Lean on Me

Chapter Two

We walked inside only to find that James was running around the house in noting but his underpants yelling some rubbish about a show on the tele he must have watched while we'd been gone. "James!" I yelled, frustrated. I dropped the Doctor's hand and ran to go and chase after him. "James!" I finally caught him and quickly swooped him up into my arms. "What do you think you're doing, then?" I asked. The Doctor swaggered into the living room then, smiling. He sat down across from me and James. "I'm sowy Mummy. I wuv you." James said, wrapping his arms around my neck and giving me a swift kiss. I couldn't stay mad.

"Its fine, Jay." I said, hugging him back. "But we have to go to bed now. Alright?" 

"Awight Mummy," he replied, leading the way up to his bedroom. I followed him, and we walked past my mum, who just so happened to fall asleep on the sofa. Dad had probably left to go to a late-night meeting with a client. 

The Doctor followed in our wake as James led us up to his room. "So James," I began. "You wanna tell me why you took off all your clothes?" The Doctor laughed, and I was smiling too. 

"Well," James said thoughtfully, "I was dwinking some chocolate miwlk and I spiwled it awl over my cwothes, so I took dem awf." 

"And you didn't think to put any back on?" I said, smiling.

"No. I couldn't figure out how to. And I was embawassed to ask Gwamma."

"Alright then. I'll tell you what, how about we put some new pajamas on you, and then we'll put you to sleep." I said, kneeling down and grabbing his arms. "Awright Mummy," he replied. I smiled and walked over to his dresser. I grabbed the first pair of pajamas I came into contact with, then proceeded to carry them over to James.

"Mummy, can you tell me who that man is now?" James said, gesturing towards the Doctor. He was leaning against the door frame with the beginnings of a smile plastered on his face. "Should I? Or do you want to?" I asked him. 

"Can I?" he asked. I smiled and nodded in response. "Alright then," he said, sitting down on the bed next to James. "I've got nothing to lose. Well, when I say nothing..." He was getting nervous. I could tell. "James... I'm your dad."

James looked shocked, confused, angry, happy, excited, and a couple other nameless emotions. I could understand why. In his eyes, his dad didn't exist. He didn't give him presents on his birthday or Christmas, didn't play football with him in the yard, and now he just popped out of nowhere. I could tell he was happy though. That's all that counted. 

"Really?" James asked. He sounded absolutely enthralled at just the idea of having a Dad. It made me smile, along with everyone else in the room with me. "Really," the Doctor smiled in response. And then James did the only thing that could've made this night any better - he hugged him. There were no words for how happy he looked, and certainly not ones that an almost-two-year-old boy would know. Hugging him was the best way he could've possibly said anything. It let me and the Doctor know that, not only was he okay with what we had just revealed to him, but he embraced the idea. The Doctor hugged him back with all his might, smiling into the young boy's shoulder. 

I couldn't have been happier that the two boys I loved most in the whole universe were happy to meet each other. I was so relieved I could almost cry. I was so worried that they wouldn't like each other, that they wouldn't get along. I guess I had nothing to worry about after all. 

"Alright," I said, smiling, "I hate to be the one to break all this up, but its time for bed, Jay."

"Mummy," James said, almost sad, "can I sleep in your bed tonight? Wiwf you and Daddy?" I was almost shocked by how quickly he was adjusting to this. It was good, but kind of scary at the same time. And that he just automatically assumed that me and the Doctor would be sharing a bed.