Read the following paragraph from "the tall woman and her short husband."

when the weather turned warmer mrs. tall came out. after so long in bed her face was deathly white, and she swayed from side to side. she held a cane in her right hand and kept her elbow bent in front of her. her half-paralysed left leg made walking difficult. she had obviously had a stroke. every morning and every evening mr. short her twice round the yard, painfully and slowly. by hunching up his shoulders he was able to grip her crooked arm in both hands. it was hard for him, but he smiled to encourage her. as she couldn't raise her left foot, he tied a rope round it and pulled this up when she wanted to take a step forward.

all of the following words could be used to describe the relationship between mrs. tall and mr. short
a. awkward.
b. devoted
c. patient
d. tender