The Boy Who Has No Hope (Soulless 6)

“You will.” I set down my tools and then removed the side panel so I could get a better look at the guts of the machine. There were lots of wires and components, so it would take me some time to figure this out. “Flip to the troubleshooting page, and let’s start there.” I pulled my conductors so I could identify where the current ran and where it stopped.

“Alright.” She flipped to the page and started to read.

I used her as a guide to do a trial and error process, to diagnose the problem before we started to cut into wires and dismantle components. Even though she didn’t understand anything she was reading, it was helpful because I could keep my eyes on my work without having to turn away. She was smart enough to figure out where we needed to look next, to intuitively follow my thoughts.Three hours later, we got the machine up and running.

“Oh my god, we actually did it?” Emerson stood up and looked at the side panel.

“Why are you so surprised?” I teased. “If I can build a rocket, I can do this.”

“I’m just surprised I actually helped instead of drove you crazy.”

“You never drive me crazy.” I put the panel back on and started to screw it into place.

The door opened, and my dad walked in. “Any luck?”

“We got it working,” Emerson said excitedly. “I had no idea what I was reading, but I guess it was right.”

Dad smiled as he came to my side, watching me screw the panel back into place. “You guys were in here a long time. I hope I didn’t mess up your day.”

“Dad, don’t worry about it.” I handed the screwdriver to Emerson, and she placed it in my bag.

But then she paled when she realized how unorganized it was. “Wow…we need to clean this up later.”

Dad kept his eyes on me. “Sounds like your mother.”

I chuckled because it was dead-on.

He patted me on the back. “Thanks, little man. We couldn’t wait two weeks because we can’t freeze the patient samples, and when we tried to order another, it was going to take even longer to get here.”

“I really don’t mind, Dad. It’s no problem.”

He squeezed the back of my neck before he released me. “I appreciate it anyway.”

I turned on the machine, and the lights came on. “Does it look right?”

Dad did a couple things to test it out. “Yep. It’s like she’s brand-new.”

“Great,” I said. “Are you going to stay late to use it?”

“Yes,” he answered. “But Mom is working late tonight anyway, so it’s fine.”

I grabbed Emerson’s purse and handed it to her. “I guess our work here is done.”

“Are we going to head back to the lab?” she asked.

“I am, but I’ll drop you off on the way,” I said. “There’s no reason for you to stay late.”

“Are you sure?” she asked. “Because I don’t mind.”

“No. You should go home to your father.”

She smiled. “Great. That sounds nice.”

I turned back to my dad. “We’re going to take off. Call me if it acts up again.”

“I will.” He slid his hands into his front pockets as he regarded me. “Can we get a beer together or something on Friday after work? I miss you.” He never cared who was around when he spoke to me, didn’t feel self-conscious showing me affection. I knew when Mom or the rest of us weren’t around, he was back to his focused and intense state.

“Sure. I miss you too.”

He gave me a one-armed hug before he kissed me on the forehead. “I look forward to it.” Then he turned to Emerson. “Thanks for all your help today. I really appreciate it.”

“I was happy to,” she said. “That’s the first time I’ve ever fixed anything. Whenever I drop my phone and crack the screen, I always pay someone else to fix it. First time I’ve ever been part of the other side of that.”

He nodded. “If you continue to work with Derek, I’m sure this will be the first of many.”

I grabbed my tool bag and started to walk out. “Tell Mom I said hi.”

“I will.” He turned back to the machine. “Love you.”

“Love you too, Dad,” I said before the door shut.

Then Emerson and I walked down the hallway and back to the entrance where Ronnie was waiting.

“Can I say something?” she asked, walking beside me.

I turned to her.

“You guys are sooooo cute.”

I smiled slightly and faced forward again.

“You look so much alike. It’s adorable.”

I kept walking.

“You’ve got the same hair, the same eyes…”

And we had the same struggles conforming to societal rules.

“How old is he?”

“Just turned fifty-eight.”

“Wow. Doesn’t look a day older than forty.”

“It’s all those salmon burgers…”

“Damn, I guess I’m going to have to lay off the beef too,” she said with a chuckle.Dr. Collins stared at me in silence.