It was exhaustion that drove Andy through the next couple of hours. Through Amy saying her tearful goodbyes and the pain of telling Delia that her big brother would not be coming home again. As Ephram's life ebbed away Dr. Andy Brown did the best he could to comfort his heartbroken daughter and his son's shattered girlfriend.

It was just before dusk that Andy was alone with his son again. The medical team had taken Ephram off the ventilator an hour ago, and he was still breathing, as they had known he would. In the deepest recess of his mind he had hoped that this meant that they had been wrong, that Ephram was a fighter and that he would make it through this. But he had seen the charts and the scans and he knew that no matter how hard Ephram fought this was a battle that he could just not win.

Sitting next to his son, holding his hand a feeling of peace settled over the room. As the sun set over Denver something stirred and as Andy looked at his son, Ephram opened his grey eyes and gasped. Andy looked at him with an emotion bordering on disbelief.

Ephram, who all the while had been lying unconscious had sensed the presence of his family and his girlfriend, and felt the grief in the room, knew that his time was coming to an end. He had sensed the love coming from his father and in his state of catatonia had somehow understood, didn't have it left in him to feel anger anymore and somehow knew that this was not the time. He had battled and struggled to get here, and now he had finally achieved it. Struggling to get the words out he gasped. Looking his father dead in the eye he found the breath to speak.

"Dad, tell Amy I love her. Tell Delia I love her. Dad, I…" but there was no more.

Looking at his son in terror, Andy saw his eyes closing again.

"No, Ephram, NO! What did you want to say, what were you going to say to me? Ephram please!" Andy cried.

And then he was gone. As the last golden rays of Colorado light filled the room, they reached out and enveloped Ephram. From the corner of his eye, as a pain so sharp and intense filled his body that he thought his breath would stop, Andy thought for a second that he caught a glimpse of his wife. But that could not be. All air seemed to suck out of the room as the medical team ran in and it was over. Ephram was gone.