Linda smoothed the front of her dress pants and looked down at her polished leather shoes.

“My sweet girl, we just can’t drag the whole family under for one person,” Linda said.

She didn’t come any closer to the bed to offer any comfort.

“Get your purse, Linda,” Richard said.

He turned around and pushed open the heavy wooden door to the hallway.

“We have a meeting with the hospital administration to finalize our legal refusal,” Richard said.

They walked out into the busy corridor without looking back or saying goodbye.