But before Ellie could explain, Michael opened the door to the room with a rolling cart. One of the wheels was a bit crooked so it was loud when it entered the room, disturbing the moment. Henry knew so the moment was broken. "We can go over the details of this plan tomorrow. Well seeing it is after midnight, I can say that we could conviene in a couple hours. But, the important thing now is I get some good food with helpful nutrients in you for a full recovery."Michael appeared beside them and the food was revealed with a satisfying aroma. Henry moved and the foldable tray was placed on her lap. It would have been nice to eat in bed with the tray being made of a marbled wood that had veins of gold and green jade running through it. Ellie knew it was not something meant to be used by someone like her. Her limbs were hard to move and her energy had dwindled from her earlier exertion. When she tried to use her hands to raise the spoon the liquid trembled with her hands. The liquid walnut soup dribbled back into the bowl and a bit came onto the napkin laid on the tray. Ellie stared at her own reflection in the soup bowl--she really was becoming useless. Michael had already left after delivering the meal. Ellie knew he would come quick at her call, but she knew he was strained also from exerting care for his own wife. She resigned herself that she would have to suffer quietly. She took another attempt with a wobbling spoon and was surprised to see it steady as Henry took it from her gently and began to blow on it before feeding it to her.
"I don"t need your help," Ellie said quickly as she tried to seize the spoon out of Henry"s retracted hands. His arms were too long so Ellie couldn"t reach the spoon as he held it above her. Her arms slopped to their sides.
He raised an eyebrow as he continued to blow on the next spoonful. "I am not a bad nurse now that you know. I can do anything that Michael can do."
"I"m not saying that you cannot do it. You"re feeding me now. But i have my feet back so i can"t act like a patient anymore. I"m going to live now." Henry rolled his eyes as he stopped her mid sentence with another hot soup spoon. Ellie was surprised as she tasted the sweetness and tanginess that the excellent chef had definitely painstakingly produced. It was quite a treat. Ellie tried to begin again.
"I mean you shouldn"t being doing these kinds of tasks for someone who isn"t that close to you."
Henry stirred the soup thoughtfully. "Too many people think just because I grew up in an affluent family that I shouldn"t dirty my hands with simpler things. You know there is a pleasure in these type of things. Like being called Henry instead of Mr. Wong." Ellie could feel herself wanting to protest, but he had the spoon ready to silence her. "It"s been a long time since I"ve had these types of experiences in my life. Maybe I"ve been a bit too regimented."