“It’s hot.”
“Give it a minute.”
His tone was strangely encouraging.
Several minutes passed.
Then Judith stopped speaking.
She blinked.
“My hands feel strange.”
Her spoon slipped from her fingers.
Harold frowned.
“What’s wrong?”
Judith tried to stand.
She became unsteady.
Steve immediately moved to help her.
Karen called emergency services.
The room erupted into confusion.
And in the middle of all of it, I looked at Mark.
He did not look at his mother first.
He looked at me.
I was sitting upright.
Alert.
Watching him.
His face lost its color.
That expression told me more than any confession could have.
Paramedics arrived quickly and took Judith to the hospital.
Steve and Harold followed.
Karen planned to bring clothes later.
Soon Mark and I were standing alone outside.
“You should probably get checked too,” he said.
“For what?”
“You’ve been tired lately.”
For six months, he had dismissed every symptom.
Now suddenly he was concerned.
“I feel fine.”
His jaw tightened.
The drive home was almost silent.
