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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