'S Life ✓

intro

"Flight number 1468 from Dublin to London-Heathrow now boarding," The monotonous, robotic voice rings through the airport. Niall, at only thirteen years old, is saying goodbye to everything he's ever known.

"Let's go, Niall. It's time to board," His social worker, Nadine, says. She's a kind woman with dark skin and even darker hair that she keeps pinned up on top of her head pretty much all the time. The first time Niall saw her with her hair down was last night in their hotel room when she was going to sleep. It was back up in a bun by the time she woke him up.

He doesn't say a word as he follows her up to the gate agent, a fat man with the largest smile in his face and a question in his eyes as he looks between the two.

Niall understands why, of course.

He's the palest of pales and he's with a black lady that could very possibly be his mother in a stranger's eyes. He's not surprised the man has questions, because he has no insight.

His name tag reads 'Jonathan'.

"Are you and your son going on vacation?" The man asks, his eyes shifting between the two as he scans their boarding passes.

"Something of the sort," She smiles politely and he hands the passes back over.

"Enjoy yourselves," He smiles back at her, and it's obvious that he has more questions than he does answers, but that he values his job enough to keep his mouth shut.

Niall follows her onto the plane, the two finding their seats quickly as the rest of the passengers fill in the spaces in between.

"Are you ready for this?" Niall just shrugs.

He has not spoken in three weeks.

"I would be nervous if I were you. It's completely understandable if you are," Niall just nods, acknowledging what she said, before turning to look out the window. She sighs.

Niall hears it.

He hates feeling like a disappointment, but he can't bring himself to give her what she wants.

He watches the men and women on the ground, in bright neon coloured vests, as they load luggage onto the aircraft and wave neon sticks around in the air as they direct the planes.

Niall imagines they must be pretty important, what with telling a plane where it can and cannot go. If one of them decides to mess up, they could accidentally send his plane to the wrong place, right?

Maybe back in time three weeks?

He wouldn't mind that. It would most certainly be the right place at that point.

"You know you can tell me anything, right?" Nadine speaks up again, her hand twitching where it rests atop her pant leg right above her knee, "I just want you to know that you can come to me with anything and everything. I'm not here for you because it's my job, Niall. I'm here for you because I care and want the best for you," Niall nods, tentatively reaching over to his right with his left hand, as his other arm is in a white plaster cast inside of a sling over his shoulder.

The stitches across his forehead are out already, but the cut is still there. Not as bad, surely, but it will leave a scar. The one on his cheek is already almost healed, and the one on his chin has healed and left the most invisible scar known to man. Someone would have to be looking at his face with a magnifying glass in order to see it.

He rests his opposite hand on top of her, reaching across his small body in order to do it, and she smiles so lovingly at him. This is the first time he's done something like this.

"You have the sweetest heart inside you. I hope you know that. I want you to be able to let it live freely and without reservation, loving those closest to you. If this is the last time I ever see you, just know that you have already made such an impact on me," She says softly, Niall looking into her rich brown eyes. He nods, patting her hand a little bit, before putting it back on his lap and turning to look out the window once more.

And again he wonders if they could send his plane into the past, back to a time when he didn't need Nadine for anything.

***

Standing in front of her door, Niall doesn't know if he wants to run away or knock already.

"You ready?" Nadine asks once again, their luggage sitting behind them on the driveway.

Niall shakes his head, just like before, and Nadine rests one hand on the top of his back as she reaches forward and knocks on the door with her other.

A distant 'coming!' is heard, and Niall once again can't decide if he wants to run away and hide, stand here and wait, or jump into her arms and cry the moment she's standing in front of him.

Before he has a chance to run, just as he was very seriously considering, the door opens wide and there she stands. She looks him up and down, her eyes lingering on the cuts and the cast, and she knows there must be more bruises and lacerations under his clothes, but he's finally there and she has missed him so much.

"Oh, Niall," Her eyes water as she drops to her knees, one hand partially covering her mouth in shock, "It's been so long," She whispers and Niall steps out of Nadine's hold, jumping into the arms awaiting him.

It's his first real hug in three weeks and it's all so much for him to feel. The steady beating of her heart reminds him of better times as the feeling of her hand on his own, her fingers gently carding through his hair, send him back to when his favourite person in the whole world did that.

"I missed you so much," She whispers into his hair as he finally lets the welling tears fall down his cheeks.

"We should get inside, this isn't something we should do out here," Nadine speaks up, her eyes glancing around them where some of the neighbours are standing either at their windows or out on their lawns, watching.

Renee quickly nods, separating from Niall enough to stand up, but not to the point where they're no longer touching. He quickly laces their fingers together, holding onto her for dear life as they move the reunion indoors.

"All of the paperwork has been completed, Ms. Stewart. Legally, Niall is your ward. You are his guardian now. It's up to you to be there for him - ensure he is safe and healthy and happy," Renee pulls Niall a little closer to her on the sofa, her arm around his waist as she kisses the side of his head, "Do you have any questions for me?"

"I don't think so. I've done the mother thing before, just not the godmother thing," Renee says, Niall staring off into space as he listens. He's not very good at looking at someone when they're speaking casually. In order to process what's being said, he has to be inside his head a little bit more.

"You'll be fine. They wouldn't have picked you if they thought otherwise," Niall knows the 'they' Nadine is referring to, he just doesn't want to think about it, "I suppose I should be off now. I'm going to be in town for a few more days as I settle some things, so if anything comes up and you need me, give me a call. Okay?" She asks as the three stand up, the two women sharing a handshake and a look that holds more words than they'd ever be able to say verbally.

Nadine and Renee have been in contact for weeks as they sort through paperwork and legalities to bring the two together. She's aware of everything - the nightmares, the lack of communication, all the injuries, and what the psychologists all think.

He has seen three of them.

They all had a lot of opinions.

As she goes to leave, Niall steps forward and wraps his skinny little arm around her waist, trapping his broken one in between them. Her body stutters for a moment, surprised by his actions, before she hugs him back, "Call me anytime, Niall. I mean it. I'm here for you and I want updates. I need to know you're okay, yeah?" Niall nods, his cheek scratching at the thick, coarse material of her blazer, before they're separating and Nadine is walking out the door, leaving Renee and Niall alone.

And then it's just the two of them, standing there in the house, wondering just where to begin.