Madeline tilted her head to move from his touch, for some reason she felt the need to hide from him, to hide from herself even, to hide from everything in general.
“Breathe”. He said to her.
How was she to do that? How was she to breathe? How was she to believe that it would be alright? That all would be fine?
“So I’m….dead”. She said quietly. Her shoulders shook even more. “I’m dead”.
“Shhh”. He soothed her. “You’re fine, you’re alright. Come here”.
She didn’t struggle as he gently guided her head to lean against his chest. She shut her eyes tightly and let herself cry freely against him. For some twisted reason, she always found solace in his arms.
“You’re fine Madeline, you’re fine”. He said to her.
She shook her head. She wasn’t fine, she wasn’t alright. The realization that she
