And suddenly there were Dex and Rover. Ghastly felt like he might have been knocked over with a feather. He shouldn't have been surprised by their presence -- had jokingly predicted it himself -- but with this, all of them together again and his heart still heavy...

It was everything he'd ever dreamed of, but not at all how he would have wanted it. When Dex came over to hug him Ghastly leaned into him with a sort of heaviness, matching the exhaustion in the sagging of his shoulders.

He was running. Mentally, at least. Physically he would maybe get a few steps. But he didn't particularly want to stop, because stopping meant looking at Erskine and Ghastly didn't know how to be all right with him right now. If ever.

So he focused on Dexter and Rover instead, and he closed his eyes, and he held on tight.