Julia didn't know how long she stood there, holding on to Ruth's hand. She realized as she looked up at the monitor registering her grandmother's heartbeat that it had gone silent. Ruth had quietly slipped from life into death with no fuss, no ceremony, as if she'd been awaiting Julia's arrival so she could leave peacefully. Julia had known it would be impossible to prepare herself emotionally for this moment. Ruth's death wasn't a shock; she'd been ill for years. Julia had been aware that each day could be her grandmother's last. She'd accepted the inevitability of Ruth's passing as best she could. But nothing could have prepared her for the grief that slammed against her now. Nothing.