I Returned For Thanksgiving To Find My Parents Gone—And My Father Waiting

table. There was a forest of orange prescription bottles—at least a dozen of them, maybe more. I found the one labeled MORPHINE SULFATE ORAL SOLUTION in large letters.

“Here,” I said, grabbing the bottle and unscrewing the cap. “When was your last dose?”

He gasped through gritted teeth. “This morning. Before… before she left.”

I looked at the prescription continue reading …