Johnny was still there when she woke up again. So was Margie. They stood by her bedside, talking quietly, as she opened her eyes. It felt different, this waking; she knew it instantly.

Margie saw her open her eyes and she started to cry. "There you are."

"Hey," Tully croaked. It took concentration to find that simple word, to find herself in words. She said something-she didn't know what, and she was pretty sure it didn't make sense. She could tell that her speech was slow, a little slurry, but the way they smiled took all that away, made it meaningless.

Johnny moved closer. "We missed you."

Margie came closer. "There's my girl."

"How long ... here?" She knew there were more words that belonged in her question, but she couldn't grab hold of them.

Margie looked at Johnny.

"You got here six days ago," Johnny said evenly. He drew in a breath. "Your accident was on September third, 2010."

Margie said, "Today is August twenty-seventh, 2011."

"But. Wait."

"You were in a coma for almost a year," Johnny said.

A year.

She closed her eyes, feeling a little flutter of panic. She couldn't remember anything about a car accident or being in a coma, or-

Hey, Tul.

Suddenly, it was there in the darkness with her, a beautiful singular memory. Two grown women on bikes, riding side by side, their arms outstretched and ... starlight ... Katie beside her saying, Who says you get to die?

It couldn't be real. She'd imagined it. That had to be the answer.

"They had me on some big drugs, I guess, right?" Tully said, opening her eyes slowly.

"Yes," Margie said. "To save your life."

So that was it. In a drugged-out, half-dead state, she'd imagined her best friend. It was hardly a surprise.

"You have some physical and occupational therapy to do. Dr. Bevan has recommended an excellent therapist who will work with you. He doesn't think it will be too long before you're ready to live at home by yourself."

"Home," she said quietly, wondering exactly where that was.

In her dream, she was in an Adirondack chair by the beach and Katie was beside her. But it wasn't the gray, pebbled shore of Bainbridge Island stretched out in front of them, nor was it the choppy blue waters of the bay.

Where are we? her dream self asked, and as she waited for an answer, light spilled across the turquoise water, illuminated everything until it was so bright Tully couldn't see.

When someone hip-bumps you or tells you that it's not all about you or when our music plays. Listen and you'll hear me in all of it.

Tully woke with a start. She sat up so quickly her breath caught and the pain in her head intensified.

Katie.

The memory of being in the light rushed at her, bowled her over. She'd been with Katie somewhere-over there-she'd held her hand, heard her say: I'll always be with you. Whenever you hear our music or laugh so hard you cry, I'll be there. When you close your eyes at night and remember, I'll be there. Always.

It was real. Somehow. Impossibly.

It wasn't drugs, or her brain injury, or wishful thinking. It was real.

CHAPTER Twenty-nine

The next day was an endless series of medical tests: Tully was poked and prodded and zapped and X-rayed. It surprised her-and everyone else-how quickly she was improving.

"Are you ready?" Johnny said when she'd finally been discharged.

"Where is everyone?"

"Preparing for your homecoming. It's a pretty big deal. Are you ready?"

She sat in a wheelchair by the room's only window, wearing a helmet in case of a fall. Her reflexes were a little impaired and no one wanted her landing on her head.

"Yeah." She had trouble finding words sometimes, so she kept her answers simple.

"How many of them are out there?"

She frowned. "How many of what?"

"Your fans."

She gave a sigh. "No fans for me."

He crossed the room and came up beside her, turning her wheelchair toward the window. "Look more closely."

She followed the direction of his glance. A crowd of people stood in the parking lot below, huddled beneath brightly colored umbrellas. There were at least three dozen of them. "I don't see..." she began, and then she saw the signs.

WE U TULLY !

GET WELL TULLY

UR GIRLFRIENDS NEVER GAVE UP!

"They're for me?"

"Your recovery is big news. Fans and reporters started gathering as soon as word leaked."