"Aelwen, we have company," he called, as the two walked in the house. Although she didn't live in his house, she was often there.
"Yeah," she replied. "Who's that," she said, a moment later.
"Uri," he said, and received no answer. She suddenly appeared in the kitchen, where they'd walked in, looking at Uri with a mix of friendliness and curiosity.
"How are you, Uri," she asked, but looked at Landers.
"I am alright," he said, looking between the two, knowing something was being said between them, but no clue what. He didn't even know they could talk mind to mind.
"The people that are looking for him have arrived, and I thought he'd be safer here. Would you be willing to stay here with us," he then asked, and an eyebrow rose, yet again, with that request.
"He'll sleep in the guest room, you can have my room, and I'll sleep on the couch," he explained, seeing her look.
"I don't mind, but why do I need to stay," she asked.
"For propriety's sake, considering he's not my child, and he'll be staying in my house," he said, then thought about it. "Technically, I was given custody of him, with Anne Hawthorne sharing it in a subordinate role. Maybe it would be alright," he said.
"I'll stay," she told him, before he could withdraw the invitation, not that he would.
"Let's get something to eat," Aelwen suggested.
"Are we cooking," Landers asked.
"I'm thinking Lucy's, or we could go in town to someplace nice," she said.
"I think going in town would be nice, if Uri's up to it," he replied.
"Could Anne go," he asked.
"I don't see why not," Aelwen replied, before Landers did.
"Why don't you call her, and see if she's able to," Landers said.
"Alright," she replied.
"Uri, let's put a baseball cap on you to hide the color streaks," Landers said, following words with action. Uri didn't offer any resistance, letting Landers do what he wanted.
A short while later, Anne was getting in the back of the car with Uri. As they pulled out, Landers said, "Being that Uri's a kid, and probably hasn't experienced a lot of what normal kids experience, I was thinking of taking him to Chuck-E-Cheese. I know it's not the best pizza, but it's not bad, and kids love it. What do you say," he asked.
"Deputy Landers, I don't think he'll like it," Anne told him.
"Why not," he asked.
"It's noisy and probably crowded. He's come a long way, but I don't think he's come that far," she said.
"I hadn't thought about that," he replied, then said, "Wait! I know where we can go," he said, his face lighting up.
A relatively short distance and time after leaving the Hawthorne's house, they pulled up at the Original Roadhouse. The parking lot was full, and there were people walking to and from the building.
"It'll be alright, I promise. I'll be with you," Anne told him, seeing the beginning signs of panic.
He nodded, but didn't say anything, as they walked toward the door. Inside, a veritable smorgasbord of noise assaulted him, the normal noises of a busy restaurant. But it was an experience he still wasn't used to, and his senses didn't have the experience processing it. He put his hands over his ears and pressed, hard.
"Should we leave," Landers asked, seeing Uri's distress.
"I will be alright," Uri replied, hearing him even with his ears covered. None of them were sure he would be, though. He was a little pale, and was shaking ever so slightly.
"Are you sure," Aelwen asked, leaning down, looking at him closely.
Removing his hands from his ears, he straightened up and seemed to bring himself together, but it took effort. Rather than speak, he nodded, but he was still shaking a little, and was definitely still pale.
"Alright," Landers said, and he went to the host stand. He then waved them to him, the hostess ready to seat them.
"That was fast," Anne said, once they were seated. The table was also in the back corner of the restaurant, which was a good deal quieter than most other areas.
"She asked me if Uri was alright, and I told her that he wasn't used to crowds. I think she may have bumped us up because of that, along with giving us this particular table," he said.
"She is nice," Uri said.
"Now, what do we all want," Landers asked.
"Let's get some Barbecue potato skins, maybe with chicken, and see if he likes them. They're a little more tame than some of the appetizers," Aelwen suggested.
"I'll go along with that, considering his reaction to some of the foods he's eaten, but I think we'll also get the onion rings. What about the main course," he asked.
"Why are you asking now," Aelwen asked.
"Because he's never eaten at a steak restaurant before, and it'd probably be a good idea to go ahead and have an idea what we're going to have him eat," he replied, and she nodded understanding.
"Let's see how he does with the 9 ounce Roadhouse Broil," Landers suggested. Uri remained silent, having no clue what Landers was going to order for him. So far, he hadn't been disappointed in anything Landers had given him, though.
"Deputy Landers, I suggest getting him steamed broccoli and garlic mashers," Anne said, and Landers nodded.
"You sure he can eat all of that," Aelwen asked.
"You should have seen him at Lucy's," he replied.
"I think Deputy Landers is right," Anne agreed.
Once the orders had been placed, it didn't take long for the appetizers to arrive. Putting a potato skin in his mouth, his face became completely blank, his eyes going glassy and he froze, the food not even completely chewed.
Aelwen started to check on him until Landers stopped her, putting a hand on her shoulder and saying, "Give him a moment."
"But he's..," she began, but Landers held her back.
"Trust me," he said, and sure enough, Uri did come back to his senses, then tore into the food with a vengeance. Even though he tried the onion rings, they didn't have the reaction that the potato skins did, and for the first time, he didn't seem to like them much, or he liked the potato skins so much they weren't important. By the time the potato skins were all gone, their meals arrived.
"Is it alright if I pray," Anne asked.
"Please," Landers said, inclining his head.
Once the prayer was done, Uri opened his eyes and then surveyed the food in front of him. It was an immense amount, even for him, and he'd already eaten quite a few of the potato skins.
"If you can't eat it all, don't worry about it. We can take it home with us," Aelwen said. Although Uri appreciated her show of kindness, he still didn't like the idea of leaving uneaten food. It was against everything he'd ever known, unless it was being preserved for later, but once it was prepared, all of it it was eaten. There was no waste.
"Wait a minute," Anne suddenly said, as Uri was picking up his fork. "I'll bet you're not used to cutting up your meat," she said.
"I cut meat when I kill the animal, and sometimes when I am going to cook it, or dry it," he said.
"Do you cut it into bite sized pieces when you're eating it," she asked, and he shook his head.
"But he cut his hamburger at Lucy's and the hotdog at the Faulk's," Landers said, not understanding.
"Because he couldn't fit it in his mouth," she said, and Aelwen understood.
"Anne, go ahead," Aelwen said.
It took a couple of minutes, but finally, Uri's steak was cut into bite sized portions, like would be done for a much younger child. Uri watched the entire time, understanding the purpose, once she was doing it.
"Thank you," he said, when she was done.
"You're welcome, Uri," she replied, and started doing the same thing to her steak.
As with the potato skins, Uri paused with the first bite of steak, and again with the garlic mashed potatoes, but not with the broccoli, although he definitely liked it. Amazing even himself, he ate all of the food on his plate.
"How do you eat so much," Aelwen asked.
"I eat until I am satisfied, or there is no more," he said.
"So you don't allow yourself to eat too much," she asked.
"I never have too much. I only make enough for my meal," he said.
"But sometimes you don't have enough," Anne asked.
"If...when I would go exploring, I would not carry a lot. I would find a good place and make a camp. When my camp is...was, made, I would then hunt, but if it was dark, I could not hunt, so I did not have much food until the next day," he told them.
"How often did you do this," Landers asked.
"I explored all the time, once I started leaving the...home," he said. All three of them knew he was skirting around telling them something, and he was also having to rethink his situation.
"Uri, would you tell me about your parents," Landers asked. The reaction wasn't what he hoped for.
Uri closed his eyes, breathing deeply for a long time. When he finally opened his eyes, there were tears there.
"They are dead," Uri yelled, "And Bob killed them. Is that what you want to know," Uri shouted, tears seeping from his eyes. People all over the restaurant looked over at the sudden, and unexpected display.
Uri then ran. Anne, as quickly as she could manage to, got out of her chair and chased after him.
"Uri," she called, as soon as she was outside. Uri was already on the other side of the parking lot, but at her call, he stopped dead, as if he'd hit a wall. What he didn't do, though, was turn around. He simply stopped, his head hung down. Anne ran to get to him, hoping he wouldn't take off again. She knew she probably couldn't catch him if he did.
When she got to him, he was crying, but not making any motion or noise. Not knowing what to say at the unexpected outburst, she just pulled him to her and held him. Uri melted into her, grabbing her tightly, the crying then becoming very audible and wracking.
"I'm sorry," she said, just holding him tightly.
"I miss them," he croaked out.
"I know," she said. "I miss my Daddy too," she told him.
When he finally calmed down, she pulled away, her hands on his shoulders and looked at him, "Are you alright now?"
"I am alright," he replied.
"Are you still okay with staying at Deputy Landers house," she asked, and although a little bit hesitantly, he nodded.
"Are you sure," she asked.
"Yes," he replied.
"Shall we go back to them, then," she asked, and again, he nodded.
"But I will not tell them about my parents," he said, as they were walking back.
"I'm not sure, but I think at some point, they're going to have to know what happened, especially since you said Bob killed them," she said.
"I will not tell them," he said, threatening to start tearing up again.
"Uri, I need," Landers began, when they got to the others, but at Anne's quick shake of her head, he stopped.
Then he finished, with, "To get you home. It's getting late, and you have a big day tomorrow."
"Thank you for dinner, Deputy Landers," Anne said, as they dropped her off.
"Anne, please call me Wes, or if you insist Mr. Wes or Mr. Landers. Outside of work, I prefer not to be deputy anything, if that's alright," he said.
"Yes, sir," she replied.
As they drove away, Landers said, "Uri, I'm sorry," he began, but Uri stopped him.
"I do not wish to speak of this. It is done, and I will tell you nothing more. Your Sheriff will want more, but he will not have it," Uri said.
"Uri, he's all of our Sheriff," Landers corrected.
"He is not my Sheriff. He cause hurt to me and Mia. He might think he do good things, but when he hurt Mia, that was not good, and I will not pardon that easily," Uri said, beginning to mess up his words, letting them know he was still very stressed.
"I do know he means well, though," Uri added, almost as an afterthought. The statement, after such choppy English, was unexpected. Although short, it was concise, and mature.
"How did he hurt Mia," Landers asked, curious what Uri meant by that.
"He had her try to deceive me. At first, I did not know she did not do it, but then I found out she did not, and it was him that convinced her to. That was not good," Uri said.
"Uri, he was trying to help you," Landers said.
"Wes, I think he knows that, but what I think he's trying to say is, the end doesn't justify the means, if I understood him correctly. And I'm still not certain he even agrees with the end," Aelwen said.
"Is that what you meant," Landers asked him.
"I do not understand everything she said, but I think so," Uri replied.
"Are you unhappy living with people again," Landers asked.
"Yes," Uri said, not hesitating.
"Is there anything that makes you happy," Landers asked.
"Yes," Uri replied, but didn't elaborate.
"Would you tell me what makes you happy," Landers asked. He felt he was having to dig in concrete with his bare hands for every scrap he managed to get from Uri, and sometimes he hit landmines, especially when he asked about Bob or Uri's parents.
"The forest and Mia, Anne and I think I will be happy with school," Uri replied, then added, "And learning to do the telepathy."
"You like the training Dr. Hammond is giving you," he asked, a little surprised.
"Yes. It is hard work," Uri said.
"You like hard work," Aelwen asked, catching that little comment.
"Yes. Does not everyone? It gives pride, and honor. When you do hard work, you accomplish something and that is always good," Uri said.
"But sometimes you do hard work and fail," she said.
"Even then, you succeed. In failure, you learn. Learning is never failure," he said, shocking her. At times, he was so young and seemingly frail, then he showed levels of maturity that were way beyond his years.
"Why did you say, maybe school," she asked.
"Because it is too easy, but there is much I do not know, yet, but I will and then it might not be fun anymore," he said.
"There is always more school," she told him.
"That would be good," he said.
The conversation died after that and when they pulled into the drive, Uri was asleep, looking for all the world like any young child.
"There are times when he says things that are incredibly profound, but then he looks like this, like any child. Sweet and innocent," she told Landers.
"Yeah," he agreed, lifting Uri out of the car.
Uri's head instinctively laid on his shoulder, and he mumbled, "Daddy."
Once he was put to bed, never having awakened as Landers changed him into pajamas, or anything else, the two sat in the living room.
"Wes, he needs a home, some stability," she said.
"I know, but who," he asked.
"You," she replied, watching him. She was worried how he'd take that.
"I can't," he said, but there was something in his eyes. She could see it there, where others might miss it.
"The Hawthornes aren't going to, even though I think they were one of Dr. Hammond's two choices. That leaves you," she said.
"His second choice was probably Andy and Abby," he said.
"I don't think so," she replied. Before he could say anything else, she said, "Listen, you've asked me to marry you, and I said not yet, because of..., well, I wasn't ready," she said.
"I know, and I understand," he said, but she stopped him.
"I know you do, and you understand more than most men would," she said, then, as if it suddenly slipped out, she said "Let's get married."
"Are you sure," he asked, after a second for his mind to process what she'd blurted out. He'd dropped the ground in front of her, taking both of her hands in his, and looking deeply into her eyes.
"Yes, I think it's time, if you still want me," she replied.
"Want you," he asked. "Of course I want you. You've made me whole again," he said, bringing her hands to his lips and kissing them once.
"As you have for me," she said, leaning forward and kissing him deeply.
"You aren't doing this just to convince me to adopt him, are you," he asked, as they parted, suspicious.
"No. I really want to marry you, even if he wasn't in the picture. I've wanted to for a while, and now I think we've waited long enough, and I think they would approve," she said.
"I don't know if I'm ready for a kid again," he then said.
"Wes, I know it's hard for you, but he needs someone, and you're the best option he has," she said.
"Why would I be the best option," he asked.
"Think about it for a minute, and you'll know," she said, lightly putting her hand on his cheek.
"We have complimentary holes inside us," he realized.
"Yes, and although you will never replace his Dad, and he'll never replace your son, you can help heal the wounds for each other. You'll each give the other something each of you need, very badly," she said.
"He doesn't even like me," he replied.
"Actually, I think he does, but he's understandably weary. Think about his few meetings with you guys. They weren't exactly friendly, if you think about it from his perspective. Always remember, he's had a very different life, completely alien to anything we can probably understand. He knows freedom in a way we can only dream of and he believes you guys are trying to take that from him. Of course he's going to be a bit nervous, untrusting, and a few other things, a lot of which he himself probably doesn't understand, but if you can break the ice with him, I think there might be something really special in there," she said.
When he didn't reply, she pushed on. "Wes, you told me about your first meeting with him on the road, and the second in Sue's. Both times, you told me he was looking at you with his eyes kind of glassy, as if in a trance. Then you said it was as if he woke up, and when he did seemed to almost shake something off before he ran away. He senses something in you that he can't avoid feeling. What it is, I can't say, but he does, and he's drawn to you, maybe even more than to Anne or Mia. And if he really is a telepath, he knows something about you that maybe even you don't know," she said.
"That's another reason I'm not sure I'm the right person for him. I have things inside I don't want him to know," he said.
"Wes Landers, if he wanted to know, I think he already would, if he really is telepathic. My honest guess, based on what Dr. Hammond suspects, is that he senses emotions naturally, like we smell scents, or see colors, or hear birds chirp, but Dr. Hammond has said he doesn't like to read thoughts, and even resists doing it when Dr. Hammond is working with him. Besides, everyone has things inside their minds they don't want others to know. That's why they created these telepathic kids, isn't it, to get secrets from our enemies," she asked.
"He's got problems, and he won't talk to me. He doesn't trust me," he said.
"Wes, he's just beginning to come in contact with people again. He doesn't really trust anyone, except maybe Anne and Mia. And I'm not sure about Mia," she replied.
"What do you mean," he asked.
"He may understand that Mia didn't mean for him to be hurt, but she did agree to deceive him. She came and talked to me after he ran away from the hospital, and a couple of times since. She said something's different with him than it was, even though she's only known him for a little while. Do you think he's the type to forget, whether he forgives or not," she asked. "His perception of honor is very unusual. I'd almost say it's archaic, from the little I've seen and heard. That plan of the Sheriff's that she was a part of, violates his sense of honor, and I suspect it will always be there between them," she said.
"There's something else about him that I'm beginning to suspect, although Dr. Hammond is the expert on this. I'm thinking that he might actually push his emotions on others in the same way he feels the emotions of others, if I'm even right about that," she said.
They just looked at each other for a long time, him on his knees in front of her, still gently holding her hands in his. "All I ask is that you think about it. You don't have to make a decision right now," she said, and he nodded, then swung onto the couch beside her, and wrapped his arm around her.