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Chapter Forty-four
“I said, don’t move.Put both hands in the air.”
Maggie struggles to remain calm as she raises both arms above her head, her eyes riveted to the gun in her son’s unsteady hands. “Leo, honey. Listen to me very carefully. I need you to put the gun down on the bed.”
Leo giggles, causing the Glock in his hands to shake. “But Mario wants to play.”
“It’s not a toy, sweetheart.”
“You were playing with it before. I saw you.” Leo twists the gun over in his hands, so that the barrel is now pointing directly at his head.
“Oh God,” Maggie gasps as she watches him examining it. “No, honey. It’s a real gun. Please, put it down.”
“It’s real?”
“Yes.”
“Is it loaded?”
“Yes.”
“With real bullets?”
“With real bullets,” she repeats. “Which means it’s very dangerous. You don’t want Mario to get hurt. Please put it down.”
Leo lowers the gun to his lap.
His finger remains on the trigger.
“Okay. That’s good. Now, slowly and carefully, take your hands away.”
“I can’t.”
“Yes, you can.”
“Mario’s scared,” he says, starting to cry.
“It’s okay, honey. Listen to Mommy, and everything will be fine. Just lift your finger off the trigger and let go of the gun.”
“I can’t. I’m afraid.”
“Okay. It’s okay. Can Mommy help you?”
He nods.
“Okay. Don’t you move. Mommy’s coming.” Maggie slowly lowers her hands as she takes baby steps toward the bed. “Okay,” she says when she reaches his side. “Now you sit very still, and Mommy’s going to help you lift your finger. So, watch that you don’t press down. Okay?”
“Okay.”
“All right. Here we go.” Maggie holds her breath as she reaches over to gingerly pry her son’s finger from the trigger. “Thatta boy. You’re doing great. Almost off.” Slowly, carefully, as if she is dismantling a bomb, she removes Leo’s finger from the trigger and his hand from the gun’s handle. She lays the weapon beside the alarm clock on the nightstand, then bursts into tears.
She pulls Leo to her chest, aware it could have just as easily been his dead body she was clinging to. “Oh God. Oh God. Oh God,” she cries, imagining what could have been.
“You’re squeezing too tight,” Leo says. “Mario can’t breathe.”
Maggie immediately loosens her grip, although she doesn’t let go.
“Am I in trouble?” he asks.
