A faint, sad smile touched her lips.

“Very well,” she said.

She turned and went back out into the hall, closing the door quietly.

I sank back against the pillows.

“Daniel, they will ruin you,” I said.

“They cannot ruin me, Claire,” he said, though his voice lacked conviction.

“I built that company.”

“My father built it before me.”

“They cannot just take it away.”

“They can,” I said.

“I have read the papers.”

“I know how the board works.”

“If you fail your fiduciary duty, they can vote to remove you.”

He looked down at his hands.

His knuckles were white where he gripped his knees.

“Then let them vote,” he said.

We sat in silence for another hour.

Dr. Shah came in to check my vitals.

He did not say much, but he looked at Daniel with a quiet respect.

He checked the IV line in my arm, wrote something on his tablet, and left.

The boys eventually grew restless.

Ruth came back in and took them down to the hospital cafeteria for some apple juice and crackers.