I hope you had a great birthday,” I say.

“I think I did.”

“My birthday was yesterday also.” I can’t believe I just told her. I didn’t think that through. I never celebrate it because of what my dad did to himself on this day, but I just blurted it out without thinking.

Her eyes grow wide. “Really?”

I nod slowly and turn on my side to face her. “I don’t really like to celebrate it. It doesn’t elicit happy memories for me.”

“Me either,” she says, and her eyes glaze over. She looks exhausted. Is she about to cry?

“That’s understandable,” I say. “How do you do it, though? You seem like you have it way more together than I ever could.” She’s strong and confident. I’m surprised to see this moment of weakness.

“I don’t know. Sometimes my birthday is really hard. Especially because it’s a reminder of everything that I’ve lost. My family.” She pauses and looks pensively out the window. “I sometimes feel like I’m drowning without them, but then I remember they taught me how to swim.”

She’s insightful and inspiring. “It seems like you’ve been able to find peace, in a way,” I say encouragingly.

“I think I have.” She holds my gaze with her sleepy eyes and says, “You should try to find peace too. You have a really big reason to do that now, you know.”

I nod again and admit, “I never thought I’d be in this situation.”

“Being a father isn’t a situation. It’s a choice.”

“It wasn’t my choice, Sam.”

Her face hardens and her eyes fill with tears. “It’s your choice now. It’s your life now. That little boy depends on you to live. Stop dwelling on the events that you had no control over and start focusing on your future with Kai, because I know it’s going to be wonderful.”

I exhale and struggle to find my next breath. Her words are profound and tear right through me. These words come from a girl whose parents were murdered and her life forever altered. Yet she’s risen from it all and has the ability to be so positive about the rest of her life. And mine.

I reach out to push aside a thick curl that fell onto her face. She closes her eyes when my hand brushes against her cheek.

She places her hand over mine, her touch softens my soul. It transmits strength and security. Love and understanding. I don’t want her to let go. She exhales softly and is sound asleep.

“Where did you come from?” I whisper.

Sam

Past

Trenton, New Jersey

Age 20

CASSIE FALLS ONTO HER BED across from mine and lets out a sigh of relief.

“This was easily the hardest year yet. I don’t think I can take clinicals anymore.” She complains and rolls over, kicking off her tennis shoes. We just finished our microbiology final and we’re done for the semester.

“Seriously, Cassie? You’ve gotten straight As so far. What are you complaining about?”

“I don’t think I’m cut out for this, Sam. You’ll make a better nurse than me. You’re built for this. You have the desire to help people. Me? I’m disgusted by them. If I have to wipe another ass…” She stands up and pulls her tank top over her head. “I need a shower.”

We share a one-bedroom apartment that I swear is smaller than our dorm room was on campus. She takes three steps and is already in our bathroom. The water turns on and she’s still complaining. “How am I going to continue? Sure, I can do the book stuff just fine, but when you put me in front of a patient, I can’t do it. You saw what happened last week when I had to find that dude’s vein and draw blood. It was a mess! I should be wearing a sign that says ‘Beware – Nursing Student.’”