Tom smiled as he watched Jamal, who sat at the edge of the bed watching him sip from the glass of cold juice while telling him all about his day.
Jamal had insisted that Lucy massage his foot, but Tom had playfully declined, not wanting to put Lucy in an awkward position.
"We will be going home after grandpa gets better," Jamal announced, and the smile disappeared from both Lucy's and Tom's faces.
"Already?" Tom asked, and Jamal bobbed his head.
"I'm going to miss you," Lucy said, and Jamal's brows pulled together.
"I will miss you too. I didn't want to leave you, but mom said we have to. We need to go back to school, and we need to be home when Aunt Andy comes back," Jamal told Lucy with a sad sigh.
"Your mom is right," Lucy said quietly.
"You don't have to worry, we can visit you, and I can always talk to you over the phone," Jamal promised, and Lucy smiled.
"How soon are you leaving?" Tom asked thoughtfully, and he shrugged.
