Their days were simple. Daniel repaired electronics. Rebecca ran a small pastry shop in town. In the afternoons, they sat on the porch drinking spiced tea while watching maple leaves fall across the yard.
One autumn, Daniel began coughing often. He grew tired quickly. One day, he collapsed in his workshop. At the clinic, the doctor spoke with gentle firmness.
“He has a heart condition. He needs surgery soon.”
Rebecca felt the room tilt. Daniel held her hand and smiled.
“Do not look so frightened,” he said softly. “I have fixed broken things all my life. I will fix this too.”
Tears spilled down Rebecca’s face, not from fear of loss, but from the sudden understanding of how deeply she loved him.
The surgery lasted many hours. Rebecca waited in a cold hallway holding a cup of tea that grew colder with each passing minute. When the doctor finally emerged with a smile, relief washed over her.
“He is strong,” the doctor said. “The operation was successful.”
When Daniel woke, he whispered, “I dreamed you were making tea. I knew I could not leave before tasting it again.”
Rebecca laughed and cried at once.
“Then I will make it for you every day,” she said. “As long as you stay.”