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Minutes later, Adam barreled through the emergency room, and went straight to the front desk, Mike following close behind.

"What room is Ruth Clark in?" asked Adam, desperately hoping that this was simply a horrible mistake. The nurse looked a little hesitant.

"You were supposed to get a call," she replied.

"Where's my mother!" cried Adam.

"Sir, if you'll take a seat, I'll bring the doctor over to talk to you," said the nurse.

Adam was about to insist, when Mike took him by the arm and led him to a chair. Seeing his uncle in such a disturbed state troubled Mike, who looked up to Adam, almost as father. A minute later, the doctor approached them.

"Mr. Clark, I'm very sorry to inform you that your mother passed away this afternoon at two fifteen of a blood clot that traveled to her heart," explained the doctor. "We won't know for sure that it was a blood clot until an autopsy has been performed, but with Ruth's past medical history, it's highly probable."

"Did she suffer?" mumbled Adam, almost incoherently.

"The clot cut off the blood supply to the heart, resulting in cardiac arrest. By the time Ruth arrived at the hospital, she was already gone. Her suffering was of a short duration, Mr. Clark," comforted the doctor.

"May I see her?" asked Adam.

"She's in there," replied the doctor, pointing to a room on Adam's right.

Adam got to his feet, and pushed open the door. On a table in the center of the room, lie the mortal remains of Ruth Clark-- a white sheet covering her entire body. Adam went to his mother's side and lifted the sheet from her face.

"Mom?" he whispered, as if to awaken her from a deep slumber. "Mom!" sobbed Adam, burying his face in the white sheet. Though an adult, he was as a helpless child, seeking security and consolation from a Mother that could no longer hold her little boy, anymore. In that single moment, Adam felt alone. Tears streaming down his face, Adam pulled the sheet back over Ruth's lifeless form, and left the room.

When Charlie arrived to work from school that day, she found Adam's front and back doors were both locked. Jerome had driven away before Charlie could beg a ride home, so the teenager walked to Mullen-Overholt to find her Grandma and father.

When Charlie entered the nursing home, she noticed the unusually solemn faces of the nursing assistants and nurses. Charlie navigated to Room Three, her Grandfather's room, where she was sure to find Vera. Charlie's Grandma greeted her in a hushed voice.

"What's going on?" asked Charlie, not sure why she was whispering.

"It's Ruth Clark, Adam's Mom," explained Vera. "She's gone to be with the Lord. It only happened just a few hours ago. I feel so sorry for her family," replied Vera. "Did you just come from Adam's home? How is he taking it?"

"Adam's house was locked up, so I came here," answered Charlie.

"It's probably best to let him alone right now," said Vera. "Come, let's fetch Chuck, and go home."


Charlie could hardly keep her attention on her homework. The thought of what Adam must be going through, saddened her greatly.

"If only there was some way I could help him," she thought. Charlie contemplated going over unannounced to his house, but she didn't have the nerve to intrude upon his grief. She finally decided that the best thing she could do was to ask God to comfort him.

A day passed, and Charlie didn't see any sign of Adam. When she showed up for work, she found the house was still locked up, as the day before.

That evening, Charlie wasn't in the mood for their usual father-daughter nightly walk, so Vera volunteered to go with Chuck, instead. Charlie was watching the evening news on the television, when she heard a knock on the front door.

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