Two weeks later Noah was having coffee with Mary (the good Doctor).

“I was surprised when I didn’t see you at the trial”

“I decided not to go. How was it?”

“As you would expect. I got to meet your father, who is a jerk, by the way”

Noah couldn’t help but smile

“I know”

“Why, Noah? I thought you wanted him to stay in jail for as long as possible”

“I don’t want to have anything to do with him anymore, Mary”

“But”

“Did they say where I live now? My new name?”

“What?”

“Did they talk about me at the trial?”

“They talked about what he did to you and why, but… he doesn’t know you are Noah Snyder now, does he?

“No, and I don’t want him to know…”

“What’s going on? Are you scared?”

“He keeps sending me letters, to my old address in NY…”

“Shit, what kind of letters?”

“The “I’ll finish what I started” ones”

“Noah… you have to tell the police”

“No, he doesn’t know that I live here, now, if he ever gets out of jail he’ll go back to NY and I won’t be there. Nobody in NY knows my new address appart from you. He won’t be able to find me”

“I hate the guy… “

Noah smiled

“Join the club, doc. I am so happy you are here…”

“I had to go to the trial in Branson and I thought that since I am here anyway I could visit my favorite family, the Snyders”

Noah smiled again

“Yeah, I know the feeling, they are my favorite family too”

“Still in paradise?”

“We had a rough couple of days 2 weeks ago, and it hasn’t been the same since…”

“What happened?”

Noah told her everything. He could talk about everything with her, she was special, there was something about her that made him feel loved and cared for… pity she didn’t have any kids, she could be a great mum.

“He threw you out…?”

“Yeah… I still can’t believe it. He was really sorry, and I know he hates himself for doing it, but…”

“But he did it”

“Yes… he did it…”

“Is everything alright between you?”

“No… not really… he’s very distant. Flinches every time I touch him”

“Why?”

“I don’t know, we are not talking much. We had a great day when we made up, but it was like a bubble… once we got back home it was over. And now he keeps watching me, making sure I don’t go anywhere in the middle of the night, and I have to pretend I am asleep cos he has this new habit of looking at me and calling my name to make sure I don’t have insomnia anymore…”

“But you do…”

“Yes, the letters are keeping me awake… I know he won’t find me but…”

“But what, hun?”

“I can’t shake the feeling that something is going to go wrong… it can’t be this perfect forever, right? My life has never been perfect, why would it be now?”

“Oh, Noah… it’s perfect because you have a family, and it was time you had a great life.”

“The family only makes it worse… it was bad when I knew that my father was after me before but now… I’ve got Aaron and Luke to worry about too, and it’s a thousand times worse than when it was only me”

He looked at her

“I love talking to you, I wish you lived here…”

Mary smiled and looking around

“I wish that too, to tell you the truth”

Later, they were at the farm and Noah was riding a horse with Aaron. Mary and Luke were watching them.

“So, Luke, how’s life?”

Luke smiled

“Noah probably told you about life, doc, don’t pretend you don’t know anything… I am sure you know more than I do”

She smiled. She liked Luke. He made Noah happy and she was grateful for that

“What do you know?”

“I know that he pretends to sleep at night, that every night he lays awake in bed with his eyes closed pretending to sleep so I don’t ask him what’s wrong, that he smiles and sometimes he doesn’t feel like it… that he tells me he is fine and he is lying to me…”

“Luke...”

“You really want to know how life is? Well… right now is hell, doc, because my husband is hiding something from me and I have to pretend that I am blind and deaf… and I am hating him for not trusting me enough…”

He turned around so Noah wouldn’t see his face; his eyes were full of tears… Damned tears, they wouldn’t stop…

“Hating him…?”

“As much as you can hate somebody you love with all your heart…”

“I have never in my life seen two men as stupid as you two…”

“What?”

“Why don’t you tell him? In the middle of the night, when you know he is awake. Just shake him, hit him, whatever, make him see that you know. You have to do something”

“The last time I tried to do something I ended up asking him to leave the house, I am still forgiving myself for that… If that’s the way he wants our life to be so be it…”

“But you are hurting”

Luke smiled… Who knew smiles could be so sad?

“Who cares, doc…”

“I do… and he does, Luke, you know it”

“He’s the one not talking, Mary, not me… I tried and I almost lost him. I am not trying anymore”

“But”

They heard Noah

“Everything okay?”

Luke and Mary turned around and looked at Noah and Aaron

“Sure, did you have fun with Dad, Aaron?”

“Yes! Can I have a cookie?”

Luke was talking with Aaron and Noah was just looking at him. Luke’s eyes were wet, weren’t they?

“Why don’t we ask Granddad if he has any? Let’s go wash your hands and”

Mary saw the look on Noah’s face

“I’ll do it, Luke, you want to show me where they hide the cookies, Aaron?”

The boy laughed at her

“Yes!”

“Let’s go, then”

She left with Aaron leaving Luke and Noah alone. Luke wouldn’t look at Noah and Noah wouldn’t stop looking at Luke. He moved closer to Luke and put his hand in Luke’s shoulder. Luke looked towards the house and tried to avoid Noah’s hand

“Luke… what is it, babe?”

“I have to go, I should get supper ready”

He shook Noah’s hand away and started walking towards the house, Noah followed him and tried to make him stop

“Luke, what the hell is going on?”

“Nothing”

“You are almost crying, damn it!”

Luke stopped and turned to look at Noah.

“I am fine”

He just looked at him for a bit longer and went back to the farm. Noah stood there, frozen… It was obvious that he wasn’t fine and still… and why was he avoiding him? What was worrying him so much to make him cry? And since when did he hide anything? Luke had always talked about everything; he had always trusted Noah. Shit, did he think he was stupid? How could he say that he was fine when he wasn’t…?

He looked towards the house…

Was this what Luke felt every time he said he was fine…? It had killed him when he said that. Seeing his eyes full of sadness and tears and hearing him say that he was fine had been like if some one had cut his heart with a knife… Had it been like this for Luke too? All this weeks…