"What's going on?" Angela demanded. It had been almost ten minutes since she was banished to the hallway, and the exhausted young orderly was the only person she had seen come or go from the room. He sighed heavily as he approached her, and she could see the dread clearly in his pale blue eyes. "What's wrong?"
"I…I'm so sorry," he began, running a hand nervously through his hair. "But it doesn't look good."
Angela could feel her heart drop. "What do you mean?"
"Your friend's been down for almost ten minutes. They're still working on her, but…after this much time-"
"No! They can't stop! They have to keep trying!"
"They've done all they can do." He looked truly defeated as he turned back toward the door.
In her heart, Angela wanted so badly to believe that Tempe would pull through. In her head, she knew that she had to accept the truth. Temperance was gone…and this could be her only chance to say goodbye.
"Wait," she whispered, putting a hand on the orderly's shoulder. He turned around slowly, his tired eyes meeting hers. "Can I see her?"
He hesitated a moment, his eyes drifting uneasily to the closed door. Then, he gave her a slight nod, and offered her a half-hearted smile.
"Wait here."