Milk And Cardamom | S. Brown ✔

[04]

By the time George was finally allowed to bring Lucas home with him, the boy had turned eleven and was clinically declared to have fully recovered. Luke still had nightmares that disturbed his sleep often but other than that, he had eventually begun to accept that he was safe from Deathstroke at last.

True, the impact his past had had on his mind couldn't be erased so easily but at least he was no longer unstable and his behavior towards other people had considerably improved as well.

George was the one towards whom Luke's behavior had positively improved a lot. He had started to call him Dad and along with that he had also begun to trust him. George couldn't be more happier with the outcomes and yet he took even greater care to not let that trust break.

He knew very well how hard it must have been for Luke to trust him and accept him as a father instead of his own biological father. And he appreciated the effort on the boy's side, clearly promising that he would ensure that Luke would never regret his decision of trusting George.

Instead of staying in Gotham, George had brought him over to Bludhaven because he had a clear idea that if Deathstroke broke out of prison (which he definitely expected him to), he would search for his son. So in order to make sure Luke was safe, he chose moving to Bludhaven instead.

Besides, the main branch of his company was located in that city and he knew he would have had to move there eventually.

George had bought a decent house for the two to live in, making sure that it had a beautiful garden as he knew Luke was fond of nature. And before bringing Luke to his new home, he had in his way tried to make sure that everything was according to his son's preference.

"And this is your room," he opened the door standing aside to let Luke step in first, "how is it?"

"Perfect," Luke breathed as he took in the care and attention with which George had gotten his room set up.

It was simple but had everything Luke was fond of; including a bookshelf, a moderate sized working desk and enough space for him to not feel cramped within. He still had fear of closed confined spaces so George had made sure that the room was airy and felt more like a decent sized hall instead so that Luke would be comfortable.

"Dad, thank you," he turned to face him, hazel eyes softening.

He still never smiled, George thought, a slight sigh escaping him at that. But then he convinced himself that perhaps it would take a little more time and that he should not be impatient.

Healing was a process that required both time and effort, it could not automatically happen overnight.

His eyes watched the boy as he examined the whole room, checking if there was space under the bed first of all then as if content with what he had found, he straightened, heading towards the bookshelf.

"I will be downstairs in my study if you need me," George spoke up, intending to give him time to explore the place by himself, "feel free to roam around if you like. This is your home too from now on."

He looked up and nodded, "okay."

With George gone, Lucas left the examination there and went towards the window, looking out at the garden down below.

For some reason, he had always been attracted towards nature and seeing the lush green trees and carefully trimmed bushes sent a wave of calm over him. Somewhere in the back of his head, he recalled the first place he had known as his home back in Cranbury.

He didn't remember much except for the small but beautiful garden that belonged to the church right behind their house and as he closed his eyes picturing that place, he could recall the scent of blush peonies, the cool breeze striking his face and a soft voice calling him inside for lunch.

"Luke, would you like to come down for lunch?"

His eyes fluttered open as if startled because the voice felt unnervingly real and close to him. But as he turned, he was met by the housekeeper Maya.

"Oh... Yes, I'm coming," he stuttered, following the woman out to the dining room.

For a second, he thought he had somehow gone back to the place he recalled from his memories but seeing the housekeeper had shaken him out of his reverie.

That time would never return or rather could never return, he reminded himself, and perhaps it was for the best that it couldn't.

On the other hand, with Luke entering George's life, a lot of things had changed for the man.

He no longer worked on Sundays because he kept that day reserved for his son though earlier he had never had time to spare from his meetings and work, he always made sure that he took time out for Luke.

Seeing the boy recover and come back to normal was rewarding enough for him and he could do anything to make sure that Luke would be safe and content.

He knew he had grown very fond of him such that he had almost forgotten that the two were not biologically related nor cared about the fact that they hadn't met quite long ago either.

To him, Luke was nothing short of his own son and he tried his best to fulfill the role of a good father.

However, as he watched the child sitting across from him at the table alone, silently eating his share of food, he couldn't help but wonder that even then there were a lot of things missing from his life.

Such as the presence of a complete family that would love and care for him.

George knew very well that even though he fulfilled the role of a father for him the best he could, the boy also needed a motherly figure in his life and some siblings perhaps so that he wouldn't be so alone whenever George was busy at work.

That thought settled in his heart as he pondered more upon it so that he could figure a way to ensure that as well.

He had accepted it as his responsibility to make sure the boy had everything a normal boy his age ought to have and he knew it depended on him to look after that.

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