Rook took the first day.
He brought a children’s book about a stubborn little train, sat in a chair too small for him, and read in the same gravelly voice he used at club meetings.
Eli corrected his pronunciation three times.
On the second day, Mason read Charlotte’s Web and cried near the ending while insisting hospital air irritated his eyes. On the third, a former Marine named Tucker read a cookbook because it was the only book in his saddlebag.
Lucy heard seventeen pages about soup.
The nurses began waiting to see what came next.
Jesse brought comic books and described every picture. Boone sang country songs badly enough that a nurse threatened to revoke his clearance. I read a motorcycle repair manual until Eli complained, then switched to The Wind in the Willows.
Each biker brought a book.
Each left it behind.
A shelf appeared in Lucy’s room. Then another.
