```
Time ticked away, every minute and every second, leaving the expansive ward eerily silent. Joshua Sulliven propped himself up and groped for the phone at the headboard of his bed.
He dialed a number he knew so well he didn't need to look, his hand trembling as he placed the mobile phone to his ear.
"I'm sorry, the number you have dialed is switched off... Please try again later..."
Joshua gently put down the phone, grabbing his chest with one hand, the pain nearly took his breath away.
Switched off?
Switched off!
Why, on such an important day as his surgery, had she switched off her phone?
The days passed by, one after another, and Keira Leaf settled in Australia with Max Sully and Lucas Taylor. Max had bought a ranch here where the sky was blue, the sunlight warm, with expansive pastures and flocks of cattle and sheep. At nighttime, the pubs on the street would light up, frequented by hippies and cowboys alike, creating a scene both rustic and lively.