Page 27 of Shelter for Tanna

“All over the place! I love Angrynaut!” Max reached for it, but Braden snatched it up without a word. “I want it!” Max announced in his outdoor voice.

“Nope. You can have it after dinner if it goes well. Appropriate interactions only. If you can manage that, you can have Angrynaut.”

Max sat back in his chair, folded his arms across his chest, and quirked up one corner of his mouth. “Okay.”

“I know you can do it, buddy. It’s just dinner. Daniel, come help me,” Braden said as he stood and headed to the pickup counter.

“Sure!” He could hear the teenage boy following along behind him, and he smiled. Daniel was such a good kid. Max had to be bribed all the time, but Daniel didn’t get much in the way of recognition or rewards. He’d have to change that.

They sat at dinner, Braden across from Daniel and Tanna across from Max, with the Angrynaut PEZ dispenser at Braden’s end of the table and in full view of everyone but too far away for Max to reach. The younger boy eyed the thing during the whole meal, but Braden was pleased with his behavior. Someday he’d stop caring about candy dispensers but for the time being, they worked great as a reward.

By the time they’d gotten into the car for the ride home, Max was in the back seat, loading candies in the dispenser. “Can we stop at the drugstore? I’m out of acetaminophen,” Tanna asked quietly.

“Sure. Which one?”

“That one right up there,” she said, pointing, and he wheeled into the parking lot.

Everyone strolled inside and once they were past the door, Braden stopped Daniel. “Is there something you’d like to have?”

Daniel’s brow furrowed. “Whaddya mean?”

“I mean, something here that you’d like to have. Like, I dunno, a certain type of candy, or a game, or some kind of electronics? About ten dollars?”

Daniel’s eyes scrunched. “Why? I don’t understand.”

“We bribe Max all the time and give him dispensers and candy, but you never get anything. You’re a good, kid, Daniel. You should get something for yourself too.”

“I don’t have to have anything. He’s my little brother,” Daniel mumbled, seemingly uncomfortable with the idea.

“Nonsense. We all deserve to reward ourselves from time to time. Find something you want and it’s yours. I mean it. Go!” Braden said and gave him a friendly slap on the shoulder. He watched as the teenager disappeared into the aisles of the store and wondered what he’d come back with.

“Got everything you need?” Braden asked as Tanna and Max rejoined him.

“Yeah. Forgot that I need some bandages. I’ve got a cut on my finger and I’m out at home,” Tanna said, holding up an index finger wrapped in a flesh-colored bandage that had definitely seen better days. “Where’s Daniel?”

“He’ll be here in just a second.” Braden reached to take the things out of Tanna’s hands, but she pulled them back. The big firefighter shook his head. “No. I’ll pay for all this. I want to.”

“But you?”

He gripped her chin with a thumb and forefinger. “You hush. Let me take care of you. It’s time somebody did.” The words had barely escaped when he looked up and saw Daniel making his way toward them. “Find something?”

“Yeah! Look at this!” The boy held out a magazine excitedly, and Braden was shocked to see it was a science publication. “It’s got an article about global warming, and one about DNA comparisons between humans and other animals, and a long article about the Large Hadron Collider.” His face clouded almost immediately. “It’s twelve dollars and I don’t have the extra two, but I’ll pay you back when?”

“Like I told your mom, you hush and let me take care of it.” Braden took the magazine from the teenager’s hand and put it in the basket with everything else. “All set?” With a lift of his head he glanced up at Daniel’s face and was shocked. Eyes rimmed with red stared back at him, and Daniel’s lower lip trembled slightly. “What’s wrong?” Braden whispered to the boy as he leaned toward the teenager.

Daniel’s voice was a hoarse whisper. “You don’t have to do that.”

“Son, you’re a lot of help to your mother and you’re a good kid. You deserve this. I hope you enjoy it. I’m a little surprised you didn’t pick candy or comic books, and I’m even more proud that you didn’t. Read it. Then explain it to me because where science is concerned, I’m not too bright,” Braden said with a grin.

Daniel was beaming, and that was all Braden really wanted, to give that poor kid a little glimmer of hope. Once the relationship really got going, the youngster could have more free time and get to act a little more like a kid. Tanna had never said anything about him having friends he hung out with or went places with, and that had to change. Braden would see to it.

When the front door closed behind them, Braden pointed down the hallway. “Go shower and put on your pajamas, doll. We’ve got this. Daniel, help me start some laundry?”

He could see the panic on Tanna’s paling face when she very nearly shouted, “No! You don’t have to do that! It’s okay, really.”

“I want to. I can start it and you can finish it, if that makes you feel better.”

“No. It’s just that… I really…” She was stuttering and stammering, and he wasn’t sure what the problem was. They were just dirty clothes. No big deal.

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