She took the tissue. Her fingers brushed his—a brief, warm contact. "Thank you," she whispered.
His hand trembled. To offer it was to break the code of the "healthy." It was to admit that he recognized her sorrow because he carried his own. He felt the phantom bell ringing again: Stay back. Keep the mask on. ks_piotr_pawlukiewicz_zyjemy_jak_tredowaci
: Acceptance that we are all "unclean" and in need of the same Physician. She took the tissue