Nora Laid Her Teething Baby on a Sick Man and Felt His Fingers Twitch

I looked down into the plastic liner.

Right on top of the crumpled paper towels lay an empty clear plastic sleeve with two sterile cotton swab sticks snapped in half.

I reached into the can and picked up the packaging, staring down at the empty sterile swab wrapper from the kitchen trash.

I pushed the plastic lid back down on the kitchen can and walked back toward the west wing stairwell before anyone came through the back hallway.

By seven the next morning, Raymond was sitting up in bed with my shoulder supporting his heavy back.