Quiet

“Have you ever heard the wonderful silence just before the dawn? Or the quiet and calm just as a storm ends? Or perhaps you know the silence when you haven't the answer to a question you've been asked, or the hush of a country road at night, or the expectant pause of a room full of people when someone is just about to speak, or, most beautiful of all, the moment after the door closes and you're alone in the whole house? Each one is different, you know, and all very beautiful if you listen carefully. -
Norton Juster, The Phantom Tollbooth

I crave moments of quiet- no machine hum, no muted voices from the hallway or next room, no caregiver calling my name, no warning beeps from the ventilator.

And yet I’m so afraid as I know the quiet is coming - I don’t want to hear the quiet without B.