Stay

Chapter 11

-Peyton's POV-

I'm cleaning up my apartment a bit, so I don't get behind and then the next think I know is that it's a pig stye here and roaches will live in my bed.

I put all the dirt clothes in a small white basket to wash later. I follow a trail all the way to the bathroom, where I find Dakotas clothes. I carefully place her clothes on top of mine. I find a pair of lace red underwear underneath all her clothes and pick it up with my fingers. I'm amazed at what kind of under garments she wears, because if you look at her you would never guess that she would be into thongs, but she is. I chuckle to myself then set her underwear in the basket. I turn around away from the bathroom to find little Carson staring up at me. He smiles and places his arms behind his back.

"What are you up to?" I ask him. He's still in his pajamas, which I'm fine with because well, kids will be kids. Soon, he won't be a kid anymore and Dakota will miss the cute strange of him loving her and being affectionate. If he decides to go to college, he will probably leave Dakota, all alone in an apartment or a home. A strange feeling hits me, making me rethink about everything that just ran through my head. I don't think Carson will ever leave her alone. He will probably be that son who takes care of his mother like a baby.

"Nothing. But can we go to the park?" His voice squeaked a little, but it doesn't bother any of us. His baby teeth are showing, which he has almost all of them. They are straight now but when he's a teen, he'll need braces.

"Sure thing, if you help me do laundry. Someone as strong as you could really help a weak man like me." I reply back to the four year old staring at me.

Carson runs off to the living room to put on his light up cars shoes. I'm surprised that those are still made.

I set the basket down on the couch and wonder off to the sunk beneath the sink in the kitchen. I grabbed the softener and detergent and lay then on top of the clothes. I grab the key that's sitting by the door on the night stand and open it, waiting for the little boy to finish putting on his shoes. Once he runs outside, I grab the basket and lock the door behind me. It's not that I don't trust my neighbors, creepy things just happen around this place. I plan on moving out in a while to a nicer neighborhood where I don't have to constantly watch my back.

"Do you ever do laundry?" I ask Carson. He nods his head yes. I'm assuming he folds his clothes with Dakota and put them away for her.

"I gather all my dirty laundry and hang my shirts." He answers. I was close.

The laundry mat is across the street from my apartment, so it's not much of a walk. Luckily the complex also has a small fenced park for kids to play in.

The sun is beginning to hang high in the sky, warming the earth. The place is quiet, almost too quiet for my comfort. Carson runs in front of me then back to me until we get to the double doors to the laundry mat. We enter the empty room filled with washers and dryers. Our shoes hit the cold tiles, making a clicking sound. Carson runs off to the candy machines, then asks me for a dollar, so I give him one. He's not my kid, so I don't have to worry about saying no all the time.

I exchange two dollars for quarters and shove them in my pocket. I throw all the dirty clothes in the washer, then pour the detergent on top. I pour the softener in its designated place then shove the quarters in their places before pushing in. Almost immediately the water turns on, ready to do its job. I close the lid and lean back against the washer. Carson is walking on each of the chairs, one at a time carefully so he doesn't fall. The bell that hangs above the doors rings, warning is that someone is entering the room with us. It's my neighbor Joseph Barns. He's about 30 with two kids who lives with their mother who divided him right after their second kid. He doesn't talk to anyone much except around the holidays. He has brown hair and green eyes that appears to be sad, but his smile hides all the pain.

"Is that your boy?" Joes voice cracked. He points at Carson who's laying on the hard times holding the back of his head. I see blood drip out of his fingers and Carson doesn't cry. It concerns me that he's not crying, but I run to him and check out the back of his head. He must have fell and hit his head on the floor. I pick him up and ask Joe to watch our clothes. I rush him up to the apartment to call an ambulance since Dakota has my car.

~*~

I'm waiting besides the bed that Carson is sitting on. I called Dakota right after I called for an ambulance, and she rushed over here. She's getting us coffee since it's nearly two-thirty, making it six hours we've been here. The doctor said he needs stitches but wants to make sure everything is okay in his head.

Dakota hesitated to call Nathaniel, but she did. Her voice was shaken when she told me to look out for a tall blonde who's muscular. It seems as if she’s afraid of him, and she shouldn’t be, I mean they were completely in love with each other and now it’s like they can’t stand to be in the same room as each other.

Carson is watching the small tv that hangs in the crowded room, filled with several other beds that are filled with children; some has cancer, and others has broken arms. It’s things like this that made me want to become a pediatrician when I was taking college classes. Sometimes I wish I went with the career, but I need to lay my sister at rest first.

“Daddy.” Carson calls for his dad who walks into the room and   immediately sees his son. He does look a bit intimidating, but he doesn’t scare me at all.

“Son, what did you do this time?” The disappointment in his voice is very clear to me. It’s not his fault that the boy was being himself and he fell. Shit happens, so why does his dad need to act this way? Nathaniel’s voice is deep, but coarse. His jeans are ripped and his blonde hair is in a mess like someone has been playing with it with their fingers. His teeth are a light shade of yellow and he has scrub on his face. A bad boy look is what it seems.

Nathaniel grabs his sons head and looks at the back then shakes his head no. Carson seems like he’s about to cry, but doesn’t. I stay seated and out of Nathaniel’s sight, but that doesn’t work. He turns towards me and I can feel him judging me on the inside. I want to stand up to him, but I don’t.

“Who are you?” He asks me. He sits down in the chair that Dakota was in and stares at me.

“I’m Peyton, your wife’s friend.” I extend my hand out to him, but he doesn’t shake it. Now I understand where Kota is coming from. He shoots me a dirty look then stands up. Dakota is standing behind him holding three cups of coffee. She hands one to Nathaniel, and one to me. I immediately take a sit then stand up to check on Carson. The back of his shirt is bloody, but dried. He hugs me until his dad sees us. I smile down at him, and he smiles back at me. Dakota and Nathaniel walks out of the room to talk in the hallway, about what, I don’t know.