After the anger came the tears.
After the tears came the apologies.
Then came the hugs, long and surprising.
Then came the questions
And the admonishments
And more tears.
Then came the nagging
The constant gaze
The careful treatment.
Next came the fierce hugs each morning
The constant touches
The sidelong glances.
Then came the conversations
The late nights
The stories and feelings.
Finally came the understanding
The lessening of sadness and pain
The laughter and shouts.
Then the violin on holidays
The late nights and earlier mornings
The energy and vigor
The experiments and the cases.
The simple acceptance and simpler love
The feeling of life and happiness.
But beneath it there was fear
The never-ending anxiety.
Something might crack their fragile life
The happiness might be lost.
So the sidelong looks, the slow gestures,
The patient voice, the soft touches
They continued.
They both knew why
They clung to their peace.
The fear was not misplaced,
But this time for the wrong person.
The smaller man took the bullet
It was the man once lost left behind.
First came the questions.
After the questions came the apologies.
After the apologies came the tears.
After the tears came the anger.
Then came the thoughts
The weighing of life and meaning.
Then came the decision and the gun.
Last came the bang.
Finally the two soul mates were one.