I’m bracing for a fight. I’m hoping he won’t run from me again. But I’m prepared if he does.
As it stands, it’s not responsible for me to pretend that he didn’t tell me he was thinking about jumping. I don’t know if he really would have, and it’s probably a good sign that he didn’t.
That he apparently got in the damn car and drove for ten hours straight to get here, but it’s a close call, right? He wasafraid.Terrified, actually. Least it seemed so, anyway.
That’s probably a good sign too.
It’s still not a risk I’m willing to take. There’s a guy I worked with once at the sheriff’s department who has knowledge of mental health stuff, and I know he works with a hospital about an hour away in Graymont that does inpatient treatment.
If I reached out to him, I wonder if he’d help me get Theo in. At least for a hold of some sort. Just until he can get the help he needs. I want to give him the help he needs, but I know that’s not realistic. I’m no professional, and I want him to have the best care. Hedeservesthat.
For now, I’ll just enjoy his soft weight pressing into me and the knowledge that he’s safe.
Never in a million years would I have guessed that he’d come to me like this. I thought I’d fucked it all up and that he was never gonna talk to me again. I’m glad to be proven wrong.
If I think too hard about the alternative, my stomach sours and dread fills me. It reminds me of the feeling I got when we found out that Dad had died.
Theo shifts, dragging me out of my thoughts, and when his sleepy blue eyes blink up at me, my heart almost stops.
Yeah, real damn glad he came to me.
“Mornin’.”
His lips twitch a little at the edges. Not quite a smile, but close. I’ll take it.
“Morning,” he mumbles. “I need a toothbrush.”
I frown. “You should have said something. I would have gotten you one.”
“I’m telling you now.”
There’s almost a bit of defiance in his voice, and compared to the monotone he’s had since he got here, it feels like another small step in the right direction. “You’re right. You are. I’ll get you one in just a sec. I wanna stay here for a bit if it’s all the same to you.”
“If you wanna smell my bad breath, that’s on you, I guess.”
I laugh. “You’re awfully grumbly after your nap. I’ll take that as a sign you’re feeling a little better.”
He huffs but doesn’t respond.
“Wanna know a secret?” I mock whisper.
“Sure,” he says just as softly.
“I’ve delivered cows.” His face scrunches in confusion. “It’s messy business. Sometimes you’ve even gotta shove your arm—”
“Nope,” Theo says, cutting me off. “Don’t need you to explain that to me.”
I bark out a loud laugh. “My point is that I’m not concerned about morning breath,butI’ll be happy to get you a toothbrush.”
“Fine,” he says with a sigh before ducking his head and pressing his forehead to my chest. “We can stay here for a while.”
“Can I play with your hair?”
It’s grown a lot since the last time I saw him. Given how much of a hard time he’s had, it’s no surprise that he hasn’t cut it. I kind of like it, though. He doesn’t look his age as it is, but it gives him a more youthful look, falling over his forehead.
He hums what sounds like a yes, so I slide my fingers into his hair and let the silky strands slip through my fingers.
“Can we talk a bit?” I ask softly.
