My brain came alight with tenderness for her. I felt so sorry for everything. I yearned to embrace her, kiss her even, to stay with her, always her, my sister, my friend to the end. It was a story after all, even if a sick one. It was completely ours.

For everything you are, and everything I love about you, there's nothing you can do to save us from an impossible situation. I've accepted that. That's the hardest thing we have to do today and I've done it.