what this felt like, to have her in his arms.
They stayed like that for a long time.
She stayed with him that night, and learned that even
when he slept he was in pain, his forehead creased, his
muscles tense. She didn’t sleep at all, but tried to memorize
him, grow accustomed to the changes in him, get used to
the warmth of his left side and the coldness of his right.
“We can do this,” she whispered to his sleeping form. As
long as you stay strong.
She left early in the morning, before the nurses could
come in and have something new to gossip about, but she
couldn’t bear to wake him. “I’ll be back soon,” she said
quietly, touching his left hand. She’d go to her room, get
freshened up, come back in time for their dance lesson.
She had just pulled the door to Up’s room closed behind
her when she heard, “Well, isn’t this something?”
She turned around and put on her most fierce glare. “Can
it, Alejandro, or you can kiss your ascot goodbye.”
“You know I always knew there was something going on
between you two,” Alejandro clapped his hands. “So, tell
me everything!”
“There is nothing to tell, idiota,” Taz said, striding very
quickly down the hall, wishing she was wearing more than
a too-big, still-damp hospital nightgown.
“Fine, be that way,” the stylist said, and to her dismay he
followed her. “But it’s way more fun to kiss and tell.”
“Dios mio, what do you want? What are you doing
here?”
“Up’s moustache! It’s finished, I wanted to give it to
him.” Alejandro held out a burnished wooden box.
The tonto moustache.
“You may not understand it, girlfriend, but to the
Commander, this is much more than a moustache. It’s a