Chapter 10

Sebastian

I could walk just fine.Damien and Newt didn't need to hover around me like fruit flies looking for their next snack.

So what if I tripped twice walking from the car into my apartment. I was still getting used to the crutches that the hospital had saddled me with. Surely a learning curve was to be expected.

"Bas, slow down," Damien scolded me when my crutches accidentally banged against the front door.

Why had I chosen to live in an apartment above our office in a building with no elevator?

The stairs hadn't seemed like a big deal when we'd purchased the place, but now they were proving to be a real hindrance.

Damien tried to grab me under the arm to support me, but I knocked my other crutch against his shin.

"I'm fine."

With an exasperated sigh, Damien looked toward Newt while gesturing at me. "Reason with him. Maybe he'll listen to you."

Their shared concern for me had created an instant camaraderie between my brother and Newt. I would have been glad to see them getting along if they weren't using it to gang up on me.

Newt's shorter height allowed him to slip under my arm and drape it over his shoulder. "Come on. Let's get you inside so you can sit down. You've already been walking too long."

I didn't dare fend him off the same way I did with my brother. Damien and I sparred regularly, so I knew he could take a hit. Newt, on the other hand, likely bruised easily and I'd feel terrible if he got injured just from trying to help me.

Giving in, I let them guide me through the door.

Newt paused for a moment at the sight of my apartment. It wasn't a typical set up. Most of the lounging space had been dedicated to workout equipment and a sparring mat. A single couch, chair, and television had been squished into what was supposed to be the dining area. However, Newt didn't say anything about the unique decor choices, and helped me navigate to the couch without tripping over the dumbbells lying on the floor.

When I finally sat down, I refused to sigh in relief. My brother and Newt would only use it as evidence that they were right, and I needed to take things easier.

As my pain meds wore off, everything hurt a lot more than before. The result of my car "accident" left me with a wide variety of injuries. The stitches holding together the cut on my forehead itched like crazy and my bruised ribs hurt if I inhaled too deeply.

My right leg, however, was the worst. Multiple bones were broken, and even my femur was cracked, which the doctors informed me was a difficult bone to injure. Not to mention the deep tissue damage from where the car's metal had cut into my leg.

All in all, my right leg was going to take a while to heal. Even I could tell that much, but that didn't mean Damien and Newt needed to treat me like an invalid. Thanks to the aid of a cast and crutches, I could still stand on my own.

"I'm fine," I tried to insist when Newt propped my injured leg up on a stool with a pillow underneath.

He looked down at me from where he stood, hands on hips and a square set to his shoulders. "You are not fine, Sebastian Roth. The doctors almost operated on your leg to pin the bone in place. The only reason they didn't is because the tibia and fibula broke cleanly, and the crack in your femur was deemed minor enough to heal on its own. But that could change if you keep moving around and exacerbate it. You're already looking at a long recovery time. If they do end up having to operate on it, then it'll be even longer."

Perhaps it was inappropriate for the situation, but watching Newt take control of the situation was kind of hot. My babbling little chipmunk became an indomitable mama bear when it came to other people's well being.

Heaving a deep sigh just to make my displeasure known, I relaxed back against the couch. "Fine. Do what you want."

Once he got his way, Newt immediately returned to his typical self and began fluffing the pillows around me.

Sitting in the chair across from the couch, Damien raised an eyebrow. He didn't say anything, but he didn't need to. I knew him well enough to interpret his slightest facial expression.

That eyebrow was both asking how the fuck Newt knew my real name, and making fun of me for giving in so quickly.

I glared at him. "Shut up."

He shrugged. "I didn't say anything. I'm just glad to see you taking care of yourself."

The levity was appreciated, but it didn't last long. Damien's teasing expression melted away and was replaced with a serious scowl.

"All right, Sebastian, you need to talk to me." Damien put a slight sarcastic emphasis on my name, pushing the point even more.

I shrugged in response. I refused to explain why I felt the need to be honest with Newt about that. Damien of all people should understand, seeing as how he'd recently found the men of his dreams and he hadn't lied to them about his name at all. It was a thing. Honesty. I didn't want to start my possible relationship with the copper-haired cutie with a pack of lies. So be it.

"Brother, I waited while you were in the hospital, but now you need to tell me what the fuck is going on. You weren't out with Newt the night you were attacked. So where were you and why the fuck did you lie to me about it?"

I knew that question was coming. Yet, once the words were put into the air, I didn't know what to say. My gaze instinctively drifted toward Newt, who sat at my side.

He stood from the couch. "I can step out if you need some privacy. This has to do with your PI cases, right?"

Before he could leave, I tugged his arm to guide him back to my side. "Technically, it's not an official case since I volunteered and didn't accept any money. But first, I want to apologize for using you in my lie. That wasn't fair. I just couldn't think of anything else that Damien would believe."

Newt's fingers interlaced with mine. "I forgive you, but only if you tell your brother the truth now." He gave me a face that I assumed was supposed to look like a scowl, but it looked rather adorable instead.

"All right." I sighed.

Keeping our fingers locked together, I ran my free hand through my hair and flinched when it snagged. I really needed a shower after spending several days in the hospital. "I'll explain. Damien, could you get a file from my bedroom? It's in the bottom drawer of the nightstand by the window."

My brother smirked. "You mean the one where you keep your porn magazines?"

Since I was currently lying on all the pillows, I couldn't throw one at him, so I made do with flipping him my middle finger.

He laughed then stood to do as I asked.

I grumbled under my breath, pretending to be annoyed when really, I was relieved. If Damien was still willing to tease me, then he wasn't too mad. I would hate for this incident to ruin my relationship with my brother.

Newt was staring at me. I could feel the weight of his gaze running over my skin.

I looked over to find him giving me a perplexing look.

"What?"

His eyebrow raised in a chilling imitation of my brother. "Porn magazines? Really?"

Internally, I cursed my brother with every creative insult I knew. Although he was in another room, I swore I could hear him laughing.

"I use them to hide things. It discourages people from snooping when they open a drawer and that's the first thing they see."

Newt had come to pick me up from the hospital right after his paramedic shift, so he was still wearing his uniform. The navy-blue shirt and high-vis jacket created an odd clash of colors but couldn't detract from his delighted smile.

"Oh, no, I don't care about your masturbation material. But, magazines? Really? When the Internet exists? How old school are you?"

I would have normally responded to his teasing with a clever comeback of my own, but I was too tired. So, I pinched his side instead.

"Brat. I thought you were mad."

Newt squirmed and swatted at my hand. "What would I be mad about? That you have a sex drive? I certainly hope so."

Although he tried to be subtle, there was no missing the way his eyes flicked up and down my body. I knew I didn't present a very impressive sight at that moment, bruised and broken, and severely in need of a shower. I was anything but sexy.

Still, if Newt could find me desirable even like this, then I probably didn't have to worry about our bedroom compatibility.

Now, if only I could capitalize on that. We hadn't slept together yet, but I'd been hoping our next date would provide an opportunity. That plan went out the window the moment my car went off the road.

Before I could voice any of that, Damien returned with the file. Plans for my future sex life would have to wait as I once again focused on business.

I spread out the contents of the file over the floor since there was no table near the couch. It mostly consisted of birth certificates and a few pictures. Not nearly as much information as I wish I had.

"I keep an eye on certain Internet forums where people ask for help, just in case there's anything interesting. A woman is looking for her daughter, so I reached out to her."

I pulled out a record of our private messages to prove I was telling the truth and handed it to Damien.

"Her name is Layla Thomas. She was seventeen when she got pregnant and decided to give the baby up for adoption. A few years later, she wanted to check up on the girl and see how she was doing. It was a closed adoption, so she had no way of finding the kid, and every appeal she made to the courts was ignored, so she hired a private investigator. The person she hired discovered that there was no record of the adoption. In fact, there was no record of her daughter ever being born."

This time, I handed Damien the largest stack of papers in the file containing birth records of every child born in the state of Louisiana on the correct date. Layla Thomas and her daughter were nowhere to be found on that list.

"After discovering that, the investigator suddenly dropped her case with no explanation, and she couldn't get anyone else to take the case, either. I had a feeling something was going on, so I volunteered to look into it."

Damien sighed as he leafed through the pages. "Of course you did. There are kids involved. So, what have you found so far?"

I shifted in my seat and flinched when the movement jostled my leg. "At least a dozen similar cases of children put up for adoption who just disappeared from the system. So far, I've only been focusing on Louisiana, but for all I know this could be happening all across the country."

The paper slapped against the floorboards when Damien threw them down. "Why didn't you take this info to the authorities, or Mason, or at least come to me?"

"Because I didn't have any solid proof. It would be easy to write this off as a clinical error and forge a few documents to cover it up. I needed something more substantial. The night I was attacked, I went to meet the administrator for a hospital where multiple children had disappeared. They claimed to have information for me, and that was the only time they could meet. But they never showed up. After everything, all I've got is a few missing records."

I could practically see the wheels turning in Damien's head as he studied the contents of the file. We'd worked together for so long that I was certain he saw what I saw.

"If kids are going missing on this large of a scale, then it must be an organized group." He sorted through the pages again, slower this time. "There aren't a lot of reasons to kidnap this many kids except..."

He trailed off, obviously uncomfortable, so I finished the thought for him.

"Except for sex trafficking."

Damien nodded, one hand stroking over his beard. "But the real question is, why attack you now? The meeting with the administrator was obviously a trap to lure you out, but why? Killing someone is a drastic measure. You must have gotten closer to the truth than you realized, and it scared them."

He scooped up the papers and stuffed them back in the file. "I'm going to go over this and see what I can uncover. Then I'm going to send a copy over to Mason. Some of the FPA's contacts might have more information. Is this everything you have?"

"You've got three months of work in your hands. There's also a jump-drive taped to the inside of the file. That holds a digitized record of everything I've uncovered so far."

"All right. Perfect. That saves me transcribing it all for Mason." He tucked the file under his arm then pointed a finger at me. "You should not have been working on this alone, Brother. You know that."

I ducked my head, knowing he was right. I just hadn't wanted to go to anyone with it until I knew I was right.

Damien carded his fingers through his hair and sighed. "I'll be downstairs in the office getting started with this. From now on, the only thing you're doing is recovering. Newt, make sure he stays here and actually rests."

Newt saluted like a soldier accepting marching orders. "Yes, sir!"

I sighed. With the two of them working together, I'd never get away with anything ever again.

After giving me one last pointed look, Damien headed for the office.

The door to the apartment closed behind him, leaving Newt and I alone. I leaned my head back against the couch, letting the exhaustion of the last few days pull my eyelids closed. Beside me, I felt Newt get up, but I didn't bother to look at what he was doing. Everything confidential concerning our cases was kept in the office downstairs, so he couldn't get into any trouble.

A few minutes later, Newt tapped me on the shoulder and held out a mug in front of my face. Just from the aroma, I could tell it was filled with my favorite tea. I took the mug, wrapping my fingers around its warmth.

"Thanks. How'd you know Oolong was my favorite?"

Newt rocked back on his heels with his hands clasped behind his back. "There were only two kinds of tea in your kitchen. I noticed Damien drinking Earl Gray in the hospital cafeteria, so I figured the Oolong had to be yours."

There wasn't enough sugar, but I drank the tea eagerly. Everything at the hospital tasted the same. I asked for coffee once and the drink I got was somehow burnt and under-brewed at the same time.

Once I had my tea, Newt headed for the door. At first, I thought he was leaving, but instead he just hung his high-vis jacket on the coat rack.

"You don't have to stick around," I said when I realized he had no intention of leaving any time soon. "I'll be fine."

Newt sat beside me again, looking at something on his phone. "I'm not going anywhere. You can barely walk right now. There's nothing wrong with needing help when you're injured. I don't mind... oh."

I set aside my empty mug, placing it on the floor since there was no table in the small space. "Oh?"

In an odd show of annoyance, Newt glared at the mug as if it had insulted his family lineage. "Oolong has caffeine."

"All right. And..."

"Caffeine hinders bone growth. You shouldn't have that."

"I'm sure one time won't hurt." I ran my hand through my hair and scowled at the oily texture. "Besides, I'm going to need the energy to take a shower."

Newt jumped up so quickly, one would think the couch had burned him. "No, you can't do that. You can't get your cast wet."

"Well, I'm not staying like this." I gestured at my disheveled state. "I feel gross."

For a moment, Newt looked like he was going to argue but then a thoughtful look came over his face.

"Let me take a look at your bathroom."

He disappeared, and I could hear him moving around in the other room muttering to himself. Then, a few moments later, he returned with a grin and a trash bag.

"All right. Here's what we'll do. Luckily, you have a bathtub. You can take a bath, so long as we prop your leg up out of the water and wrap the cast in this bag."

It wasn't ideal, but I would take what I could get so long as I was clean by the end of it.

Moving me from the couch to the bathroom turned out to be a trial worthy of Hercules. When I furnished the apartment, I'd been more concerned with getting everything I needed in one apartment, and less concerned with walking space. Mobility had never been an issue.

By the time I was sitting on the closed toilet lid next to the tub, I was already out of breath.

Newt made sure to lean my crutches against the wall within grabbing distance. "I'll get the water ready. You get undressed."

My breath immediately returned when Newt bent over the tub to inspect the faucet handles, and I was treated to a great view of his ass. I lingered for a moment, enjoying the sight, but turned my attention to the task of undressing before I could get too excited.

I was really liking this bossy side of him.

Removing my shirt and shoes was no problem, but my pants proved a bit more difficult. I needed to stand to get them off, but in order to stand, I needed to hold onto my crutch. The only option would be to balance solely on my good leg without the crutch so my hands would be free, but that seemed like a recipe for disaster.

When Newt glanced back over and saw me sitting there still half-clothed, he immediately guessed the problem.

"Stand up. I'll do it."

Taking hold of my crutch, I hoisted myself back onto my feet. "I get it. This whole thing is just a ploy to see me naked." I flashed him a grin.

With surprisingly deft fingers, Newt undid my pants. They fell to the floor along with my boxers, leaving my body on full display. I wasn't normally self-conscious. I worked out a lot and it showed. However, no amount of muscle could compensate for the battered state the car crash had left me in. Large dark bruises marred my skin, and angry wounds were stitched together with black thread.

I expected Newt to pull back. Surely, even a nurse would find such a sight ugly. Yet surprisingly, his blue eyes sparkled with heat when he looked up at me through long lashes.

"It's been a hard week. I deserve to get something fun out of all this."

Yes, I was definitely liking this bossy side of Newt, and despite my injuries, my cock twitched with interest.

However, Newt seemed to have reached the end of his confidence. He looked away, blushing deeply, as if even he couldn't believe what he'd just said.

"Let's, um... let's get you in the tub."

I gripped the edge of the tub, preparing for the struggle of climbing in, when an idea occurred to me. Smirking, I looked over my shoulder at Newt.

"You know, trying to take a bath with my leg propped up on the edge is going to be difficult. It would be easier if you joined me."

Just in case my intention wasn't clear, I let my gaze drag up and down Newt's body. The other man wasn't the only one who deserved a reward after such a disastrous week.

Newt's hands clutched the front of his shirt and his blush burned so brightly I feared his face would catch fire.

"You mean, get in the bath with you?"

Rather than reply with words, I merely raised an eyebrow and nodded at the tub.

Steam gathered in the bathroom as Newt considered what to do, biting his lip as if chewing his thoughts. Then, nodding to himself, he quickly pulled off his shirt and let it fall to the floor.

Just as I'd imagined, his blush did travel over his chest. It turned his pale skin a rosy pink all the way from his collarbone to his nipples. To my even greater delight, more freckles decorated his shoulders just like they did his cheeks. I wanted to count them with my lips, kissing each one until I'd cataloged every spot.

Newt stood in the middle of the bathroom with his arms wrapped around his stomach. He was obviously self-conscious, and that couldn't be allowed to continue.

I pulled him into my arms, keeping one hand braced against the wall to avoid leaning all my weight on him, and buried my face in his hair.

"Almost makes crashing off a bridge worth it if this is my reward."

One of Newt's hands slapped against my chest, barely making contact, before he wrapped both arms around my waist. "Don't joke about that."

I slid my hand down his back, inching it toward the waistband of his pants.

"Fine. No jokes. We can just focus on this instead."

At the word "this" I slipped my hand inside his pants and squeezed his ass.

Newt squealed and jumped, nearly knocking us both over.

I grabbed onto the sink for balance and luckily managed to stay upright.

"Are you trying to give me a heart attack," he yelled, slapping me again. This time he almost hit me for real.

Unconcerned, I tugged at the front of his pants. "No, I'm trying to get you naked. You got to see all of me. It's only polite to return the favor."

His arms crossed over his chest, hiding his cute pink nipples from my sight. "You're ridiculous."

I tugged at his pants again. "I'm also insistent. Come on."

With a sigh and a roll of his eyes, Newt gave in and removed his pants. We finally stood together in the bathroom's limited space, bare of all obstacles between us.

This time Newt's blush traveled even farther than his chest, reaching all the way down to his stomach. The muscles just above his navel quivered.

I wanted to bite them.

I sighed. Another time.

Right now, I wouldn't be able to bend down that far.

Instead, I took his face in my hands and looked directly into those beautiful blue eyes. "Perfect."

Then I pressed my lips to his, and Newt responded with equal fervor. He opened his lips, so our mouths slotted together as close as possible and his tongue pushed against mine, inviting me to come play.

Unfortunately, my one-legged balance didn't allow us to stay this way for long. After only a minute, I was ready to fall over, so we had to part.

With Newt's help, I wrapped my cast in a trash bag and lowered myself into the tub. Once I was settled, Newt joined me. He sat behind me, supporting my body so that I could lie back without letting my leg slip into the water. Our size difference made for a comical sight. He could barely see over my shoulder, but we managed to get comfortable.

Closing my eyes, I listened to Newt humming under his breath as he ran a washcloth over my skin and rubbed shampoo into my hair. I couldn't decide what felt better, the other man's hands on my skin, or the relief of finally getting clean.

The pleasant sensation came to an abrupt halt as Newt's hands suddenly froze on my belly. He'd been steadily making his way down my body but seemed to realize he was about to cross a line.

"Do you want to do the rest yourself?"

His hand stayed in place, lingering just above my navel as he waited for my answer.

Finding the right words was never my strongest talent, especially in unusual situations. I had plenty of experience with sex, but intimacy not so much.

Rather than risk saying the wrong thing and disrupting the atmosphere we'd created, I responded by grabbing his hand and sliding it farther down.

This was apparently exactly the green light he was looking for because he didn't hesitate again. His hand dipped between my legs, teasing the flesh there before finally grasping my half-hard arousal.

I gasped and writhed, letting out a soft moan as he started to stroke me, but his other hand pressed against my chest to keep me leaning back against him.

"Relax," he whispered in my ear. "I've got you."

It was the sweetest, most tender hand-job I'd ever received. The hot water of the bath kept my muscles loose as Newt slowly guided me toward a much-anticipated orgasm. Little by little, with each movement of his hand, pleasure twisted in my stomach. Yet, the sensation never turned sharp or explosive as it usually did for me. Instead, when I tipped over the edge of my climax, it felt more like the relief of a knotted muscle finally releasing.

Even after it ended, I continued to float in the water as Newt finished cleaning me up. My bones, both the healthy ones and the broken ones, felt like they had been replaced with Jello. The good news was that nothing hurt anymore. The bad news was that I wouldn't be able to move any time soon.

"Just leave me here," I said when Newt stood up and tried to coax me out of the tub. "I can sleep here until everything is healed."

Hooking his hands under my arms, Newt forced me to stand up. "Come on. You'll be much more comfortable in a proper bed."

He was surprisingly strong for his size, and supported the majority of my weight as I climbed out of the tub and wrapped myself in a bathrobe. It was probably a result of his jobs since both nurses and paramedics needed to physically assist patients.

Lucky for me, because even with the aid of a crutch, I could barely walk straight as I made my way to my bedroom.

It wasn't much. There was just enough space for a bed, table, and a television, but it served my needs just fine. I was even glad for the small space when Newt was forced to sit on the bed beside me. He'd stolen one of my T-shirts since his own clothes had ended up wet on the bathroom floor. The shirt was large enough to fall to mid-thigh on him, but rode up when he leaned against me, showing off most of his legs.

"Feeling better?"

Before I could speak, my stomach answered for me and let out a loud grumble. The hospital food wasn't particularly appetizing, so I hadn't eaten much over the last few days.

Embarrassment made my ears feel hot, but Newt just laughed and patted my arm.

"I'll make you some food. It's time for you to take your pain meds anyway."

Before heading to the kitchen, he first made sure my leg was supported on all sides by pillows and that I was sitting comfortably with my back against the headboard.

I couldn't remember the last time I'd been pampered in such a way. When I was a kid, my parents had taken care of me whenever I was sick or injured, but it had been so long since they died that remembering them now felt like watching someone else's life.

Since their death, Damien and I had done our best to take care of each other, but for so many years our goal was to simply stay alive. Comfort hadn't been a priority.

While Newt was in the kitchen, I dozed off, drifting through a mix of scrambled memories. I awoke to the feeling of a hand on my shoulder, with the sound of a gunshot echoing in my ears and the scent of blood in my nose.

"Whoa," Newt gasped when I instinctively knocked his hand away. "Sorry. Didn't mean to startle you. Here. You need to eat something."

I stared blankly at the bowl of soup he handed me. Old memories faded behind my eyes, and I focused on the present.

There was no blood. No mafia goons with guns. Everyone was safe.

I sucked in a deep breath and took the bowl of soup, thanking Newt for his effort, but I regretted it the moment I took the first sip and nearly choked.

"Ugh. What is this? It's worse than hospital food."

Newt sat back down at my side and absently adjusted a few of the pillows. "Sorry. It was the only thing I could find in your kitchen without sodium. Too much salt isn't good for you when you're healing. I'll stop at the store tomorrow and get you some better options."

"Don't worry about it. Just give Damien a list and he'll go get it." I stared down at the unappealing liquid filling my bowl. "So, is this what the next few weeks of my life are going to be like? Nothing but health food?"

When I continued to hold a staring contest with my meal rather than eating it, Newt nudged the bowl closer. "Until you're better, yes. Now, eat up. You need to take your pills."

Forgoing the spoon altogether, I brought the bowl to my lips and chugged the soup all at once. Luckily, it was a very thin broth so I didn't choke. After it was gone, I immediately downed a glass of water along with my prescribed meds, but the aftertaste lingered on my tongue.

"Come here." I tugged Newt closer. "I need something to wash the taste out."

"I can get you more water."

"No. I have a better idea."

Before he could protest, I yanked my shirt off of him, then slid down the bed until I was lying flat on my back.

Newt wrapped his arms around his legs, hiding his suddenly naked body as he looked at me in confusion. "What are you doing?"

"Getting comfortable. Now come here. You've been doing so much to take care of me, I should reward you."

He still seemed confused, but followed my directions as I guided him to kneel over my head.

"Are you sure about this?" His fingers gripped tightly to the headboard, and he looked down at me with wide eyes.

I grinned. "Absolutely."

Taking hold of his hips, I positioned him so I could easily take his cock into my mouth without having to strain my neck.

The headboard rattled above me as Newt gripped it tighter. "Oh, you're... Okay, we're doing this." He sucked in a deep breath and let out a hiss as I enveloped the head of his dick in my mouth, groaning as the taste of him graced my tongue and exploded in my mouth from the pearl of pre-cum on his slit

Laughing to myself, I hummed my appreciation around the flesh in my mouth before swallowing his shaft deeper. Newt whined and tried to buck his hips, but I held on tight. This time, we were going at my pace.

I kept it slow, teasing him with my lips and tongue as I drew him in and out of my mouth. Although I couldn't see Newt's expression, I could tell he was losing his mind from the way he kept babbling.

"Oh, please. More. No... I don't. Yes. Like that."

He never cursed like many people did during sex. Not even when his legs began to shake, and I could tell he was hanging on by a thread. He begged and pleaded with broken sentences, but not a single swear word slipped from his lips.

I kept it up as long as I could, bringing him right to the brink of orgasm before backing off, until his begging changed into kitten-like mewls. His thighs shook on either side of my head, and his hips twitched in sporadic little thrusts that didn't go anywhere.

To put it simply, he was desperate.

It was just what I wanted.

Taking a deep breath, I swallowed him all the way to the root. He was just large enough to strain the muscles of my throat without choking me, and I let my tongue run over the sensitive underside of his cock.

He moaned long and low when he erupted down my throat, practically collapsing against the headboard. I swallowed everything he had to give me, and even lapped up any drops that escaped me initially.

It was certainly a better meal than the soup had been.

As soon as he could move, Newt crawled off me and flopped over in a pile of tangled limbs.

"That was..." He trailed off, too busy panting to bother with words. His face was flushed an even brighter red than his hair and sweat beaded along his forehead.

It was too bad I didn't have a camera. I would have loved to take a picture of Newt's satisfied expression at that moment.

I pulled the younger man closer, dragging him across the mattress when he couldn't coordinate enough to move on his own, and tucked him against my side. Throwing a blanket over both of us, I decided a nap was in order. It had been a long week, and we were both physically and emotionally exhausted.

There were plenty of things we needed to worry about, but they could wait. As I drifted off to sleep, the only thought in my mind was the idea of watching a movie with Newt later. Unlike when I watched anything with Damien, neither of us would have to give in to the other's demands, because we both had the same preferences in entertainment.

So long as Newt didn't want to watch The Little Mermaid, then we'd be fine.