Oblivion

14

It had all happened so fast, Dan felt like his feet had been swept from underneath him. One moment he was in the hospital thinking he'd be there for the rest of his life, the next he was sat in Kyle's living room with a cup of tea, meeting his nephews for the first time.

The youngest, Shane, had immediately claimed him by attaching himself to his leg and refusing to let go. Whereas Mikey hadn't been so sure. It was an odd feeling to have known Mikey since before he was born through scan photos and even feeling his kicks through his mothers stomach, to him being here, four years old and already a proper little person. Mikey had regarded Dan from a distance with innocent, confused eyes. It must've been weird for him to have a stranger moving into his territory. Shane though, was just happy to have someone new to play with.

'Shay, darling, let Dan drink his tea.' Eve told him. She was as beautiful as he remembered. Kyle had fallen head over heels for her the moment they met and Dan had always understood why. It had been the same when he met Sam. The memory had never faded in his mind, though he hadn't thought about her for a few days. But seeing Kyle and his amazing family had bought it crashing back.

'It's fine.' Dan laughed.

'You look really well Dan.' Eve told him.

'Thanks.' He blushed. 'You too.' There was a moment of awkward silence. So this was it. He was here. This was to be his home for the foreseeable future. He wasn't too sure what to do with himself. He'd already thanked them both a hundred times for letting him stay. He had nothing to talk about that they didn't already know. He wasn't too sure what to ask them. They children had provided a nice distraction for a little while.

'Do you want to see your room?' Kyle offered, breaking the tension. Dan nodded and dived off the sofa. They past all the photos that lined the hallways and stairs. Baby photos of the boys, their wedding day, beach holiday snaps, Eve and her siblings, Kyle and the band. Dan grinned at one of him and Kyle in amongst the family photos. He remembered it being taken at a much happier time.

He was up in the attic room. It was spacious with a double bed. Aside from the plastic hospital bed, he hadn't slept in a real bed for a while. There was an empty wardrobe and dresser and a desk with a few books and magazines. He headed straight to the window to see the back garden with its apple trees and swing set.

'Now if you need anything at all, let me know, ok? Don't be afraid to ask.' Kyle told him. He nodded in acknowledgement.

'I do, erm, need to go shopping for some clothes.'

'Alright, well we can sort that in the morning if you want?'

He fiddled with his hands. This was a bit of a reality check for him.

'I'm not sure...if I...y'know...have any money?'

'Ah. Well. We'll go to the bank and you can sort out your accounts.'

'I have no ID. No cards. I don't even-'

'Dan,' Kyle smiled kindly. 'Don't worry. We'll figure that all out. For now I'll get you some clothes and bits, ok? Honestly, you've got enough to worry about without all that rubbish.'

Kyle left the room, shutting the door behind him. Dan sat on the bed and observed his new surroundings. The walls were cream and bare, apart from a couple of generic pictures of flowers. The bed spread still had lines in from where it was packaged. The candles dotted about had never been lit. Everything smelt so fresh and clean. It was like the room had never been used. He felt a little like Quasimodo, locked up at the top of the house away from the distant sounds of the kids laughing. It wasn't a bad thing. He liked his space and his peace but he felt ever so slightly more connected with real life now. And that was a bit scary.