Joshua squeezed his eyes shut, then snapped them open again. His head throbbed as if someone were pounding on it with a hammer—but he was fine.
He lifted his hands to touch the corners of his eyes and asked softly, "Are my eyes swollen?"
Leonard brushed his fingers lightly against the reddish corners of Joshua's eyes and murmured, "Not swollen."
The next second, Joshua suddenly sat up. Leonard's eyes widened as he instinctively stepped back. "What are you doing?"
"I'm not crying." Joshua raised his hands as he spoke. Leonard looked at him, and for some reason, the image of Joshua from that morning—clinging to Henry and begging for a hug—flashed through his mind.
Without hesitation, Leonard lunged forward.
Before Joshua could even react, he was enveloped in a tight embrace. Startled, he blinked in confusion, but still patted Leonard's back and asked, "What's wrong with you?"
