The ending scene

I'm having difficulty concentrating on anything. Allergies are affecting my sleep patterns so a solid 8 hours doesn't seem like I've slept at all. So while I'm eating Szechuan food that is opening my sinuses, I thought I'd jot down this little scene between Dag and Riley that will come at all but the end of the book.

Dag wakes up in the hospital "with tubes in his nose and a weight on his chest." He quickly realizes that the weight is Riley, curled up on top of the covers next to him with her head on his chest. He has a moment of deep affection for her. She is so soundly asleep that she doesn't stir as he opens his laptop. He taps in a new user account with full administrative privileges and gently presses her thumb to his biometric scanner.

As she wakes, he closes the computer. Tells her the case is closed, she should go home. She says she's not going to say goodbye. He tells her he needs legs again. He wonders about the tatoo that Riley spotted on Angel and tells her he saw a match on Simon. Thinks it could be another account that wants to be donated. She agrees. He gives her his laptop and bio-scanner and says to take care of it for him.

She leaves and he makes his last entry for the story from his cellphone.

And so Riley is set up to carry on and we'll find out what her adventures are in the next book.