Lost Souls ~ Phan

Chapter Ten

When Dan brought Max back home, the child was angry. He didn't talk to Dan for hours and just sat in his room and played with his toys. Eventually, Dan worked up enough courage to confront his son's disappointed look face to face.

"Maxy, why are you ignoring me?" Dan asked from the doorway. He got no reply. "I promise you'll see dad soon but for now it'll just have to be us. I know it's difficult but that's how it'll be."

"You made me leave and now I didn't get to see Daddy!" Max frowned and crossed his arms. "You got to see him without me."

"I know. I didn't want you to get hurt because he still doesn't remember us." Dan walked over and sat on the carpet beside the five year old. The floor was littered with toy cars and dinosaurs.

Max didn't look at him. "Do you remember when dad was here and he and I would always kiss and hold hands and cuddle and it made you really grossed out but we did it anyway?"

Max nodded.

"When he came over today he didn't even touch me. Not even with one finger. He couldn't even look at me sometimes because to him, he's never met me before."

"He doesn't remember you kissing him?" Max asked. Dan shook his head.

Max looked up at him and Dan sighed and the tears welling in the boy's eyes.

"But tonight is our night." Dan pulled a smile. "We can watch any movie you want and eat whatever you want." Dan told him.

"Can we watch your videos?" Max's eyes lit up in excitement. "You never let me watch them!"

"Alright...I guess." Dan sighed.

"Yes!" Max jumped up and threw his arms around Dan's shoulders in a small hug. "Let's go!" Max ran out of the room.

Dan took a deep breath and plastered on a smile, trying to convince himself that smiling is what he should be doing. Smiling. Max was healthy, reasonably happy considering, and was a great kid. Dan didn't have anything to be so upset about. Phil was still in his life, just not in the same way.

"Come on, daddy!" Max ran in with Dan's laptop in his hands.

"Don't get your sticky fingers on my computer." Dan laughed and took it from him.

The two sat down in the living room with the computer between them and a plate of chicken nuggets for the kid and a plate of left over fajitas for the adult. Max thought they were disgusting.

"Pick a video." Dan instructed once they got to his account.

"No!" Max yelled. "I want your other account."

"I don't have another one with fun videos."

"The one where Daddy always posts videos."

"That's not my account. That's his account." Dan chuckled.

"Then go there." Max ordered, taking a bite of a chicken nugget and kicked his leg excitedly. "Amazing Phil?" Max questioned.

"That's his account name."

"He is amazing!" Max laughed.

"He really is." Dan smiled sadly.

"The first one!" Max pointed to the most recent upload. 'Explanation'. Dan stopped the cursor completely.

Uploaded: 48 minutes ago

"Max, maybe this wasn't a good idea." Dan said as calmly as he could, his voice shaking.

"Click it!" Max shook Dan's arm, pieces of chicken nugget falling onto the keyboard. Dan didn't bother brushing them off.

"If you want me to stop it just tell me, okay?" Dan told his son. Max nodded and pointed to the video again. Dan took a deep breath and clicked it.