Liora

ier, my voice trembling. "I just.

"Five minutes, Liora. But remember, every second you spend looking for a mir

didn't believe in miracles anymore, but I believed in the sma

history that would always hold its value. It was the only thing I had left of him. I had kept

s out of

g from cold to weary. "Miss Hayes, I believe we've concluded our business. Th

the gold casing shone under the hospital lights. I pushed it through the teller slot. "Ummm t

d at it through the glass like it was a dead

t. My father said it wa

s. She turned it over, squinting at the bac

In this condition, you'd be lucky to get fifty dollars for

lars. My father's greatest treas

my tears finally spilling over. "I ha

d, her voice dropping all pretense of prof

rney toward the ICU elevators. On the back of the gurney sat a portable oxygen tan

re ten minutes early. If you want to say goodbye before

nto my palm. I ran. I didn't care who I bumped into. I re

re push

her from the high-end monitors. She was now connected to a

t! I'm getting the money

miss. We have our orders. We've g

y, forcing it to a halt. "She's

a voice c

e locked the room, honey. I tried to stall them, but the department head signed off.

he one used for trash and the deceased. The doors slid shut, and

of a hard plastic chair, staring at the floor. My father's watch was st

me, but the rest of t

down while you were up

ng against a pillar. He looked perfectly comp

I whispered. "

walked over and sat in the chair next to me. He didn't offer a tissue. He offered a reality check. "In that ward, she'll be one of fift

yes, a sob ra

sing ground. I have a car waiting outside. I have a phone in my pocket that can stop that transport van before it even

m. "And the pr

ver did. You aren't losing a life, Liora. You're saving two. Your mother's... and

d. Then I looked at the elevato

my voice cold and steady.

ile playing on his lips. "A wise choice