Chapter 47

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WARD

WARD WAS exhausted.

Between bottling, gearing up for harvest, and all his other duties, work had been busy. He hadn't even been able to use the weekends to recover since Charlie had developed a routine of alternating weeks for visits. The boy's parents would drive him down one Saturday, and Ward would drive him back home the next. Being stuck on the road all day was not Ward's idea of a good time.

At least he knew the route by heart now. No more need for guided navigation on those trips. And it was worth it, really. Getting to spend any time with the boys was a blessing. And Skylar was so much more at-ease when Charlie was with them.

Ward eyed Skylar. The boy sat stiff and quiet in the passenger seat. They were finally heading to San Jose for the surgery, and the closer they got, the more tense Skylar looked.

“Sky?” Ward reached over and gave the boy's arm a quick squeeze, then put his hand right back on the wheel. “It's gonna be okay.”

Skylar was silent for a long moment. “I keep seeing the freeway signs. 'San Francisco,' and so many miles. Then again, with fewer miles. Then fewer still.” Skylar stuffed his hands between his knees.

“We're not going back,” Ward murmured. “I promise.” Ward started to reach for him again, then stopped and inwardly cursed. “Put your hand on me, kitten. Hang onto Daddy, okay?”

Skylar shifted as far to the left as his seat would allow, then draped his arm across the center console and put his hand on Ward's leg.

“That's it.” Ward eyed the freeway signs. “Daddy's right here. I'm not going anywhere.” He paused when the guided navigation prepared him to exit the freeway. “See? We're almost there.” He took the exit, then had to slow to a stop at a traffic light. “We'll get to the hotel and get a good night's sleep. Tomorrow morning, we'll get you to the center. And while you're under, I'm going to drive up to get Charlie and bring him back with me.” He gave Skylar's hand a squeeze. “We'll both be there when you wake up.”

“Promise?” Skylar whispered.

“I promise.” Ward let go of his hand and followed the navigation onto the next street. “A couple days, and we'll all be back home. And Charlie's staying for a month this time. Maybe longer.” Ward couldn't help smiling about that. Not just because it would mean a break from all the back-and-forth, but because it would be a bigger taste of what it could be like, all three of them living together. A week at a time simply wasn't enough.

Ward wanted more. So much more.

“And just think,” he went on. “You'll be fully healed before the holidays. We can go all-out for Christmas. Get a tree and everything. Charlie can pick out more decorations. Maybe we can even get pajamas just for the holidays.” Ward chuckled. “We used to do that when I was a kid.”

“Charlie's family did, too,” Skylar said. “They stopped after Sabrina died.”

Ward winced. “Oh. Probably not a good idea, then.”

“No! I think he'd like it, actually. Wouldn't hurt to ask, anyway. Charlie loves Christmas. Well, you saw it. I'd bet he'd love to get back into simple little rituals like that. Holiday pajamas and Christmas movie marathons and all of it.”

Ward grinned. “Okay. Then that's what we'll do.”

Skylar looked away, but not before Ward caught the bittersweet smile on his face. “I love that you want to make him happy,” he murmured.

Ward was about to say that he wanted to make Skylar happy, too, but the guided navigation interrupted him, announcing that they were approaching their destination. He followed the directions in silence and spotted their hotel up ahead. Ward pulled up to the entrance, went inside to get them checked in, then gathered up their luggage and led Skylar to the room.

“Shit,” Skylar gasped as soon as they stepped inside. “What if Charlie can't stay here? What–”

“Sky,” Ward interrupted him. “It's okay. I made sure we got a room where the bed points east.”

Skylar winced. “They must have thought you were crazy.”

“So be it,” Ward said with a shrug. “As long as you boys are comfortable.” He gestured out the window. “See? Sun's setting that way.”

Skylar let out a sigh of relief. “Okay.”

“Hey.” Ward bent down and rubbed Skylar's arms, feeling the boy tremble. “You don't need to worry about a thing. Daddy's here. All you have to do is try to relax. Can you do that for me?”

Skylar hesitantly nodded.

“That's my good boy.” He gave Skylar a soft, lingering kiss. “Now, I'm going to get us unpacked, and then we'll get you something light to eat for dinner. In the meantime, I want you to sit down and watch TV or read a book or something. Okay?”

Skylar fidgeted.

“Sky,” Ward gently warned. “I see you worrying.” He paused. “Do you want me to see if Charlie wants to come down now? I can get there and back in a couple hours.”

“No,” Skylar insisted, shaking his head. “No, he's expecting you tomorrow, and he hates changing plans. And you've already done so much. And you're going to have to do so much more and I'm worried it's too much and–”

“Sky, stop.” Ward grabbed his hands. “I'm fine. I want this for you. I want you to be happy. We're gonna get through this together, okay? You and me and Charlie.”

Skylar opened his mouth, looking like he was about to argue. Whether it was about paying Ward back for the hotel or taking care of Charlie's needs once they were back home, Ward wasn't sure. They'd had plenty of discussions about both things—and more—over the past several weeks. But Skylar kept silent in the end, giving Ward a smile before he pulled out his phone and sat down to read.

The evening passed quietly. Ward could tell Skylar was still tense, but the boy did as he was told, eating every bite of his dinner, then joining him for a long, hot shower, where Ward took over washing both of them, making Skylar do nothing but focus on taking slow, deep breaths. They had a quick chat with Charlie, confirming their plans for the morning, then went to bed. Ward pulled Skylar hard up against him, holding the boy close, wanting him to feel safe.

The next morning, Ward woke up feeling just as nervous as Skylar seemed to be. He forced it all down. Ward needed to be strong for his boys. Skylar was worried about enough things as it was, and Charlie was sure to be an anxious mess while they waited for Skylar to wake up. So Ward put on a smile and did whatever he could to soothe Skylar as they drove to the surgical center.

Having to walk away and leave Skylar there was one of the hardest things he'd ever done. The boy looked almost haunted, staring after him. Ward tried to give him a reassuring smile, then tore himself away.

He walked straight out to his truck and got on the road, heading up to Charlie's house.

Ward found the boy anxiously awaiting him when he arrived. Charlie was already packed, standing by the front door, eager to leave. The boy fidgeted through a goodbye with his parents before rushing out to Ward's truck. Without a word, they were back on the road, heading back to Skylar.

“He's gonna be fine,” Ward murmured once they were on the freeway. “And we're gonna take good care of him, aren't we?”

Charlie nodded emphatically.

They stopped by the hotel first to drop off Charlie's bag. Ward fully expected Charlie to inspect the room, to make sure it was acceptable. Maybe even to unpack right then and there. But Charlie barely set down his bag before turning back for the door.

“Charlie?”

The boy stopped, his eyebrows going up as he rolled his head in Ward's direction.

“Is the room okay? I want to make sure you're comfortable–”

Charlie flicked his hand like he didn't care, then signed, My Sky! My Sky!

Ward chuckled. “Okay, little mouse,” he murmured. “Let's go.”

They got back to the surgical center, and as soon as they reached the waiting room, Charlie came to a stop, rolling his head and looking around. Just as Ward was about to ask what the boy was thinking, Charlie suddenly charged towards the nearest door.

“Charlie?” Ward called, hurrying after him.

The boy stopped.

“Where are you going, little mouse?”

My Sky , Charlie signed.

“We have to wait out here.” When Charlie scowled, Ward said, “They'll let us know when he's ready.”

Charlie glanced around. Ward could almost see the gears turning in the boy's head. Finally, Charlie gave a conceding chirp and went to sit down.

Ward sat beside him, settling in for what might be a long wait. The surgery was supposed to take anywhere between two and four hours. Ward checked the time. It might still be a while, or it could be over already. Ward glanced at Charlie. When he suggested going to get some food, just in case, the boy replied with a dismissive wave, his gaze focused intently on the door.

Every time it opened, Charlie jumped up and rocked on his feet, only to sag with disappointment and slump back down into the chair.

Ward inwardly cursed. What if something went wrong? What if there were complications? And what if the worst happened? The doctor had assured them that the chances of that were slim, but it was still a possibility. He couldn't lose Skylar. And Charlie would be devastated.

He eyed the boy beside him, then took a slow, deep breath. Ward would have to be strong for Charlie, no matter the outcome. Even if Skylar came through the surgery just fine, there would be his recovery to think about. Charlie might have difficulty adjusting to that.

Finally, after another hour, the door opened, and someone approached them. “Mr. Freeman?”

Ward stood, and Charlie shot to his feet beside him. “Yes?”

“Everything went well. Skylar is being moved to a recovery room. You'll be able to see him shortly.”

Ward sighed heavily with relief. “Thank you,” he gasped. He reached out and rubbed Charlie's back, feeling the boy tremble with tension. As soon as they were alone again, Ward urged Charlie back into the chair, keeping a hand on him. “Almost there, little mouse,” he murmured. “Sky's okay. And I'm so proud of you, being so good for Daddy.”

Charlie's eyebrows went up. He gave a quiet, smiling chirp , then glanced around the otherwise empty room before he closed his eyes, bounced in the chair, and let out a quick series of squeak s before going still and silent again.

“You can let it all out when we get back to the hotel,” Ward promised him. “As much as you want.”

“ Hhng. ” Charlie grinned, then turned serious and focused on the door again.

A short while later, they were allowed in to see Skylar. The boy looked tired but happy, like a weight had been lifted from his little body. A soft smile played on his lips. Ward had never seen anything more beautiful.

But Charlie was tense. It was all Ward could do to convince the boy that it was okay to hold Skylar's hand, since Charlie was afraid to hurt him. Charlie lightly touched Skylar's fingers as he looked all around, scowling at the beeping machines and squinting at the lights overhead.

“I'm okay, Charlie,” Skylar assured him. “Really. I'll be okay. I'm so tired, I think I could sleep through the building collapsing.”

“We should let him rest,” Ward murmured, putting a hand on Charlie's back.

Charlie rolled his head, glancing around, then finally relented. He gave Skylar's hand a gentle squeeze before letting go, and then Ward did the same.

“We'll be back tomorrow,” Ward promised him.

“Okay,” Skylar whispered. He held their gazes as they left the room, an oddly bittersweet smile on his face.

Ward wondered what that was about.

He took Charlie to get lunch, then went back to the hotel. They spent a quiet afternoon, sitting and watching TV. After having dinner, they took turns in the shower and went to bed.

Ward immediately started to drift off, all his exhaustion catching up with him. He was almost asleep when Charlie started fidgeting. Ward turned onto his side and rested a hand on Charlie's back, then closed his eyes.

Charlie turned over, lying still for only a few seconds before he turned over again. He twitched and shifted and kicked his legs, never seeming to get settled, no matter what he did.

Ward groaned and rubbed his eyes. “What do you need, little mouse?”

“ Hhnn .”

Shit . Ward couldn't see him in the dark. “Lights on,” he warned the boy, then reached out for the bedside lamp. Charlie scowled and covered his eyes with both hands, then slowly peeked out between his fingers. “What do you need?” Ward asked again.

Tuck in , Charlie signed.

“Tuck in? Okay.” Ward got up, walked around to the other side of the bed, and tried tucking the sheets in under the mattress.

Charlie scowled. Tuck in me , he signed.

Ward rubbed his eyes. Skylar had told him about this once, but he'd never actually shown him how it was done. But Ward had to do something. He'd promised that he could handle Charlie, not wanting Skylar to have anything else to worry about. Somehow, he had to manage it.

Charlie's scowl turned pleading. Help .

“Okay, sweet boy. Okay.” Ward got back into bed, shut off the lamp, and pulled Charlie back against him, curling around the boy and holding him tight. “Daddy's got you. Now, close your eyes, and concentrate on your breaths. Big, deep breaths. Nice and slow. We need to be rested so we can take care of Sky, don't we?”

Charlie nodded. He went still, then took a slow, deep breath, holding it for a second before he let it back out.

“That's it, little mouse. That's my good boy.”

Charlie gave a happy little squeak .

“You like being Daddy's good boy, don't you?”

Charlie nodded again.

“Good.” Ward pressed a kiss behind Charlie's ear. “Now let's get some sleep, okay?”

Charlie grabbed Ward's arms where they were wrapped around him, then wiggled back against Ward before letting out a little sigh and going still.

Ward smiled with relief and let sleep claim him.