I’ll miss you, he whispered. She understood now and held his hand tighter. I’ll miss you, too, she said. I’ll talk to you. Will you be there to listen if I need you? Yes, he said. SHE FELL ASLEEP AGAIN WITH HER HEAD CLOSE to his, listening to the last of those breaths, and when she woke in the morning, the sun rising and bright white on the horizon, he was dead.
