Before They Take Her In

The hospital room was very quiet. Sara sat next to her mother's bed and held her hand. Outside, a nurse walked slowly down the hall. The operation was at nine o'clock.

"Are you scared?" Sara asked.

Her mother looked at the window. "A little," she said. "But it's okay."

She didn't say anything else for a long time. At ten minutes to nine, the nurses came to the door. Sara's mother sat up slowly. She looked at her left hand, then she took off her wedding ring. She held it for a moment and placed it in Sara's hand.

"Keep this for me," she said quietly.

Sara wanted to say something, but the nurses were already moving. And then her mother was gone.

Sara sat in the waiting room alone. The chairs were hard. The coffee was cold. She turned the ring slowly in her fingers. It was a simple gold ring. Small. Old. She looked inside. There were words. She brought the ring closer to her eyes.

Daniel. June 14, 1987.

Sara stopped breathing for a second. Her parents got married in 1993. She knew this. She saw the photos every year on their anniversary. 1993.

So who was Daniel? And why was his name inside her mother's wedding ring?

She was still looking at the ring when footsteps stopped in front of her. It was the surgeon. He had a serious face. "Miss Reeves," he said. "Can we talk?"