AN

just as I was finishing a call wi

n my chair and r

ome

r opened

face was pale, and she looked like she

ir.

fro

at i

hesit

s been taken to

e body we

Wh

ollapse

yself out o

Wh

long

ared

id it h

Mrs. Susan and Aunt Maggie. Mr

sto

d wh

was pu

w tigh

is Aunt

s. Maria to t

ed at th

ent, I cou

was p

r her to end up in a hospital after e

h hosp

gave me

ed up m

have left

new

od there starin

from earlier that

ed to sign the

ay from me without

ng it easy fo

ds still i

Maria had always

angry, she

red her, s

thing she didn't li

she had simpl

he was in

ed the

rings, some

aria Stones. She was

ther end asked me to

d

I wa

w is

attended to b

he con

t the m

ightened arou

the

s a brief

ncy is being

sed my

e b

ba

ught uns

pregnant. I had thought she was using the p

ng unconscious in a hospital

nds, I consider

get int

the hospital

or myself that

rd footstep

tur

ood at th

re you

the phone

hosp

ace ch

confidence disapp

to get hurt," she said

ared

was pu

kn

as barely ab

'd fall that hard. I

id no

ed farther i

she o

n't kn

me for a few seco

oing to th

ion hung b

at my ph

on't

s eyes

ll be

is pre

ors are taking

dn't

alked to

e already made

oked

t dec

marr

oice s

u told Maria the m

oked

was r

chose

Susan long b

posed to be pa

in a hospital c

confusion that came

touched

e, what do you t

fro

ink you regret

n't re

tinued. "That you left your wife and t

ed my a

to know that

ady know she's

s were re

they sounde

down at

ld sti

physically

hospital would m

the pr

e decision

t ready for

again late

smiled

t's b

whether I was agreeing with he

****************

t, I could

o bed, but I remained awa

king about t

Maria

he bab

Maggie b

ia asked

ed for m

red over the h

ld cal

I put the

made my

ing to keep

he divorce papers, but that

nted

he life I h

now, I would only make

ayed whe

elf she wou

he doctors would

I was doing t

ime, I be

day, I would remember

wish I had picked up my phon

s that I had m

etermined to