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doesn’t want to be looked after,” he said and paused. “And remember to duck,” that hollow chuckle sounded again. “You’ll thank me for that!”
    “Dad!” Kim felt her throat closing. Why did this feel like a last conversation? The very thought made her ache. “Enough of this.” She walked to his side, pushing Dave back. “You need to rest. We’ll check with the doctor when we can take you home. Then I am going back to the hotel, pack up my bags, and bring in my luggage home. So… just rest now.”
     
    ***
     
    It didn’t take Dave much to convince Kim to apply for some leave, and to Kim’s surprise, Dave become a more welcome part of the family than she could have imagined. Even Judith had grown genuinely fond of him and, on the few occasions that Richard felt well enough to join them in the living room, they would collectively tease Kim for her reactions to tough situations. But seeing her family, minus Sam of course, her heart welled up. It all felt so normal. She hadn’t felt normal in so long.
    It was late on a rainy night, Kim’s last week at home before she had to go back to work, when Judith’s screams woke her up. She knew at once why and knew that she needed to be calm when she stepped outside her room. Just as she opened the door to her room, she glanced at the wall clock in the living room. The florescent dial glowed 2:10 a.m.
    When she came to her parents’ room, the nurse was giving instructions over the phone, and her mom was trying hard to suppress her screams with the palms of her hands. Judith saw Kim and rushed to her, saying, “He wasn’t moving Kim. I got up to check on him and he wasn’t moving.”
    Judith’s face was paper-white as if she had seen a ghost. She was still screaming on top of her voice. Kim hugged her mom and took her to the living room and made her sit. Coming back to her parents’ room, she asked the nurse what was happening. “There is a pulse but we need to get him to the hospital immediately. I have called the hospital and they have sent an ambulance. It should be here any minute. You won’t be allowed in the ambulance but we’ll leave at once.”
    Kim went back to her room and put on her jeans and a T-shirt. She grabbed her handbag and mobile phone and called Dave. “Dave, it’s happening,” was all she said in a rather calm voice, as if devoid of any emotion.
    “Will see you at the hospital,” Dave said and disconnected the phone.
    A few minutes later, they were all at the hospital. Judith refused to sit and paced up and down the hallway till the doctor came out. Somehow, they knew what was coming. “It’s only a matter of hours. You can go in.”
    Kim looked at Dave, and like always, he could read her mind. “Stay strong,” he whispered, looking straight into her eyes, and then kissed her forehead. Then Kim followed Judith into the room.
    Richard was barely conscious. There was a flicker of some movement on his face and he managed to open his eyes. Kim held his hand and sat beside him on his bed while Judith lowered herself slowly on the small stool next to it. There was absolute silence in which Richard and Judith just kept on looking at each other. That was their thing, Kim knew. They could just look at each other and know what the other felt.
    Eventually, Judith looked at her and took Richard’s hand from hers. She leaned toward Richard and whispered, “We'll be fine.” She kissed him softly.
    And then they waited.
     
    ***
     
    After a little over an hour, Kim and Judith came out of the room. Judith was a mess, barely able to stand. Dave rushed towards them and tried to help them. Once he managed to get Judith down to sit, he got moving. The nurses were already working to move Richard's body and he proceeded to do the paperwork. He made a few calls at the same time, just as Bill, Cheryl and Beth walked in. They immediately went to Kim and Judith.
    “Kim, I am so sorry,” said Cheryl and hugged Kim. Then Beth did the same. But Kim