Through his half-opened eyes he watches her with the same wonder he might have looked upon her at her birth. Tears slide from the far corners of both eyes, but under the oxygen mask, under the mustache, he smiles faintly. "Thank you," he murmurs, only a little drowsy in tone. "After what happened, I don't think I could stand to see you go."

A long sentence for a man who's had a heart attack, and after it's over, he closes his eyes. "I love you so much, honey."