Chapter 24
24 An emaciated woman slumped in a wheelchair at the front of the briefing room. Two medics stood at her side, an IV above the woman’s head. What remained of her hair stuck to her scarred scalp. Several old wounds covered her head. Staring at the woman’s pasty skin and the fresh bruises covering her body, Austin winced as his stomach twisted. In his final days, Dad had suffered from the effects of his cancer in ways Austin would rather not remember. He still had the twinkle in his eyes whenever Austin entered the room, but the life behind those eyes slowly faded in the final weeks. Mom warned him she didn’t know how much longer his father would be able to hold on. Shielding himself from the tragedy of losing his father, he’d pushed the memories far from his mind. But seeing the shell of
- Writer
