Getting her comfortable in bed, he asked, “You want me to shut the blinds so you can get some sleep?” The bags that were always under her eyes were nearly purple.

“I’ll feel better with them open.”

Buttons had his front paws on the bed, sniffing her face.

“I think someone’s glad to have you home,” Andrew said. “You need something to drink? Something to eat?”

She waved him off. “Just sleep.”

He swiped his book from the kitchen table – an old Elmore Leonard gangster novel – and got a beer from the fridge. “I’ll be in my spot right outside so I can keep an eye on you.”

Holding out her arms to him, she said, “No, stay in here with me until I fall asleep. Please?”

He snuggled beside her with her head on his chest.

“I had a great time yesterday,” she said, yawning.

“Me too. And, bonus, I got to drive the car over ninety miles an hour.”

“That you did.”

He turned on the TV, knowing he was at the right channel when he came upon a black-and-white movie. She loved those black-and-white flicks. It was too bad their lives were muddled in varying shades of gray.

Kate was asleep in minutes, her tiny snores signaling it was safe for him to head to the porch.

The late afternoon sun was obscured by fast-moving clouds. It looked and smelled like rain was heading their way.

Andrew read and drank, trying to calm himself down. For a moment yesterday, he’d thought this was it. The look of pain and terror on her face had nearly sent his heart into palpitations.

I guess I thought by coming up here, we’d escape this shit.

He crushed the can of PBR and went inside for another.

It was foolish to think they could outrun the microscopic killers that lived inside Kate. The rational part of him knew that was impossible.

But was it too much to ask for a tiny break? They only had these three months. After this, he’d be back to the grind and Kate would be on the doctor merry-go-round. There’d be plenty of time for health scares and hospitals.

He’d thought…no, hoped Maine would be different.

Nothing ever was.

Gray clouds scudded overhead, the lake seeming dark and foreboding. The temperature dipped while he drank in frustration. He stared at the dock. The day Kate sat beside him felt as if it had happened years ago.

He’d been so mad at her.

And then he’d worried himself sick that he was going to lose her.

Maybe I should start going back to the shrink when I get home. Jesus, I’m fucked up.

He tried to read but couldn’t concentrate. His arms felt heavy, the stress morphed by the beer into exhaustion.