focus with the sharp, ste
ital bed, the sheets
men, a phantom pain, a hollow reminde
t the main sou
hest and made it hard to breathe, was th
her wa
ht didn't
fact that my mind
the phone, her voice weak
h bug, Sarah. Don't
ou need to go to the hospital," I had pleaded,
avid. He'll kn
call
hen, my
ld pinpoint the cause of death from the faintest tr
e line was dist
It's probably just gastritis. Give her some
got the
er to let me drive her to the e
ured a
toni
cal terms that all meant the same thing
om creaked open,
vi
live-green military uniform,
t at the chart hanging
onitis due to a ruptured appendix," he said,
metimes these things are
like a husband comforting his grieving wife wh
to over the last two years sud
in his eyes, no fli
ed, professio
red the b
mile just for me, the way his ey
e happ
ought w
his promotion, and his
way he loo
ay he used t
easy laughter they shared over case files, whi
red my bed, his warmth reser
n was nothing compared to th
and a decision, born from years of quiet heartbreak an
voice raspy but firm
onal mask fi
oked at me, for the first
red with ange
u serious?" he asked, h
ied, and this is wh
," I shot back, a surge of bit
you, and us. It'
, a truly
just like your father, always bringing chaos. Do you have any idea what a divorce would do
ca
cou
his career, his re
ife, it was all just a
zle began to fall, the gray sky
ic paths down the glass, mi
nurse peeke
usly at the tens
ite, is on the phone for you. She said it's urgent, som
n snapped to the
ace was replaced b
I'll be ri
ook, a mixture of ann
r word about my moth
oing down the hall, leaving me alone with the ra