Leaving the story behind
To focus on her current state, I asked Jenna directly about her health. I put our emotional past behind me. “What’s wrong, Jenna?” I asked in a stiff but gentle voice. She sighed and began to explain her words were slower and more urgent. “It’s bad,” she admitted, “worse than I realized.” I listened intently to her, and with each word the gravity of her situation became clearer.
Leaving the story behind
The severity revealed
Finally, Jenna said, “I’m really, really sick,” which made it clear that her condition was more serious than I had initially thought. Her words were heavy and unhappy. She continued, “It’s not just a cold or the flu,” she said, barely whispering. Her confession was hard for me, and I felt a lump in my throat. I realized that her problems were much more serious than I had imagined.
The severity revealed
