Safe Arms "ON HOLD"

Chapter 3

"Morning," a half awake Liam mumbled as he fell onto the couch next to me, leaning up against my shoulder. 

"Hey peanut, how are you feeling this morning?"

"Mmhmm."  

When he was tired that was pretty much his best response, but I took it as affirmative. 

I ruffled his new shorter hair, "I'll make you some breakfast right after this section finishes."  Liam sat up and began paying attention to the video with me.  It was all fake, of course, but they were demonstrating on actors as if the wounds were real, and the blood spurting out of a femoral artery did look quite authentic.  "Maybe you shouldn't watch this bean," I suggested as I turned towards him.  Too late, he was white as a ghost, his wide eyes blinking and an expression that made me want to rush him to the nearest toilet or waste basket.  I quickly closed the laptop.

"You okay?"

"I don't feel so good," he whispered.  I touched his face and he felt cool and a bit clammy. 

"Lie down, Liam, you're okay."  I quickly laid him down on the couch and elevated his legs a bit, grabbed a blanket off the back of the couch and tucked it around him.

"Are you treating me for shock?" he asked.

I laughed at my smart boy, "you have been paying attention when I study."

"Only the parts that don't involve blood," he confessed.

"I'll kiss the colour back into your cheeks," I chuckled as I began planting kisses all over his face while he giggled lightly.  "Stay here while I make you some breakfast, you need to eat.  If you feel nauseous roll on your side...and puke into this," I said as I put an empty plastic waste basket below him.

"I'm not going to puke," he muttered, "You're not going to work?"

"No!  I got Jerry to cover today, remember?"

"Who's Jerry?" he called out, turning to watch me as I got what I needed from the fridge.

"A guy from work."

"Is he your friend?"

"Yeah, I guess he is...especially since he was nice enough to cover my shift."

"How old is he?"

"I don't know...a little older than me.  Probably 21 because he can get into bars.  Why all the questions?"

"I dunno."  

I looked up and he shrugged his shoulders.  

"Do you hang out with him?"

"I usually have lunch with him at work if he's around...he's asked me to hang out with him and his friends, but I've just been too busy so far.  What about you, are there any kids at the Boy's Club this summer your age?  Anyone you want to hang out with?"

"Nope."

"Nope, there aren't any kids your age, or nope, not any you want to hang out with?"

"There are kids my age."  

I stopped what I was doing and looked up at Liam.  He gazed back with his round, innocent eyes, but I saw a hint of a smirk that he was trying to keep off his lips.

I walked back in with a plate full of scrambled eggs (no hot sauce), toast and a sliced orange.  "Eat," I ordered as I placed it on the table with a fork and knife.  I went back and poured him a glass of chocolate milk.

"What about your studying," he mumbled with a mouth full of food a little while later.

"I'll just practice some of the other scenarios on you later that don't include blood," I chuckled.  "I've got that stuff pretty much down anyway."