" I followed the doctor out into the reception area as he continued to talk." I followed the doctor out into the reception area as he continued to talk. "Do what you can to find out what happened to him. The boy trusts you and right now you're all he's got. We tried to find out where he was from when we were working on him but he clammed up. All he wanted was for you to come back in. Just sit by him for a while. He needs to have you near him." I nodded, took the two lemonades from the nurse and went back into the room where the boy was. He looked around and smiled weakly as he saw me. Rafael would be a very easy boy to become fond of. I walked over to the bed and sat down gently next to him. The doctor was right. The boy needed a friend more that anything else right now. He lifted his hand to take the lemonade but it was obvious that he wasn't able to. His hand quivered and as he tried to close it on the glass he almost dropped it. I smiled and held it to his lips and he sipped a little bit. We sat together very quietly for a long while before the boy finally dozed off. I sat very still and watched the boy's chest rise and fall with barely perceptible movements. Rafael awoke about an hour later. "Hi Raf," I said. The boy's mouth dropped open in surprise. "What's wrong?" I asked. "Nothin'. 's just a friend of mine used to call me that." "Oh! I'm sorry. Would you rather that I call you Rafael?" I said gently. The boy shook his head slightly. "Na! It's okay. I like you calling me that." "How do you feel?" I asked. "It still hurts. I wish it would stop." I gently patted the boy's small bare shoulder. He was warm to touch, almost hot. I wondered whether he was feverish and I placed my hand on his forehead. The boy definitely felt hot. There was a moist feeling to his skin and he seemed to be shivering slightly. "I'm sorry about the pain," I said. The boy sucked on his bottom lip and then swallowed. He was clearly in a great deal of pain but he was bravely holding his own. I felt very close to the boy, almost proud as he fought back tears. |