Two Word Challenge - Ancient Vulnerability (past)

Ancient Vulnerability

She sat propped up in the chair in the nursing home where Shelly was a nurse. She never spoke, which made Shelly a little nervous around her. She couldn't seem to help it and would rush through her duties there and get out as fast as she could, running to another room where the person inside it would respond to her, laughing and talking away. She felt guilty, as though she wasn't doing her whole job, but she did it anyways.
That one day, when her supervisor said that Mrs. Platt hadn't been feeling good, Shelly dreaded going in the room even more than usual. She entered, as it was her job and she really did love what she was doing, most of the time.
Instead of avoiding her eyes and not speaking, Mrs. Platt looked up at her from the bed, old eyes filled with ancient vulnerability and said in a paper-thin voice, "I don't feel well. I won't be here much longer and I do know that you don't like me, but I see you every day, so I wanted you to know."
Shelly looked at her in amazement as it was the first time she'd ever looked at her, neverming spoken, and said, "I like you! I thought that you didn't like me and you'll be here for a long time, so we can get to know each other."
"No, child, I won't, but that's all right. I've lived my whole life and it's time to go home."
Shelly, not knowing what to say to that, went about her work, fixing the room that didn't need it, getting Mrs. Platts lunch that she didn't eat, but thanked her for and got the heck out of there, knowing that she had some thinking to do. She thought about that lonely old woman who never had any visitors, no famly or friends, and felt awful as she knew she could've tried harder with her. She vowed that from then on she'd try and make her a friend.
Later on, after her shift ended, she decided to stop in and see Mrs. Platt for a few minutes and just get to know her a bit. She found her sleeping with the most peaceful smile on her face, though when she entered the room, she woke up and looked at her once again with that same look of ancient vulerability and smiled, saying, "Hello Dear."
"Hi, Mrs. Platt, I just wanted to stop in and see how you were doing as I knew you hadn't been feeling good earlier. I'm done with my shift, so I'll be leaving for today, but I'll see you first thing tomorrow."
Mrs. Platt smiled and nodded, and Shelly went on home.
The next day she went in a little early, thinking to stop in and see her new-found friend before her shift started. The room was empty - Mrs. Platt was gone. She rushed to the front desk and asked where she was.
"Mrs. Platt passed away in the night, " her supervisor told her, "I didn't know the two of you were friends."
Looking down at the soles of her shoes, Sally said, "We weren't, but we could've been."

mn - 2007