I was allowed to see Julian for one hour after the new order came through.
The nurse checked my name against a list, then walked me to his room. She kept the door open while I sat beside the bed.
"I'm not going to touch the line," I said. "I'm just going to talk."
She nodded and stepped back into the hall.
Julian looked thinner than he had in the cabin. The swelling in his face had gone down, leaving his features sharper. His beard had grown in unevenly until a nurse had trimmed it. One hand rested on top of the blanket. The fingertips were warm.
I held his hand. His skin had a faint yellow cast from the hospital lights.
"I sold the old trailer," I said. "I wanted you to know before you found out from someone else. It turns out I'm still bad at letting go of things."
The monitor kep
