Chapter 37: Morning Protocol

Nicole finished her plate faster than I expected for someone who'd been asleep for hours, and then we stayed at the table, talking. About nothing, really: which of her cars she'd take on a long drive, whether the pineapple in her fridge was really as expensive as it looked. She even said she'd pick tomorrow's place overnight and tell me in the morning, and she wouldn't tell me anything else, no matter how many times I asked.

Somewhere in the middle of her telling me why I would never guess it, her sentences started getting slower.

"Sorry," she said, blinking. "What was I saying?"

"That I'd never guess."

"Right." She covered a yawn with the back of her hand. "You won't."

I looked at the clock, then at the small container of pills she'd left beside her water glass.

"Night dose, huh?"

She glanced at the container. "Knocks me out every time."