Losing You Terrifies Me

Chapter 16

"That man came by again," Morgan announced matter-of-factly, holding out a carrot for a horse to nibble on. He gave a small laugh as the carrot was pulled from his hand, the horse's lips feeling at the boy's fingers.

"So he did," Hannibal muttered, adjusting himself on his crutches and pulling his gloves from his sweating hands.

"Did he remember?"

Hannibal shoved his gloves into his coat pocket as he regarded the young boy who had somehow snuck yet another carrot out of his jacket sleeve, holding it out to the next horse in the gate over. "In some aspects," Hannibal answered after a moment of loud carrot munching. "Not enough to make a difference."

"He took that book that mommy was reading." Morgan patted the horse's nose and stumbled back slightly as the horse pushed at him. In a natural reaction, Hannibal used a single crutch to reach out and balance the boy before returning it to the ground. "Thanks, Hanni."

The smile he gave Hannibal made the man shift uncomfortably. Not even Abigail had ever looked at him like that. He wasn't exactly sure what to call the expression, but it bordered on attachment and fondness.

"You're welcome," the man muttered, begging for anything to take the kid's eyes from him.

"My mommy said that you wrote in that book." Morgan's attention turned back to the horse and he scooped up some hay from the floor to hold out to the horse. "That maybe it would help the man remember."

Hannibal was quiet as he thought about that undeniably interesting morning. In his shock, Hannibal had managed to miss the details that he normally would have held onto. He focused on the little black book that had been in Will's hand and realized it was his own notes. Notes that he had kept from Will because his mind always seemed to catch fire when he read them.

The world shattered down around Will, memories crashing back in with a vengeance, wanting to be front and center for being pushed aside for so long. It never failed. The only time Will hadn't fallen into disrepair had been this very last time. Though, he had only read a small selection instead of the entirety of the notebook. It was possible that there was a bit of weight in that, though Hannibal wasn't sure how much there was.

Maybe Will's mind would stay intact this time. Or Hannibal hoped that Molly was observant enough to know that Will would need all resources to protect him, help him through the fevered nightmares that were bound to come for him.

Hannibal sincerely hoped that Will wouldn't do anything reckless if he did remember. There were bound to be bouts of violence, sickness, nightmares that would drive the empath to absolute insomnia. Each were extreme in their infliction, swallowing Will in their entirety until Will couldn't handle it any longer and shut down.

Hannibal gave a deep sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose. Hannibal would need to ask Alana to keep an eye on Will for him. Will wouldn't have removed his ring without there being a serious issue. Molly was no longer in the picture, whether by her own choice or by Will's, Hannibal was left to guess, but he was leaning towards Molly having either kicked Will out or left.

"Morgan," Margot's voice called from the entrance of the stable. "Are you ready for your lesson?"

"Yep!" Morgan answered, skipping towards his mom, kicking up dust from the hay and causing Hannibal to nearly sneeze. "Bye Hanni."

"Can you get back to the house alright?" Margot asked, more out of politeness than actually caring what happened to Hannibal.

"I will manage," Hannibal replied with a dismissing nod.

Margot lifted Morgan up onto the horse and led them from the stable, back out into the snowy winter air, leaving Hannibal alone with the rest of the horses and his thoughts. Hannibal's hand reached out and gently caressed one of the horses for a moment before he pulled his gloves from his pocket and slipped them back on, making his way from the stable.