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She turned on hi the report in her fist “Don’t you think I know that?” Her voice cracked “Leave us alone now”

“Certainly Dr Allenford said he could have the Lear down here in forty-five minutes”

“Yes,” she said dully, stroking Francis’s soft, soft cheek “I know the procedure”

He left as quickly as he’d coone, she wished he hadn’t left It was too quiet in here; the electronic noises were so soulless, so inhuman

“Oh, Francis,” she whispered Tears streamed down her cheeks

She couldn’t make a decision like this alone, and yet there was no one to take the burden fro relative, and God knew he couldn’t help her It would be inhuman to ask it of him

Theinto so, falling away

It was so precious, tih your fingers and lay forgotten at your feet?

“Why is that, Francis?” she asked, stroking his hair She kept hoping against hope that he would hear her, blink his eyes, twitch one finger, so hiss of the

“Oh, God,” she whispered, feeling as if her soul were being slowly ripped in half

She understood at last how so many of

her patients’ families had felt in this moment She wanted to rail at the injustice of it all, but she’d learned long ago that life was unfair and unpredictable, that death stalked a fa a sound—she knew all this, had known it since she was six years old

She knew, too, what Francis would have her do right now He would want his death to el’s life, Francis would do it in a second, without hesitation She knew that Francis’s heart—his wonderful loving heart—could save his brother’s life

But could she do it? Could she authorize the end of Francis’s life support? Could she live with herself if she did? If she didn’t?

Slowly she kneeled on the cold linoleuether in prayer “Please, God, help ht decision”