The Last Breath You Stole

Summary

It was the fourth day stranded in the unforgiving expanse of the Mojave backcountry when the rescue helicopter finally circled overhead.

My mother, the chief medical officer leading the search and rescue team, stepped right past me. Her eyes didn't linger on my split, bleeding lips or the grey pallor of my skin.

Instead, she rushed frantically toward my stepsister, whose cheeks were merely flushed from the dry heat.

"Hurry!" my mother barked at the paramedics, waving them toward the transport cabin. "Shirley has a fragile constitution—this is an early sign of severe dehydration!