Chapter 3, The Afterlife Summary

Brent is awakened by sunlight through the window and the sound of the bus changing gears. The sunrise he can see through the mountains is like a gift, the gift of a day after a night or the gift of a life after a death. Brent has been on the bus for two days, close now to Seattle and climbing through the Cascades. He wonders about the lives of his fellow passengers. He is living his second life now, the life that came from Lea's death and began with the crash.

Brent does not remember the impact. He has only cuts, bruises and a minor concussion. He remembers the ambulance lights, the alcohol test and the police station. They tell him later that he has hit another car, and the woman who drove it is dead. He is made...