He stared at me.
I held up the agreement.
“You will not enter her room and pretend none of this happened.”
“She is our daughter.”
“Then you should have acted like her parents.”
The corridor fell silent.
For the first time, my mother seemed to understand that everyone had heard.
She lowered her gaze.
My father took her arm.
Without saying another word, they returned to the elevator.
The doors closed behind them.
The hallway felt lighter.
Ben touched my elbow.
“I’m sorry I kept it from you.”
“You protected her.”
“I also lied to you.”
“Yes.”
He flinched.
“But we will deal with that later.”
A nurse appeared near the doorway.
“You can see Rosie now.”
I took Ben’s hand.
For most of my life, he had been my best friend.
In that moment, he became my brother.
We entered the room together.
Rosie looked exhausted.
Her skin was pale, her hair damp against her forehead, and tubes surrounded her bed.
