Chapter 35

Dan, however, was completely confused when he arrived at Gerald's residence to find him coughing repeatedly, occasionally spitting blood.

"Dan, why did my condition get so bad?" Gerald asked.

Dan could only rub his beard and ask, "Your pulse is a mess. Did you eat anything bad recently?"

Gerald shook his head repeatedly. "No… and I took the medicine like you ordered me to…"

That left Dan even more confused, and he growled through his teeth, "Your symptoms are all so bizarre. This is beyond me now."

"What?! How?!" Tidus Simmons cried, grabbing his arms. "You're the best healer in Riverton! You have to save my father!"

"I'd rather nothing happen to him too," Dan said bitterly. "But I have limits, and…"

He trailed off, but he basically meant there was no hope.

Tidus felt his breath leave his lungs as he dropped to a heap beside his father.

Still, Gerald appeared calm. "It's alright. Death is merely nature running its course—no one can ever beat it."

Nonetheless, the bedroom was