Press Release

42: Durable Press

When Titus first wakes up crying, Xavier thinks to himself, This will be a cinch. He probably just needs a glass of water or something.

But when he walks into the bedroom, not turning on the light, but leaving the door wide open to let light in (he's not an idiot), Titus cries louder.

"Titus.....want.....mama....." his little body pushes out the words between his sobs, and Xavier tries to calm him down.

"Titus, buddy! It's me. Xavier. Your friend. Remember?"

"TITUS....WANT....MAMA!!!!" the boy yells a little louder.

"Mama had to go out for a few minutes. Do you want some juice?"

"NO!" Titus screams as he continues crying.

Xavier is getting a bit worried. Maybe the boy really does want something to drink. Rushing back into the kitchen, X finds a sippy cup in the cupboard. Filling it with apple juice he discovers in the refrigerator, Xavier screws on the lid tightly, carrying it back to Titus.

Holding out the juice, Xavier is astonished when Titus knocks the cup out of his hand, sending it flying across the room as he screams louder. "WANT MAMA!"

Scratching his head as he picks up the sippy cup, relieved that the top held, Xavier tries to figure out what else the child could want.

"Need to go potty, little man?"

"NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!" comes the giant scream, followed by hiccuping as the boy tries to catch his breath, his tears running down his cheeks as he sits up in bed.

At a loss, Xavier worries that the neighbors will call the police. He'll get arrested for sure, and then his mug shot will be in the papers, and no one will hire him after he's charged with torturing children. Ugh. What can he do? He contemplates his options as Titus continues sobbing and crying and kicking at the covers.

==============

As Meg leaves, Minnie steps closer to me, wrapping her arms around my waist and leaning her head on my chest, her cheek nestled so close that she can probably hear my heartbeat. Instantly, my arms come around her, holding her tightly, rocking her body side to side as I rest my chin on top of her head. The weight of her body resting against mine is comforting, and I hope that she can feel the safety I offer seeping into her body, as that is my intention.

"I fed Daisy and took her outside," I murmur into her head. She's no longer crying, and I consider that a good sign. She still appears to be really fragile. I've called Jeffrey as well, asking him if he can do some behind the scenes digging to get a status on Charles. The condition of her former client is still weighing heavily on her, and I know she won't sleep tonight until she has more information.

Daisy apparently hates it when we hug. Her jealousy would be cute if it weren't also annoying. Jumping on us, she whimpers and whines until my girl pats her head and tells her "Hush, Daisy," causing the dog to lie on the floor near us, keeping her eyes on me the whole time as though she's afraid I'm going to steal her girl. After all, everybody wants to steal her girl. Everybody wants to take her heart.....okay. Never mind. Too flippant for the mood tonight. Still, I can't help it that the lyrics run through my head.

Pressing a kiss to Minnie's forehead, I ask, "Are you hungry? I can cook us something or we can order in. Whatever you want."

She nods against my chest, "I'm a little hungry. Can you make something simple? A salad or an omelet or something?"

Standing up straight, I put my arms on her upper arms, putting her away from me so that I can look in her eyes. "Can I make something simple? Do you know who you're asking? I'm the KING of simple!" I inform her, and the twinkle she gives me makes the effort of joking around while my heart weighs heavy on her behalf worth it.