Faye sat in the hospital waiting room early that morning. Today Philip was rescheduled for another operation. Nurses pushed his bed toward the operating room. Faye followed them until she reached the red line that visitors could not cross.

She waited. She waited so long that the lights in the hallway changed from bright to dim and back again. She prayed quietly. When the doctor finally came out, he told her that the operation was finished. Faye walked into his room once he was settled and sat beside his bed.

Philip lay still in the hospital bed. Faye reached out and brushed his hand. Even though he was unconscious and...