Page 53 of Kylan

Fitch rubbed my arm, and I couldn’t bear the sadness on his face, so I closed my eyes.

Next time I woke up, it was dark.

I could hear Fitch’s mumbled voice, talking to who, I had no idea. Dom or Benji. Maybe he was on the phone, or maybe they were in the living room.

I didn’t care.

I couldn’t sleep any more, but I was still too tired and heavy to move so I just stared at the wall. Trying not to think, trying to squash all the pain into its box, but it was too big, too great.

So I stopped trying.

It didn’t matter anyway.

I tried to clear my mind instead. I tried not to think about them, to think about the sadness on Marek’s face or the cool resignation on Leon’s.

I wasn’t sure which one hurt the most.

It just all hurt.

So I went back to that place in my head where it was quiet and numb, between sleep and awake, like some astral fucking plane where I didn’t exist.

Then it was light out the window again and Fitch was sitting on my bed with his phone to his ear. Then other voices; Benji, I think. Everything seemed so far away.

Then strong arms picked me up, cradling me, his heartbeat thumped in my ear.

His scent so familiar and comforting.

He smelled like home.

I looked up at him and he cried as he kissed my forehead.

Leon.

Crying.

“Daddy’s here,” he said, not even trying to hide his tears. “We’re both here.”

Then gentle hands brushed my face, rubbed my back, and when I looked over, I saw Marek.

Beautiful Marek with his tear-stained face.

And I wept.

Marek moved closer, both of them holding me, surrounding me. And the three of us cried.

“Oh, my sweet boy,” Marek murmured. “We’re sosorry. We’re here now. We’re going to make this right. The three of us, together.”

It made me cry even harder.

Leon rocked us. His strong arms felt like a safe haven, but I didn’t dare to hope...

I couldn’t bear to have it taken away from me again.

I wouldn’t survive it.

“I’m so sorry I hurt you,” Leon murmured. “I hurt both of you when I should have protected you and cherished you. I thought I knew what was best and I was wrong. God, I was so fucking wrong.”

I looked up at him. Did he mean that?

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