“Exactly.” She smiles at me and leans forward, kissing my head. “You’re very brave, and Lucy will love you as much as we do. And do you know something else?”
“What?”
“It’s going to be easier for Lucy.”
“Why’s that?”
“Because she has you looking out for her.”
I smile and look down at the teddy, the little hands gripping the small cookie.
“She does. She’ll always have me.”
The front door opens, and I throw myself off the chair.
“Slowly, Owen,” Maria says.
“We’re home,” James calls from the hallway.
Oh my God. Oh my God. I grab my picture and the teddy. Maria holds out her hand, and I grip it tightly.
“And this is Lucy,” James says.
I can’t see her because I’m standing behind Maria. My heart is beeping really fast again, and my body keeps on moving. Like I’m one of those toys that you wind up and it gives them lots of energy.
That’s me.
I’ve been wound up, and now I want to move lots and lots.
Maria says it’s because I’m nervous.
She puts her arm around me and positions me in front of her. I see James first, my foster father.
He and Maria have been spending time with Lucy at the hospital where she has been staying to get better after her accident.
She couldn’t go home, so now she is here.
He’s holding a little girl.
Her hair is dark.
So dark, like the darkest of nights. It’s shiny, too. How is it so shiny? It looks so soft. I want to touch it. But I don’t move, because I don’t want to scare her.
She’s gripping his neck so tightly. She must be scared.
It’s a death hold. Full of fear, like how I hold onto Maria after one of my dreams.
“Hello, Lucy,” Maria says softly. “I’d like to introduce you to someone who is really excited to meet you.”
She’s talking about me.
I am excited.
But now, when I see how tightly she holds onto James, that feeling is back in my tummy again.
I step from behind Maria and walk towards where James is kneeling on the floor, the fluffy teddy, and picture gripped in my hand, my heart still beeping like it’s going to explode out of my chest.
I hope that doesn’t happen. That wouldn’t be a good start, and would absolutely, definitely scare her. I look back to Maria to make sure I’m doing a good job, and she nods.
