Of books, charmingly laughing boys and the question of God

Henry

The morning dawned with a golden glow over the shared apartment. The first rays of sunlight danced on the window panes and filled the room with a warm, calming light. Henry was already awake, sitting on the windowsill and looking out over the awakening city. His blond, straight hair was tousled and the countless freckles on his face seemed to glow in the light. A smile played around his lips, that charmingly charming smile that earned him so much sympathy.From below, he suddenly heard loud banging and shouting. Henry's smile disappeared and he jumped off the windowsill. He quickly ran down the stairs and found Hannah in the kitchen, surrounded by a mess of scattered food and broken dishes. Her face was flushed and her eyes sparkled with uncontrollable energy."Hannah, what are you doing?" Henry asked gently, although there was no mistaking the concern in his voice."I need to rearrange everything!" She exclaimed as she frantically tried to pick up the scattered cornflakes from the floor. "It's all wrong, everything has to be perfect!"Henry knelt down next to her and put a hand on her shoulder. "Hannah, look at me," he said quietly. She paused and looked at him with wide eyes. "It's all right, we can clean this up together. Let's do this in peace."But before he could continue, Bonnie, the social worker, rushed into the kitchen. Her eyes were wide with worry and she was already holding her cell phone in her hand. "Henry, get away from there," she said urgently. "I'm calling the ambulance. Hannah needs professional help."Henry backed away, but his eyes remained fixed on Hannah. "Bonnie, she's just...""Henry, this is serious," Bonnie interrupted him and began to dial 911. "Hannah's in a manic phase. We need to make sure she and everyone else here is safe."Hannah began gesticulating frantically again, speaking in a rapid, unintelligible tone of voice. She was throwing things around, her movements wild and uncontrolled. Henry could see the pain in her face, the desperation in her eyes that he knew all too well. He knew there was nothing he could do but be there."Hannah, it's going to be okay," he said quietly as Bonnie spoke to the paramedics. "We're here to help you."The minutes passed agonizingly slowly until finally the ambulance sirens could be heard. Two paramedics entered the kitchen, their movements calm and professional. Bonnie explained the situation to them and they approached Hannah carefully."We're here to help you, Hannah," one of the paramedics said gently as he slowly approached her. "It's going to be okay."Henry stood apart, his hands shaking slightly. He felt helpless, but he knew this was the best thing for Hannah. When the paramedics finally managed to calm her down and put her on the stretcher, he looked her in the eye and smiled weakly."We're here for you," he whispered again before they took Hannah out of the house. Bonnie put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it gently."You reacted well, Henry," she said, "It was the right thing to do."Henry nodded, even though his heart was heavy. He knew it was hard for Hannah, but he hoped she would get the help she needed. And he knew he would be there for her, as he always had been.