Page 1

Chapter 1

Coralyn

“Your father doesn’t have much time left, I’m afraid.”

Coralyn knew the truth of it, but the words still stabbed at

her like a thousand shards of glass embedding under her skin.

The nurse who was on shift was young. Pretty. Blonde.

Probably found her job depressing as hell. She couldn’t be

more than twenty-five, and she was standing outside Samuel

Anderson’s hospital room, waiting for Coralyn like a sentinel

to deliver the bad news. She wasn’t stoic about it. She wore a

grimace mixed with pity and compassion. It was the perfect

recipe to hit Coralyn straight in the gut. She couldn’t catch her

breath and she had to double over and put a hand out on the

wall.

“Oh my gosh, I’m sorry.” Gentle hands on her back,

massaging through her heavy wool sweater. She was suddenly

too hot, her heartbeat one giant screaming sound in her ears,

blood pumping too fast. The walls were closing in. The ceiling

was caving in on her. The whole building was falling in

around them.

Except that when she opened her eyes, she was still in the

too sterile, too white hallway. The smell of bleach was potent

in her nose. The kind eyes of the young nurse, a warm hazel,

floated into view.

“I’m really sorry. Maybe I shouldn’t have told you. Maybe I

should have gotten the doctor to—”

“No.” It hurt like hell to stand up straight. Coralyn’s whole

body felt wobbly.

She thought about her mom, Cora, which she often did

when she needed to be strong. She thought about her grandma

too. Her mom’s mom, Lynn, was the strongest woman that her

mother knew. She died before Coralyn was born, but she’d

passed on the greatest treasures she could. Memories. Family

photos. Heirlooms. And a combination of their names. Strong

names from strong women.

“No, thank you for telling me. I need to know. I want to be

prepared.”

“He’s had a difficult day. His breathing was really labored.”

Panic shot through Coralyn. She’d take time off, even

though she needed her job. She’d damn well quit if that’s what

she had to do. If they wouldn’t give her time off to be with her

father this week, then she didn’t need to work for those

assholes, no matter how badly she needed to survive.

“I’ll go sit with him now. Thank you for everything you’ve

done.”

“Yeah. It’s my pleasure.” The nurse gave Coralyn’s shoulder

a gentle squeeze before she walked down the hall. She grabbed

a clipboard off the door down the way and then knocked

before entering another room. Another patient. Someone else

waiting to die. It was the palliative wing, after all.