When she saw me, her mouth twisted into that familiar look of disgust I’d grown up learning to recognize. “There you are,” she snapped. “Did you hear what I texted you?”

I was so stunned, I couldn’t even answer. The world felt off-balance, the floor tilting beneath me. “Mom,” I finally whispered, the word feeling foreign in my mouth. “Daisy is on life support. She might not make it.”