“You know,” a nervous voice said, “you never did say thank you.”
Lien turned in shock. Tuan? Without thinking, she dropped the pipette on the counter and raced to her lab partner. “I thought they weren’t releasing you until tomorrow,” she said, wrapping her arms around him. He stiffened.
“Are you okay?” she asked. He seemed worried about something. It couldn’t be bad news about his condition, or they wouldn’t have released him. Right?
“Umm … actually … I spent the last twenty minutes in the hall trying to plan this conversation. It was going to be beautifully profound. Something about life being short, and how facing death changes everything. But now that I’m here I can’t quite remember the details.”
Lien felt confused. What was he babbling about? Then, suddenly, he leaned forward, dod
