‘It’s unacceptable.’

‘I wish there was some way to avoid it, but there isn’t. In any case, I’m here now. Just relax and I’ll do everything I can.’

He felt cool fingertips touch his temples, and they began to massage with a gentle swirling motion. Within a few moments, the pain began to blur, so gradually as to be almost imperceptible. It was still intense, but each sweep of the fingertips softened it just a little. Suddenly he could see an end to the pain, somewhere in the future, and the thought strengthened him.

‘It’s worse than ever,’ he said.