“Oh, then please tell me. No one says anything. I keep thinking that I did something horribly wrong.”
“You did nothing wrong.”
She pushed herself up a little in her bed, the movement causing her to blink rapidly. “So tell me the story of the list, and why I’m here. I want to hear it.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, I’m sure.”
“Okay. I’ll tell you the basics, and please let me know if you get tired, or if it gets too much for you.”
Her arms tingled, and she took a deep breath. “Just start. I need to hear it. What kind of story is it?”
“Not a good one, I suppose,” Ruth said.
“Not completely bad,” Aaron blurted out, scooting forward on his chair.
Her eyes went back and forth between them both, wanting to hear the story, but also not wanting to hear it.
“Right,” Ruth said. “It’s not completely bad. But I’m going to stop talking about it, and just tell it, okay, Jessica? And that way, you can be the judge.”