“I don’t know. They man in the office asked a lot of general questions, and then they brought in a supervisor, and he asked more questions. I answered them all and explained why I wanted a job and that I would work hard for them. I don’t know if I said what they wanted me to, but they smiled a lot.”
“Did you ask questions?” Jamie asked.
“Yeah. I asked a lot about the work and what kinds of skills they needed. I hope that was the right thing to do.” He just hoped he had done well, but his insides kept churning.
ChapterSeven
At firstJamie thought it was just nerves. He dropped Kenny and Todd at the house and returned to work. But when he was done for the day and came home, he found Kenny watching television and Todd on the sofa under a blanket, pale, stuffed up, and coughing. Jamie took his temperature, dosed him with cold medicine, and got him to bed.
“Is Daddy sick?” Kenny asked once Jamie closed the bedroom door and returned to the living area. He looked worried.
“Yes. He isn’t feeling well, and he’s sleeping right now. Do you want to help me? We can make some soup for him with chicken and veggies.”
“Noodles?” Kenny asked, and Jamie agreed that they could add noodles too. It was a fairly quick recipe that started with leftover chicken.
He got a stool and used a towel as a makeshift apron. Then he got Kenny to wash his hands and stand near the counter. Jamie wasn’t sure what he was going have Kenny do. He couldn’t have him cutting things up or working near the heat, so he had him helping with the chicken to pull all the meat off the bones. It was messy, but Kenny didn’t seem to mind. After a while, Kenny climbed down, and Jamie wiped his hands and took off the apron, letting him watch television while Jamie made the broth and then added the meat and veggies, setting them to simmer. Finally, he cooked and added the noodles.
“Is Daddy still sleepin’?” Kenny asked.
“Let’s go see,” he whispered, and they went to the spare room. Jamie opened the door slowly. “We made soup. Do you want some?” Jamie asked.
“Yeah. I’ll be up,” Todd answered.
Kenny ran into the room and climbed on the bed. “I helped make the soup.”
“You’re getting to be such a big boy,” Todd said, his voice raspy and tired. “Go with Jamie, and I’ll be out in a minute.” He sighed, and Jamie extended his hand. Kenny slid off the bed and took it, letting him lead the way back to the kitchen, where he dished up the soup and took bowls to the table.
“Can you get spoons?” Jamie asked Kenny, who hurried to the kitchen. He was really coming to care for the kid. He had all this energy, and he seemed to see the world so damned innocently, especially given what he had been through. Though Jamie supposed a lot of that was due to Todd keeping him sheltered from as much of the bad stuff as possible.
Todd joined up, looking pale and moving slowly. He sat at the table and ate a little of his soup, not saying much, his eyes drawn and puffy. After a while, he ate a few more bites and then drank some water.
“Go on back to bed if you want to,” Jamie told him.
Todd nodded. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I don’t get sick, and….” He sighed, and Jamie got him back to the bedroom and under the covers. Then he kissed his forehead and turned out the lights. What Todd needed was sleep.
He and Kenny finished their dinner, and after a while, he let Kenny go in to get ready for bed. Then he made up the sofa and got Kenny settled in to sleep, turning out the lights and closing all the curtains to darken the room. Cindy curled up with Kenny, which was good.
After saying good night and reading Kenny a story, he checked on Todd, who was asleep and seemed cooler. Then Jamie took his laptop to his room and closed the door. He checked his emails, hoping that someone would take the bait on the trap he’d set, but there was no such luck, yet. Eventually, hewatched a romcom on Netflix before setting his computer aside and turning out the light.
He wokehours later, realizing that he wasn’t alone. Jamie sat up as Cindy jumped onto the bed. He sighed and lay back down. It took him a second to remember that he had shut his door when he went to bed.
“Jamie,” Todd said. “I’m so cold.” Jamie shifted and lifted the covers. Todd climbed into bed with him, and Jamie pressed to his back. He shook for a few minutes and then began to settle down. “I don’t know why I feel like this.”
“I think your temperature spiked,” Jamie said. He got him some Tylenol and held him until he settled down. Then he backed away as Todd’s breathing evened out. Hopefully, he had gone back to sleep, because it was clear that, sick or not, having Todd in his bed was not conducive to sleep. He felt so good next to him that Jamie’s fantasies were starting to take over.
He knew this was not the time, but his imagination had a mind of its own, so to speak, and whenever he closed his eyes, the scene around him changed. Pushing all that away, he rolled over and did his best to try to sleep. He had a full day coming up, and as long as Todd was sick, Kenny was going to need him. Jamie lay on his back, staring up at the ceiling and wondering how he had gotten here. A single decision to do what he knew was right had brought him a roommate of sorts, with a child, and by and large, he was okay with that. It was a lot to take on, and not only didn’t he seem to mind, but he also liked that they were here. In fact, he would do it again, Jamie was pretty sure of that.
His life, up until recently, had meant spending a lot of time alone, and he hadn’t realized the difference between alone and lonely until Todd and Kenny entered his life. He turned to look at Todd, curled under the covers, and realized that he mighthave done what was right by helping Todd and Kenny, but he’d been helping himself as well. Todd and Kenny had brought a light and purpose to his life that he hadn’t known was missing. And it wasn’t that they needed his help—it was because his life was better and fuller because they were in it. What worried him was what was his life going to look like if Todd got on his feet and decided he didn’t need him any longer? Jamie would be alone again.
Jamie’s mind ran in circles for a long while. He must have dozed off, because it seemed like seconds later, there was a shift next to him and an arm rested over his chest. He turned to find Todd splayed out next to him, covers thrown off. Jamie groaned under his breath and slowly slid out of the bed. His eyes were still so heavy, but he checked the clock and had to get up anyway. He scratched his belly and did his best not to stare at Todd’s boxers-covered backside as he got fresh clothes and left the room, using the bathroom to shower and dress.
Next he needed coffee, lots of it. Kenny was still asleep on the sofa, and after he fed and walked Cindy, she found a place near Kenny’s feet. He hated to leave because he didn’t know what kind of shape Todd was in this morning. Debating a few seconds, he returned to his room. “Todd,” he said, and sat on the side of the bed. “I have to go to work.”
“Yeah, oh….” He sat up, rubbed his eyes, and pulled the covers up to his waist.
“How are you feeling?”
“A little better. My stomach doesn’t hurt like it did yesterday, but my head is stuffed.”
