Family of two

24 - Error in judgement

Thanks to all of you who encourage my writing by reading this story and special thanks to oasara-chan and nadiafarjana for encouraging me even more.

_______________________________________________

Eric looked at his watch: It has gotten really late. After finishing the fear simulations he had informed his fellow leaders about the council meeting in the morning which hadn't fazed Max, as expected, but Tori and Henry had frowned wondering about Marcus intention, while Sean had been clearly incensed though he had had to hold back, since only the two of them knew the truth behind it.

High time to go and fetch Teddy. Still a little wound up about the incident during their lunch break Eric arrived at the daycare which apparently was already preparing to close down since he could see them cleaning up and putting everything away and his little guy was collecting what looked like left overs of modeling clay. But as soon as Teddy noticed someone was coming and Eric watched as a beaming smile formed at his face once he recognized him.

"Eric!" Little legs beat the ground running towards him and then arms were reached up – a silent command to be lifted up. A command Eric followed gladly. After a short snuggle Teddy told him earnestly:

"I help cleaning up." Already wiggling to be put down. As soon as Teddy had reached the ground Eric could see him hurrying to complete his task. Then after a quick goodbye to everyone Teddy once again ran up to him now clutching a big red ball of modeling clay in his hands that had feathers stuck in it in every angel.

"Are you allowed to take that home, Teddy?" Eric asked sternly.

"Yes!" was the proud reply, while Tara nodded in confirmation.

When they arrived at the flat Teddy carefully put his clay on the table in the living room while Eric plopped down on the couch. He saw Teddy hurrying to the bathroom shouting:

"Wait! I just gotto pee!"

'Wait? What for?' Eric wondered picking up the modeling clay. Perhaps he should get some for Teddy if he liked it that much that he talked Tara into giving him some. Though he was at loss about all the feathers. Absentmindedly he picked one out.

The door to the bathroom slammed as Teddy came running back. "You like it?" He shouted excited before he even reached the table.

'Uh?' Eric looked at his son, not knowing what he was referring to. Then he saw the smile dropping to hurt.

"Why you do that?" Teddy exclaimed.

Confused about the sudden mood switch Erich asked: "Do what?"

"You took the feathers out of my bird!"

With dawning comprehension Eric looked at the small pile of feathers at the table he had picked out of his sons bird sculpture.

'Shit!'

With a wavering voice Teddy accused him: "You don't like my present! You destroyed it!" before he ran subbing into his room.

'Fuck!' Eric cursed inwardly and hurried after him. "Teddy I'm sorry!"

"Go away!"

Eric could hear his son crying. Knowing that he caused this made him angry and disappointed with himself. Somehow he had to fix this!

"I'm so sorry Teddy. I would never just destroy anything you created."

He got no reply. At least Teddy hadn't tried to send him away again.

"I love everything you create Teddy. All your pictures you gave to me are on the walls of our living room and my bedroom."

Eric could hear shuffling feet nearing the door before Teddy came out still sniffing.

"Why you do it?"

He couldn't tell Teddy that his art was unrecognizable as such without a forewarning to someone like him, who was ill suited to deal with kids.

"I'm really bad with sculptures Teddy," was all he was able to come up with. "Where I grew up, we had no chance to make them." It was true, Erudite frowned upon art. They had only been able to draw with crayons, since they believed it would help them later on to write. "So I'm not good at recognizing them."

Teddy looked at him, still with red rimmed eyes that made Eric cringe and asked hiccupping. "What's a sulpta?

"A sculpture is when you not only draw a picture on something but try to form something, like you did with the bird."

"You never did one?"

"Never."

Teddy gave him a long contemplating look, before he nodded very seriously: "I forgive you." Eric pulled him into a hug, relieve flooding trough him. "Thank you, Teddy."

Teddy returned the hug and then declared with determination: "I teach you! Come on!"

Carefully he picked up his bird and began to stick the feather back in while explaining every one of them to Eric.

"A bird needs many feathers so it will not freeze and then we have to put the long ones on this side and on this side and in the back. You know, for the wings and the tail."

"Good job, Teddy." Eric praised him, now recognizing what Teddy had been trying to express with all the feathers that at looked carelessly stuck in to him earlier.

"I worked all day. I wanted to surprise you and then I almost told you. And I got sad, because. And then you asked me why and I couldn't tell you why."

Finally Eric began to understand what had happed during their meal time and he felt all the more bad for what happened, though he was relieved it hadn't been anything serious that Teddy had been worked up over. All because he had almost spoiled his own surprise. Mia had been right when she told him it must be something different than Teddy not trusting him. And here he was, almost destroying some of his little guys trust with some stupid careless act. He had to be more attentive to avoid a repeat of this evening's crisis. Since Teddy had opened up to him, Eric thought it would be good to do the same and told him:

"You had me worried, Teddy, when you wouldn't tell. Though, now I understand."

"Sorry."

"It's alright. You told me now." Eric quickly reassured him, not wanting to make Teddy feel guilty when he himself had screwed up so much more earlier. Best to change the topic: "Soooo, how about we finish this evening and I read you a story?"

"I like that!" Teddy beamed happily as expected.

When Mia arrived later she found Teddy in his pink pajama snuggled up to Eric on the sofa who had laid one arm around him holding the book with the other hand. Once again the pairs was together engrossed in the adventures of Teddy's beloved little dragon. An oddly red thingy with feather sticking out at odd angles was standing proudly on the book shelf above them. She would have to ask Eric about that later.