There were nineteen beds in the hospice, that’s what I heard, most of them occupied, but I paid no attention to them. When we first arrived, yes, I’d glanced into the room next to his and saw a tiny woman in the bed, tucked...

“Sir,” said the man, “you and your family can be very proud of your son.”

I could tell the man at the door was important by the way his brass buttons shone, and the way Father stood stiffly and Mother wrung her hands. They...