Age eleven. From age eleven, Malcolm has been having night terrors, screaming himself awake to a family that had no idea what to do with it. Did he ever get to sleep in his mom's bed after one of those nightmares? Would she have been willing to risk it? The sheer loneliness of it makes Neal's eyes burn with tears.
"I'll always come back," he says softly. "Even if I need a break at some point, I will always come back to be with you."
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"I'll always come back," he says softly. "Even if I need a break at some point, I will always come back to be with you."
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He understands the connection profoundly.
He smiles softly. “I’ll be happy,” he says. “When you come back.”
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“If I close my eyes, you’ll stay with me?”
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The relief of knowing that’s true is somehow exhausting all on its own.