[ She should drink more, he thinks, but the way her breath rattles makes him wince, and he pulls the glass away, easing her back onto the bed. And when she struggles to speak, he swallows thickly around the fear lancing through him, choking him.
(And that voice in the back of his head, reminding him, This is your fault. Why weren’t you faster?) ]
Relax. Take it easy.
[ Soft, as soothing as he can manage – though even then there’s a tremor to his voice, and he grips her hand tightly. He moves the towel across her face again, brushes it across her forehead, her cheeks, her neck.
(Flashes in his mind of doing the same for Mom, when she was still at home. Sitting on the edge of her bed as he dipped a towel into a bowl of water, wringing it out carefully before she took it from him.
“My darlin’ little boy,” she’d say with a faint smile, pressing the towel to her forehead. “So thoughtful and kind. So much like your daddy.”) ]
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(And that voice in the back of his head, reminding him, This is your fault. Why weren’t you faster?) ]
Relax. Take it easy.
[ Soft, as soothing as he can manage – though even then there’s a tremor to his voice, and he grips her hand tightly. He moves the towel across her face again, brushes it across her forehead, her cheeks, her neck.
(Flashes in his mind of doing the same for Mom, when she was still at home. Sitting on the edge of her bed as he dipped a towel into a bowl of water, wringing it out carefully before she took it from him.
“My darlin’ little boy,” she’d say with a faint smile, pressing the towel to her forehead. “So thoughtful and kind. So much like your daddy.”) ]
Just rest.