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Otto perks up. “Who’s there?”
“The Doctor.”
“Doctor Who?”
“Exactly. Your education starts now. We start with season one.”
58
Kenzi
Three episodes of Dr. Who later, and Donovan and Otto are still swathed in the blue-light flicker of the television.
They’ve taken over the love seat, Donovan hunched forward, watching intently. Otto is mesmerized, his mouth partly agape. He’s tired, though, I can tell because he’s half-slouched against Donovan and, toward the end of the episode, his eyes start to droop and he cuddles the quilted blanket tighter around his little body.
I’m curled up in the adjacent lounger. I spend more time watching them than I do watching the TV.
When the credits roll, I finally break up the fun. “Alright, buds,” I say. “We should probably think about getting ready for bed.”
“One more,” they whine in unison.
I lift my eyebrows pointedly at Donovan.
Donovan seems to remember he’s an adult because he nudges Otto. “Your mom’s right—we’ve got to leave some surprises for tomorrow. C’mon. Let’s get to bed.”
Otto looks morose about it. He sighs dramatically (I know, I’m the anti-fun mom, everything is the end of the world) and tosses the quilt off himself before melting out of the love seat.
Before he goes up to his room, he stops and turns around to look at Donovan.
“Are you coming back tomorrow?” Otto asks.
Donovan’s eyes flicker up to me. “Sure. If it’s okay with your mom.”
“Of course. But Dr. Donovan can’t come back if he doesn’t leave.” I muss up Otto’s hair and press a kiss to the top of his head. He wiggles out of my grasp.
“G’night, Dr. Donovan.”
“Sweet dreams.”
Otto trudges to his bedroom. I walk Donovan out. He pulls on his coat and then hangs in the doorway, wrapping his scarf around him.
“You know you don’t have to come back tomorrow.”
“I know I don’t have to,” Donovan says. “I’d like to.”
“Are you sure you can’t stay?” I ask him. “I can make the couch.”
“I’m positive. I have to put the other child to bed.”
“Jason. Right.”
“He misses you, you know.”
“Yeah…well. Maybe he should’ve thought about that before he let my only child run off on his own.”
Donovan is bundled up now, but he doesn’t leave right away. Instead, he offers, “Just…throwing this out there. And then I’ll leave you alone for the night.”
He’s got his best-friend voice on. I cross my arms over my chest, bracing. “Alright…”
