Puzzles and Pieces ✔

Chapter 8

Chapter 8

I woke up late at night to see Kyle standing in the kitchen, getting a glass of milk. The kid looked upset since he was pouting. I placed a hand on his shoulder and his body tensed before he whipped his head around to see me. He relaxed slightly when he realized it was me, but I could feel his shoulder still tense. I noticed his plush elephant was tucked underneath his arm as he stumbled around the kitchen.

"Having trouble sleeping?"

"Yeah. Just getting some milk to help..." He stared at the ground as he rolled his toes under his foot.

"Is something bothering you?"

"No."

"I heard you walking around for awhile. Being restless isn't something you do often."

Kyle sighed. "Just a bad dream."

"What was it about?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Are you sure? You know I'm here when you need me."

He squeezed the elephant tighter. "Yes."

My lips curved down slightly. "Alright, if you need me you know where to find me." He gave a slight nod before I patted his head. "Night, son."

I slowly walked away to my room. Unsure on whether I should turn back and comfort him some more or trust his word, I found myself awkwardly standing by the door to my bedroom. Was I doing the right thing or was I making a mistake?

Hopefully, it wasn't something to worry about.

The next morning went by in a blur, not the fast paced, chaos, type of blur. It was just normal. No different from any other day. I made breakfast and lunch, dropped Kyle off at school, and worked as per usual. If someone were to ask me to differentiate yesterday from today then I would've commented it was a blur. I know what generally happened but I wouldn't be able to give specific details such as, was Kyle half awake or was he fully wake up this time? Did I clean the dishes or did I end up leaving them in the sink? Those details didn't matter really. The most important question of the moment was, should I be at the hospital this evening?

I stared at the phone in my hands, unsure on what I should do next.

"Is everything alright, hon?"

Amira gave me a concerned look. She carefully set down her glass of wine on the kitchen counter and gently took the phone from my frozen hand so I wouldn't drop it. My mind was elsewhere.

"Who called you? What they say?"

I didn't know what to say. How to feel. Everything is surreal.

"Hey, Josh? Did Medusa get you?" Even Amira's playful words couldn't shake me out of my shocked state.

She placed her hands on my shoulders and words struggled to escape my mouth.

"He's in... the hospital."

"Who? Who's in the hospital? It's not Kyle is it?" Her voice increasingly became more panicked.

"No...No. It's Mr. Matthews... Caleb's dad. The hospital called Caleb's old phone. I picked it up thinking... it was a mistake or... or–"

"How the hell has it been charged after all these damn years?" Good question.

"I... don't know." I stared at the phone in my hands "What should I do?"

Amira slowly backed away from me and took a seat on the couch. She began to fan herself with her hand with pursed lips. "I wouldn't blame you if you didn't visit. You know who your real family is and who has your back."

I nodded and took a deep breath. "I just don't know what to do with Ca–Kyle."

"Honestly, I don't trust that man with that kid," her reply was quick. I could hear her concern in her voice. "You know he wasn't good with children."

I could feel the crease on my forehead deepen as I thought over the situation. "Kyle... is his only blood relative left –I mean know my family, but... he doesn't seem to have any."

Amria's eyebrows shot upwards in surprise. "He didn't remarry or anything?"

"No. Caleb was the only contact."

"I see." I could hear her sigh. "You only got one life, baby. It's up to you on whether you want to help him or not, but don't be mad if things fall apart."

Amira stretched out her arms and looked to me expectantly. I gave a weak smile before hugging her. We stayed like that for a few moments in silence as we both reflected on the situation. But eventually, I broke that silence.

"I think I know what I have to do."

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A/N I finally got a replacement computer. That took a long time.