A Five-Minute Life

“For longer than a trip to the mall?”

I nodded.

“In my professional opinion? Not necessarily. If she had someone with her at all times, at least at first. And I’d prefer she have a roommate, once she gets her own place, just to be safe.” She raised her eyebrows. “Any volunteers?”

“I’m being serious.”

“So am I,” she said. “Why are you asking?”

“I don’t think she’s going to be happy here for long.”

“Neither do I. She’s strong-willed. I don’t think any of us can talk her out of wanting her life back. But it’s too soon. Dr. Chen says so and she’s the final authority, not me.”

“But there’s no real danger?” I asked. “Medically speaking?”

“Honey, there’s danger in getting in a car to head to the corner store,” Rita said. “Thea knows that better than anyone. But Delia has power of attorney over her. It was set up when Thea was incapacitated.” She looked over to where Thea was answering the doctors’ questions. “Does she look incapacitated to you?”

She looks fucking perfect.

“Exactly,” Rita said, reading my expression.

“So Delia has to call off her power of attorney, right?”

“I doubt it. Ms. Hughes has been in control of every aspect of Thea’s life for the past two years.” She gave me a sympathetic glance. “She’s not going to give it up without a fight.”

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1: What is happening to me?

2: I can’t stop speaking French!

Later, when I figured the doctors had cleared out, I went back to the rec room. Thea stood in front of a blank canvas, a tray of paints beside her. She turned and gave me another of her so-happy-to-see-you smiles. It sent a warm feeling through my chest and heated my blood too. Being near her was becoming something more than good. Or casual.

I still wanted long conversations with Thea, only instead of having those talks while out on

the grounds or in the rec room, my imagination conjured her in my bed, with her hair splayed over my pillow. The morning light revealed the marks we’d put on each other’s body the night before. Her lips were swollen from my kisses, and my shoulder blades stung where she’d raked her nails. We’d talk and kiss until kissing wasn’t enough. Then I’d take her hard and she’d come undone beneath me. We’d eat and talk and kiss some more, then do it all over again. Because we had all the time in the world…

Because she’s no longer incapacitated. She can make her own choices. I could be a choice she makes.

I pushed the longing away and the heated thoughts that went with it. Nothing could happen, at least while she was still a resident and I was an orderly.

“New stuff?” I asked with a nod at the canvas.

“Yeah,” she said. “But I’m not feeling it right now.”

“Painter’s block?”

Thea laughed. “Exactly. Before the accident, I couldn’t go three days without painting. I’ve only done one here. One in two years. It’d be zero if not for you.”

“They didn’t know.”

“What did I draw?” She thought for a second. “Egyptian scenes. One after the other.”

“You made a lot of word chains. It’s how you communicated.”

“That was all I had. Words instead of sentences or paragraphs. No chapters in the Book of Thea.”

She stared at the blank canvas and a shiver came over her. She hugged herself, her eyes shining.