37 Things I Love (In No Particular Order) - Plot & Excerpts
DASHING FORWARD, I push past Mom and burst into the familiar room. Dad is on the bed, as always, but everything has changed. The machines have been unplugged and pushed aside. The sheets that cover him have been stripped away, his wasted legs exposed. Gown tucked neatly. Hands folded, stacked upon his stomach. Laid out for viewing, I can’t help but think. The antiseptic smell, stronger and fresher than usual, assails me. Something has been cleaned. Something of what happened has been wiped away. Carmen stands near the foot of the bed, unfolding a sheet in her hands. She spreads it over Dad’s feet and turns, waiting. Waiting to catch me as I fly in and throw myself toward Dad. “Oh, baby,” she says as I reach out and touch his still skin. I jerk my hand back. Carmen reaches for my shoulder, but I flinch away. “What happened?” I turn toward Mom, in the doorway, watching, and I realize. I realize what she must have done. “What did you do?” I shout. “How could you? You promised!”
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