Times Advantage

Chapter 1

Henry made sure the bed sheets were straightened and a bouquet of roses was on the bedside table for when his wife returned home from the hospital. Henry's wife, Rose was just diagnosed with Arrhythmia, which the doctor had explained to be an irregular heartbeat. Which at Roses age of eighty nine was a massive concern. The blood wasn't flowing the way it should and negatively affecting the rest of her body.

"Oh Henry dear, thank you for the roses." Roses voice quivered as she talked.

"I'll never forget our first date when I got you roses because of your name." Henry laughed at the memory. Henry helped his wife into the bed and propped the pillows so she could comfortably lay down. He pulled a chair beside the bed and held Roses hand. He stared at the intertwined hands for what felt like hours, just thinking about Rose.

Henry noticed the even, slow breathing pattern coming from Rose and realized she was asleep. He gently laid Roses hand beside her and crept out of the room. As he was walking down the stairs a sudden knock on the door startled him. He looked out the window and noticed his sons car parked in the driveway.

"Hi dad, how's mom?" Questioned Henry's son Ben as he walked through the door.

"She's..." He struggled to get the words out. "Shes had better days. She's just gone to bed..." Ben gave a sad smile, understanding that this was a situation he knew would be hard to deal with.

As Ben waited for his mom to wake up, his sister Caroline had showed up to see Rose as well. The two had a short visit with her when she did awake, careful not to stay too long so Rose could rest.

For the next few days Rose had a routine, she would sleep in and eat a little bit of toast with jam, read a little bit and go back to sleep. Then Ben and Caroline would come for a visit and bring dinner, which Rose didn't eat much of usually. Once Rose ate she would take her medicine, prescribed by the doctor. After she would watch the news and lay down for the night. When she slept it was a deep dreamless sleep but one night was different...