Chapter 32Days passed before the police were able to locate Linda's mother. Even then, she hadn't arrived immediately upon learning of her daughter's condition. Then she finally showed up in a drunken stupor. She was a tall thickly built middle-aged woman with a full head of lavender-tinted hair and heavy makeup. Each day, she would look in on Linda through the window of ICU for a few moments. Sitting beside her dying daughter's bedside was not her way of handling grief.
The following Friday, Linda expired, not having regained consciousness. She clung to life in a vegetative state for three long weeks, then simply slipped away.
On Saturday, while Rachael waited for Cameron and Mona who were inside the ICU, Mrs. Berringer arrived noisily at the unit desk in the hall. She unknowingly stood
