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deserved to hear how Cheryl had felt about him.
    “Cheryl used to talk about you all the time, John,” Samantha said, her voice full of sorrow. “She said the best thing she ever did was open the diner, but the biggest mistake she ever made was leaving you. She was too proud to admit it to you, I guess. I never asked why she left you because it was none of my business. If she had wanted to tell me, she would have. So I always assumed you had done something terrible. I never pushed her to look you up and talk it through. I…I…,” She paused, fighting back sobs., “I regret that now, John. I honestly do. But you need to know that once her Countdown began, she was never sad. She worked until the last day, and Cheryl had a smile on her face the whole time. The last thing she ever said to me was:
    “Y’all take care of my baby. Stick to the recipes, ya hear? Don’t get all cute and try to update ‘’em. They are perfect as is; I promise you. And Sam, my dear, if you ever happen to fall in love… real love… don’t let it go. Hold onto it tight, no matter what tries to take it from you. I let it go once, and it was a damn mistake. My only regret in this fabulous life I’ve led is that John isn’t here to kiss me goodbye.”
    Silence filled the room, only to be broken by John’s muted sobs. Samantha’s tears were flowing freely now. It broke her heart, but she was also relieved that John now knew the truth. And John was also happy to know it.
    August had stopped working and listened as Sam had recounted Cheryl’s last words. He wiped his tears away, then got back to fixing up John’s MediBed.
    Having finished, he scooted out from under the bed and pressed a button on the armrest. The MediBed shifted and raised John up to a sitting position.
    “Hey, how about that? Excellent work, August,” John said, smiling now. “How in the heck did you do it?”  
    Now that he no longer had to lie back all the way, flat as a pancake, John felt a little better.
    “It was nothin’, John,” August replied modestly. “Just a few loose wires soldered back into place, switched the workin’ maglev plates from the bottom of the bed with the busted ones up top, and then rebooted the system. It’s not 100% like brand new or nothin’, but it’ll get the job done.”
    Samantha gazed over at August and once again felt a strong connection with the handsome man. He didn’t have to fix the bed. It wasn’t that big of a deal, really. John’s health would not have been affected either way. But August had wanted to do something nice for John. He had wanted John to be comfortable, and so went out of his way to make it happen. That selflessness was way more beautiful to Samantha than even August’s genuinely caring eyes and big, strong arms, although she did rather like those, too.
    John fell asleep shortly after, so August and Samantha moved out to the waiting room to give him some peace and quiet. They sat side-by-side and sipped at some awful Nutricator Cola that one of the nurses had brought them. Samantha thought it tasted like how a wet dog smells, so she politely set it down and never touched it again. August was used to it, as it was the only drink provided for free in the factory cafeteria.
    “That was extraordinary, what you did in there for John’s MediBed,” she whispered, putting her hand on his. “Did you see how fast he conked out after you fixed it, sweets?”
    “Yeah, it really was nothin’, though;: a simple and easy fix. What you did was amazin’,” August gushed. “You gave that man closure after all these years. He finally knows that she always loved him. That is much more important that what I did. You’re a special lady,; you know that?”
    Before Samantha could respond, Dr. Granger came into the waiting room wearing a solemn expression, and said, “Are you the two friends and/or family of Patient Hill in room 517?”
    An absolutely dreadful feeling suddenly came over both August and