He paused, breath heavy and laboured, and then a smile spread across his face.

‘I am a soldier. But he is with me. We are together.’

Amber and Arthur locked eyes above his prone body, their satisfaction tangible. Marco’s eyes were still closed, but I registered their look for him, basking in the beautiful reminder of how much they cared about every one of us.

‘Who is he, Marco?’ said Amber. ‘Is he your best friend?’

‘He is,’ said Marco, starting to cry again. The tears were different this time, infused with more love and less pain. ‘He is my best friend.’

‘Your best friend,’ said Arthur. ‘Guys, I think we’ve found him!’

We all laughed, but then Marco’s face contorted with a new agony.

‘Don’t leave me. Don’t leave me behind!’ he wailed.

‘What’s happening?’ hissed Amber. ‘Where is he going?’ Marco’s body began to jerk around, and Amber laid her hands on his legs as Arthur encased his shoulders.

‘Keep talking, Marco, keep telling us where you are. We’re here with you.’

‘I am…’ Marco’s words were getting stuck in his throat. I could hear the terror, and I gripped Hannah’s hand again. Safety and terror were fighting for me, too. Could I really do this? ‘No!’ he wailed, thrashing about. ‘He’s… he’s gone from me.’

‘He died, didn’t he?’ said Amber, quiet and sombre, as if it really was a funeral. ‘You lost your best friend, at least for a time. And then he came back to find you.’

She grabbed a handful of tissues from the nearby box, handing them to the sobbing Marco.

‘He was shot!’ said Marco. ‘He died there, in the mud. I couldn’t save him!’

‘You’ve carried a great deal, Marco,’ said Arthur.

‘It’s no wonder life has been so hard for you,’ said Amber softly, stroking his blonde crop. ‘You’ve carried so much, this lifetime. And I think he came back to find you.’

‘He did,’ agreed Marco fervently. ‘He came back for me.’

‘But he was too young a soul to be a father,’ she continued. ‘He should have just been your friend.’

Marco’s whole body visibly relaxed, stretching out on the couch like a cat in the sunshine. His eyes opened, a peaceful smile wrapping its way across his pretty face.

‘Thank you,’ he said, utterly sincere. ‘You are…’ His hands went to his heart. ‘You will be here with me forever.’

Amber smiled down at him, her face pink and glowing. She wiped a tear away, gazing at Arthur with so much emotion that it was almost as if Marco was their newborn son.