QUOTE : Hi, Dale, it’s Gabby...Clay’s girlfriend.” It felt weird giving myself that title, but I pushed it aside. Bigger issues to deal with. “If he’s there, can I talk to him?” Dale chuckled. “Sure, but I don’t imagine it’d be much of a conversation.” I heard him call out to Clay. A moment later, a husky voice said, “Hello?” After not talking to me for so long, hearing his voice startled and annoyed me slightly. He would talk to a perfect stranger, but not me? I opened my mouth to say something about it, but the pain in my head insistently prodded me to get on with the important news. “Clay, I did it again. I’m at the diner where we had breakfast. I need you to come get me before it gets worse.” He didn’t say anything for so long that I looked at the phone to see if I still had a signal. The screen said disconnected. Would it have killed him to say “Okay” or maybe even “Bye” before hanging up? His hello had been too shocking to recall the sound of his voice. I sighed and put my cell away. With Sam’s frequent calls and Rachel’s occasional texts, my remaining minutes dipped into the double digits. I needed to adjust my budget to buy more airtime. Did life really need to throw me this many curveballs? And all at once? I forced myself to eat more of my mostly untouched meal so the waitress wouldn’t bother me as I waited. The last of the waves hit me. Only determination and a hand over my mouth kept me from whimpering. After about ten minutes, I settled the bill and watched out the window for Clay, barely checking the need to curl into a ball and lie down on the padded bench. The waitress kept a close eye on me, probably thinking she would need to clean up barf soon. She might. Dale’s huge tow truck pulled into the parking lot. Clay opened his door and leapt out while it still rolled to a stop. Through the window, he spotted me. His eyes never left me as he strode in and Dale pulled away. Clay still wore his greasy coveralls, and with his hair pulled back, he looked like an angel—a grimy one