cold hand squeezed Nate’s hand ever so weakly, but his father’s eyes never left Christine.
“Nate has told me so much about you,” she said.
Nate’s father looked at the oxygen mask and then at him.
“I guess it’s all right,” Nate said. He removed the mask.
Nate’s father said something but his voice was so low Nate could barely hear him. He leaned toward his father. “What did you say, Dad?”
“Want to talk to her alone.”
Nate was afraid for Christine. His father’s veins ran full with morphine. His mind wasn’t always clear. “You two don’t know each other,” Nate said.
“Please.”
“I don’t know, Dad.”
“It’s all right,” Christine said.
Nate wanted to protect Christine but did not know how to dismiss his father’s request. “Are you sure?”
“It’s all right,” she said again.
Nate walked to the door and looked back at them. Christine took his father’s hand and leaned over him. He spoke to her. She said something in low tones and his father nodded.
Nate stepped outside. He was worried that he shouldn’t have done this. Christine’s feelings for him were not clear. She had mentioned other men she knew before she met him. She’d slept with a few of them and one of those relationships lasted for a while, but she didn’t view any of her prior relationships as serious. Nate knew she enjoyed his company, but he didn’t think she loved him. A private deathbed conversation seemed likely to frighten her away.
Christine came to the door. “He’s asleep now.”
Nate looked in the room. Christine had replaced the mask. His father’s eyes were closed, and his chest rose and fell steadily.
“He’s resting,” Christine said. She took Nate’s arm and led him down the hall. She looked straight ahead. Tears slid down her cheeks. They walked to the parking lot in silence and got in the car.
“What did he say to you?”
“Let’s go back to the cabin. I’ll tell you there.”
They drove to the lake house. Christine stared straight ahead and didn’t say anything to Nate along the way. Several times her eyes pooled with tears and her lips trembled. Each time she clenched her fists and regained her composure. It was dusk when he stopped the car in front of the cabin. The sun hung low over the mountains, casting a long glistening silver streak across the surface of the lake. Cicadas clacked their din. A cool breeze swayed pine boughs.
“What did my father say to you?”
“He said you brought more joy to his life than he deserved. He said you are his proudest achievement. He said he loves you.”
Nate’s breath caught in his throat. When he could speak, he said, “I’m sorry I asked you to do this. I didn’t know he would want to talk to you alone.”
“It’s all right.”
“I shoved you into the middle of our relationship at our saddest moment. It was unfair to you. I know my father loves me. He’s told me so many times. He didn’t need to send a message to me through you. If he’d known what he was doing, he wouldn’t have put you through that. The morphine warps his thinking.”
“The morphine had nothing to do with it. He was thinking clearly. He had a reason to tell me about his love for you.”
“What reason?”
“He said he feared there would come a time in your life when you might doubt him, when you might need reassurance about his love for you. By asking me to tell you, he said he thought you would believe him no matter what happens in the future.”
Nate was surprised and perplexed. “Did he say why he thought I might question his feelings for me?”
“He said only that you might need reassurance, and he thought telling me would help you believe the sincerity of his love for you when that time came.”
Nate stared at the lake, unable to imagine an explanation for his father’s concern. “Did he say anything else?”
“There was one thing more.”
“What?”
Christine paused. “I can’t tell you about
“Nate has told me so much about you,” she said.
Nate’s father looked at the oxygen mask and then at him.
“I guess it’s all right,” Nate said. He removed the mask.
Nate’s father said something but his voice was so low Nate could barely hear him. He leaned toward his father. “What did you say, Dad?”
“Want to talk to her alone.”
Nate was afraid for Christine. His father’s veins ran full with morphine. His mind wasn’t always clear. “You two don’t know each other,” Nate said.
“Please.”
“I don’t know, Dad.”
“It’s all right,” Christine said.
Nate wanted to protect Christine but did not know how to dismiss his father’s request. “Are you sure?”
“It’s all right,” she said again.
Nate walked to the door and looked back at them. Christine took his father’s hand and leaned over him. He spoke to her. She said something in low tones and his father nodded.
Nate stepped outside. He was worried that he shouldn’t have done this. Christine’s feelings for him were not clear. She had mentioned other men she knew before she met him. She’d slept with a few of them and one of those relationships lasted for a while, but she didn’t view any of her prior relationships as serious. Nate knew she enjoyed his company, but he didn’t think she loved him. A private deathbed conversation seemed likely to frighten her away.
Christine came to the door. “He’s asleep now.”
Nate looked in the room. Christine had replaced the mask. His father’s eyes were closed, and his chest rose and fell steadily.
“He’s resting,” Christine said. She took Nate’s arm and led him down the hall. She looked straight ahead. Tears slid down her cheeks. They walked to the parking lot in silence and got in the car.
“What did he say to you?”
“Let’s go back to the cabin. I’ll tell you there.”
They drove to the lake house. Christine stared straight ahead and didn’t say anything to Nate along the way. Several times her eyes pooled with tears and her lips trembled. Each time she clenched her fists and regained her composure. It was dusk when he stopped the car in front of the cabin. The sun hung low over the mountains, casting a long glistening silver streak across the surface of the lake. Cicadas clacked their din. A cool breeze swayed pine boughs.
“What did my father say to you?”
“He said you brought more joy to his life than he deserved. He said you are his proudest achievement. He said he loves you.”
Nate’s breath caught in his throat. When he could speak, he said, “I’m sorry I asked you to do this. I didn’t know he would want to talk to you alone.”
“It’s all right.”
“I shoved you into the middle of our relationship at our saddest moment. It was unfair to you. I know my father loves me. He’s told me so many times. He didn’t need to send a message to me through you. If he’d known what he was doing, he wouldn’t have put you through that. The morphine warps his thinking.”
“The morphine had nothing to do with it. He was thinking clearly. He had a reason to tell me about his love for you.”
“What reason?”
“He said he feared there would come a time in your life when you might doubt him, when you might need reassurance about his love for you. By asking me to tell you, he said he thought you would believe him no matter what happens in the future.”
Nate was surprised and perplexed. “Did he say why he thought I might question his feelings for me?”
“He said only that you might need reassurance, and he thought telling me would help you believe the sincerity of his love for you when that time came.”
Nate stared at the lake, unable to imagine an explanation for his father’s concern. “Did he say anything else?”
“There was one thing more.”
“What?”
Christine paused. “I can’t tell you about
Similar Books
