He shifted against the pillow and winced.
Without thinking, I leaned over to adjust it.
His hand caught my wrist.
He didn’t have much strength anymore.
But he held on.
“See?”
I frowned.
“What?”
“I’m trying to talk to you, and you’re fixing my pillow.”
“It wasn’t straight.”
“I don’t care.”
“Well, I do.”
His eyes softened.
“That’s exactly what I mean.”
And suddenly I couldn’t hide it anymore.
I sat beside him.
“I visited a nursing home.”
His face became very still.
I waited for anger.
Or fear.
Or hurt.
Instead he asked, “Which one?”
I blinked.
“Meadow Ridge.”
“The place about twenty minutes from here?”
“Yes.”
“Has a garden?”
I stared at him.
“Yes.”
“And they show old movies on Thursdays?”
Now I was completely confused.
“How do you know that?”
“Brochure.”
“What brochure?”
“Janet brought one.”
Our daughter.
Of course.
“When?”
“Three weeks ago.”
“She talked to you about this?”
“Yes.”
“And neither of you told me?”
The corner of David’s mouth lifted.
“Interesting, isn’t it?”
I gave him a look.
He continued.
“I told Janet you wouldn’t agree until something frightened you.”
My mind immediately returned to the fall.
I swallowed.
“They offered you a room.”
He watched me.
“I accepted it.”
For a moment, David closed his eyes.
Panic rushed through me.
Then he breathed one word.
“Good.”
I stared at him.
“Good?”
“Yes.”
“You actually want to go?”
He opened his eyes again.
“No.”
That answer hurt more than I expected.
He saw it.
“I don’t want to be sick either, Linda.”
I looked down at my hands.
“I don’t want to leave our house,” he continued. “I don’t want strangers helping me shower. I don’t want institutional dinners. I don’t want to sleep somewhere you aren’t.”
My tears returned.
“Then stay.”
“Linda—”
“I mean it. We’ll make it work.”
“That isn’t what I’m saying.”
“Then what are you saying?”
“That needing something and wanting it are two different things.”
His voice trembled, but his eyes stayed steady.
“I need more care than you can give me now.”
“I can do this.”
“No.”
“I just have to be more careful.”
“You’re already too careful.”
“I could stop doing laundry while you’re awake.”
The words left my mouth before I realized how absurd they sounded.
