Charlie had left a note.
A sodding note.
Sorry, D. You need to be on your own to figure out what you want. If you need me, I'm just a Floo away, staying at the Burrow for a while. Your friend, Charles.
Draco wasn't surprised he managed to drive the red-head away. After all, he'd run off everyone else in his life. His mother, Severus, Harry. And now Charlie.
He buried a hand in Bogart's thick fur. "You're not going to leave me, are you, love?"
The dog replied with a sober bark and light nudge and the pair continued on their walk.
Draco didn't care much for the beach itself, but most of the beaches in Hawaii had grassy park areas nearby. From Charlie's descriptions, Draco knew that the park by the zoo had immense banyan trees arching over the grassy field, so Draco let Bogart lead him to an abandoned picnic table in the shade, then let the dog off her leash to chase the fat pigeons that covered the ground.
It was the fourth day in a row they'd been to the park, and four days since Charlie left. Draco knew himself better than to blame it on coincidence.
He didn't want to be alone in the apartment, and several times over the past few days had found himself on the verge of calling Charlie, or even Harry.
But something held him back. He assumed it was pride. It could just as easily have been embarrassment. After all, he was on the verge of giving up. After his grand declaration that he could live on his own, he had resorted to waiting around for something, for Charlie or Harry to come and rescue him from himself, instead of making the new life he said he would.
Even now, he had given up the job hunt and spent most of his time wandering around and avoiding his apartment.
A shrill ring pulled him out of his thoughts, and he felt his phone vibrating against his stomach. Pulling the tiny thing from his jacket pocket, he flipped it open, "Hello?"
"Mr. Mallow?"
"Yes, who is this?"
"My name is Deacon Winters. I run a local children's hospice called Hale Kokua. I'm in need of some help so I called my uncle, Director Edwards of Hamilton House, for suggestions and he gave me your portable number and told me that you are in the islands, is this true?"
Draco shifted, leaning more against the table, "Yes. Why?"
"I need someone who became blind later in life to help with my more difficult children. Director Edwards said you were good with children, and that you could help them understand what they were going through. I was wondering if you would like to come in and work with some of our patients. Most of them are blind, but others have different disabilities.
Unfortunately, we don't have a huge budget and we're very short on staff, much less staff that can understand how the children feel. If you could come in even twice a week and spend time with them, we would appreciate it."
Draco considered for a moment, "Give me your number and I'll call you back."
Draco added the number in his phone's memory and hung up.
Hamilton House had been designed mainly for adults, but there were some children there as well. As Draco was one of the younger patients, he spent some time with the children and in that time became very fond of them. They were in the same position as he was, but they were more frightened; yet at the same time, more accepting.
He called Deacon Winters back and said, "I'll do it," and he was smiling.
(12345)
His first day on the job was a Tuesday. Draco had plenty of practice getting around town on the bus, and the drivers were very courteous and more than willing to help.
He got to the hospice at eight AM on the nose, and let Bogart lead him up a short flight of stone steps to the front door.
The door opened at a light touch, and inside the unpleasantly medicinal smell almost sent him back out on the street, but behind that was a whiff of cinnamon, and he could hear children not too far away, so he gritted his teeth, tightened his grip on his cane and moved forwards, hoping to come upon a front desk or office.
"Mr. Mallow? I'm Deacon Winters."
Draco recognized the voice from the phone; it was more resonant than it sounded through the weak and tinny reception.
"Pleased to meet you sir," Draco reached a hand out in the direction of the voice.
After a small pause, he felt it grasped in a firm hold and shaken, once, then again, before being released.
"Please don't call me sir, Mr. Mallow. We're to be co-workers. You can call me Deacon."
"Deacon? That's your first name?"
The man nodded, Draco could tell from the sound of movement, something soft, his hair probably, brushing against the fabric of his shirt. "I'm sorry. I forgot, in England Deacon is a title. Yes, that's my first name. My mother wanted something dignified, I guess."
Deacon had a gentle laugh, Draco smiled reflexively. The man seemed trustworthy, but Draco kept to the name he had chosen so many months before, "All right, then you must call me David."
Draco felt Deacon take his elbow and together the two men walked towards the children Draco had heard earlier.
"So," Draco cleared his throat, "What am I expected to do here?"
"Well, basically we just want you to spend time with the children. Show them that they can live with their disability and give them an adult they can confide in, since you've been through the same thing."
As they got closer, the noise got louder. Most of it was 'happy children noise' laughter and talking, but under that was a thin current of fear, of sorrow. Draco reminded himself that these children were in the position he had been in not too many months before.
This was not going to be easy.
A thick door was all that stood between Draco and the children he would be helping.
He took a deep breath and let Deacon lead him in.
"Children, this is David. He'll be working with you a few days a week starting on Tuesday. Today why don't you take some time to get to know each other?"
Deacon introduced Draco and Bogart to the children briefly.
"So, what do we say?"
Tiny voices shouted, "Hello, David."
From the back of the room Draco heard quiet whispering, but he didn't try to figure it out. Knowing children, they would ask their questions soon enough.
"Can I pet your dog?"
"Is that your real hair?"
"Are you a girl?"
Draco answered those questions and more, one shouted on top of another. He kept a serene tone in his voice and a smile on his face, though he very badly wanted to pinch the little boy that questioned his gender. He knew he was pretty, but still.
"Why are you wearing dark glasses inside? That's stupid."
Deacon's voice sounded beside him, "Harry, I'll thank you not to be rude. Children, David is blind, like Sarah and Timothy. He will be working with them to improve their skills, but he will spend plenty of time with all of you. Now, David and I have to speak privately, but as I said he will be back on Tuesday.
As they walked away, the sound from the play room returned to its joyous noise, and Deacon led Draco to a small office. Accepting the offer of a bottle of water, Draco sat in the chair he had been directed to and the men took a moment to relax.
Draco's thoughts were caught up in a whirl. Hearing the name Harry again had thrown him for a loop. He tried to clear his mind, Harry and their life together was behind him, he was building a new life now.
"So, Mr. Mallow, what do you think of our kids?"
"They sound like children, I'm sure we'll rub along fine. I can come three days a week for a few hours, and if necessary I can stay some nights. I know how difficult it can be to get acclimated, especially at night."
Draco felt the warm, dry hand press his gently. After a moment of silence, he heard the other man take a heavy breath.
"Thank you, Mr. Mallow, and we'll see you Tuesday."
Draco let Bogart guide him to the door and he stepped out into the warm afternoon smiling.