“She gazed over her oxygen mask at the small, smiling Christmas tree that sat on the table behind her. Tonight, the whirling sound of the disk in the drive was a song that was sweeter than any lullaby.” GriefAidsLgbtHivHospiceShort Story CollectionProtestsAids EpidemicCirca24 Book:Thomas Hardy was an Optimist: A Collection of Short Stories From the Plague Years. Source: Thomas Hardy was an Optimist: A Collection of Short Stories From the Plague Years.