Nathan felt how thin Grace had become.
Suddenly, he remembered everything he had ignored.
The nights she claimed she had no appetite.
The long sleeves she wore even when the house was warm.
The marks from needles hidden beneath the fabric.
The nights she waited for him to fall asleep before quietly leaving the bed.
“Forgive me,” Nathan whispered. “I let my fear put words in your mouth.”
“I failed you too,” Grace said. “I made choices for both of us without asking you.”
“When is the surgery?”
Grace hesitated.
“Monday.”
Four days.
They spent the rest of that afternoon talking.
Grace showed Nathan her medical reports.
The hospital bills.
The medication costs.
And a notebook in which she had carefully written down every expense.
Nathan learned that she had sold a necklace her grandmother had given her before she passed away.
He also discovered that one doctor had suggested postponing the surgery because Grace could not pay the full cost.
“How much are you missing?”
Grace told him.
Nathan immediately knew their current savings would not cover everything.
“I’ll sell one of the machines.”
“No.”
Nathan looked at her.
“You are never making a decision like this by yourself again.”
“If you sell that equipment, you’ll lose the Capitol Hill contract.”
“I’ll find another contract.”
“It took you five years to get that project.”
Nathan took her hands.
“And I would spend the rest of my life trying to forgive myself if I lost you because I chose to protect a construction contract.”
During the next several days, family members and friends learned what was happening.
