He explained that it helped him call a nurse when he needed assistance.

“Like the bell at the library desk?” she asked.

“Almost exactly,” he said.

She thought that was funny and smiled at him for the first time.

It was a small smile, not a miracle, but his face softened as if someone had opened a curtain.

When the nurse arrived to check his blood pressure, Harper moved closer to me.

We waited while the nurse finished.

Arthur did not ask her to stay longer.