“Why does having less time make my wish less worth thinking about?”
I couldn’t explain my refusal without imagining her disappointment. I should have tried harder.
Instead, I pictured one happy afternoon amid weeks of terrible news. I transferred her care to another physician but never asked my supervisor, Dr. Patel, whether proceeding was appropriate.
***
We married the following day in her hospital room.
I wore a tie rather than my stethoscope. A nurse fashioned two rings from clean bandage strips, and Alicia draped a white scarf over her bald head like a veil.
Her sister Nora brought flowers. Alicia smiled throughout the ceremony. Nora adjusted the scarf twice before squeezing my hand.
“Thank you. You gave her something. I mean it.”
For a little while, the room had seemed different from the ward where we usually delivered disappointing news. The wedding gave Alicia a chance
to decide how one afternoon would unfold. I focused on that smile and ignored the questions I should have asked.
