Keeping Karen Alive (Unabridged‪)‬

Twenty-eight-year-old Karen Mills is mortally wounded in an assassination attempt against her husband, a Houston homicide detective. Despite being connected to various life support devices, she dies four hours later in the hospital emergency room. When the "Long Tunnel" appears in the ceiling tiles above the bed, however, she resists the almost-magnetic force pulling her toward the opening.

She has overheard the doctors discussing the possibility of maintaining her body on life support, at least until the baby she's been nurturing in her womb for six months can finish developing and be delivered safely. She is determined to stay behind to witness the birth of her daughter; then she'll happily surrender to the unending force tugging her toward the ceiling. For her husband, Greg, the following three months are the longest of his life, spending as much time beside her bed as he can spare when he isn't out searching for the killer. They are both shocked to learn that the man responsible for her death is a highly respected member of the United States government.