“You’re not what I expected,” he says.
His words freeze me. “What?”
Warren starts to shift in the bed, pulling himself slowly into a sitting position. When he’s settled, he waves me over. “Do you think you can sit with me for a while?”
I nod and drag a chair to his bedside. We watch each other until my Need seems to perk up again, pulsing though me stronger every second.
“You’re sick,” I say, in my own weak voice.
He smiles sadly. “I am.”
“What is it?”
“This time? Pneumonia.”
I close my eyes and try to see him, see his story, but nothing comes. I begin to wonder if I’m in the wrong place when he holds out his hand to me.
Does he know me? I feel like I’m missing something, but without hesitation, I reach for him. The minute we touch, the world goes black.
I am a boy, my parents are driving the station wagon and we’re going to Disney World. I’m so happy. My brother is next to me, talking about his girlfriend, but I just gaze out the window. The scene changes and I’m in high school. I have a lot of friends, but no dates. People don’t understand.
Sadness overwhelms me. I’m sitting at my father’s bedside and he is an old man now. I’m crying but he keeps his face turned away from me. He won’t speak to me. Even now, he won’t speak to me.
And then I find Roderick. He’s the most loving man I’ve ever met, and he takes care of me. We take care of each other. We’re thinking of adopting, but then I’m at the hospital... with Roderick. He’s been diagnosed, but no one can know yet. Only me. We’ll deal with it together.
“What’s your name?”
Warren speaks and it breaks my vision. I sway in the chair and stare at his dull glow, the only thing I can see. I wait for the words to come, and after a second I can speak. “Charlotte.”
He smiles. “I’ve been waiting for you,” he says.
Tingles race over my skin. “You have?”
He nods. “Saw you once, when Roderick died. You were in the hospital with him. Of course, not as you are now, but I recognize you still.”
My lips part and I want to pull my hand out of his, oddly afraid of his words. But as I meet his eyes, his glow goes out and my vision returns. I see his chest rising and falling slower. He’s almost gone and I still don’t know why I’m here.
“Your mother?” I ask. “Do you want me to call her?”
He closes his eyes and then shakes his head. “No, she passed away a few months ago. She talked to me though. Apologized.”
I exhale, feeling relieved. I thought that maybe I was here to help him reconcile with his family, to heal some of that hurt. But it seems that already happened.
“Then why am I here, Warren?” I don’t even mean to ask it out loud. But he looks at me so sadly that I feel my entire body shudder from the sorrow.
“Because I don’t want to die alone.”
Tears begin to stream from my eyes, hot on my cheeks. I put my other hand on Warren’s and squeeze it tight. I am filled with love for him, love that’s beyond me. He sniffles and tilts his head to the side. Suddenly his eyes get wide and I straighten, afraid he’s passing away. But instead he reaches out with his free hand to touch my cheek, rubbing his thumb across it.
His expression changes to reverence. Amazement.
“It’s beautiful,” he says, staring at me. “It’s so beautiful.”
I’m gasping, both horrified and overcome with my own emotions. The Need fades, leaving me weak, but I hold on to Warren’s arm. He starts to cry, then laughs, almost rejoicing at the sight of me.
I don’t know what to do, so I just stay with him. I stay there until he gets quiet and his breathing slows. And then it stops—his eyes still locked on mine. I wait, hoping he’ll take in another breath, but when he doesn’t, I drop my head. And weep.
