Fight to Death (2)

The little boy's father had already taken the boy a step out. "We appreciate your kindness. We're leaving."

Overwhelmed by a sense of powerlessness, Emily watched the parents take the boy outside, then get in the car and drive away.

She never met the boy again in the Relax Room. She thought perhaps he was better. In late July, she met the parents, who had come to deregister the boy.

Emily thought that the boy had recovered from his illness, so she smiled and asked, "Is he not suffering from insomnia now?"

The boy's mother did not speak, but tears flowed down.

Emily was stunned. Then, the boy's father said, "He ... He has gone."

"W-when?" Emily widened her eyes in disbelief.

"Two days ago." The boy's father wiped his face and said, "Can I have that photo back when he checked in? He didn't like being taken photos and we want to keep that one."