“I know.”
“But understanding still matters.”
“I know that too.”
She adjusted Ethan’s blanket.
“Then you’re doing better than you think.”
I was discharged the following afternoon.
The hospital arranged for a nurse to walk me downstairs.
Robert had offered to drive me home, but I declined.
Marisol was waiting with her car.
Before I left, Robert came to say goodbye.
He stood awkwardly near the door.
I realized he didn’t know what role he was allowed to occupy.
Doctor?
Grandfather?
Logan’s father?
Stranger?
Maybe all of them.
“Thank you,” I said.
“For what?”
“For telling me the truth.”
“I should have had less truth to tell.”
I smiled slightly.
“That would have been easier.”
He looked at Ethan.
“May I?”
I understood.
“Would you like to hold him?”
His eyes brightened.
“Yes.”
I placed Ethan carefully in his arms.
The famous physician who supposedly never lost composure immediately looked terrified.
