ZARIA

Chapter 11

Kei

"Slowly. There you go." Kei said as he helped his son into a bed.

"Dad, I'm fine. I broke my arm, not my leg; I can still walk." Ren said, rolling his eyes at him. Kei nodded, smiling sheepishly.

He knew he was probably going overboard with the worry, but he couldn't help it; Ren was the most important person in his life, the only thing he lived for, and the accident scared him immensely.

Kei wasn't an idiot; he knew it was normal, just what children did. They fell down and scratched or hurt themselves, and it was all part of growing up, but even as he thought that, something in his guts squeezed painfully at the memory of Ren in that hospital bed.

"Do you want anything? Are you hungry, or thirsty?" he asked as he tucked him in.

"Where is Zaria? I haven't seen her since the hospital, and she didn't return with us." Ren asked, making him freeze for a second.

Kei glanced up to see Ren sitting in his bed, watching him with a frown of confusion. He was unaware of what happened in the hospital since Kei had dragged Zaria out of the room, so Ren didn't know he had fired the young woman.

Kei had been so angry at that moment, angry and terrified, and he had taken it all out on Zaria.

A slight twinge of something suspiciously resembling guilt echoed in his chest at the thought, but he shook his head resolutely. He had been right to be mad; Zaria was there to watch over his son, to keep him safe, and she had failed. Maybe he had been too harsh, but he would not feel guilty.

"She is not coming back. I fired her." Kei said in the end, deciding to be truthful with him.

"What!? Why!?" Ren exclaimed, almost jumping out of bed as soon as the words left Kei's mouth.

"Yes. It was her job to look after you, and she obviously failed, so I fired her."

"But it was an accident! I slipped on the ice and fell! It wasn't Zaria's fault, Dad!" Ren said, his wide eyes practically swimming in devastation.

"And what if you've hurt your head instead of your arm? You could have been seriously injured, Ren, and it's all her fault! She should have been there, next to you, not in the house doing God knows what!"

"But Daddy, please! I like her; I don't want her to leave." Ren whined, his eyes filling with tears. Kei cursed silently, hating to see his son cry, but he was adamant. Zaria was gone, and she would not be coming back if he had anything to say about it.

"Enough," he said quietly, his voice hard. "The decision is final, and I no longer want to discuss it. I'll post another ad in a few days and find someone else."

"But..."

"Enough," he said, interrupting what he knew would be more whining, glaring the boy into submission. Ren stared at him for a moment, his mouth opening as if he wanted to say something, but it shut at the sight of that look, a betrayed look washing over his face.

He lay on the bed, turning his back to Kei as he did so, effectively shutting him out. Kei sighed, feeling guilty for yelling at him, and made one step closer, his hand rising up to comfort the boy, but one shake of Ren's shoulder was enough to tell him that he wasn't welcome even before the boy spoke.

"I want to sleep," Ren said, his voice shaky and small, telling Kei he was probably crying or about to. Kei stood there for a second or two, staring at the small, shaking form of his son, his heart breaking at the sight before he turned around and left the room, knowing very well that if he didn't do so, he would have broken and allowed Zaria to come back just to put a smile back on his son's face.