“Are you sure you want to be discharged?” Dr. Yang said. “You just had a seizure last week.”

  “And you’ve already given me the meds to manage them,” Zoe replied. “Come on Doc, I’ll be fine.”

  “You’re going to die,” Dr. Yang said matter-of-factly, yet there was no edge in his tone. “Maybe not on the trip, but eventually.”

  “But what if I told you that divine intervention might save me?”

  “That’s the other thing,” Dr. Yang said. “I strongly suggest that you get a psych re-evaluation. That way, we can at least start looking into a prescription for anti-psychotics.”

  “But I’m not hallucinating!” Zoe said, rubbing her temples.

  The doctor looked at Ever, sitting by Zoe’s side. “Could I have a word with you?”

  Zoe scoffed then shooed the both of them away.

  “Ever,” Dr. Yang said, closing the door quietly behind them, “In my professional opinion, she has already begun to hallucinate. She’s mentioned that she’s going to become a Greek goddess and how one of them is going to cure her CJD.”

  “Chronos is not actually going to cure it. We don’t know what he’s going to do,” Ever said in undertones. “We’ll ask him before he does it though.”

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  Dr. Yang stared at Ever, searching for the stitch up and was met only with a placid, well-intentioned expression.

  “OK.” He nodded and leaned against the wall. “It sounds like the both of you are pretty sure that Zoe is going to be saved.”

  “Not exactly,” Ever replied. “Other gods have warned us that Chronos can help but he can also hinder.”

  “How might he hinder, exactly?”

  Ever looked at the door as if he could see Zoe through it. “I don’t know.”

  “Sounds like there’s a lot that you don’t know.”

  “It’s our best chance.”

  Dr. Yang turned, his back now against the wall. “I guess you’re not wrong. Palliative care is all about preparing for the patient’s imminent passing. I’m not thinking at all about how to help her live longer, let alone cure her disease.”

  “While I’m not sure how exactly Chronos would hinder, I would think that at worst he is unable to stop Zoe’s disease from progressing,” Ever replied. “Would I be able to bring her back to you if that were to happen?”

  “I mean sure,” the doctor replied. “I’d do my best to fit her in as soon as possible but if I really couldn’t, I’d refer you to someone else. Also, all I’d be able to do is make her feel as comfortable as possible in her final days. I don’t want to give you any false hope that I’d be able to cure her. It’s just not going to happen.”

  Ever nodded slowly, acknowledging but not speaking.

  “I’ll get the scripts ready for all the meds I’ve prescribed so far. I’d encourage you to get repeats for the next three months, at least. That way if I don’t see Zoe again, at least I know that I’ve done everything I can to make her final days on Earth comfortable.”

  Dr Yang pushed off the wall and started walking down the hall towards the pharmacy, hands buried in his white coat. He stopped and turned.

  “I guess with any luck, her final days on Earth won’t happen any time soon.”