I left for the airport immediately after receiving a call from the emergency room of a Chicago hospital, pausing only to throw together a few necessities and to call my husband to tell him where I was going.

My old college friend Phyllis had been in a bad accident, and was asking for me. I knew I had to go, as Phyllis had recently gone through a nasty divorce, and was essentially alone.

I arrived to find my friend in the ICU, hooked up to all kinds of life support equipment. But I was relieved when the attending physician assured me that, though she had been severely injured, she was in no danger and would recover in time.

I spent most of the day at the hospital, watching Phyllis slip and out of sleep, conversing with her when she was conscious. As night came on, Phyllis begged me to go and get some... Read More