found

They're all sitting around the glass table on the deck. The chairs are metallic and cool in the shade. It's in the height of spring where the air isn't quite too hot and everything is blooming in bright colors. Birds are chirping, and the scent of the flowers and growing things hits his nose when the breeze pushes his way. The sweet tea has too much sugar, and he can feel the sugary grains in the liquid as he forces himself to swallow another sip. It's all so saccharine Emmanuel is sure he's going to get a cavity.

He knows there's something wrong with him. He can hardly stomach any food, yet he doesn't seem to suffer when he doesn't eat. He can't fall asleep either. But he's managed to ignore those things. He has a gift after all. And he's been blessed to be given the opportunity he has and to be surrounded by the people he's with. He's not sure where he'd be without Daphne.

But Emmanuel isn't sure how much longer he can stomach the pointless talks with his wife and their followers. His healing touch has drawn a lot of attention, and Daphne has used his gift to show others God's love. Emmanuel feels as if the message is nice, but he's not quite sure of its validity. Which is why he hates these talks. People from the church where he heals come every Wednesday evening to gather for a Bible study. The actual Bible study never takes long, and the topic always comes back to Emmanuel and his work.

By now, everyone knows the story. Daphne found Emmanuel while she was hiking. He was alone, naked, and afraid. The memory is a haze within Emmanuel's own mind. He remembers his confusion clouding his mind for several days. There was an inky black sludge slowing his thoughts. At least, that's how it felt. He was vaguely aware of his surroundings: swimming out of the river, laying on brush near the trail, Daphne finding him. He hardly remembers her caring for him. But the little memories he does have are soft and comforting. She called him Emmanuel because he could not recall his own name.

Emmanuel recovered quickly. He felt well after a week, but Daphne persuaded him to stay for one more. Then another. And another. Emmanuel feared he'd "worn out his welcome" as the expression goes.

But then Daphne cut herself. Badly. She was chopping onions for dinner and nearly severed one of her fingers. Emmanuel still isn't sure how she managed to do it. When he had seen all the blood and Daphne's pale face, he instinctively raced to her side. Without thinking, he covered her injured hand with his own and poured out this energy into her. There was a moment of silence before Daphne exclaimed that it was miracle. Not even a week later, their next door neighbor fell from his ladder and hit his head. Emmanuel healed him too. That Sunday, Daphne told their pastor, and one thing led to another, and now Emmanuel heals those that ask for his help.

Emmanuel can heal from paper cuts to tumors to heart palpitations. One woman came to the church begging him to heal her from a curse. Emmanuel knew Daphne and her pastor thought this woman was unhinged or mentally unwell. But Emmanuel could feel the curse the moment the woman walked through the door. So he healed her. And that's how they discovered he can heal those suffering from spiritual afflictions.

Emmanuel and Daphne aren't technically married. Emmanuel has no legal name, so he can't be legally married. But they both felt it was right for Daphne's pastor to marry them in the eyes of the Lord. At least, Daphne insisted that they did. Emmanuel can tell she's taken with him. Her heart speeds up when he nears, and she smiles at him in a soft way no one else does. But she only started acting that way after he healed her. And Emmanuel doesn't feel the same. But he doesn't think he can fall in love, so he doesn't mind.

Everything has fallen into a sort of rhythm. People find Emmanuel at the church on Sundays, and he heals them. There is Bible study on Wednesday evenings for those who'd like to meet him and Daphne at her house. The only times Emmanuel feels purpose is when he's healing others. He brought up the idea of traveling or perhaps visiting the hospital to heal more people to Daphne, but she refused. She explained to him that people need to find their way to God and the church first. That doesn't sound quite right to Emmanuel, but he doesn't want to argue with the woman who's given him everything and continues to do so.