Natalie
Jason Downey

There's the thought that at any second she could take one hundred Aleve, and there's the fact that they can flavor charcoal. The hospital gave her heart four hours that first time and I had to ask, "Do you want strawberry, bubblegum, or root beer?" And when the charcoal came up, the nurse pointed out the   shards of Aleve that were in her stomach, and my thoughts went directly to every second from there on out and  all the blackness found in that . Then the doctor told me behind the curtain that often the best shark repellent is a dead shark, and I told him I wasn't sure if I followed. "Listen," he said to me, "I'm trying to explain what might come next." He held up his hands between us, as if cupping a ball, a globe. "Listen," he said.

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