ABSTRACT
We stayed together for many hours that afternoon, not always alone, as visitors and nurses passed through the ward. Gradually we adjusted to a new way of existing. We talked little about our decision and what the consequences would be. It was enough to know that the situation had changed: we had begun again. Towards the end of my visit Francis told me of his decision to stay with friends in Milton Keynes if his health continued to deteriorate. Should this happen, he had decided to leave all the trappings of his life in London behind, including all his friends. He did not want to die in London. He stared at me intently as he explained that one of the few people he wanted to continue seeing was me.
