Chapter 8 - ONE BLINK FOR YES
Lorenzo reached for her.
Nora stepped back.
“Don’t.”
He stopped immediately.
“I was trying to help.”
“I know.”
She pressed her palm against the dresser until the tightening eased.
“I just need a minute.”
He gave her space.
It was the first useful thing he could have done.
The estate doctor arrived from the small guesthouse where he had been staying ahead of the storm.
He checked Nora before going upstairs.
“Rest.
Fluids.
No more work.
And if the tightening becomes regular, you tell me immediately.”
Nora looked toward the hallway.
“I need my job.”
Lorenzo stood beside the door.
“You still have it.”
“That’s easy to say while you’re angry at somebody else.”
He accepted the blow without answering.
The doctor examined Giovanni next.
Nora watched from the stool.
Lorenzo remained standing.
For years, the reports had used the same words.
Severe impairment.
Limited response.
No meaningful communication.
The doctor asked Giovanni to look toward the window.
His eyes moved.
“Now the door.”
They moved again.
Lorenzo gripped the back of a chair.
The doctor tried several simple questions.
“Is your name Giovanni?”
One deliberate blink.
“Are we outside?”
Nothing.
Nora leaned forward.
“Can we try one for yes and two for no?”
“We can.
But we need to repeat things and make sure we understand him correctly.”
They started slowly.
His name.
His son’s name.
The color of Nora’s uniform.
Some answers were clear.
Others came too late or not at all.
The doctor stopped when Giovanni grew tired.
“He has a way to communicate,” he said.
“It will take patience.”
Lorenzo stared at his father.
“Did they ever test this before?”
“I can’t tell you what happened when I wasn’t here.”
The room went still.
Lorenzo crouched beside the wheelchair.
“Papa.
Did you know I was coming?”
One blink.
“Were they taking care of you?”
Two.
Lorenzo lowered his head.
Nora looked away.
Some shame was too private to watch.
Then Giovanni’s gaze moved to her.
The doctor noticed.
“Do you want Nora to stay?”
One blink.
Lorenzo shifted closer.
“Do you want me to stay?”
Giovanni looked at him for a long time.
Then blinked twice.
Lorenzo stood without a word.
At the door, his father tapped the armrest.
Everyone turned.
May you like
Giovanni’s eyes moved toward the blue binder.
He wasn’t finished.
