“Good-byes are like this. You can’t always mark them well at the moment of separation—no matter how deep they cut. (Ky Markham)”

“Let me believe in this, all of this, and you believe it too. (Ky Markham)”

“You don’t usually get to choose the measure of suffering or the degree of joy you have. (Ky Markham)”

“Cassia.I know which life is my real one now, no matter what happens. It’s the one with you. For some reason, knowing that even one person knows my story makes things different. Maybe it’s like the poem says. Maybe this is my way of not going gentle.I love you. (Ky Markham)”

“If I’m talking to patients who can’t answer, why not talk to the port, too? (Xander Markham)”

“Much as I love looking at the stars, I never learned to guide by them. I mark my course by people; Xander, a point in the map, my parents, another point; Ky, the final destination. When Xander moves, the geography of everything changes.”

“Ky always acts as though someone watches him. And, apparently, he watches back.”