He swallowed.
“But nobody gets to take away medicine you need to breathe.”
She thought about that.
Then came the question I had feared.
“Is Grandma mad at me?”
Daniel stared at the floor for several seconds.
When he answered, his voice was steadier.
“Grandma’s feelings are not your job.”
I looked at him.
So did Lily.
I had never heard him say anything like that before.
Later, while Lily slept, Daniel told me things he had never described plainly.
How Elaine used to lock up things he loved when she was angry.
How she called fear “respect.”
How every punishment became his responsibility because if he had behaved better, according to her, she would not have needed to punish him.
“I thought that was normal,” he said.
I reached across the hospital chair and took his hand.
“It was familiar.”
He nodded.
“That’s not the same thing.”
