Three weeks had crawled by since the procedure.

Outside their home, the world had not stopped. The radio stations still buzzed, markets opened, newscasters still smiled into cameras with the same mechanical ease.

Even the seasons had continued their quiet transitions.

But for Elise, time had stopped somewhere between those sterile white walls and the day she signed the consent papers.

Now she sat in front of the television, her eyes glazed, the low hum of the news echoing in the living room. The brightness from the screen flickered across her face, washing her in pale blue light.

Some woman on TV wearing a wide smile was talking about a...