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Surgery day was a blur of cold air, IVs, and nurses asking the same questions over and over.
At the time, that felt romantic.
“You’re sure?” he asked.
He squeezed my hand.
“I love you,” he whispered. “I swear I will spend the rest of my life making this up to you.”
Months later, it felt hilarious in a really dark way.
He had a new kidney and a second chance.
We shuffled around the house together like old people. The kids drew hearts on our pill charts. Friends dropped off casseroles.
At night, we’d lie side by side, both sore, both scared.
I believed him.
Eventually, life settled.
I went back to work. He went back to work. The kids went back to school. The drama moved from “Is Dad going to die?” to “Ella left her homework at school again.”