Chapter 87

• Her heart logged in her throat like a giant lump that wouldn't go down no matter how much she swallowed.
• "What happened, mother? Stop crying and tell me, please." Her own voice sounded hollow in her own ears.
• "Valentina fainted this afternoon, so we took her to the hospi-tal. She has a perforated appendix, the doctor said her life is in grave danger! She was taken in for emergency surgery! The doctor said she could die!" Her mother rambled on, sobbing uncontrollably.