In between this excerpt and the previous one, Reuben explained to Helen's English teacher what was going on in their family. Helen "downsized" their Christmas decorations from a full-size tree to a table-top tree, and Reuben gives her the set of ornaments he originally gave her mother for their first Christmas. (Helen's mother died in labor, which is discussed in the prologue).
The settings: January 2006; Westwood Hospital, Fiennes house, Pleasant Valley High.
