Cold rain flattened my cheap coat against my back and ran into my boots. By the time I reached the hospital, each breath burned.
I pushed through the emergency room doors and ran to the front desk.
The nurse looked up, startled. "Ma'am, can I help you?"
"Tommy Vance." I held on to the counter. "Room 312. My brother."
The nurse's smile disappeared. She looked past me toward the corridor.
"I'm so sorry. Dr. Evans is just coming now."
A tired, gray-haired doctor came down the corridor. "Miss Vance, your brother had a massive cardiac event about half an hour ago. We did everything we could. We lost him."
I locked both hands around the counter until the edge hurt.
"How? The medicine was working. He was stable."
The doctor glanced at the nurse. "The sponsor's office called this evening
