“Can you understand me?”
His finger moved again.
One tap.
Yes?”
Another tap.
I swallowed.
“Can you open your eyes?”
Nothing happened.
I waited.
Then his eyelids lifted slowly.
He looked exhausted.
His gaze drifted toward the nurse.
“She can’t see,” I whispered. “Not from where she’s sitting.”
His lips moved.
I leaned close enough to hear the breath of his words.
“Name.”
“My name?”
A slight blink.
“I’m Clara.”
He stared at me.
“Clara Bennett. Or Thornton now, apparently.”
The corner of his mouth moved.
It was not quite a smile, but it came close.
“You know we’re married?” I asked.
His eyes closed briefly.
When they opened again, he looked toward my ring.
“So that’s a yes.”
His throat tightened as he tried to speak.
I poured a little water onto a sponge swab from the bedside tray and touched it carefully to his lips.
