lit room
that
smelled
sharply of
disinfectant,
I realized
that
because my
life was
so
intertwined
with hers,
I, too,
was a
patient. I
felt
depleted
and
wrecked as
I stared
blankly
out the
window at
pink-gray
clouds
slowly
traversing
the
afternoon
sky. It
was almost
7 p.m.
before she
stirred. I
heard her
moan, and
moved to
the edge
of the
bed. I
lightly
touched
her lips
with an
ice chip
from the
pitcher on
her
bedside
table, and
