Nurse Nancy rolled the wheelchair through the grass until she got to the big Live Oak tree. "How is this, Norm?"

They were on a ridge of land behind the assisted care home, overlooking a long valley. The Blue Ridge Mountains stretched away in the distance to the west. The sun, high in the sky, provided some warmth and dappled light filtered through the branches of the tree. He would be warm enough here, she decided, but she tucked the blanket a little tighter around him.

"I thought you'd like to get a little sun; soak up some of that good vitamin D."

"This is wonderful, Nancy. I haven't been out here to see this view before."

Nancy thought it was good that he remembered her name and seemed relatively alert. He was probably correct that he had not been here before. The building had been built at an angle to the ridge. The patients mostly looked out on the woods. Only the admin people had windows with a view of the valley. Getting out to this lookout was not something a patient was encouraged to do on their own.

They were in a meadow that used to be a pasture when this property was a working horse farm. The barns and outbuildings still existed and management kept a few retired horses on the property. They were as decrepit as most of the residents. Along with the horses, the patients enjoyed caring for assorted chickens, rabbits, and a few goats.

Nancy looked back the way they had come. She already knew that the horses were grazing in a lower pasture, closer to the road. She was checking to make sure none of the goats had followed them out here. They could be pesky sometimes.

"Alright, Norm. I think you will be OK here for a few minutes. I am going back to help Nurse Carolyn. She would like to bring Mrs. Sherwood out here too but she needs some help rolling her through the grass."

"You go ahead. I'll be alright. Mrs. Sherwood, huh? You two wouldn't be trying to set us up would you?"

Nancy laughed. "Not a chance Norm. You're all mine." She patted him on the shoulder and made her way back to the gate.

It was very pleasant under the tree. As he sat there, he realized he could actually hear the wind as it ruffled the grasses. All around him were the harmonious sound of Mother Nature going about her business. In the distance, he could hear a drone that might have been an airplane or maybe a truck on the highway. It was not offensive but added an underlying bass note to the symphony in his ears.

The warm breeze caused ripples in the wildflowers and brought wonderful samples of scents to where he sat.

This is what a lazy summer day must be like, he mused.

He thought with regret of all the years of summers like this that he had missed. He had been so focused on his work that he barely remembered spending time with his wife and daughter. Even vacation memories were jumbles of shuffling here and there, hurried stops to see the sights and on to the next. Why didn't he ever just stop to feel the wind on his face or to watch his little girl grow up? Now he was living alone in a building full of strangers.

The sun had dropped a little lower, deepening the shadows across the mountains and along the lower reaches of the meadow. It was still quite bright and he had to squint a bit when he looked west across the valley.

A movement in the shadows of the lower pasture caught his eye. A few moments later he could see that it was a woman making her way towards him. Her long skirt swayed as she walked up the hill. Something about that walk seemed familiar to him.

As she got closer he realized with a start that it was Linda. He called out to her and she waved. He struggled to get up out of the chair. Upright, he took a couple of careful steps and then she was there, holding his arm. "I have missed you so much," he told her.

They stood quietly for a moment. He was gaining some strength just from her touch. "Do you feel up to a walk?" she asked.

As they left the cover of the tree he felt the sun on his head and shoulders. "Better watch that sun," he thought. "Don't have as much cover up there as I used to." They walked slowly along the broad ridge. He wasn't really listening to what she was saying, just enjoying walking with her, arm in arm.

"Come on, I want to show you something. There's a most wonderful little brook down here." She led him down the gentle slope through the wildflowers. It was easy walking with her but it occurred to him that it might be a problem getting back. He stopped and looked back towards the tree. He could make out two people standing next to his wheelchair.

"Linda, I should get back."

"Norm, you don't ever have to go back if you don't want to. I can take care of you."

He smiled and squeezed her tightly to him. "I'd like that".

Nancy and Carolyn were standing next to the wheelchair. "He's gone." Carolyn said. "Does he have family?"

"He has a daughter somewhere on the west coast. She brought him here four years ago when his wife Linda died and she hasn't been back since." She noted the smile on Norman's face as she tucked the blanket up around him. "Goodbye Norm. You can finally rest now."