“I haven’t the faintest,” the man said. For some reason he had two, not one, stethoscopes draped around his neck. “Did you try his office?”

Taking that suggestion, Jennifer hurried over to the triage area, where the office was located. Glancing in, she felt lucky. He was sitting at his desk with his back to her, dressed in a starched white coat over green scrubs. Jennifer plopped herself down in the chair squeezed between the desk and the wall. Startled, he looked up momentarily.

“Busy?” Jennifer managed, with a catch in her voice. Her question only elicited a scoffing chuckle from the man, whose attention had returned to the massive ER schedule for the month of November that he was poring over.

Neil had pleasant features, intelligent eyes, and a slight dusting of premature gray along his temples. He also had the broad shoulders and exceptionally narrow waist of a surfer. On his feet he wore white-leather wood-soled clogs. “Can I talk to you for a moment?” she questioned. As she spoke she had to choke back tears.

“If you can make it quick,” he said, but with a smile. “I have to have this schedule ready for the printer in one hour.” He looked up again and only then became aware that she was struggling with her emotions. “What’s wrong?” he said with sudden concern. He put down his pen and leaned toward her.

“I had awful news this morning.”

“I’m so sorry,” he said, reaching out and gripping her arm. He didn’t ask what the news was about. He knew her well enough to know that she would tell him if she was inclined but wouldn’t tell him if she wasn’t, despite any amount of cajoling on his part.

“Thank you. It was about my grandmother.” Jennifer pulled her arm free and reached across Neil’s desk to grab a tissue.

“I remember. Maria, right?”

“Yes. She died just a few hours ago. It was even announced, believe it or not, on CNN.”

“Oh, no! Gosh, I’m truly sorry. I know what she meant to you. What happened?”

“I’m told a heart attack, which definitely surprises me.”

“I can understand why. Didn’t the medical department here recently give her a remarkably clean bill of health?”

“They absolutely did. They even gave her a stress test.”

“Are you going to head home, or is that a problem? I mean, didn’t you start your new surgery rotation today?”

“No and yes,” Jennifer said cryptically. “The situation is a bit more complicated.” She then went on to tell Neil the whole story about India, about being needled concerning cremation or embalming, about getting the dean to grant a week’s leave, about a medical-service company paying her expenses, and about leaving in just a few hours.

“Wow,” Neil said. “You’ve had quite a morning. I’m sorry you are going to India for such a sad reason. As I told you last May when I came back, it’s a fascinating country, full of unbelievable contrasts. But I guess this won’t be a pleasure trip.” Neil had been to India five months before to speak at a medical conference in New Delhi.