The sound broke the tension in the room.
She reviewed his medication, shifted one dose to reduce the afternoon fatigue, and reminded him that recovery would never move in a straight line. She approved another hour of light work if Joel agreed, warned him not to overload the week because he had enjoyed several better days, and asked him to keep recording memories without forcing them.
At the door, she returned to the intimacy plan.
“Curiosity is enough reason to explore,” she said. “Fear is enough reason to stop. They may exist together.”
Noah nodded.
Then she looked at me.
“And you should not anticipate every reaction before he experiences it.”
“I try not to.”
“You are not successful.”
Noah smiled. “I’ve mentioned that.”
The harbor road carried us home.
Noah remained quiet through two traffic lights.
At the third, he said, “Ten minutes.”
I glanced at him. “What?”
“She said ten minutes.”
“She offered an example.”
“I heard a prescription.”
“She did not prescribe making out.”
“Medical interpretation is subjective.”
I laughed.
The sound surprised me.
Noah looked pleased.
“Where?” he asked.
“Where what?”
“Where should we conduct this medically supervised experiment?”
“You are exhausted after appointments.”
“I did not ask when.”
“The couch.”
His eyebrows lifted.
“Not the bedroom?”
