#Chapter 68: A Mysterious Illness

At first, I don’t want to touch him; I don’t know what’s wrong and I don’t want to make it worse. I kneel beside him. “What’s wrong?” Ohhhh… “Ahhh…” is his only reply. His breathing becomes erratic. I sit on my knees and scoop his head into my lap, lightly touching his hair, afraid to touch him anywhere else. “Sssomeone—help!” I cry out, but my voice cracks. Alex’s eyes are closed tight and he’s taking great pains to steady his breathing. “Owww…” he moans, still grabbing his stomach. “I don’t… Don’t know what to do…” I look back at the door to the house but no one’s coming. I’m afraid no one heard me. “I’m going. To get help,” I tell him as I move to lift his head off my thighs. Alex grabs my wrists. “No,” he moans. “Just wait.” My eyes start to tear up. It breaks me to see him—my strength—this way…in this much pain. “What isss it?” “I don’t know. The pain…just…came out of nowhere.” We sit like that for moments. He is eventually able to unfurl as the pain subsides. As his br