Karen! No answer. Nothing but that deep, dead silence. Karen! Testing. Testing. One, two, three—Testing. Karen. Where are you? Can you hear me, Karen? Karen!
It seemed like several eternities before she answered.
"George?"
He would have breathed a sigh of relief, if he could.
I thought you'd deserted me. Were you asleep?
She laughed that soft, vibrant laugh. "I'm sorry. I just—stepped out."
That's okay, sweetheart. I'm all right. Forget it. But tell me about these things next time, huh? I worry about you when you're gone.
"You shouldn't. I'm a big girl now."
Hey! Is this being recorded?
"Of course."