The mask was a barrier Arthur couldn't tolerate.
He had torn it off, his face contorted with a silent scream for the air he felt he didn't deserve. Sarah was there, pressing the plastic back to his face.
"Breathe! Don’t do this!" she commanded.
Arthur settled, the mask restoring the rhythm of his life. "She gasped like this," he said, his voice a whisper. "I remember every second. The way her eyes searched mine for a reason to stay, and the way I couldn't give her one."
"Sarah sat with him, the soft hum of the ward the only sound. "You were the reason she stayed as long as she did, Arthur. You were the reason she fought.""
"Then why didn't I win?" he asked, his eyes wet.