“If I stay. If I live. It’s up to me.All this business about medically induced comas is just doctor talk. It’s not up to the doctors. It’s not up to the absentee angels. It’s not even up to God who, if He exists, is nowhere around right now. It’s up to me.”

“But it’s up to us …’ he said softly. ‘It’s up to us not to lose this”

“And when I don’t feel it, it’s pointless.Think about getting up it’s pointless.Think about eating it’s pointless.Think about dressing it’s pointless.Think about speaking it’s pointless.Think about dying only it’s totallyfucking pointless.”

“It’s not about keeping up the population, it’s about passing on who we are and what we've learned, so things keep going. So we don’t just end.”

“It’s weird, isn’t it?”“What is?”“Treaties and all that. It’s like we woke up one morning and we weren’t supposed to be enemies anymore. It’ll take some getting used to.”“True,” I said. “I think it’s really cool though.”“Unfortunately, not everyone agrees.”I thought of my grandfather and what he would do if he could see me now. “I know. But it’s worth protecting.”“Yes,” he said, and something about the way he was looking at me made me think he was talking specifically about me. “It is.”

“It’s….my God, it’s amazing,” I whispered as he took my left hand in his.“Can I put it on your finger?” he asked, peering up at me. When I nodded, he pressed his lips together, sliding the silver band over my knuckle, holding it in place for a moment before letting go. “Now it’s amazing.”