Are You My Henry? A Love Story

It starts every day at 7am... the little cheep from the room on my left ... "Help Me." "Help Me" Pause for breath. "Help Me." "Help Me." "Help Me." Pause for breath. Repeat. It's not a cry... nor is it a scream... there is no panic or pain. It's just a statement, repeated over and over. And many people do try to help. Nurses, aides, even people visiting other residents are drawn to the chirps and stop by to ask what she needs. They are most often greeted with a startled silent glare... although sometimes she does blurt out "Get me out of here." before returning to the familiar "Help Me" cadence. Then her call blurs into the soundtrack of the beeps and burps of the hallway... only to become a solo now and again at the rare brief lulls.
Her name is Anne and around 2pm she ventures into the hallway, still sounding for all the world like a small bird. "Help me" Help Me." etc. Then around 3pm it happens... she starts saying "Henry." Henry" Pause for breath. "Henry." "Henry. "Henry." Pause for breath. Repeat. The first time it happened I thought I was hearing things. Had she been saying Henry all day? Was she really saying Help Me now? But the nurses and aides start saying 'Yes. Henry's coming." as they passed by her wheelchair, keeping its sentry in the hallway. I often heard them mutter under their breath "Thank god" and "He can't get here soon enough." as they retreat, so I am not the only one who noticed the change in dialogue. Then at 4 o'clock on the dot, a bent figure comes shuffling down the passageway. He stops in front of her wheelchair and stands there until she slowly looks up. "Are you my Henry?" she asks. He nods, leans down for a brief kiss and then rolls her into her room. There they sit, sometimes holding hands as they watch TV. He helps feed her dinner and assists as the aides dress her for bed. Around 8, he leaves... only to return at 4 the next day, regular as clockwork.
How long where they married? I wondered. "They are not married", I am told by the other residents, (The staff being gagged by HIPAA laws). Why does he only come at 4? He's in his 90s... he couldn't (or shouldn't) be driving. How did they meet? How long has this been going on? No one can tell me. It's just a sweet snippet of romance in the midst of all this senility and sickness. It is clear that she lives only for him. I worry what will happen on the day that he does not come shuffling down the hallway at 4 o'clock. How long will she keep her hallway vigil waiting for him?
I hope I am somewhere else when that sad day occurs.