Cheryl S

Talking about death and dying is considered taboo in polite company, and even in the medical field. Our ideas about dying are confusing at best: Will our memories flash before our eyes? Regrets consume our thoughts? Does a bright light appear at the end of a tunnel? For most people, it will be a slower process, one eased with preparedness, good humor, and a bit of faith. At the forefront of changing attitudes around palliative care is hospice nurse Hadley Vlahos, who shows that end-of-life care can teach us just as much about how to live as it does about how we die.

Life was predictable for Matthias O’Brian, until he met her. Developing software by day and working as a pack enforcer at night kept him busy enough. So when the beautifully broken woman he meets outside the bar begs to leave with him, how can he say no? He had no idea how that single decision would change everything. Rock bottom wasn’t where Mackenna Henderson thought she’d be at 26. When her clothing boutique goes out of business, and she can’t pay rent, she’s forced to move back into her parent’s house.