Maggie returned to the ward, standing at the door, but dared not go in. It wasn't that she was afraid to face Alla, but that she was unable to face her departure. She hugged her arms and slowly squatted down against the wall, feeling utterly helpless as if the whole world had abandoned her.
When Dr. Weston and a group of doctors came for inspection, they spotted Maggie. She immediately sent the other doctors to handle their duties, while she helped Maggie up.
"Maggie, are you alright?" she asked. Maggie, in a daze, shook her head.
Looking at her swollen, tear-streaked eyes, Dr. Weston took a deep breath. "Maggie, life and death are inevitable, and no one can change it. What you can do now is to spend more time with her, so you won't regret it later."
These words woke Maggie up, and a flicker of life returned to her dull eyes. "How... how long can she live?" After a long time, Maggie asked this question hoarsely.
