The time difference between Kingsport and Sweden was over 10 hours.
On my second day in Sweden, I checked my mother into the top-tier neurology hospital I had booked months in advance. Her attending physician was a man in his fifties, Dr. Reed. He boasted an outstanding reputation within the field, and it had taken me six full months to secure an appointment with him.
A full set of pre-op tests was done. Dr. Reed reviewed the results and told me the chances of recovery were high. He told me not to worry.
Standing in the hospital hallway, looking at those lab reports, my eyes suddenly burned.
Ten years. For the first time, I felt like my mother might actually wake up.
But one day before the scheduled surgery, I received an email. Dr. Reed's assistant sent it—polite in tone, but firm in
