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In Los Angeles, the stretch of Wilshire Bvld between Fairfax and La Brea Avenues is known as the "Miracle Mile".

In the early 1920s, Wilshire Boulevard west of Western Avenue was an unpaved farm road, extending through dairy farms and bean fields. Developer A.W. Ross saw potential for the area, and developed Wilshire as a commercial district to rival downtown Los Angeles. Ross's insight was that the form and scale of his Wilshire strip should attract and serve automobile traffic rather than pedestrian shoppers.

Wilshire saw a few firsts in American automotive traffic flow; dedicated left-turn lanes, the first timed traffic lights in the United States; he also required merchants to provide automobile parking lots, all to aid traffic flow. Major retailers such as Desmonds, Silverwood's, May Co., Coulter's, Mullen & Bluett, and Seibu eventually spread across Wilshire Boulevard from Fairfax to La Brea.

As wealth and newcomers poured into the fast-growing city, Ross' parcel became one of Los Angeles's most desirable areas. Acclaimed as "America's Champs-Élysées," this stretch of Wilshire near the La Brea Tar Pits was named "Miracle Mile" for its improbable rise to prominence.

Although the preponderance of shopping malls and the development in the 1960s of financial and business districts in downtown and Century City lessened the Miracle Mile's importance as a retail and business center, the area has retained its vitality thanks to the addition of several museums and commercial high-rises. The Petersen Automotive Museum, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, (LACMA) A+D Museum: Los Angeles, and La Brea Tar Pits museums, among others, positioned "Museum Row" on the Miracle Mile.

A sculptural bust of Ross stands at 5800 Wilshire, with the inscription, "A. W. Ross, founder and developer of the Miracle Mile. Vision to see, wisdom to know, courage to do."

Today the Miracle Mile saw a different sight. Two very large individuals faced off against each other amidst the stopped LA traffic. It was one of the busiest streets in America and today the traffic was at a standstill. People fled their cars as they sought shelter and safety in the various surrounding buildings.

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Dr. Gene Hammond knew his patient was dying. He had done his best to save her, but the cancer was too far along. Had Ms. Malone been diagnosed sooner, there would have been a chance to save her. As it was, the breast cancer was in stage four and the woman had very little time left to live.

"How are we doing today, Ms. Malone?" Hammond asked as he looked at the patient's chart. He was making his rounds at Beth Israel Hospital in Boston. He saw Ms. Malone every day for the past two weeks.

A noise came from the woman in the hospital bed, but Hammond could not make out what she was saying. Hammond looked at her and nodded. "I will give orders to increase your morphine drip," he said sympathetically. She continued to make noise and lifted a shaky hand. She pointed to the small closet in the room.

Hammond was puzzled, but he opened the door and looked in. There was what looked to be a small seceptre lying on top of her shoes and clothes. "This thing? That's what you want?" he asked as he looked back at her.

"Take it," she croaked out in barely above a whisper.

Hammond reached down and picked it up.