Jeremiah entered a large circular room. The walls on the outermost perimeter were bare, featureless, and gunmetal gray. In the center of the room, another circle of white curtains concealed a hospital bed and various pieces of medical equipment. On the bed, a small, frail-looking female could be seen through a break in the curtain. Her deep blue eyes looked up at Jeremiah, the only parent she had ever known. The girl was almost eight, but she looked much younger. Doctors were examining equipment and writing on clipboards.
“How is she?” Jeremiah asked one the doctors as he approached.
“She is weak. The dialysis treatments are taking their toll on her.”
“Has Mel been down to see her?” Jeremiah asked.
“She hasn’t been down here in weeks—” The man paused, his brow furrowed in concentration
