Battle the Dark: Chapter 42

A week passed.  It was a blustery but bright Saturday morning.  Addie took Sam by the hand and lead him across the street to the park.  She had the carrier in her other hand, and Ray was napping.  Sam was quiet, and headed to his favorite bench.  Parking himself there, he sat, looking at his baseball glove, and throwing the ball into the pocket of it, over and over.  Addie watched him from her place across the way, and he was pensive and silent.   Having insisted on looking for Todd, she had agreed to bringing him out to the park for the last three Saturdays, and he had come home dejected but hopeful.  "Maybe next time," he would say.

It was full-blown summer, and many kids were in the park, on the swings, jungle gyms and poles, running playing and finding their own fun.  Sam just sat, waiting, and Addie, sitting on the bench across, took out her crocheting, and was working on a new blanket for Ray.

Behind him, Blair approached, hair sparkling in the sun.  She carefully placed her hand over his eyes, and said, "Guess who?"

"Mommy!"  He cried, and she ran around the front of the bench and put her arms out.  He flew into them, happily smothering her face with kisses and hugging her.  He said, "Mommy, you're back."

"I missed you, Little Man.  I missed you so much."

"I missed you, too, Mom.  Everyone did."  He went back to his glove.

"So," she said, still crouching in front of him, "Why are you here in the park today?  I thought I'd find you at home."

"It's Saturday, Mom.  I'm waiting for Dad."

Addie, still sitting on the bench across, stopped her handiwork and watched.  Blair, cautious with her words, said, "He'll be here if he can, right?"

"Yep."

She stood up.  "Well," she said, "Look who's here?"

She put her hand out, and before Sam had a chance to turn around, Todd had taken her hand, and was coming around the bench to stand beside her.  And once again, she saw the Santa-surprise face: the wide-eyes, the open mouth in the shape of an 'O,' and a huge gasp of breath.  "Dad!  You came!"

Todd smiled, his beautiful way of doing so, and his hair, longer still, shone in the sun like gold.  Blair slipped her arm through his, as Sam jumped up on the bench and hugged Todd around his neck and kissed his cheeks.  Addie, stunned by this display, was covering her mouth and crying with joy.  She said softly, "Todd," and wildly began texting on her cell phone.

"Yep, I'd never stay away if I could be here, you know that, right, Sam?"

"Yep.  I told everyone.  Jack, he said no, you weren't coming back.  He said that some guy was going to cut you and Mommy up."

Todd shot Blair a look, at which she said, "It's a long story, Daddy."

"Well, do I look cut up to you?"

"Kind of, right here," he touched onto Todd's arm, where a small edge of one of his wounds peeked under the sleeve of his tight-fitting henley t-shirt.  

"Nah," he said, "That's nothing.  Nothing to worry about."

He hugged Sam close again, closing his eyes to relish the feeling of being home and being free.  With his hand, he took Blair's, and she dabbed at her eye.  From across the street, he heard a scream, "Dad!" and looked to see Starr, in the lead, with Jack, running behind her, and soon passing her out.  

Jack got there first, but Starr, pushing by him, flung herself at her father.  "I missed you Dad, I love you!" she hugged him and cried.  Blair, watching from the bench, shed a few tears also, and he continued to reconnect with her eyes, every few minutes, to share the moment with her fully.  

Starr let go and Todd walked to Jack, and grabbed him, pulling him into his chest and hugging him.  Jack's head went over his shoulder now, naturally, and he roughed his hair.  Pulling back, Jack said, "I'm glad you're home, Dad."

"Me, too, Jack," then to Addie, "where's my littlest boy?"

She brought the carrier forward.  "Here he is," Addie said, and Todd kissed her cheek before unfastening the little belt that held him into his seat.  Ray stirred, and opened his eyes, looking right into Todd's hazel beauties.  

"Hey, you, how ya been?  I promised, didn't I?  Well, I want to keep them, as much as I can."  He said, bringing the baby over his shoulder and sniffing in the sweet smell of him.  He sighed,and Blair, standing back up, put her arm through his again, and rested her head on his other shoudler watching them in their father-son dance.  She cradled her baby's head for a moment, and watched as his little eyes were stuck on Todd's, as he talked into his youngest son's face.  He lifted him toward the sun, and the baby smiled.

He looked around.  "Well," he said, putting Ray back onto his shoulder, "time for the Mannings to go back home.  Lunch awaits.  I got all the favorites for all of you.  Then it's movie time."

"Yay, I like movie time."  Sam said.

"I don't.  We always get sucky kid movies."  Jack said.

"We can get another one later," his father answered.

"Two?"

"Jack, don't push it, really." Todd said.

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