He shakes his head fervently.
“You said you were married for a year and a half!”
“Beforethe accident.”
“But you spoke about her in the past tense!”
“Only when it was called for, not to mislead you,” he replies.
“You didn’t tell me!That’s lying by omission!”
He bows his head and nods once, accepting blame.
“Does Jonas know?” My voice has risen. “Of course he does,” I say bitterly. His parents too.
“I don’t like to talk about it, but it’s not a secret,” he replies. “There are people in town who know too, but it’s no one’s business but my own—and Laurie’s family’s, of course, but they live here in Indianapolis.”
“Is she in a coma?” I ask breathlessly, unable to shake this feeling of betrayal. I’ve fallen for a liar.
“No. She’s unaware and unresponsive.”
“I don’t know what that means.”
“She’s in a permanent vegetative state.”
“What does thatmean?”
“She’s awake, but she doesn’t know what’s going on.”
“She’sawake?” Ireallyfeel as though I’m going to throw up now. “Where is she?”
“At home with her parents.” He swallows, and then his eyes fill with tears. “Laurie might be alive, but she’sgone, Wren. Mywife is gone. Her mom still holds out hope that she may regain consciousness, but it’s extremely unlikely.”
“Could it happen, though? Could she come back to you?” This is a living nightmare.
“It’s not impossible. There’s a case of a woman who regained consciousness after almost three decades, but for most, the possibility of recovery is nonexistent.”
“What is shelike?” I mean now.
He draws in a long breath before launching into an explanation. “She blinks if you make a loud noise and takes her hand away if you squeeze it too hard. She has basic reflexes like coughing and swallowing, but no meaningful responses. She’s not listening when you speak to her, her eyes don’t follow you when you walk across the room, and she shows no sign of experiencing emotion. She doesn’t know who you are or what you might mean to her.”
“How are you so sure?”
“The doctors are certain. It’s heartbreaking, but it’s a fact.” The tears that have been swimming in his eyes break free and spill down his cheeks, and I watch them as though I’m dreaming.
“She wouldn’t want to live like this,” Anders says. “But when the doctors initially talked about withdrawing life support, Kelly went a little mad. The final decision was mine, as Laurie’s spouse, and I considered it, not just for Laurie’s sake, but for her parents’ too. We were all in limbo, unable to properly grieve or move on, but I didn’t have it in me to make the call. Kelly wouldn’t have allowed it, in any case. She would have fought me to hell and back, taken me to court, I know she would have. She was nowhere near ready to let Laurie go, and I wasn’t either, so when Kelly said she wanted to take Laurie home andcare for her, I went along with it.” He takes another long, shaky breath before continuing. “But I think I might have made the most terrible mistake.”
“How?”
“Kelly gave up her job and put her whole life on hold to look after Laurie, and that’s what she does every single day. She feeds her, bathes her, brushes her teeth, empties her catheter. She does everything.Everything.Going to the Rathskeller would have been a very rare night out for her, and her husband, Brian, Laurie’s dad, must have been at home because Kelly would never leave Laurie on her own. Brian goes along with what Kelly wants, but it’s putting a massive strain on their marriage. He’s angry and bitter every time I go to visit. Laurie wouldn’t survive without Kelly caring for her, but she could live for years in that state. Decades, even.”
“And you think Laurie wouldn’t want that?”
“I know she wouldn’t.”
“Could you... Is there something... Could you still do anything about it?”
He says he wants the best thing for Laurie, for her family, but I hate myself for asking.
