To Have Him and Hold Him by Kieran Frank

Kieren's father Wayne says his son has changed for the better since he started visiting the clinic for regular injections. 'But now, some days I wake up and it's like whoa, I am lucky to be alive.' 'Before, it felt like I was almost just existing,' Collins explains. So we can feel what it is to have a chance at being human again. 'They just give us enough so that we are not a mess. 'They're not medicating us to the point where we are like 'arghhhh,'' he says throwing his head back and rolling his eyes. On the way I ask Collins how his life has changed since he began getting his heroin from the clinic. When Collins is cleared to leave the clinic, he thanks the staff and heads off to meet his father who works across the city in a design studio. 'We need to get away from thinking this is a criminal problem - it is a medical problem and it is a chronic, manageable illness.' 'A chance at being human again'

'This is a treatment for a chronic relapsing illness, just like diabetes and high blood pressure,' he says. Scott MacDonald, the lead physician at the clinic - the only one in the country that prescribes diacetylmorphine, the medical term for heroin - says the way to curb the crisis is to stop viewing opioid addiction as a criminal problem. A sacrifice of some sort is the only way to permanently restore Viktor's life beyond the twelve days and bring him back to normal, but it comes with untold consequences that Damon must blindly accept.Kevin McGarragan says the Crosstown Clinic has saved his life by allowing him to avoid street drugs. This complication puts his happiness at risk because he might not like what he sees in the mirror, and it's something that needs to be avoided at all costs.Damon must make a difficult decision. He can't even see his own reflection because it's forbidden and goes against the conditions of the gift. Nevertheless, Damon is grateful to even have the love of his life back, even if temporary.Unfortunately, Viktor's new state means he can't be seen in public without a disguise, especially not by his grieving parents.

Viktor has the miraculous chance to come back to life for twelve days, albeit with some drawbacks from the fatal attack. When his tears fall on the petals, a mysterious voice thanks him and offers him a unique gift in return. After the tragic death of his fiance, twenty-two-year-old Damon brings a dozen white roses to the cemetery to adorn Viktor's gravestone with.

To Have Him and Hold Him by Kieran Frank