The camera lens was pointed down, angled toward the gravel path and the oleander bushes that lined our shared fence.
From that height, the concrete step by our back door was fully visible.
I recalled the morning of the fall, the way the light had just begun to hit the metal lawn chairs.
There was no gap in the line of sight from his roof to our patio.
The camera had to have captured the exact moment Daniel grabbed my arm.
I opened my eyes as the blue privacy curtain rustled.
A young nurse with a red ponytail stepped into the bay to check the clear plastic tubing of my IV.
“Could I get some paper and a pen?” I asked, my voice dry.
She paused, her hand resting on the metal stand.
“I want to write a quick note for my daughters,” I said, trying to keep my voice even. “Just so they know where I am.”
The nurse smiled, reached into her scrub pocket, and pulled out a small notepad and a blue ballpoint pen.
She placed them on the rolling plastic bedside tray and pushed it closer to my hand.
“Take your time,” she said.
Once she left, I clicked the pen.
My fingers were stiff, but I did not write a message to my children.
I wrote down the exact numbers of the morning, starting with the first argument by the metal table.
6:15 a.m. on the back patio.
6:22 a.m. in the kitchen with Patricia.
6:30 a.m. folding laundry with Madison.
6:40 a.m. the concrete step.
I drew a small diagram of the yard, marking the spot where Madison’s silver beaded bracelet had snagged on the chair.
I wrote down the name of Mr. Henderson and his street address next to our own.
Through the gap in the blue privacy curtains, I heard Daniel’s voice rising in the corridor.
I sat up slowly, pressing my palm against my ribs to keep the sharp pain quiet.
Daniel stood near the nurses’ station, his face flushed red as he gestured toward a woman holding a clipboard.
He was arguing about the insurance paperwork, his smooth sales delivery completely gone.
His left hand gripped his leather briefcase, and his right arm swung through the air to emphasize his words.
The gold watch on his wrist caught the bright fluorescent light of the hallway.
The second hand was completely still.
