Unchangeable

Chapter 9

“An angel?”

“The voice I heard in my head. Run!  I didn’t  wanna leave sissy but.. Daddy didn’t  hurt me like he did..” He little boy looks down, tears dropping onto the floor, “Cause of you.”

He is talking. Now what? He looks to the window where he knows they can see in. The detectives and counselor, watching.  He then looks back to Hank.

“Dena was taken to heaven. I saw an angel with her.” Hank looks up, tears still streaming down his face. He cries silently, like his pain is to much for any wails to express it. “It was beautiful. The angel. You did right to run. She would have wanted you too.”

“I left her. She was my.. I left her!” Now the wailing comes. Saul thinks it is good. He risks touching him, just a hand on his shaking shoulder. It releases whatever had him locked in place and he turns, throwing himself into Saul’s  arms. He holds him as he cries, the kind of heartbroken cry that makes you think the person doing it may die themselves. A grief to strong for words. He holds him and rocks him. How is he to say ' it will be alright ' when it is far from being so or, ' it isn’t  your fault '? Through true, he can’t  hear it and accept it yet. So, he simply holds him until the child’s sobs turn to hiccups and sniffles. 

He wipes his face and has him blow his nose. “You had to run. You would have been dead too, if you hadn’t .”

“Then I would be with Dena?”

“Yes, but you don’t  want that.”

“Why? Mommy is with her and daddy,” he turns pale at mentioning him, “he is a monster.”

“He is sick. In his brain. The doctors are working on him.”

“I don’t  wanna go back to him!” Saul takes his face, lifting it up to catch his eyes. 

“You won’t  have to.” 

“Promise Mr. Angel?”

“My name is Saul buddy and, yes I do.”

“Thank you Saul. Am I sick in the head. Cause I heard you, in my brain like he did.” He hurries over the ' he ' like he doesn’t want to acknowledge his father in any way. Saul can’t blame him.

“No buddy. You’re not. I think the reason you could hear me is because your true angel allowed you to, to protect you.” 

He thinks on this, his little face screwed up.  “Then why did Dena’s angel wait until he hurt her, fore’ it helped her?”

God! How is he to answer that? The truth is, he has no idea why the madman that sired them killed his daughter and tried to kill his son. With a deep sigh, he answers, “Hank honey, I don’t know.” 

The child nods and lays his head on his chest. His eyes close and he falls asleep.