She was raising her hand to knock when the door opened partway. Samuel stepped out into the hall, closing the door behind him. He wore his jacket and carried the leather satchel that held his medical equipment.

“Leaving so soon, Samuel?” Allison asked, surprised.

“Leaving for good, I’m afraid,” the young man said. “Your husband just dismissed me and told me not to come back.”

“But . . . you’ve been doing a fine job. What happened?”

“Nothing, really. I was helping him walk, trying to work on his posture and his gait, and suddenly he just stopped, saying he’d had enough and that he could manage by himself from here on out, and I wasn’t to come back. He didn’t sound angry, just frustrated and very firm.”

“That would be Burke, all right,” Allison said. “I’m sorry Samuel. This is no reflection on you.”

“I know. And I think he’ll be okay. It’s just a little startling, that’s all.”

Allison walked him to the front door and watched him drive away in a compact car that seemed too small for his bulky frame. Burke, she suspected, would not be in an amiable mood. But she’d resolved to tell him about the job, and putting it off would only make the confrontation harder.

Feeling like Daniel about to step into the lions’ den, she walked back to the closed door, rapped lightly, then opened it without waiting for an answer.

Burke, dressed in navy blue sweats and gray sneakers, was sitting in the armchair reading the newspaper, with a mug of black coffee on the tray table. The pillows, arranged to support his back and sides, were the only sign that he was still in pain.

He laid the newspaper aside as Allison walked in. “I suppose you’ve spoken with Samuel,” he said.

“Yes. He’s gone. He said you’d be fine.” Allison moved a straight-backed chair to face him. His eyes narrowed as she sat down. He’d lost weight since the accident. His body was leaner, his features sharper. And he’d grown a short, well-trimmed beard, which was darker than his silver hair. Pain had etched new furrows at the corners of his eyes. He looked good, she conceded. But the husband she remembered was gone, his place taken by an edgy stranger she barely knew. Only his deep blue eyes were the same.

“Do we need to talk?” he asked.

“We do. For one thing, are you sure you’ll be all right without Samuel coming in?”