The New King

Daycare Nightmare

My fingers danced across the glass table. My eyes were locked, unfocused, onto a shelf with a plant on it. I didn’t think of the plant, so there’s no point in mentioning it. My heart raced. Another son in my home? Another mouth to feed? The day was drawing to a close, I had no idea who this kid was, and I feared he was the killer.

Angie seemed pretty fixed on taking him home. Whatever magic Aubrey had done on her was pissing me off a bit. There was a lot to think about. I could lie and say I needed to stay after and do more work, but he could hurt Angie and Michael Vincent. Where he was now was unknown to me. But my wife, my sweet bride, was safe. And my beautiful little boy was at school, probably just as safe. I didn’t know for sure if he was eating glue or not, but there’s hardly in harm in that.

Well, I think so. Angie isn’t too sure about it. Hopefully this other kid doesn’t eat glue. Or sniff it for that matter. I had finished my work for the day, but other things that I could do were crossing my mind just in case I needed a way out. I was continuously fighting with myself.

I saw interns and other people walk past the doorway and I looked to the salt and rock samples I had gathered, including the remains of hair i had left. What I had found was Decker’s hair and Jackson’s, but not the estranged killer, Lith Crowley or whatever his name was. I didn’t care, too focused on Decker.

I saw a picture. Orange hair. Scars. He looked like a messed up kid, although he was doing wonderfully in school. Studies mainly in human sciences. That didn’t help with the precise incisions on Jack, though.

“Staying late, Dr. Hodgins?” Camille asked from the door. I looked up and snapped back into reality. I looked down to my hands and settled the tapping, then looked back at her.

“Yeah,” I said as I quickly looked away. I stood swiftly and turned to my computer, turning everything off. “I sent everything I had to Booth and Aubrey.”

“Nervous to go home?” she asked. Way to pry into my private life, Saroyan. SHe did that a lot with the creepy smile on her face, but there wasn’t much I could do, seeing as she was my boss.

“Yeah,” I said with a huff, looking to her. “Very.” She nodded, then walked away. I raised my arms, then grabbed my belongings, headed out of my office. I turned out the lights and walked out, down the hall, and into Angie’s office.

He was sitting there with Michael Vincent. My son, my own child, was sitting on that teenager’s lap with a Rubik's Cube. Angie was grabbing her things, Decker and Michael watching her like they were a goddess. She was in every way, but she wasn’t going to be for Decker if he kept his killing demeanor with the evidence. Booth promised me he’d crack down hard on the case to ensure it was safe to keep Decker at my home.

“And if you need to talk, you can always talk to me,” Angie was telling to Decker. “Michael Vincent usually sleeps pretty deep so it’s fine if you need to cry. I won’t judge. What’s going on is very stressful and I understand the crying.” Her back was turned and I watched Decker wrap his arms around my son and play with the cube with him.

Angie turned around and looked at me, a reassuring smile on her face. She tossed her bag over her shoulder and looked to the boys on the couch. Decker stood, setting Michael Vincent down and standing taller than my wife. That wasn’t scary. He even stood taller than I. That wasn’t scary, either.

“Let’s get outta here,” I said with a smile. She knew how to get rid of my heebie-jeebies. She put a hand to the small of my back and we walked out of the Jeffersonian like a little family. Despite my unliking of one of my children, I knew something was going to happen, and probably something good. There wasn’t much of a telling.

When we got home, Decker was very quiet and stiff, like he had walked into a space shuttle and was about to crash into the moon. Angie walked past him and Michael Vincent rushed to the stair, going to get ready for bed. Decker stood in front of the front door, staring me down with a deer-in-the-headlights look to him. He clutched onto his overnight bag and was fearing for his life, as I was mine.

“Pasta?” Angie called from the kitchen. Decker quickly glanced to the direction she had called in our large house and nodded at me.

“Yes please,” I called back, looking at him. Our eyes were locked and he didn’t seem like he was going anywhere. his eyes were red and puffy, for he had been crying all day, it seemed. I doubt he would be able to get any sleep. After a quiet dinner, I sat on the couch where Decker would be sleeping. I turned on some football and Decker sat down. He seem intrigued.

“Like the Steelers?” I asked.

“No” he said, his voice light and feminine. Well, of course it was. “I’m a Vikings fan. No particular reason why; I just like the Vikings.”

“Yeah,” I said. “Pretty good team.” We sat there for an hour, almost, and when I looked over to ask a question he was asleep and there was no waking up. I smiled and got off the couch, turned off the television, and headed up to bed after laying a blanket over him. I could only do so much, being a new dad to him, right?