Chapter 27

We left the hospital after being there for six more weeks. Ray couldn’t walk without assistance yet. Physically, he could walk, but his oxygen levels were still too low to maintain his normal habits. This also meant no sex until he was given the okay by his doctor.

I loved to be back in Middletown. I was tired of hospital life. I’d like to say I’ll never be back, but the baby’s due date was fast approaching. I was just thankful that Ray would be there to help bring her into the world because if he missed that, I didn’t think he’d forgive himself.

X-rays showed his lungs had healed, but there was scar tissue that could be bothersome later in life. He had to work with a physical therapist three days a week until he was cleared.

During the next weeks, he worked hard to improve his physical condition. One day, the doctor cleared him to have sex again, as long as he kept his oxygen bottle close. He still needed to sleep and heal, but I was ecstatic that his road to recovery was almost complete.

I’d spent many hours watching Ray sleep. It was funny, I never thought it would be an activity that I’d be fond of, but I was. I thought it was the only time his mind shut down and allowed his body to rest because when he was awake, he wanted ... no, he needed ... to be a part of everything going on.

My mother-in-law, my parents, and everyone else had been incredibly helpful. Even Ray’s boss said, his job would be waiting for him when he came back. My mother and my sister brought food and cleaned our place, they all offered to drive Ray to his checkups and mine.

“Morning, darling,” Samantha said over her cup of coffee. Once Ray was released from the hospital, my mother-in-law went back to Boston briefly before coming back to Middletown.

“Morning,” I said, leaning up against the kitchen counter.