Samantha marked three months since her grandmother died and since she was laid off, and noted it had also been three months since she last saw Xavier. Xavier had tried to visit in February but a burst pipe flooded his clinic, forcing a week-long closure. Insurance did not cover flood damage or payroll, so Xavier put repairs and wages on credit cards and worked graveyard ER shifts for two months to pay them off.

When Xavier finally planned another visit, he fell ill. Retired veterinarian Hank Brekken covered the clinic while Xavier went to urgent care and learned he had a severe sinus infection after working eighty-hour weeks. Xavier stayed out for two days, which underscored how sick he was given his usual work ethic.

Meanwhile, Samantha’s mental health deteriorated. Because she no longer had a job, the family stopped hiring a home aide, and Samantha became Lisa’s full-time caregiver. Her days were monotonous and isolating: washing and dressing Lisa, managing accidents, feeding her, and repeatedly answering questions about Grandma. Samantha stopped doing Lisa’s makeup and felt too depleted to keep up small routines as the family’s grief persisted.

Family relationships frayed. Tristan refused to speak to their father; Jeneva was angry with both Tristan and their father over different grievances; and their father seemed to avoid them, looking exhausted. Samantha withdrew, finding her only happiness in scarce conversations with Xavier, who was often unavailable due to work.

She mourned her mother’s decline, her grandmother, and her former self. She described her long-distance relationship with Xavier as “dating a ghost,” craving ordinary domestic life together but seeing only sporadic, exhausting visits as possible. Financial strain prevented Samantha from visiting Minnesota, especially as her severance neared its end and job interviews failed to yield a suitable role.

Each evening, when her father returned from work, Samantha handed off Lisa and went home to wait for Xavier’s calls. She realized her father’s workday was a respite compared to her constant caregiving and noted Lisa’s sleep problems had returned despite medication, leaving everyone overtired. Feeling isolated, colorless, and stuck in gray, Samantha concluded that missing Xavier, grieving Grandma, and caring for Lisa defined her life.