“You are my son.” Todd hugged him tightly. “Charlie is crazy. He doesn’t believe things that are real.” What he hoped was that the court would see that Charlie was sick and would get him the help that he needed. But he really wasn’t going to spend too much of his time or thoughts on him. Kenny and Jamie were who were important, and he was going to put all his efforts in that direction.
Long afterdinner, and a number of stories, Todd and Cindy both with him, Kenny finally dropped off to sleep. Todd was afraid that for the next few days, Kenny was going to have trouble sleeping. But at the moment, he was curled up with his stuffie and settled.
“Kenny is safe now,” Jamie said in a whisper from the doorway.
Todd sighed. “I know. I just don’t want to leave him.” Still, he got up and left the room, closing the door partway before following Jamie to the living room.
“Do you want something to drink?” Jamie asked. Todd shrugged, and Jamie got them each a beer, putting them on the table. Without thinking too much, Todd sipped from the bottle.
“I guess I keep wondering what could have happened.”
Jamie sat back. “I know. But it didn’t. First thing, Charlie is out of his mind and very sick. I checked with Carter while you were putting Kenny to bed. They transferred him to the hospital. He’s in a psych ward, but his legs had open sores that have been infected for so long that….” Jamie shook his head. “I think he’s too far gone. The infections have spread not just to his body, but his mind as well.” He drank from the bottle and set it back on thetable. “I guess I’m saying that if he lives, he isn’t going to be in any shape to do much of anything.”
Todd closed his eyes and did his very best not to wish someone the ultimate ill, but he was finding it very hard. He lolled his head back as he completely failed. All he wanted was to know that Charlie was out of the picture and their lives permanently. “Does it make me a bad person if I just want him gone?”
“He is gone. Whether he lives or not, he’s gone, and you and Kenny aren’t going to have to worry about him again.”
Kenny came into the living room in his pajamas, holding his penguin. Todd opened his arms, and Kenny climbed onto his lap. Cindy jumped up on the sofa next to Jamie. “I had a bad dream.”
Todd held his son. “I know. It’s okay. Remember that dreams aren’t real, and no one is going to hurt you. I promise.” If he could, he’d wrap him in bubble wrap and keep him safe forever. “Charlie is gone, and we’re never going to see him again.” He rocked Kenny for a while before carrying him back to bed and tucking him in once more. When he returned to the living room this time, Todd collapsed onto the sofa next to Jamie, who took his hand.
“Everything is going to be fine now. I’ve been thinking. I’m not teaching this summer, so when you’re at work, I can take care of Kenny, and in the fall, we can get him enrolled in kindergarten.” He rested his head on Todd’s shoulders.
It was hard to think too far ahead at the moment. “I got the job offer. It’s a little more money, but not much,” he said softly. “I think I really want to work at the chocolate place. I got a better feeling there.”
Jamie shifted. “Then that’s what you do. Sometimes it isn’t about the money, but about where you think you’ll fit in best. So, send in the acceptance and find out when you can start. We’llfigure out a way to get you to and from work for a while.” There were so many things that he needed to do, and just like always, when one thing on his list got ticked off, another showed up. Like the need for a car.
“I know. One step at a time,” Todd said as Jamie chuckled softly.
“Exactly.” He lifted his head. “You and Kenny have a home here. Cindy and I are happy that you’re both here. You can stop worrying about what you’re going to do.”
Todd’s breath caught in his throat. “Are you sure this is what you want?”
“Is it what you want?” Jamie countered. They turned to look at each other, and Todd saw his doubt and uncertainty reflected back at him. “I’m not going to force you to stay here with me.” And then something new flashed in Jamie’s eyes. Todd could only describe it as hope, and he felt it bloom in his own heart.
“Maybe it’s time we both just say what we want.” He stroked Jamie’s cheek. “I don’t want to go anywhere. Not just because Kenny is happy here and that he feels safe here… I like it here.” He drew closer. “I want to stay here with you… as my friend and as my lover. That’s what I want. You saved us, yes. But you did so much more than that. You gave me love. You gave that to both of us without reservation. You took us in and looked after both of us at a time when I wasn’t able to do it myself.”
“That’s because I do love you,” Jamie whispered, swallowing hard. Todd knew how hard it was to say those words.
“And I love you.” He tugged Jamie a little closer. “But you did more than that. You gave me a place to find myself again.”
“Yes. But what person did you find?” Jamie asked softly. “Sometimes I think there are many people inside all of us. Some of them we keep deeply hidden, and others, well… those are the ones we show the world.”
Todd grinned. “The person I found wants the person you are to be in his life forever. That’s what I figured out. We work well together, I think.”
“I think so too,” Jamie said softly.
Todd nodded. “I guess the real thing is, what do you want? I mean, this is your house and your furniture and dog. Everything here belongs to you. I don’t have anything to bring to the table.”
“Yeah, I get all that, but a home is more than a house or a place. It’s the people in it, and I want this to be your home. Yours and Kenny’s. I’ve spent a lot of my life alone because it was easier that going through the failures that my love life always seemed to generate.”
“Maybe you were just waiting for the right person,” Todd offered.
“Yeah, maybe.” He smirked, and Todd groaned. “But who would have thought that I would have found him in high school?”
“Good things come to those who wait?” Todd said.
“Anticipation makes pleasure more intense,” Jamie added with a wry smile.
