12. The ambulance takes them to the pink hospital by their grandparents’ house.

(Read in Spanish)

The ambulance takes them to the pink hospital by their grandparents’ house. Amy recognizes it when they all pile out. Then Zoe and their mom run into a secret room the nurses won’t let Amy into. Amy is told to sit and wait.

Amy sits and waits. She tastes like salt, and the wet neck of her t-shirt sticks to her skin. She squeezes and unsqueezes her hands in her lap. She looks around and sees that the room is full of dirty yellowed people who don’t sit up straight. She would like to look for her sister, but she is scared that if she doesn’t sit and wait they will never let her see her sister again. The old man sitting across from her begins to cry. Amy’s own eyes dry up, and she would like to hold the old man’s hand, but she is scared he might have germs and scared that if she doesn’t sit and wait she’ll get in trouble, and then she’ll never be allowed inside the secret room where her sister is.