Hand in front of her mouth, she trots to the desk. Kachoo! Snort. “Got a snoot full of something.” Kachoo! Sniffle. Rose grabs the tissue box and sets it atop the counter.

As she plucks tissues from the top, Marion shouts, “Left! Other left. More. Stop.”

“Sorry about that,” Rose says through a wad of tissue. “I’ll finish Mr. Boster, then I’m out of here.”

“Thanks for the help,” Karen says, popping the top of the can of Diet Pepsi. She doesn’t take her eyes off Rose while she does it. The cola-loving nurse is getting a bad vibe.

Wiping and sniffling, Rose hurries back to Chuck’s room.

He is gone.

Before she can panic, the bathroom door opens. He is wearing only his pajama bottoms. Toothpaste speckles his chin.

“Good man, Chuck,” Rose says.

“The nurse is still staring after you,” Marion tells her, and, “Who’s Chuck?”

“Chuck is my good friend,” Rose says, smiling at him. “Want me to find your pajama top?” Chuck says nothing. Rose finds it on the hook on the bathroom door along with a bathrobe like the one she’d butchered.

“She’s reaching for the phone,” Marion says.

“Darn!” Rose goes to the room’s door and sticks her head out. “Karen, does Chuck get any meds before bed?”

“She’s stopped reaching for the phone,” Marion says. “She looks annoyed.”

“I’ll deal with it,” Karen calls back.

“Now she looks totally pissed off,” Marion says. “She’s gulping Pepsi.”

“Is she going for the phone again?” Rose asks.

“Wait. No. She is logging in.”

“Hallelujah!” Rose whispers.

“She’s going to patient records!” Marion shouts in Rose’s ear.

Chuck is standing in front of his dresser. A picture frame made for an eight-by-ten photo holds only a snapshot. White tent in the background, a younger Chuck, forties or fifties, crouching beside a campfire, grins at the camera.

“Get the nurse to buzz you out,” Marion commands. “We’ve pushed this as far as we can.”

“Can you get what we need now?” Rose asks.

There is a moment’s silence. Then Marion says, “I’m not a hacker. Maybe. Get out of there.”

“One more thing,” Rose says.

“Out!” Marion yells so loudly, it hurts Rose’s ear.

Ignoring her sister, Rose steps into the bathroom. She removes the wig, wets her fingers, and fluffs up her hair. Looking more like herself, she returns to Chuck’s bedside and lays the wig on the bed. His lamp is still on, but his eyes are closed. Rose takes his hand and holds it between hers.

He opens his eyes, sees her, and smiles.

“Hi, Chuck. I’ve missed you,” Rose says, and is surprised to find she is telling the truth.

“You’re the Rose,” he says. Squeezing her hand, he lets out a long slow sigh.