𝔪𝔞𝔡𝔢 𝔣𝔬𝔯 𝔪𝔢

𝔠𝔥𝔞𝔭𝔱𝔢𝔯 𝔱𝔥𝔦𝔯𝔱𝔶

 i won't let nobody hurt you.

August 9th, 2011.

Tyler peered into Jimmy's room and briefly watched him play on his InnoTab. He thought about everything and how things have been moving so fast. 'Things were starting to look up, now things are so fucked up,' he thought. He slowly walked into the room, not knowing what to say or where to even begin. He didn't know what to expect or what would be the outcome.

"Hey buddy!" He said as he walked into Jimmy's bedroom. "What are you doing?" He asked as he sat on the bed next to him.

"Playing Scooby Doo," Jimmy answered simply.

"Cool," Tyler replied as he looked over Jimmy's shoulder at the screen. Jimmy kept his eyes on the game until he died again. He let out a small sigh.

"Not really. It's okay. It was more fun with Kaylee. Why doesn't she come over anymore? Was I bad?" He was curious since he and Kaylee had become close over the last couple of days.

"No, Jacey is mad at me," Tyler admitted to the boy.

"Because of me?" The four-year-old questioned.

"No, I was... bad," Tyler said, trying to speak in terms of someone Jimmy's age.

"You've been in timeout a really long time." Tyler chuckled a bit at Jimmy's comment. It had only been a few days, but he was realizing that for a child, that felt like months or even years.

"Yeah, I have," he admitted as he felt the pain of missing Jacey.

"It's not fair! I'm being punished too," Jimmy made Tyler aware of his frustrations toward Jacey and Kaylee not being around.

"Sorry, I'm trying to fix things," Tyler tried to assure the child, but he wasn't sure that things would ever be fixed.

"Work harder because I have no one to play with me," Jimmy demanded. He hadn't had many friends to play with before and he enjoyed Kaylee's company. It was quiet for a bit as Jimmy returned to playing with his handheld until he lost again.

"Do you know who I am?" Tyler asked Jimmy, not knowing if he knew who he really was.

"Tyler," Jimmy answered without thought.

"Yeah, that's my name. Do you know who I am to you?"

"The guy from the picture before the fire," Jimmy told Tyler.

"I know I haven't been acting like it, but I'm your dad," Tyler admitted. Jimmy looked at Tyler, somewhat confused.

"Why did you never come to see me before Mommy went away?" Jimmy asked, tripping over his words.

"I didn't know anything about you. I didn't know you existed," Tyler explained.

"When did you find out?" Jimmy questioned, trying to make sense of things.

"The day I came to get you," Tyler told the little boy.

"Why aren't you with my mommy? Isn't that how it works, Mommy, Daddy, and Jimmy?"

"Not always, Jimmy. Your mother and I were together when we were younger, and I loved her, but she lived a lifestyle I couldn't be a part of, so we broke up," Tyler explained, not sure if Jimmy understood.

"You don't like mommy anymore?" Jimmy inquired, trying to figure out what Tyler just told him.

"I...I love Jacey now." This was the best way Tyler knew how to word things.

"Where's my mommy?" Jimmy asked. All he was told was that she went away. He was used to Chloe leaving him, but never for this long.

"Mommy was sent away because Mommy and her friends like bad stuff called drugs. When you have kids, it's horrible to use drugs."

"Why?" Jimmy wanted to understand the situation.

"Because drugs make you do stupid things, such as hurt your child," Tyler explained, and Jimmy looked down. "Did Mommy and her friends ever hurt you?"

"Yes," Jimmy confessed shyly as he dropped his head.

"What would they do?" Tyler inquired, knowing the issue needed to be addressed.

"Mommy would hit me and push me and grab me sometimes," Jimmy paused for a moment. "Her friends would hit me and kick me when they were mad and when they wanted to make me cry, and they would laugh at me and call me names. And some of them would kick me out of the blow-up bed when I was sleeping..." Tears began to fall from Jimmy's eyes. Tyler scooped him up into his lap and helped the child. Tyler couldn't image what all Jimmy had gone through, but he wanted it all to go away. He wished it was him instead of Jimmy, who had gone through such a horrible life.

"Look at me," Tyler instructed. Jimmy looked at Tyler, who wiped away the streaming tears from the boy's face. "I will never hurt you like that. I may tell you no or punish you, but I will never hit you."

"Grown-ups lie," Jimmy told Tyler, looking him in the eyes.

"I'm not lying," Tyler tried to assure him.

"Don't make me hate you," Jimmy stated as his eyes dried.

"Do you hate your mommy?" Tyler probed.

"Yes, I wish Jacey was my mommy," Jimmy admitted.

"If I ever get out of timeout, maybe she can be your new mommy," Tyler suggested, causing Jimmy to smile a little.

"Hurry out of timeout I really want that!" Jimmy professed excitedly, causing Tyler to smile and let out a small chuckle. "What should I call you?"

"Whatever you want: Dad, daddy, father, Tyler is fine too. Call me what you want when you are ready," Tyler told Jimmy, not knowing what he wanted Jimmy to call him.

"Okay... Can you help me beat Scooby Doo, now?" Jimmy asked, holding the handheld up. Tyler chuckled and tickled him, causing Jimmy to laugh. They got comfortable on the bed, and Jimmy began to explain the game to Tyler.

***

Tyler awoke to a dark room lit by an electrostatic ball lamp that Jimmy used as a night light. Tyler blinked his eyes a few times until they adjusted, and he knew where he was. He looked around, and then he felt Jimmy move a bit, so he became still. 'What time is it?" He thought. He slowly reached for the phone in his pocket. "1:27 A.M.," he read from his mobile device.

He slowly removed his arm from under Jimmy and tried to sit up when Jimmy began moving again. Tyler waited for Jimmy to get situated before trying to get up again. Tyler got out of the bed and realized his phone was still in it. Jimmy moved again as Tyler was leaning over to get his phone. "What are you doing?" Jimmy asked in a calm, sleepy voice.

"Getting my phone," Tyler told the half-sleep child.

"No! Don't leave. Stay a little longer," Jimmy whined.

"I need to sleep in my bed," Tyler replied.

"No sleep here," Jimmy demanded as he began to reach for Tyler. Tyler looked at Jimmy for a moment, then climbed back into the bed.

"Just for tonight," he said, trying to sound stern, but something about Jimmy wanting him around melted his heart.