Have You Ever Listened To The Rain At Night?

Chapter 14 (Part 1)

The headache was the worst. He could handle everything else. The irritated eyes, the dry mouth, the nausea, the dizziness, and the constant feeling of coldness that kept him freezing 24 hours a day. But those damn headaches . . .

Logan sat at his desk and stared at his laptop with tired eyes. The screen flickering didn't do good things to his head, but then again, it didn't matter anymore. There was a soft knock on the door, then it was carefully opened. His father walked in. "What are you doing?"

Logan gave him a quick – and surprised – look. His father was usually dressed conservatively, but today he wore a simple white shirt and jeans.

"I signed up for a special class on Saturdays. Because obviously the only thing I'm allowed to do is studying."

"Can you cancel it?"

"Why?"

"Logan, do you know what you need?"

"Yes," Logan replied curtly, thinking about Camille. But he didn't say her name. He hadn't seen or heard from her in two months.

"You need fresh air and sunshine. So, get away from your desk, close your laptop, and come downstairs with me. And I'm telling you this as a doctor, not as your father. The car is loaded and is waiting for us. It's time for a father-son trip."

"Did Mom allow that?" Logan asked cynically.

"Your mother isn't home. And I don't need her permission to go on a trip with my son. Come on, let's go."

Logan slowly got up and followed his father down the stairs. And when he finally stood in front of the house in the warm sunshine, he was suddenly overcome by a feeling of deep doubt. "Dad?"

His father had opened the car doors and turned around to him. "Hmmm?"

"You . . . you're not taking me to the hospital, are you?"

The disappointment on his face was only briefly visible, but Logan had seen it and now he felt even worse.

"Do you really think I would do something like that?"

Logan turned away. "No, of course not." Tears were welling up inside him. A hand rested on his shoulder, his father pulled him close. Logan laid his head on his shoulder. "Sorry." The tears were now running down his cheeks.

"It's okay."

Silence fell between them until his father squeezed his shoulder gently. "Come on, let's get away from here, okay?"

Logan sniffled, then nodded and got in the car.

Logan's head was leaning against the window. Jeffrey noticed how his son had wrapped his arms around himself. He was freezing again but didn't want to say it.

"There's a blanket on the back seat. Take it."

"Thanks," Logan mumbled.

"Are you tired?"

"A little bit."

Jeffrey nodded. "It will be a while before we reach our destination. Why don't you try to get some sleep?"

"Okay," Logan answered, whose eyes closed the next moment. As Jeffrey stopped at a red light, he watched his son thoughtfully and with deep compassion. "It has to stop," he murmured to himself. "It has to stop."

Logan was awakened by a gentle shake on his shoulder. Confused, he opened his eyes. "What's going on?" he murmured hoarsely.