The hospital air was too clean, too sharp. I sat on the edge of the exam table, my sleeve rolled up, watching the nurse label the vials for the NIPP test. Mateo stood at the foot of the bed, his presence so massive and dark it seemed to suck the light out of the room.

I looked at him, trying to swallow the lump in my throat. "I’m going to see him after this, Mateo. I’m going to see my father."

He didn't move a muscle, but I saw the way his pupils blown wide. "That look on your face since yesterday, I thought as much," he said, his voice...