The Void In My Heart - 12. A RAY OF HOPE

It was a nice drive back to the center as Joey and Felix shared some of the funny moments of their pasts. Joey knew that his feeling towards Felix was more than just an attraction. The doctor stopped the car at the center’s gate. The boy was still lost in thoughts when he heard the words “Hey buddy! We have reached the center.”

“Oh I was lost in some thoughts,” Joey was quick in replying.

“I have noticed something,” Felix turned towards the boy and this made Joey feel extremely nervous. He wondered whether his antics over the last week had led the doctor to find out about his feelings. He meekly asked “wh…What have you noticed Felix?”

The doctor smiled as he said “I have noticed that you are showing a tremendous improvement in your social behavior. You are mixing up with more teens and I got a report from Dr. Reeves that you are actively participating in group discussions and other activities. I cannot tell you how happy I am.”

Joey heaved a sigh of relief as he smiled back at the doctor.

“Here, let me open the door for you,” as Felix bent sideways to open the door on Joey’s side, his locket got entangled with that of Joey. “I’m sorry,” the doctor smiled as Joey could simply stare at the handsome doctor who was so close to him for the first time. Felix was trying to unwind the lockets but Joey was doing nothing as he somewhere wanted the lockets to remain entangled for a while. All of a sudden, the doctor’s eyes met Joey’s as his hands stopped. There was complete silence except for the nocturnal crickets.

Joey could feel his heart beating faster as the doctor who was till then making the conversation had stopped talking. Felix leaned closer as Joey closed his eyes. He wanted to feel that moment but at the same time he could not muster courage to see what the doctor’s next move was. After a few seconds, he felt scruff of Felix graze past his ears and he trembled. He felt as if a jolt of electricity had struck him. “Gotcha!” the doctor exclaimed as Joey opened his eyes to see that Felix had been successful in disentangling the lockets. It was then that he realized that all this time, the doctor was concerned about the lockets and not the moment which had developed between them in the car.

“Good night Felix,” Joey wished the doctor who wished him back. When Joey came back to his room and got in the bed, he kept thinking about those moments in the car. “How close he was! What was I thinking? Why am I thinking so much about him? I should not. Is it right?” myriad questions had occupied his mind. After a while, he drifted off to sleep.

He woke up late the next morning. As soon as he opened his eyes, he was surprised to find a sticky note on a wall. He immediately got up and looked at the note which read “Good Morning Joey. Get ready and meet me in my office. I have got a big surprise for you. -Felix”

The boy wondered what surprise had Felix planned overnight. Nevertheless, he was excited for the meeting. Moreover, he didn’t leave any chance to be with the doctor these days. He got ready and walked towards the doctor’s office. As soon as he knocked at the door of the office, he was surprised to see his brother Adam opening the door. “Adam!!” Joey exclaimed as he hugged his brother who was equally happy to see him.

“Come inside. There are some other people who want to meet you,” Adam smiled as he welcomed Joey inside. Tears started rolling down the boy’s eyes as he was overwhelmed with emotions. The sight of his parents made him so happy that he couldn’t control his tears. He immediately hugged them as his mother hugged him many times. “We all have missed you so much. House feels empty without you Joey,” Clara ruffled the boy’s hair.

“We received a call from Felix the day before yesterday and he asked us to come and see you. I was so glad on learning that you are showing a remarkable improvement and socializing with other teens,” Griffith expressed his happiness.

“Thank you so much Felix. You have given me immense happiness today,” the boy expressed his gratitude to which the doctor smiled and said “I always want to see you smiling.”

Adam hugged Felix and said “I was so wrong in misjudging your capabilities and devotion to your work. You are the best friend one can have and I feel so lucky to have a friend like you.” Adam and Felix went outside to talk about other matters as Joey got busy in conversing with his parents. He told them about the center’s friendly attitude to every teen. The day passed by rather quickly as the Merryls got ready to leave the center. “I hope that next time when we come here, we come here to take you home. You look so much better son,” Clara said to which Joey smiled. Although, deep down his heart, he did not want to leave the center so soon.

“I can see old Joey coming back slowly. Keep it up brother,” Adam hugged him.

The Merryls left the center as both Felix and Joey waved at them. As soon as the car disappeared, the boy turned towards the doctor and hugged him. “Thank you so much Felix. I am so glad to have you as my friend. Adam was correct in saying that you are the perfect friend one can have.” Felix ruffled his hair and said “Hey, it’s alright bud. I just thought that it had been days since you met your family. So, I called them here. You don’t have to praise me so much for this. All I wanted was to see that smile on your face. It suits you.”

Last couple of lines were like a charger to the already love struck heart of the boy who smiled and said “I, too, want to see you smiling always. Your smile has an innocent charm about it.” Felix smiled and said “thanks. Okay, time to go for your evening group discussion. I will meet you at dinner.”

When Joey turned towards the dorm he realized what he had said moments before “bollocks! What was I thinking when I said those lines! I hope he didn’t find it weird.” He smiled to himself and went back to his dorm.

Joey tried not to think about the doctor, but the more he tried, the more he found himself drawn to him. He spent another restless night as he kept thinking about the moment when Felix was so close to him. He knew that even talking to Meg would not resolve things, as whatever Meg said, the last time they interacted, was coming true. Feeling which he had termed as mere attraction was much more than just attraction and even he couldn’t deny it, especially after what had transpired in the last couple of days. Was the void, which had been created after loss of his best friends, was filling gradually with the new feelings which he had developed for the doctor? This was the biggest question in his mind.