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Daniel pulled the blankets around Benny’s shoulders and watched the boy’s face for a few seconds. Reluctantly, he turned off the lamp next to his bed. A nightlight on the bedroom wall cast a tepid light that allowed him to make sure Benny’s chest rose and fell. His eyes were closed, but Daniel couldn’t be sure he slept. Sighing, he headed to the door.
“Mr. Daniel.”
He turned back. “Yes.”
“Could you leave the door open, please?”
“No problem, big guy. I’ll be right downstairs if you need me. I’ll leave the light on in the hallway, too.”
Benny’s eyes closed again.
Daniel tromped down the stairs, his legs almost too weak to carry him. He picked up the pizza box and the paper plates from the coffeetable. The hours had bled together, hours at the emergency room, hours of police interrogation. The doctors had added malnourishment, and dehydration to the litany of Benny’s physical ailments, all of which would heal themselves.
The emotional wounds—that was another story. Benny had clung to Daniel, refusing to be left alone with doctors or police officers. He had answered questions in tight, monosyllabic responses. Not once at the hospital had he cried. When they’d finally agreed to let Daniel take him home, he had asked for pizza. Pizza and a movie, just the two of them.
Curled up on the couch, leaning on Daniel, still he hadn’t said a word about his captor. Still hadn’t talked about the things that had happened to him. Sooner or later they would have to come out. Daniel would ask Susana work with him when she returned from her honeymoon. For now Benny needed to sleep and eat and just be.
The doorbell rang. Daniel dumped the box in the trashcan in the kitchen, tempted to ignore it. It was almost eleven. He had no desire to talk to anyone. The bell rang again, the sound insistent.
“Who is it?”
“It’s me. Chris.”
“Chris?” He fumbled with the chain and jerked the door open. Chris stood on the doorstep, eyes red and swollen, shivering in a T-shirt and pajama bottoms. “Son, what are you doing here? How did you get here?”
“Can I come in? I’m freezing! Please.”
“Of course, you can come in.” Daniel grabbed his son and pulled against his chest, letting the door slam behind him. He took a good look, head to toe—no obvious injuries—before wrapping him in a hug. The boy shook in his arms. Daniel tightened the hug. “What happened? What’s wrong? How’d you get here?”
The boy broke away and sank onto the couch. Fresh tears rolled down his cheeks. “I rode my bike.”
“Ten miles? Across major roads in the dark? Why? If you wanted to talk to me, why didn’t you call?”
“Grandma wouldn’t let me. She said you had your hands full with Benny.” A half sob made Daniel sink on to the couch and put an arm around his son. “She said you’d call me when you had time. I said that wasn’t right. I wanted to see Benny. I wanted to see you guys.”
“Where’s your mom?”
“I don’t know. I think she went to talk to that other guy—the one she—the one I told you about.”
Anger burned through Daniel. Not tonight. She couldn’t stay away from the guy one night. “How did you get out of the house?”
“I waited until Grandma fell asleep and just went out through the garage. It was easy. She was snoring.” His son grinned a little through the tears. “When she snores that means she’s really asleep.”
“You could’ve been hit by a car. You don’t even have a light on that bike and it’s a very long way, Christopher.”
“Don’t be mad, Pop, please don’t be mad. I just wanted to see you and Benny and you know, be with you.”
Daniel knew he should be furious, but all he could muster was heartsick. “Benny’s—”
The phone rang. Nicole had probably already figured it out by now. He grabbed the receiver.
“Daniel, is Christopher—”
“Yeah, he’s here.”
“Is he all right? I knew he’d go there. My mother is frantic. I’m on my way—”
Daniel waited for her to take a breath and then broke in. “He’s fine. Just cold. Let him stay, please, Nicole, just this once. He wants to see Benny and he’s already asleep. They could spend some time together in the morning, eat breakfast. It’d be good for Benny.”
