He lay there with no risk to his life, very well indeed. He heard his own tightly wound heart, slightly relax.
Afterwards, he still did not give up searching every hospital in New York, big or small, and had Hilton scour every corner of New York... A week later, he returned to his country disappointed amidst the cheerful music of Christmas night.
Now, he stood at the doorstep of the seaside apartment, letting the wind and snow soak him through. The emptiness of the courtyard made his heart suddenly ache intensely.
Eventually, he pushed open the gate to the yard, only to see the flowers withered away, leaving only dried branches lying in the snowmelt, rotting away. He remembered how she loved to plant vast patches of tulips in the yard, and how she would change the bouquet of budding flowers in the living room vase every day.
