"What are you thinking about?"
Barry's gentle voice sounded in my ear.
I turned my head. He was holding a bowl of warm soup, his face full of worry as he looked at me.
"Lucy, I know you lost the baby, but you can't stay trapped in this pain forever. Please eat something, okay?"
I touched my flat belly.
This child had come when the pregnancy was still too early to show, and left too soon.
I couldn't tell whether he had ever really been in my womb, or whether it was just a sad dream I'd had.
Seeing that I wouldn't speak and wouldn't eat, Barry sat down next to me with the soup, his voice trembling slightly.
"Lucy, I know you're hurting, but your health matters. You haven't eaten a thing in a whole day since the surgery."
When I still didn't respond, Barry firmly turned my shoulders
