Chapter 4: Midnight in the Garden

Tobias stood up and put his finger to his lips.

"I'm out here!" he called. "I couldn't sleep!"

He slipped through the door and pulled it behind him.

He left the key hanging in the lock.

I stayed against the wall and watched the yard through the crack.

Delphine came across the grass in her nightgown with a glass of water and two white tablets on a saucer.

"Why are you out of bed? You know the doctor said no night air."

"I wanted to see the garden."

"You wanted to see her."

Tobias said nothing.

"Take these, and I'll walk you in."

He took the saucer and lifted the tablets to his mouth.

He palmed them in his sleeve, the way I'd have done at his age.

Delphine did not notice.

She watched his throat swallow nothing, and she smiled.

"Good boy."

I breathed again.

I had told him to skip the blue capsule tomorrow.

I had not thought about the three weeks of blue capsules already in his blood.

They walked across the lawn together.

Halfway to the house, Tobias stopped.

"Delphine," he said, in a very small voice. "My hands are cold."

Then his knees folded under him.

He hit the grass on his side, and his whole body started to shake.

I was through the door before I knew I had moved.

Delphine stood two steps away with her hand over her mouth.

She did not run.

She did not shout.

She stood there in silence for a moment.

Then she took one small step backward.

I dropped to my knees beside Tobias and rolled him onto his back.

His lips were turning blue.

His eyes had rolled up so that only the whites showed.

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