Daddy's Stepstalker (Daddy's Little Deviants)

Shaw

Ittookhoursof rushed paperwork, several phone calls, each pleading my circumstance, but I’d done it. I’d secured four weeks of paid vacation leave to handle the emotional turmoil of the past month. After all that took place, losing my home due to a fire, involuntarily killing someone in self-defense, and my “stepson” in the hospital, they hadn’t given me any crap about taking time off.

If anything, they seemed relieved, as the case was still under investigation. I’d been by the police station once in the past three days since the incident to be interviewed again. They were at a standstill as we all waited for Ari to be responsive so he could corroborate my story of what had happened.

Now I would focus on nothing else but getting Ari well. I stopped at the school to pick up my belongings, dropped everything off in my home office, and went up to take a shower. It’d been hell trying to sleep at night without him, but the days were even worse — sitting with him at the hospital, talking to him, and not getting any reaction. The hospital psychiatrist had me sit in with her while she spoke to Ari, but nothing worked. He didn’t respond to her either.

Once I’d freshened up, I walked into Ari’s room. What would he like to have with him in the hospital? Nothing stood out. Everything was still so new. All his stuffed animals and toys he would have been familiar with were gone.

The sloth I’d given him.

I took up one of his sketch pads and his pencil case and made my way downstairs back to my office. I spent the next half an hour searching for a sloth stuffie like the one I’d won him. It took me forever, but finally I found one on eBay. Instead of bidding, I sent the seller an offer they couldn’t refuse. I was buckling my seat belt when my phone alerted me that my offer had been accepted. The delivery date was three to five business days, which was way too long, but there was nothing I could do about that.

On my way to the hospital, I bought him another stuffed toy — a big silky-soft koala. I clutched it under my arm as I headed for his room, saying a quick prayer that he was doing better today. The hospital hadn’t called me, so I didn’t anticipate him being any worse. If only he would talk to me. Then I would know what he needed me to do to make it better. Did he even understand that Ken was dead and could no longer hurt him?

The nurse smiled when she saw me. By now, most of the staff who worked the floor were familiar with me being here. It also helped that they’d completely fallen in love with the boy.

“Hello, Emma, how is he today?” I greeted her.

Her smile faded. “He had visitors. The police stopped by, but he still won’t communicate with them. Then after his other visitor, he got agitated and had a panic attack. I’m sorry, but he’s probably still sedated right now.”

Concern spiked through me, but as much as I wanted to barge into Ari’s room, he couldn’t tell me what was wrong, so I had to rely on the nurse.

“What visitor?” Who would have a reason to visit Ari? His only friend was dead. I was the only one he had.

“I suppose I can tell you, since you’re his emergency contact . It was his mother.”

Anne was in Coleyville? The police contacted her to ask about her connection with Ken and the kind of relationship Ari had with the man. I hadn’t called her to let her know what happened, and she’d never bothered getting in touch with me. I’d assumed she was feeling too guilty about her part in all this and decided to stay away. But now she visited him. The gall of that bitch.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. He should be glad you’re here. He’s so much calmer with you.”

I doubted she had any idea how much her words meant to me. I’d been convinced Ari hadn’t responded to me at all, but she seemed to have found the difference in the boy’s mood when I was around. Maybe I should pay closer attention to see what else I missed.

When I entered his room, nothing had changed. Ari lay deathly still, his eyes closed. The beeping of the machines and steady rise and fall of his chest were reassuring, though. He twitched, eyebrows furrowed, then evened out again. What was going through his mind? Did he know Anne visited him? If her visit caused a panic attack, he might have.

Even though a panic attack wasn’t a good thing, it was the first time Ari reacted. Could this mean he was coming around?

“Hey, baby, I heard you had a bad day.” I leaned over and planted a kiss on his forehead, right between his eyes. Then I kissed his nose and his cheek. Please feel me, Ari. I’m here. “But it’s okay. I’m here now, and I brought you company.”

I tucked the koala next to him in bed and placed his arm around the stuffed animal. “It’s a koala. You’ll love it. Why don’t you open your eyes for me and take a look?”

I held my breath, but nothing. My shoulders slumped. I drew the chair closer to the bed and carefully took his bandaged hand in mine. His fingers twitched. The doctors had been most worried about the slash in his palm, but if he could move his fingers, that was a good sign, right?

Time passed. The psychiatrist encouraged me to chat with him, even if Ari didn’t respond. It wasn’t easy at first, but once I started, the words flowed. I talked to him about the first time we met and how happy he was when I won him the sloth. In every story I told him, I left out his mother. Few memories I had of her and Ari were good. She’d always been bitter, confrontational, and critical of Ari. Ari, on the other hand, would be mocking, spiteful, and provoking.

At one point, a nurse arrived to administer more medication into the drip line Ari was hooked up to and to empty his catheter bag. After she left, I took a nap. A door opening startled me awake. The doctor on duty entered the room. I kept out of the way as he examined Ari. He has his eyes open now, but I preferred them closed. Then I didn’t have to see the deadness in them. No sign of recognition. Absolutely nothing.

“Mr. Wheeler,” the doctor said after he’d scribbled down his observations. “Do you mind stepping outside for a few minutes so we can talk?”

“Sure.” The word came out confident, but my heart was knocking in my chest, and my limbs had grown heavy. The only reason I could think of for us leaving the room was that he had bad news to tell me. Otherwise, why not just say in in front of Ari?

“What’s up, Doctor?”

The man frowned, but it didn’t seem directed at me. “Do you know what cyclothymia disorder is?”

“I’ve never heard of it before.”