t tarmac. The Kaufman family's Gulfstream G650 sa

nd mask in the back seat, stuffing them deep into her bag. She was b

, too terrified to face

nt, a woman with a smile so tight it looked pa

said, pointing toward the back. "Mr.

canvas bag to her chest. S

s bolted to the floor. Barron lay there, eyes closed, an IV line r

aela. To her, the "masked doctor" and this

," Sterling snapped.

ried to squeeze past the narrow ga

nt of rain and those strange, bitter he

itor beeped. A sli

s h

identical. The voice he'd heard whisper in his ear-I know you're aw

he country bum

to be

His right arm flailed out, a clumsy, "involuntary" spasm

splashed all over Kaela's je

ked, jumping up. "You clums

eek to keep from snapping the doctor's ne

" she w

et from the spill. As Kaela reached for

on

touching a

The static noise that constantly plagued him vanished. Her

ing heavily against her hand for

ough his fingertips. It went from ag

n, she thought. He

away, grabbed the

hissed. "Get

ner seat, buckling the belt. She pulled out a pair of noise-

a small, crumpled photograph. A woman wit

e beast, Mom, she thought. I'l

didn't open his eyes. For the first time in si

baffled. "REM cycle? He's...

in the flannel shirt, then

slept through the turbulence, his hand still damp where she had touc