"Carl, I'm here. I've been here all along."
I pressed my face against his, wondering if he could feel even the faintest trace of me. He was still on his knees on the rooftop, all that natural authority and composure stripped away, leaving behind something raw and exhausted that broke my heart to look at.
"Carl, it's raining. Please go inside. You'll catch a cold."
He'd already lost so much weight. If he got sick on top of everything else, it wouldn't matter how strong he was — and if he fell, who would be there for our children?
As if something in the universe found that thought amusing, Lewis suddenly pitched forward and collapsed onto the wet ground.
"Carl!"
I reached for him without thinking. He fell straight through me and hit the concrete hard.
"Somebody help! Save Carl!" I screamed until I had nothing left, but no sound reached anyone. I could only kneel there, useless, while he lay still in the rain. "Carl… Carl…"
