Catherine watched her uncle's limp form on the bed. Though his finger had twitched, the steady beep of the machines stayed the same. She narrowed her eyes and squinted at his face, looking for signs of consciousness.

She remembered watching a TV show as a young girl with Maria. The villain on the show had pretended to slip into a coma. To prove he was faking it, the young heroine had stabbed a needle into his foot. The comatose man sat up in his bed and screamed. She looked around the room, hoping to see a sharp object, but there was nothing there.

She stuck her hand into her small...