Doctor Marlowe said.
My face felt cool. She was dabbing me with a
wet napkin.
"That's it. You'll be fine, Star. Come on. Stay
with us,"
She took my hand and squeezed it gently. My
eyelids were fluttering like butterflies in a panic and
then they slowed and I looked into Doctor Marlowe's
eyes. They were moving over my face like two tiny
searchlights. She smiled.
"There you are. You're fine," she said. I looked at the others. They were all staring at
me, each of them looking more shocked and afraid
than the other.
"What is it?" I asked.
"Nothing. You drifted off a bit:' Doctor
Marlowe said. "It's no big deal. No problem. You're
fine. Here, take some water," she said offering me my
glass. I sipped some and took a deep breath. "I forgot what I was saying," I said. My
memories were jumbled like a can of alphabet soup. Doctor Marlowe smiled and sat back. 'Well, you were telling us about the time your
father got up and walked out of the house:' she said.
She made it sound as if it was just another part of the
story, nothing terribly serious. Her voice had a
calming effect.
I nodded.
"He didn't say good-bye to me or nothing," I
muttered.
"That's right:' Doctor Marlowe said as if she
had been there with me.
I looked at her and realized in a way she had
because I had told her about this before, many times