Adam finally arrives at the hospital, thanks to Kim’s clever intervention. Unfortunately, the nursing staff, led by a particularly cantankerous older nurse, refuses to allow him in to see Mia, citing hospital policy and informing him that only “immediate family” (107) are allowed to see the patient. This refusal infuriates Adam, and triggers a heated public confrontation between Adam and the nurses. Kim intervenes when one of the nurses threatens to call security.

While Kim keeps Adam calm at the hospital, their relationship was not close before Mia’s accident. During their early adolescence, both Mia and Kim decided that they were not the type of girls who would have boyfriends in high school. This did not hold true for Mia—as she met and fell in love with Adam—but it did hold true for Kim. 

Initially, Mia kept her relationship with Adam a secret from Kim, a decision that earned Kim’s wrath when she inevitably found out. Though Mia hoped that Kim and Adam would hit it off, this did not happen. Neither of them felt that they had much in common, and while Kim accepts Mia’s relationship with Adam, she does not feel compelled to be close friends with him.