Schools didn’t reopen right away, nor did restaurants, nor did the theaters, including the ones Alec operated, the community-based ones, and the AMC and Arclight chains. A lot of places took their time reopening. I was surprised they reopened as quickly as they did.

We both made a full recovery, for the most part. Alec still had a hacking cough that returned every couple of days, but his breathing was back to normal. For me, my body was recuperated long before my mind. Seeing Alec cough and only cough was comforting compared to the nights where coughing seemed to be the least of his impediments. The fever, the aches, the one day and night he refused to transcend into full lucidity. I didn’t do much to improve his situation by catching it myself, but it hit him harder. Everything always hit him harder. Those memories hit me harder.