Page 24 (1/2)

"You can be honest withto be easy"

"First of all, I wouldn’t disrespect you by not telling you the truth or by shading things And secondly, I don’t tend to focus on the end What I try to have people get in tune with is the right now I acknowledge towe can do to stop that But then I ask theht now? What characteristics of yours arethem forward? Who do you need to see? Who do you want to see? The reality is that the dying are still living just as everyone who is living is in the process of dying Does this make sense?"

He nodded and closed his eyes

It was heartbreaking to note that he seeed a hundred years in the last twenty-four hours

And it was so hard for her not to break down and weep--except she couldn’t do that in front of hi in terms of calendar days, but she ell-fa on over hi at the dark shadow of his lashes on his pale cheekbones, she was convinced that the Scribe Virgin had put the two of theether on purpose: He had needed someone to help him on his journey to the Fade…and she had needed to feel love

As much as she hated to admit it, underneath her hard, I’m-not-a-romantic-like-Rubes exterior, there had been a lonely place A quiet, lonely place that hadn’t trusted fate was going to provide her with anything iven her was a double-edged sword, wasn’t it

"I have lived for a long time" Silas’s voice was reedy and he took a couple of breaths "I have seen ed over the last four centuries I have known good people and bad ones, done things of which I auess I am no different than anyone else"

"What do you most want to be remembered for?" she whispered

His lids lifted and his eyes shifted to her own

"My love for you" He blinked slowly "I wish to be best reone and people I’ve known and things I’ve done…my love for you is the purest representation of who I am It’s the best ofof ive in to eet me I know I’m probably supposed to tell you to move on with your life and dwell on this little slice of tiiven…but just…take o It will be the life I wished I’d lived, by your side, enjoying the gift of time and health with you"

"I proet you"

When he didn’t respond, Ivie took his palm and placed it over her heart "Here You will be here"

"I’ll try to come back to you," he mumbled "In your dreams…I’ll come find you…in your drea equipo off,help

As Rubes and three other nurses burst through the staff door, Ivie jumped up to her knees and did a quick assess

"Flatten the bed!" she barked out "Give me a flat bed!"

For a split second the other staff members, and her cousin, froze But then everyone snapped into action, Ivie checking Silas’s airway and then leaning over him so she could provide chest compressions

"Where’s the crash cart?" she yelled as she locked her elbows and began punching into his chest "We’re going to need the paddles! Silas! Stay with otta stay with…"

--

By three aood news The bad news? He had not regained consciousness and had had to be ventilated so that he would keep breathing

His poor heart had been so ravaged by his out-of-control immune system that the muscle was just not up to its work load any was a complex, layer-upon-layer coed to get down the back of his throat about two hours ago

But this was not a long-terery and then attending a co for his final assess Ivie herself, knew to be true

Silas was, for all intents and purposes, already gone