Chapter Five | Secret and Safe
It was the sound of her phone that awoke her a few hours later. The annoying ring was like a blaring siren, nearly jump scaring Amanda straight out of bed. She thankfully remembered that the little boy was asleep on her chest last time she was conscious and didn't sit bolt upright as soon as she heard her phone.
She swiped her finger over the phone and answered the call, which she saw was from Mel.
"Hey," said Amanda quietly. She glanced down and saw the little boy was still fast asleep nuzzled into her hand and laying limp against her fingers as she kept her hand pressed against her chest.
"Hey! I'm here," said Mel. Amanda could hear her voice muffled on the other side of my door in the living room, a further testament to the size difference of this apartment to her old house. Her chest clenched uncomfortably, but Amanda knew she would have a chance to really talk once Mel was settled in.
One last thing.
She hated to leave the little boy on his own, but Mel's thunderous voice might scare him. Amanda remembered noise complaints from other college dorms simply because Mel would get so excited and start talking louder and louder. Amanda never minded. It added to her friend's charm.
Still, it wasn't worth the risk.
Amanda carefully pulled the boy away from her chest and laid him on his bed in the little box she set up for him. He stirred but did not wake.
Perfect.
Amanda tiptoed out of her room and closed the door right behind her before scurrying to the door and opening it. Mel was a welcome sight. Instantly, Amanda felt completely overwhelmed.
Not only did seeing her friend bring back a rush of memories from her wedding and countless hours talking late at night about dreams and the future, but also seeing the massive basket of goodies Mel brought with her to lift Amanda's spirits was completely overwhelming.
"Sorry for the delay. Traffic. I hate traffic. I hate people, specifically driving people. Now! Am I just going to be out here like the vampire I am? Or are you going to let me in?" asked Mel. Amanda let out a choked laugh at their long-running joke and stepped aside.
"I give you permission to enter," Amanda stated. She was barely keeping everything together as her friend hurried in and whisked herself into the kitchen with her basket of goodies, medical bag on her hip.
One look around and Amanda could see Mel was piecing together what was going on in her personal life.
Oh, if she only knew there was something – someone – even more interesting in the other room.
"Sweetie, your place is... boxy," said Mel, trying to make a pun out of the ordeal. Tears began spilling over Amanda's eyes and, immediately, Mel's features softened, and she rushed to her friend's side. "Hey. Hey... I... sorry... I was just trying to make light of all this. I... well... I'd say let's sit down, but there's not a great place to do that."
Amanda let out a wet chuckle as she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and tried to smile through it. The embrace of her friend was making her feel a smidge better, but it was far from a cure. Like a leach, everything had suctioned onto her and was draining Amanda.
With Mel here, she would get a chance to let off some of that long pent-up steam and let one of her best friends in on everything that had happened.
"No, it's fine," Amanda sniffled. "I like it. It's making me feel better."
"Great! Then I'm going to keep going. Um..." Mel guided Amanda over to the counter of the kitchen and gestured for her to sit. "Well, at least with me around, you won't be very card-bored. Um... why are boxes bad at poker? They're too good at folding."
"Oh gosh," Amanda muttered as she rolled her eyes. "Did you come up with those yourselves?"
"Hey, I work with kids all day every day. Some of those little comedians have good stuff," huffed Mel before sighing heavily. "I'm afraid they're rubbing off on me."
"No, it's fine," mumbled Amanda as she let Mel guide her into the kitchen.
Mel looked around and only now noticed there were no chairs in the kitchen, or anywhere else for that matter. So, just like they used to, Amanda and Mel hopped up onto the kitchen counters and sat there as Amanda collected herself.
"Okay, so... I don't want to ask anything too insensitive yet," started Mel, which made Amanda laugh.
"But you're going to."
"Well, if you wanted a soft shoulder to cry on instead of my bony butt, you would've called Susan or Cheril; but no, you have me. So, what happened? Why the call? What are all of these boxes for? Did you and Brandyn move? Or..."
This sent Amanda into another round of choked sobs, which silenced Mel. That response alone told her more than words could describe. Amanda didn't need to say anything, which was the great thing.
"Ah... so... this is... your... new place," Mel concluded. Amanda nodded as she hid her face in her hands. Heat radiated off of the pediatrician as she ramped up her signature fury. "That scumbag! When? Mandy, when did this happen?"
Amanda curled in on herself and leaned into Mel as she spilled everything.
Amanda talked about Brandyn's "seven year itch" and how the two of them had tried to go to therapy to sort everything out. She confessed that Brandyn had been talking to a few different women, talking about how the two of them were married so young and that he didn't really get a chance to "live," whatever that meant.
He wanted to go and be young, something he said Amanda robbed from him because, in all reality, the two of them had never been with someone other than each other.
Mel listened quietly, but her body tension and facial expressions said everything about how she felt about the situation. Amanda could feel Mel's frustration and sympathy radiating off of her, each new statement or piece of the story making her huff or grumble something under her breath.
When Amanda finished, Mel was physically biting her tongue to keep from flying off the handle. It was obvious she wanted to go and give Brandyn a piece of her mind, but she abstained for the time being. Seeing Amanda so upset and comforting her was Mel's top priority.
"Well, it's a good thing I brought my little goodie basket. Come on. I'm rearranging these boxes, grabbing your mattress, and dragging it out here so we can watch some chick-flicks or something with violence so I don't commit violence and we're just going to have a great night," said Mel as she moved to hop off of the counter.
At the mention of the mattress, Amanda's heartrate shot through the roof as she remembered the boy. She hadn't even broached the subject about finding the little boy, which was the real reason Amanda contacted Mel. Mel was maybe five steps away from the counter when Amanda snapped out of her mental spiral.
"Wait!" Amanda said as she leapt off of the counter and grasped Mel's hand. Mel whipped around, alarmed, and stared blankly at her friend.
"Don't scare me like that!" she scolded. "What? What's wrong? Sweetie, if you're worried about me seeing your messy room, I think we're a bit past th-"
"There's something else... that I didn't tell you about. It's... the main reason I called," said Amanda. Her head was throbbing ever so slightly from the crying headache she put herself through and her mind was drawing a blank in how to explain everything to Mel. She had been so distracted in filling Mel in to recent events that telling her about the boy she found was the farthest thing from her priorities.
Mel's body rotated to face her friend as she faced her, concern plastered all over her face.
"So, what is it? Are you pregnant? Well, you already said no to that one so nix that," muttered Mel. "I'm stumped. What's all the secret stuff about? What's got you all in a twist? If it's not the whole Brandyn thing."
Amanda swallowed dryly. How was she going to do this?
Should she just show her the boy?
Did she need to warn the little child before introducing him to Mel?
Could Amanda simply convince Mel of what – who – was in the other room?
Or was that little boy a fever dream and some kind of hallucination? Would he vanish the moment Mel saw him?
Amanda wiped her eyes and made her decision.
"Okay, first... this is going to sound crazy, but I need you to just listen, okay?" Amanda stated. Her hands were starting to shake. Her heart was pounding and fluttering at the same time.
Mel nodded slowly in compliance, prompting Amanda to keep going.
"Second, I need you to swear you won't tell another living soul. I'm still trying to figure everything out myself," said Amanda. Mel's eyes narrowed.
"Sweetie," she said cautiously. "You're scaring me. What's going on?"
This was it.
Amanda sent a silent prayer she was doing the right thing as she clasped her friend's hand, treating it like an anchor keeping her grounded in all of this confusion.
"I was at the park yesterday, the one right down the road, and... I found a kid," said Amanda. Mel gawked and looked genuinely disturbed, but stayed quiet. "He was all alone and in really bad shape, and I didn't see any parents nearby... so..."
Mel bristled immediately. "Amanda, you didn't abduct a kid, did you?"
"What? No. Well... a bit. It's complicated," sputtered Amanda. Mel pulled her hand free from Amanda's grasp and clasped Amanda's face in her hands.
"Amanda, this is what crazy people do when they go off of the deep end!" Mel scolded in a hushed voice. "You're supposed to call the police. You are supposed to contact social serviced. You're not supposed to..."
"It's... more complicated than that. He's young... and small... and," interrupted Amanda. She pried her friend's hands away from her face as she took another deep breath. "It's simpler if I just show you. Just... wait here – and don't scream and just speak softly. He... he's really timid."
Mel looked absolutely mortified. She backed away from her friend and leaned against the kitchen counter. Amanda heard Mel muttering something that sounded like a prayer for strength and the right things to say as Amanda retreated to her bedroom.
The darkness of the room almost felt ominous. Amanda could only imagine what was going on in Mel's head as Amanda vanished into the darkness and approached the little box. She listened hard and, immediately, felt her heart ache.
She could hear little whimpers and the shuffling of blankets.
It was the little boy, and he sounded scared.
Rightfully so. The last thing he remembered was falling asleep on Amanda's chest only to wake up in the little box all alone. It was heart wrenching, but Amanda couldn't hesitate now. She needed to act.
"Hey, sweetheart," she said softly. Immediately, the sniffling stopped. "Did you sleep so good? I'm sorry I left. I'm here now." Amanda flicked on her side lamp and watched as the little boy was illuminated. Sure enough, he had huddled under the blanket and looked up at her with his big, soft brown eyes. Seeing her made his eyes glossy as he sniffled again.
She wasn't sure what prompted her to do it, but Amanda felt compelled to reach into the box and rest her fingers on top of the blanket by the boy. It was a pleasant shock when the little boy leaned forward and threw his arms around her middle finger, clutching it tightly as if he were hanging on for dear life.
It was a heartwarming sight.
"Shhh... you're okay," soothed Amanda. She carefully reached over her other hand and rubbed his back with her index finger, pressing tenderly to not disturb the bruises and scratches on the boy's body. It took a minute, but he calmed down and pulled away to look up at Amanda, smiling sweetly as he did.
Amanda wanted to leave the boy be, but she knew he needed looking at by a professional. It would baffle poor Mel who was waiting in the other room, and she would probably have some kind of mental freakout.
It needed to be done though.
Amanda braced herself and crouched to not loom over the boy.
"Okay, sweetheart. Here's the thing, okay? I have a friend who came over and who is going to help you, okay? She's very nice and gentle. I won't let her hurt you," reassured Amanda. The boy seemed a little confused and continued clutching onto Amanda's finger. "We're going to go meet her now, and I'll be there the whole time."
Amanda wanted him to have a place to hide and elected to take the whole box, leaving her hand inside with him, as she stood and headed out toward her friend.
Amanda rounded the corner, taking cautiously small steps to not jostle the box, and noticed Mel standing with her back to the kitchen counter. Her eyes narrowed as she spotted Amanda with the box. It didn't take much to know Mel's mind was off to the races.
She would be feeling the same thing if Mel were the one walking out of her bedroom with her hand in a box, especially after the spiel about finding a boy in the park.
"Okay, Mel, like I said, don't freak out," said Amanda as she approached and set the box on the counter. The little boy squirmed and leaned away from Amanda's finger while still clutching onto either side of it, obviously taking in his surroundings. Amanda wasn't sure if it was just her imagination, but she could have sworn she felt the infinitesimal boy's hands shaking as he held onto her.
Mel eyed her friend skeptically and approached the box. The moment she peered over the edge, Amanda felt the little boy shudder and pull behind her fingers. The small child's eyes were wide as he mouth hung agape, and Mel was doing the same thing.
She backed away instantly, covering her mouth and biting onto the inside of her middle finger as she did so many times in the past. It was her coping technique to prevent a scream or gasp. Amanda was caught between a rock and a hard place. While the little boy whimpered and pulled the blanket over his body, Mel looked mildly faint.
"Mel, just take a breath. Please," Amanda said as knelt and rubbed where she thought the boy's back might be in an effort to comfort him. "Sweetie? It's okay. This is Mel. She's a friend."
Mel took a few deep breaths and blinked hard, wiping her eyes with the heel of her palm before approaching the box again. She stared blankly at the little lump under the blankets. Amanda continued to encourage the little boy and he peaked out just enough to catch a glimpse of Mel. His light sandy brown hair barely poked out from under the blanket before ducking back under.
"Mandy, what the ever loving cuss is that?" breathed Mel. Amanda knew Mel was trying to speak as calmly and as quietly as she was able, but her nerves were starting to get the better of her. "Amanda?"
"Who... who is that... and I don't know, Mel," Amanda said as she continued to rub the boy's back. "I found him in the park scared and alone. He's in a bad way, but he's been eating and drinking an-"
"Amanda... it... is... the... size... of... your... thumb," said Mel harshly. "When you said you wanted my help, I thought this would be a fun girls night, not an acid trip down the rabbit hole. Like... it's alive. Actually alive. What even is it?"
"He, Mel. He's a little boy. Trust me. I found that out when I gave him a bath last night," Amanda explained. "And I don't know what or who he is. He seems to understand but hasn't said anything. I did a little bit of research and didn't find anything except for some kids fiction books and some kind of community for writing about small humans."
"So... you think i... he... is some kind of human? A variant or something?" asked Mel, keeping her voice low.
"I have no idea, Mel, but I do know he's hurt and probably hasn't been taken care of for a few days. Please, could you just check him out for me and see if there's anything I missed? Or, I don't know, look through your medical files and case studies or whatever to see if anything like this has ever happened before?" Amanda's request was an earnest one, and Mel couldn't refuse her.
"I might be able to do something, but my equipment is definitely normal human sized," mumbled Mel. She walked back to the front door where she dropped her things and pulled out her equipment. Amanda didn't need to look at her friend to see her shaking her head repeatedly, as if that would wake her from this weird dream.
Amanda smiled as relief crept into her mind.
At least she wasn't the only one seeing the little boy.
Once again, Amanda rubbed the child's back and tried to coax him out.
"Come on, sweetie. It's okay. Mel is not going to hurt you. She is just going to make sure you are not hurt. I'll protect you. You can trust me," Amanda encouraged. Something about her words once again made him squeeze her finger and peek out from under the blanket. His frightened gaze still wide and filled with concern. "She's a friend, and she just wants to say hi. Can you say hi to her?"
Mel was back at Amanda's side, stethoscope and other gear in her hands. She set them on the counter and, following Amanda's lead, knelt beside her so she could barely peer into the box. Mel's voice instantly changed from the fun and good time tone to her work voice.
"Hey there, I'm Dr. Melissa Hargrove. How are you?" It was obvious that Mel worked with children frequently because of the singsong tone she adopted to speak to the boy clutching onto Amanda's finger. She was obviously still freaked out by the situation and by the little boy. Still, Amanda could hear her friend trying hard to keep calm and just treat the boy like any other child
"You're pediatrician is showing," Amanda teased.
"Shut up," hissed Mel back, obviously teasing and trying to keep a level head. Amanda smiled down at the boy and looked back to Mel.
"Can you say hi? Just a little wave?" asked Amanda as she imitated the motion for the boy. He stared at Amanda, brow furrowed and still shaking. Then, after a moment, the little boy mimicked the motion, his miniscule hand poking out and waving at Amanda and Mel.
"Oh, now. We don't get to be shy. We're friends now, right? Amanda seems a bit worried about you. Could you show me your arms and legs? Just like this?" said Mel as she followed Amanda's lead, just as the boy had, and showed her forearms and rotated them.
The boy looked to Amanda, who nodded in encouragement. He looked very uncomfortable with the suggestions, but proceeded to comply by holding out his shaking arms and rotating them quickly before pulling them back under the blanket and wrapping himself around Amanda's finger once again.
"Good job!" Amanda encouraged. "Good! You're doing so good. See? Dr. Mel didn't hurt you. You're safe."
The boy looked uncertainly from Mel back to Amanda, but then his little lips turned upward into a charming little smile that was filled with uncertainty and a thread of trust. It was like he was saying that he was alright and that Amanda was right in that he was okay.
"Yes, safe," she smiled. "Now, could you come out just a little? Dr. Mel needs to make sure the rest of you is okay." The boy looked timid once again and withdrew ever so slightly, which made Amanda think of a good compromise. She carefully rotated her hand to reveal her palm. "Here. Climb onto my hand sweetheart. If you feel scared, I'll pull the blanket over you. Okay?"
It took a minute, but the boy once again complied, his whole body shaking as he relinquished his grasp on Amanda's finger and curled into her palm. The same tingling sensation ran up Amanda's arm as the nearly imperceptible weight rested in her hand.
Such a beautiful, fragile life.
It was a long, slow process, but Amanda and Mel gave the little boy a full once-over. He had some trouble trusting the stethoscope and didn't like lifting his shirt to show Mel his scrapes and scratches, but every time he felt uncomfortable, he pulled at Amanda's fingers for her to make a tent until he was ready to come out again.
After an hour or so, they were done. The reward was some more jelly bread and a better tent for the boy to hide under while Mel and Amanda went over the results.
"So? How is he?" asked Amanda.
Mel exhaled a puff of air as she folded her arms across her chest. She spoke quietly to keep from scaring the boy, who was eating quietly nearby.
"He's absolutely alive, which is astounding. He's malnourished, for sure. If you fed him yesterday, it was probably the first food he'd had in two or three days. He's dehydrated too. Those scratches could be anything from prickly briars to animals. I know you don't like that idea, but he might've been attacked by some kind of critter at some point or another.
"I am also absolutely guessing because I've never seen anything or anyone like this before. No case studies. No out there one-offs. He seems exactly like any other patient except for him being an inch and a half tall, and that's me being generous," said Mel.
"So, you have no idea what he could be?" asked Amanda. Her insides sank when Mel shook her head. Amanda hid her face in her hands for a moment, collecting herself, as she exhaled slowly and glanced back at the box. "So, if he was out there for a little while, he probably doesn't have anyone to take care of him?"
Mel shrugged tensely and shook her head. "I doubt it. I'm surprised anything that small could live in the elements on its own without natural defenses. Like, mice have claws and extra senses. Who knows what this kid is capable of."
So, Mel doesn't think he has any natural defenses and no one to take care of him.
Amanda's insides churned and she hid her face again.
"Then what am I going to do? Do I take him back where I found him and see if his parents come back? Or do I just keep him? Heavens above, that last one sounds so illegal, but what choice do I have?" muttered Amanda, more to herself than to Mel.
When her friend didn't answer, Amanda felt compelled to look at her, pulling her hands away from her face to read Mel's expression, and it wasn't a good one.
"Mel?"
The pediatrician exhaled and kept her arms folded across her chest.
"Look, Mandy, I can't tell you what to do, but I want you to really think about this. This... kid... can't be more than four years old. He's small, which could mean it's some kind of birth defect and he was abandoned or again, because of his size, something might've happened to his parents and they're not coming back for him," breathed Mel. "At any rate, how is he going to live? How are you going to live? Keep him in this little box? Use one of those creepy air tags to keep track of him if he runs off?"
Amanda looked at the box. Everything in her felt heavy. She knew the boy couldn't survive on his own. All at once, she was in charge of another life that was just as precious as her life, if not more.
"You also have to think about if you're going to tell anyone about him, which I almost think you should. I almost think you should go to the police and social services, like a normal person, but I have no idea what will happen to him if they get involved," Mel muttered. Hearing this made Amanda's heart clench.
"T-tell someone? Mel, you don't understand. It took everything I had to tell you. I... don't think I could tell anyone about him and it end up well. I mean... worst case scenario is that he gets taken away to some lab and tested and experimented on. I... I can't put him through that..." Just the thought broke Amanda's heart.
"So, what? You're going to keep him? Raise him?" asked Mel. It wasn't going to be easy, but it was what felt right. Really, it was the only option.
Amanda's lips pressed together to form a thin line as she forced herself to nod.
"Yes. I mean... I can't do anything else. There's no other option." Her mind was made up. Her demeanor alone told Mel all she needed to know, which was terrifying.
"Amanda, you're being serious? Are you going to send him to school? Take him to work? Open his first bank account? He doesn't even have a birth certificate. You'd need to file for a delayed birth certificate for some kind of home birth and then you'd have to essentially forge documents saying he is yours, which is a crime if you weren't aware," reminded Mel as she stepped closer to Amanda. "I'm not trying to convince you out of it, I'm just waying there are some things you have to consider."
Amanda sighed and looked back at the box.
She knew there were going to be risks.
There was a chance this could all blow up in her face if something went wrong. With her divorce so recent, would it look suspicious if she suddenly had a child.
Amanda had to think about all of this carefully and plan out a good story if she was going to cover all of her bases.
She was certain about this though – and she wanted to help raise this boy.
"I know, and he's worth the risks. You know some doulas and midwives, right?"
"Mandy!"
"I'm not asking you to be in on this. I'm asking you to put me in contact with people who might be willing to help me out with this," said Amanda. "Please, Mel? He... he has no one else."
It obviously made her uncomfortable. This entire evening was not going in any direction that Mel could have predicted. Ultimately, however, Mandy was her friend. Biting her lip and huffing slightly, she nodded.
"If this gets back to me, I'm coming at you with my full vampiric powers. I'll send over the stuff you'll need and some of the numbers to get in touch with others who might be willing to help," muttered Mel. Amanda dropped to her knees as tears she didn't know were in her eyes spilled over onto her cheeks.
"Thank you."
"Oh, don't thank me yet. This is just the beginning. I don't know how you always manage to get into this situations, Mandy. I hope you know what you're doing," said Mel. "Until then, we'll keep him secret and safe."
Deep down, Amanda hoped she was doing the right thing too.