Richard isn't sure why he is awake. He blinks up at the darkened ceiling, listening to the sound of Evelyn's soft breathing. She's curled up by his side, her hand gripping the front of Richard's nightshirt.
He smiles, pressing a kiss against her forehead before gently untangling her fingers from his shirt.
As quietly as he can, he slips out of the room and heads down the hall. Walking has become a bit difficult since his injury, and each step is uncertain.
"Blast this leg," he grumbles, using the wall as support.
The door to the room is open, and light from the lamp spills out into the hallway. He peers in, only to find two pairs of eyes staring back.
One set belongs to Will, the sweet and playful guard dog. The second belongs to Leon.
"What are you doing awake?" he whispers, smiling.
Leon gurgles, beginning to fuss.
"No, no, please don't wake your mother... She's exhausted... Shhh..."
He lifts his son into his arms, holding him close. Leon is unusually attentive for his age, and looks directly into his father's eyes. He ceases his distressed whimpers.
Richard finds his son's eyes interesting- they're blue, like his mother's, but hidden in the ocean-color is a hint of grey. The grey is a painful reminder of Ezra.
"You and your uncle would certainly get along well," he says, smoothing out Leon's dark hair. "You both look me in the eye and make me feel terribly self-conscious."
Leon only looks up at his father. Richard is reminded of the day he first held his son. He still denies his initial reaction, but Evelyn insists that he had cried more than she had. What can he say? This is his son. His little baby boy.
Leon yawns, his eyelids beginning to droop. Half-heartedly, he reaches up to grab at his father's chin. His fingers are little and chubby, and his hand is adorably tiny.
As Leon starts to fall asleep, Richard places him back down in his crib. He watches his son for a minute or so before moving to return to his own room. Will lays down by the crib, resting his head in his paws.
"Thank you for looking after him," Richard says. Will's tail wags.
Evelyn is still sound asleep when he limps in, and when the bed creaks under his weight, she only moves to grasp his shirt again, her lips twitching up in a smile.
"I love you."
YOU ARE READING
Little Blue Strings
General Fiction**COMPLETED** This is the story of Life, Death, a lonely human, and all those other names and faces that linger or are forgotten by time. It is a story of the violent and chaotic world, and the places in which, every now and then, everything is stil...
