Emily turned her head when he came in, watching him cross the floor.

“Is Michael gone?” she asked quietly.

“He’s gone,” Richard said.

“What did he want from you?”

Richard pulled the wooden chair back to its place beside the bed frame and sat slowly, letting his weight sink into the hard seat.

“He offered to give me a ride downtown,” Richard said.

Emily watched him silently, her hands still folded together on the green wool.

“Did you want to go?” she asked softly, her voice trailing off at the end.