Elisabeth never thought the day would come when she would be all alone. The world always seemed to be her's for the taking, and now it seemed that there was nothing she wanted and that the one thing she did want was unattainable. What she wouldn't give to if she had the power to make Steve whole again. She sat there at his bedside now, holding his frail hand, thinking about how many times she had held in before and how it had always made everything all right. It had always seemed to her, that when her hand was in his that nothing could ever harm her; he was so strong, so protective. She tried to place her hand inside his, and clamp the fingers around her own so that she could gather that strength that this had always given her before, but this time, there was no strength, the power had left his hands.

She held his hand to her cheek, and let it rub the tear falling from her eyes. Hoping that this would somehow wake him, let him know that she needed him. Her mind wondered back to all those years ago, when she had been the one in the hospital bed. When he had told her that their child was stillborn, but nonetheless, a beautiful baby boy. How they had cried together, and he had held her head and wiped the tears from her face with the most gentle caress she had ever known. He had comforted her, and told her that they would try again, knowing in his own heart that that would not happen. And, as if he knew what she was thinking, he had placed his face close to her's and whispered, "It's okay, you know?" He knew her better than she knew herself, for he knew the guilt she felt at not being able to give him a child, and he was telling her it was okay. "How can you say that?," she cried, almost angry with him. "Because we will always have each other, always..." Those words came to her now like a slap in the face."

She set about the acts that had become her routine. She went to the medicine chest, and gathered the shaving cream and the razor, and began to apply to cream to his face. She noted with sadness, how his cheeks were sunken, and his brow was furrowed; his face seemed so drawn, almost as if he were worried about something. With the utmost care, she drew the razor up one side and down the other, how many times she had watched him shave in the morning, always singing or whistling some happy tune. She longed to hear that now, and she began humming to him. "Sweet dreams of you...Every night I go through...Why can't I forget the past, start living life anew...Instead of having sweet dreams, about you..."

Her work finished, she wiped the remaining shaving cream from his face with a warm towel. She went to the sink and cleaned the razor and placed it in it's spot in the chest, and picked up his comb. She combed his hair with great care, making sure that each strand was in it's place. Steve had always taken great pride in his appearance, and just because he wasn't able to do it for himself now, was no reason that should end. She stood back, happy with her work, and leaned down to kiss him on his cheek.

She knew what would make him happy...a foot rub. She opened the cabinet next to his bed, and got the lotion. She sat at the end of bed, and gathered his feet in her lap, and began to rub the feet up to his calfs. How she loved to do this, he would always look down at her and smile before he leaned his head back and allow himself to totally relax. That's almost, she told herself, how he looks now...Yet his face didn't seem to recognize the fact that he was enjoying it, it still had that worried look.

On and on she went, rubbing, caressing. She didn't notice when the nurse came in and when she touched Elisabeth's shoulder it startled her. The nurse smiled and apologized, and Elisabeth felt the need to explain what she was doing so she related the whole story about how she would do this everyday when he came home from work. The nurse simply replied, "I'm sure he stillappreciates it, ma'am." Elisabeth said she knew he did, but it seemed to her that his face looked like he was worried about something, what did the nurse think? Did he look okay to her? The round faced woman in a soft voice said, "I'm sure he's not worried, ma'am. Try not to think about it. He's just got a long road ahead of him, and maybe he's thinking about that. I'm sure he's doing his best to come back to you."

The nurse suggested Elisabeth go and get some fresh air, maybe go home and take a shower in her own home. For four days, since Steve had been admitted into the hospital, she hadn't left him for more than fifteen minutes, relying on nephews to bring her clothes so she could bathe there. But, the thought of seeing the outside world did appeal to her. Perhaps it would help Steve too, she could come back and tell him everything that she saw, and maybe that would inspire him to wake. Maybe he would be able to smell the spring air on her, the scent of lilacs and magnolias, instead of the antiseptic smell of the hospital. Yes, she would do that for him.

As she walked out the hospital doors, the sun almost blinded her. It seemed brighter than she had ever seen it before. It was warm for spring and she walked, lost in her thoughts. She found a bench and sat down, leaning her head back, she stared into the sky. The clouds were so peaceful. How many times had she and Steve gone on picnics and laid back to watch the clouds? She sat up again and saw a robin in the grass. She took a deep breath and thought about the first house they had lived in, they had had a robin build a nest in their gutters and when the neighbor told them they needed to remove it, Steve said no. He refused to disrupt nature. That robin built that nest and there it would stay until the babies were raised and gone, and that's exactly what happened. She looked down at her hands, the sun had caught the gold of her wedding band. It gleamed brightly, and she turned it around and around of her finger. Thinking about what that symbolized, the endless circle. Just like their lives together, endless

As she walked, she kept looking at her ring, and turning it...a nervous habit. Sometimes when she did it, Steve would still her hand with his own to make her aware of it, but he always knew that when she did that, she was uneasy about something, that something was on her mind. When she stepped out of the elevator onto the fifth floor, she suddenly became aware of this feeling, this feeling like a weight had been lifted from her. She stopped turning her ring. As she reached his door, she half expected him to be sitting up when she opened it.

She took her seat beside of his bed, and took his hand in hers and began to tell him about the clouds, the robin, and reminding him of all the things she had been thinking about. She asked him if he could smell the magnolia she had picked for him, and she placed it to his nose. And she told him how she caught herself turning her ring, and suddenly she had stopped when shegot to his floor. She told him she wasn't worried anymore. With that, Steve's chest rose and he took a deep breath. Elisabeth noticed his face just then, he didn't look worried anymore. He looked so peaceful, like he had been with her watching the clouds, and the robin, and smelling theflowers. This time it didn't startle her when the nurse touched her shoulder.

"Mrs. Anderson?" she spoke softly.

Elisabeth merely nodded in recognition.

"I told you he knew he had a long road ahead of him, well, he's almost there now. And you know, it's going to be okay? I know it hurts, but look at his face, he's not worried anymore."