Hit out on Laura

“You don’t know Laura,” Billy said. “And I’m guessing you don’t even know what love is. Maybe what you should do is give yourself

time to see what the two are like. To learn to love?” “I’m … not capable of it,” he said.

“Everyone is capable of love, Johannes. Even you. Even Leon. Everyone is capable of love.”

Johannes went to say otherwise, but he felt Laura’s hand twitch within his grasp. “Laura?” He stared at her eyes, and then looked down at her hand.

“What is it?”

“She squeezed my hand. I felt it. Laura, I’m here. I’m here,” he said.

Her hand squeezed his.

“I felt it too,” Billy said. “I’ll go get a doctor and Leon.”

Billy left the room, and Johannes stood up, placing a hand by her head, staring down into her eyes.

Laura opened her eyes, and he looked into her deep-brown depths. “I was never afraid,” Laura said.

“Then I guess you and I are going to have to watch a horror because I don’t believe you.”

She smiled and then groaned. “Do I want to know what happened?”

“You were shot,”