The following morning Nathan brought a tray to Kate’s bedroom.  He placed a swift kiss on her cheek and left immediately.  The sadness reflected in her eyes was impossible for him to behold.

After several days had gone by, Kate was well enough to journey downstairs.  She had high expectations that getting up and moving around would lift her spirits, but to no avail.  Her overcast outlook was affecting everyone’s mood.

Her grandfather and Nathan didn’t show much in the way of their emotions.  Kate’s impaired condition, accompanied by her incessant bleak expression, was obviously difficult to deal with.  She had become the light in their otherwise lonely lives.  Her exuberant chatter that had once filled the room now ceased to exist.  Both men would sit a...

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