He looked at Laura.
“And I do it again.”
Laura’s eyes filled with tears.
“How long have you been living like this?”
Carlos looked away.
“Almost two years.”
“Two years?”
He nodded.
Laura couldn’t understand how someone could survive that long under such pressure.
Then the doctor entered the room again.
“Mr. Rodríguez, we need your decision.”
Carlos immediately answered.
“I can’t have the surgery.”
The doctor looked at Laura.
She understood.
This wasn’t going to be solved by simply telling Carlos what to do.
So she asked him one question.
“What would your wife want?”
Carlos froze.
Laura continued.
“If Elena were standing here right now, what would she tell you?”
Carlos’s eyes filled with tears.
“She’d tell me to go.”
“Then listen to her.”
He shook his head.
“I can’t leave them.”
“You’re not leaving them.”
Laura stood.
“You’re getting better so you can come back to them.”
