Chapter 17

The thought brought Cindy a measure of peace. Her hospital room had a good view. Winter forests stretched under a blanket of snow outside the window, glowing faintly in the hazy afternoon sunlight. She dragged a chair over and sat by the glass. A knock came at the door, steady and deliberate. Glancing at the clock, Cindy assumed it was the doctor making rounds. "Come in," she said, turning with a smile, only to go perfectly still. Arthur stood there. Three years had honed him. He looked older, thinner beneath his trench coat, his sharp features more pronounced, more severe. His heavy brows hooded his eyes, but they did nothing to mask the wild, exultant light burning in them. "I found you," Arthur choked out, his voice shaking with emotion. He stumbled forward, the flowers he'd been holding falling forgotten as he closed the distance in quick, desperate steps and pulled Cindy into a crushing embrace. "I found you, Cindy!" The shock lasted only seconds before Cindy relaxed into r