Every time the doors opened, they both stood.
Eventually, the surgeon appeared.
His gown was stained from the procedure, and exhaustion was visible across his face.
“The surgery was more difficult than we anticipated,” he explained. “There was significant bleeding, and her heart stopped for several seconds.”
Margaret cried out.
Nathan felt the world disappear beneath his feet.
“Is she alive?”
The doctor took a deep breath.
“We were able to stabilize her. We removed the primary tumor, but the next twenty-four hours will be extremely important.”
Nathan entered the intensive care unit.
Grace lay surrounded by machines and wires.
Her face seemed impossibly pale.
He sat beside her bed and took her hand.
“I don’t know whether you can hear me,” he whispered. “But I need you to come back. Not because you owe me anything. Not because you need to be strong for me. Come back because we have too many conversations left unfinished.”
Six hours passed.
Then twelve.
At dawn, Grace’s fingers moved.
Nathan immediately called for a nurse.
Grace slowly opened her eyes.
The first person she saw was her husband.
She tried to speak.
Only a weak sound came from her throat.
Nathan leaned close.
“Did you sign them?” she whispered.
He knew she meant the divorce papers.
“Yes,” Nathan replied, struggling against his tears. “I signed something much more important.”
He removed a folded sheet of paper from his pocket.
During the night, Nathan had written a promise.
“We will never hide pain from each other and call it protection again. Neither of us will make decisions for both of us. When fear comes, we will speak before we create distance.”
Grace smiled faintly.
Then an alarm began sounding.
Doctors rushed into the room.
Nathan was ordered outside.
The door closed in front of him.
Grace had developed a respiratory complication caused by a reaction to the anesthesia.
