Eliana's guilt overwhelmed her. "Why didn't you tell me sooner? If I had known you were this sick, I would never have upset you."

Her voice quivered as she asked, "How long has this been going on?"

"A year, or maybe two," Samuel admitted. "I'm not sure. I didn't pay much attention at first."

Ever since he woke up from the coma, he had felt occasional chest pain, difficulty breathing, and bouts of coughing. He had thought it was just emotional, heartache ...