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several IVs. You need to know, she won’t look like herself. She’s got an incision on her head, and she’s pretty bruised up.”
    It was as if my mind shut down, because I didn’t hear a thing she said after that. She finished talking, and I shook her hand. As Dr. Pemblee turned to leave, Tara slipped from my grip and fell on her knees in front of me. From somewhere deep within Tara a primal wail erupted, racking her body with sobs. Once again, I wrapped my arms around her. I pulled her close and buried my face in her hair as I wept too.
    â€œWe have to plan a funeral . . . I’ve never planned a funeral,” she said between gasps of air. I tightened my arms around my wife in an effort to comfort her, but it didn’t help. She turned her crying for Taylor into crying out to the only One who could save her. “God, please, You have to do something. You have to save her!” Tara begged over and over again.
    Soon, her pain turned to anger, and without realizing it she started to pound her fists into my thighs. “This is not happening; we are not losing Taylor. We’re not planning a funeral!”
    Tara was quickly falling apart. I grabbed her by the shoulders and gently shook her until she looked up at me. Her dark hair was matted to her tearstained face. “We can do this,” I said, looking into her red, swollen eyes. “I’m here. I’ve got it. I’m going to be your rock.”
    This was the worst thing either of us had been through in our lives, and I was terrified to learn how it would turn out. I already knew I was losing my daughter. Now I feared I was also losing my wife. It broke my heart to see the woman I dearly loved in so much pain. “We’re going to get through this,” I repeated again and again, with as much resolve as I could. But I knew it wouldn’t be okay. There was nothing I could do to fix it. Please, God, You’ve got to heal Taylor , I prayed.
    After Tara quieted down, I helped her walk from the conference room back to our spot on the loveseat in the lobby. She was stillshaking from the icy cold that only she could feel. After she was settled, I walked across the lobby, but I kept my eye on her while I called Matt Sunshine. Matt and Beth were our best friends. For the past thirteen years, we’d taken almost every vacation together—except this one. The Sunshines were vacationing in England and were scheduled to leave for France in a few hours. With the time difference, I knew I would wake Matt up, but I also knew he would want me to.
    â€œWe can leave and come home now,” he said, after I’d told him what had happened and we’d cried together over the phone.
    â€œThere’s no point. Just continue on to Paris like you planned, and when I know more, I’ll let you know.”
    I hung up with Matt and then called Father Fred at our church in Coppell. I told him what had happened. “We’ve got to get some prayers going for Taylor,” I said, and he agreed. We talked a few minutes longer.
    I had just hung up when I saw Bill coming around the corner. Bill was Tara’s oldest brother. She was the youngest, and they’d always had a special relationship. Bill was also a doctor.
    â€œBill’s here!” I said.
    Tara stood up. I grabbed her arm because I knew she was still shaky. Bill met us, and the three of us embraced.
    â€œI’m so sorry,” Bill said. “I don’t understand how this could happen.”
    â€œYou’ve got to tell us what’s going on,” Tara cried. “I need you to fix it, or we’re going to lose her!”
    I’d been texting and talking with Bill since we’d arrived at the hospital in Vail. At one point I’d even put him on speakerphone so he could hear what the ER doctors were saying. Bill heard how serious Taylor’s injuries were and he wanted to be with us, but he was with his own family in Montana for