"Afraid?" she asked.
"Afraid," he repeated, shaking.
It was as if all time had been funneled into this instant, as if this moment lay at the very vortex of all a man's living and desiring. There was no room in Ben's mind for thoughts of Jacob now.
"You can walk," Maggie said confidently. "I know you can."
He moved his toes, ankles, legs. He began to rise, slowly, falteringly. The firm pressure around his waist increased.
He stood erect. His legs felt like tree stumps, but here and there were a tingling and a warmth, a sensitivity.
"Can you make it to the window?" Maggie asked.
"No, no, not that far."
"Try! Please try!"
She guided him forward.