I could only sit there numbly.Today. I tried to remember what to do. I needed to text my mom and Leo and Gia and Zelda. And Dawn, my boss at the magazine—I should let her know, because I wouldn’t be able to work for the next little bit, not even the minimal proofreading I’d been doing up to now.
“Try not to think too far ahead, Quinn.” Jacey smiled at me. “Be in the moment today. Be present with him as long as you can.”
“Will he wake up again?” Sheri wiped at her face. “He opened his eyes yesterday and seemed to know me. He said something to Quinn the day before.”
“He might.” Jacey touched Nate’s foot, covered with a light blanket. “Sometimes people tend to have a brief period of alertness before the end. If it happens, talk to him, treasure it, but understand it for what it is. If you need me, call me.”
She came around the bed to hug me, whispering in my ear as she did. “Be strong, sweetie. You can do this.”
Mark came in after he’d seen Jacey to the door. I could tell by his expression that she’d spoken with him, too. He glanced at Sheri, and the two of them fell into each other’s arms.
I slipped from the room, giving the three of them a last chance to be together as a family. Moving woodenly around the house, I texted everyone who needed to know, and then I dressed for the day in sweatpants, an oversized hoodie and warm woolen socks, pulling my hair into a messy ponytail.
The hours ticked by slowly. The house next door was a rental, and apparently, it was occupied for the holiday weekend by a bunch of college kids, having a party. They were loud, and as the day went on, the shouting and music became more intrusive. Finally, I pulled on a pair of shoes and went out onto the deck.
Three guys were outside in the next house, setting up a speaker while two girls holding beers watched and shouted encouragement. I leaned over the railing, raising my voice until they heard me.
“Excuse me!”
One of the boys spotted me and turned down the music, smiling. “Hey. We didn’t know there was anyone over there. Sorry about the noise. You’re welcome to come over tonight for the party.” He looked over my shoulder. “Are you ... by yourself?”
“No.” I struggled briefly with what to say. “I wanted to ask you ... can you keep it down, please? I’m sorry to ask this, but, um ...” I was too tired to think of how to word it better. “My husband is dying. Today. Inside. And ... it’s not that I don’t like a party, or that I don’t think you should have a good time, but, well, he’s dying. And hearing music and shouting makes it even harder for us. So if you can just maybe ... tone it down a little ...”
“Shit.” The kid looked panicked, and I saw a similar expression on his friends’ faces. “Shit. I’m sorry. I just—wow. You don’t look old enough to be married, let alone have a husband who’s ...”
I nodded. “Yeah, I know. Thanks.” I shivered as the wind whipped across the beach. “I appreciate anything you can do to respect this situation.”God, I sounded like a seventy-year-old nun.
“Of course. We’ll keep the music inside and tell everyone to be quiet. And hey.” His eyes tracked me. “I’m really sorry.”
I went inside, kicked off my shoes and made my way back to the bedroom. Sheri glanced at me.
“His eyes were fluttering just a minute ago. We thought maybe he might wake up a little.” There was such hope in her voice, even now.
“Really?” I sat down on the edge of the bed, and Nate turned his face toward me, his hand groping until I laced my fingers through his.
“Quinn.” His eyelids lifted just a little, but I could see his eyes watching me. “You’re here.”
I smiled even as tears filled my eyes. “Where else would I be, I’d like to know?” Squeezing his hand, I leaned over to kiss his cheek.
“You’re the best thing in my life.” The words were slurred, but I knew what he’d said. “Thank you, Quinn.”
I couldn’t speak for a moment. “You’re welcome, Nate. I love you.”
But his eyes were closed again, and his hand had gone slack in mine.
He woke slightly again twice more that day, and he mumbled a few words to his parents. Darkness seeped into the room as evening fell. Nate’s breathing slowed as the old year waned. His hand was cold now, even when I clung to it with both of mine.
Just before ten that night, his chest began to move almost convulsively. Sheri’s eyes met mine, and I knew we were both mentally checking another item off the list from the booklet. We were very near the end now.
In the doorway, where he’d been slouched for the last hour, watching in silence, Mark stood, a loud and awful sob ripping from his chest. His hand flew out and smacked the wall, making Sheri and me both jump.
“I can’t do it. I can’t watch him ... I’m sorry.” Mark stumbled to the bed and pressed his cheek against his son’s. “I love you, bud. I always will. Love you.”
His face crumpling, Mark lurched from the bedroom. I listened to his steps across the great room and out onto the deck.
Sheri sighed and hitched her chair closer to the bed. “Something you’ll learn in life, Quinn. They say women are the weaker sex, but it isn’t true. Men ... most of them can’t handle things like this. Watching life come into the world and watching it leave again ... that’s up to the women.”
“Didn’t Sally Field say something like that inSteel Magnolias?” I moved closer, too.
