THE ATTORNEY WHO FLINCHED BEFORE THE PHONE EVEN RANG

Four specialists said stress. Nobody asked what her house sounded like when she was nine.

The house has its own way of going quiet.

She kept a legal pad next to her in every meeting. Not for notes. For her stomach. Writing gave her hands something to do besides press against her side under the table.

She isn’t a patient. She’s a composite. I’ll call her Nora. If you’re one of mine and something here lands close, it isn’t about you. It means I’…