It was as though, from the moment Jane Sampson fell in love with James Black, she began to fear the day he might leave her and walk ahead of her too soon.
"Grandma, Grandpa will recover," Jane said, her voice almost breaking into sobs. "He hasn't even seen me have a baby yet. I want him to hold my baby's hand, just like you used to hold mine when I was little and teach me to walk—he should teach my baby too."
"You're right, your grandpa will get better. He wouldn't leave so early; there are so many miracles in life, why couldn't your grandpa be one of them?" Granny Sampson nodded and then raised her hand to wipe away Jane's tears. "Little miss shouldn't cry; crying makes you less pretty. You used to say when you were young that you wanted to be the prettiest girl in this world. So, don't cry. If you cry, your grandpa will feel bad when he sees you."
