How Would You Like It?

The next two hours were excruciating. My heart ached at what he had to endure, and I wished more than ever that I could be the one doing this on his behalf. But I couldn't, and I couldn't even show any of my worries. The only thing I could do was to keep talking softly, reminiscing over my brightest and funniest memories that I never shared with him, and I hoped that the mood could at least help the time pass a little faster for him.

My eyes were almost glued to the clock the entire time. But the more I stared at it, the slower it seemed to move, and I wondered more than once if the clock might have broken. When the pointer finally crawled to the end of the third hour, I all but jumped out of my seat, and I rushed so much to help him dry off that I almost splashed the poisonous water all over myself.

He smiled at my obvious haste. "Told you I'd be fine."