Twenty minutes later, Walter finally came around after being given the medicine.
He was still coughing pretty badly, but at least he looked a lot better than when he arrived.
Matilda held tightly onto his hand, her eyes swollen from crying.
"Walter, you're finally awake. I was so scared you'd leave before me."
Normally, she just called him "old man," but right now, she actually used his name-Walter. Walter Ackerley. You could tell how panicked and helpless she had been.
That one "Walter" felt like it opened a floodgate of memories for Walter.
"Matilda, how could I leave first? We promised we'd grow old together. We're still waiting to meet Broderick and Leslie's baby, remember?"
He glanced over at Leslie, his wrinkled face softening with a warm smile. "You saved me a
