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She soon saw the entire gurney and the white sheet that molded to Ben’s body, followed by the orderlies and doctors.  They made a turn in the opposite direction from Kathryn and she watched in disbelief as Ben was wheeled away from her, from his family, and from life.
    She leapt to her feet; her eyes blurred with tears and ran as fast as she could down the hallway, bursting through the doors into the waiting room.  She stood breathlessly, staring around the room for someone, something to hold on to.  Her heart soared as she saw the faces of her mother and father standing with Lacey near the scratchy mauve chairs she’d been sitting in only an hour ago, clinging to the hope that everything would be alright. 
    Kathryn ran across the room and into the waiting arms of her parents, who wrapped her into the safety and comfort of their embrace as every ounce of pain spilled from her.
    “Lacey called us ,” her mother said as she held her daughter. “How’s Ben?” she asked, although, by her daughter’s actions, she knew.
    “He’s gone , Mom.  He’s gone!” she sobbed, finally acknowledging the truth.
    Her mother gasped sharply, her chest beginning to heave from the shock. Her father stood stoically, needing to be strong for his daughter and Lacey began to cry, pulling away from the huddled group.  Her mother grasped her tighter, joining Kathryn’s sobs, while her father walked away towards Ben’s family.
    “He’s gone Mom.  Ben’s dead!” Kathryn continued to cry into her mother’s arms. “He’s dead…he’s dead…”
    Her mother kept holding her, not knowing what to say or do.  Her father returned a few moments later, gently pulling her from her mother’s grasp.
    “Let’s go home Kate,” her father said, wrapping his arm around her shoulders as he began to lead her to the exit doors.
    “No…no…I can’t leave him!” Kathryn protested, stopping in her tracks.
    “You need to , Kate.  You need to,” her father said quietly, inching her to the door.  She didn’t want to leave him, she couldn’t leave him and as her parents guided her outside, each footstep felt as if it weighed a hundred pounds, taking every ounce of her effort to take those steps away from the hospital and away from Ben. 
    The sun had risen since she’d arrived and as her tears cleared, she stood numbly, looking around at the morning that seemed so normal.  Birds were singing and the sun was shining.  Cars were whizzing by on the highway, taking people to work and their daily lives.  Nothing about the world seemed to indicate what was missing…that Ben was missing.  Everything was just continuing on as it always had.  But life would never be the same for Kathryn.  That had all changed at 4:23 that morning. 

Chapter 4
     
    Kathryn’s father eased the car to a slow stop inside the drab garage.  Her mother was still stroking her head, which had been resting on her lap the entire ride home in the backseat.  She couldn’t bring herself to sit up once the car had stopped. 
    “Let’s go , honey,” her mother whispered, gently raising her daughter’s head until she was sitting upright.  Her father appeared, opening the door and taking Kathryn’s hand, guiding her out of the car.  She walked weakly to the garage door that led into the laundry room.  She turned the handle and stepped inside, the smell of Tide and fabric softener hitting her.
    Once in the kitchen, she looked around the house…the house she had spent so much time in with Ben.  Her eyes found the corner breakfast nook where they’d played hours of Risk and Rummy in high school before her gaze drifted over to the couch they’d snuggled and made-out on once her parents had gone to bed.  She remembered those nights in the darkened room, with only the glow of the quiet television for light.  It was there Ben had first kissed her and first held her.  It was there she had realized how in love she was with him and looking at it now, she realized