I sighed quietly, almost silently, dropping my gaze to the floor and creasing my brow. Why was this getting more difficult? I was growing lonely, aching for companionship. I yearned for one other, just one other, who could know me for what I truly was. As of yet, however, I had not yet found reason enough to damn anyone, nor had I worked up enough nerve.

As I stood outside the door, tossing different arguments around in my mind, I heard a coarse voice from within the room. I tilted my head infinitesimally toward the source as I listened to the feeble voice that belonged to the mother drift through the wood.

“Edward . . . Edward, dear, you are going to be okay. It is not your time.” She stopped as a harsh coughing fit stole her breath away. I closed my eyes. Her son, Edward, was worse than she was. He was unconscious, and had been most of his stay in the hospital. I was surprised he had held on this long.

“Dear,” she continued with a newfound edge to her voice, “you are going to live. You are going to live good and long. I may go on to Heaven, but you will not be following me for some time. You cannot die like this.”

She was fading fast, I could hear it in her voice, desperate as she was to remain strong. That was the reason I had grown so attached to them. Despite all that was happening to her and her family, Elizabeth had fought with a strength unknown to humans. She hadn’t been fighting for herself, however. All her energy went to her young son, every ounce of strength and determination went into nursing him from her sickbed. I admired her greatly as I had never admired a human before, problematic as that may be.

“Your father is gone, though they don’t say it outright I know it to be so. They think us ill are weak and feeble to the point where we don’t notice if they ignore our questions about the state of loved ones.” She coughed again, and when she continued, her voice was quieter, like a wisp of wind. “He’ll be there, waiting for me. I know I’m dying, Edward. I’m not going to make it through this. You are going to live, however, and your father and I will be waiting for you when it finally is your time to join us.”