She started to cry

She started to cry when telling us the news.
Especially when she said she hoped that we'd take special care
to keep a special eye on her son. (Which we will, of course). 
When her husband saw this, her wavering,
he reached out and touched her foot, the one
that had been crossed and was bobbing near his hands.
He took a firm hold of her ankle and rubbed it,
while we all kept talking about what would happen,
and how we could help, and what she needed us to do.
I know I should have been listening, ears
perked up for every word -- and I was --
but all I was really taking in was his hand,
his need to touch her in the middle of the school room,
this morning, three days before the surgery. 
And I knew that with a love like that, that needed to comfort,
everything would be okay. It just had to be.