“What can I do?”
“Stay here.”
“I am at home,” I say with a small smile.
“Don’t go, please.I can’t make it if you go.”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
He nods, his gaze dropping to my hand resting over his.Instinctively, I follow his eyes.
“It’s magic,” he whispers.
“What are you talking about?”
“I always thought your hands were magic, capable of performing miracles.But I was afraid they wouldn’t work on me.”
“My hands aren’t magic.”
“Oh yes, they are.Look.”
“You’re not trembling anymore.”As I realise this, another tear slips down my face.
“Now, though, you’re the one shaking.”
He takes my hand and lays it on his chest.Looking at me with the kindest eyes I’ve ever seen, he quietly asks, “Can you heal this, too, Doctor?”
“Oh God, Jamie.”
“Can you heal me, Martin?”
I lean in and rest my forehead against his.
“I’ll do my best.”
In the middleof the night, I wake and realise Jamie is no longer beside me.I push myself up on the sofa, rub the sleep from my eyes, and hear sounds coming from my bedroom.I stand, pad barefoot to the doorway, and peer inside.The bed is empty, but the noises continue.I turn towards the closet and hear soft moans — almost like muffled sobs — coming from within.Heart thudding, I step closer and slowly ease the door open.Jamie is crouched on the floor of my closet, his knees pulled to his chest, his head resting on his arms.He’s sobbing softly and rocking back and forth.I kneel in front of him and gently touch his arm.As soon as my fingers brush his skin, he flinches and presses himself against the wall.
“It’s me.It’s just me.”
When he focuses on my face, the tears stop.“I have to stay hidden.”
“Okay,” I tell him calmly.
“I can’t come out.I have to hide, you see?”
I slowly slip into the closet and sit down next to him.“Then I’ll hide with you.”
“Really?”he asks incredulously.
I force a broken smile, even as I ache to weep beside him.“I won’t leave you alone, Jamie.Not now, not ever.”
I put my arm around his shoulders and gently guide him until his head rests against mine.He’s still shaking, but at least he stops rocking.
“Do you want me to close the door?”
“If you are there, it can stay open.”
I take a deep breath.“May I ask why you’re hiding in the closet?”
