Chapter 220: So Unromantic

Avery stares down at Nanny's pale hand, but Nanny's index finger is still. It doesn't seem to have moved at all.

"Call the doctor," Avery says. "Hurry!"

The doctor rushes into the room, his white coat flying behind him. He stops short when he sees Evan, and smooths his hair and straightens his coat. He reaches into his coat pocket and pulls out a small flashlight. He opens Nanny's eyelids and shines the light into her eyes. He listens to her heart and then checks the readout from her heart monitor.

"Her vital signs look completely normal," the doctor says. "If her finger did move, that's a very good sign. We can't be sure, of course, but it may mean that her brain is active and responding to sounds around her."

"She's always been around sound," the nurse says. "I talk to her, and I leave the radio on for her. I even play her recordings of her son and Avery, but she's never reacted to any of it."