Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 79749 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 399(@200wpm)___ 319(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79749 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 399(@200wpm)___ 319(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
I feel like an outsider as I hear them talking softly as I make my way up the stairs. I vow not to let my personal feelings get in the way of her helping my son.
Eli is sitting on the bed when I open his bedroom door. He isn't crying, but I can see how startled he looks by my intrusion.
"Would it be better if we knock before coming in?" I ask, realizing he may have never had much privacy before.
But then I wonder if that's the right thing, which also makes me wonder how long I'll be second-guessing myself where he's concerned. I don't want to cause more issues, but I also don't want him to feel as if he's being neglected. Shit, maybe I need to see if Miss Caitlyn does therapy for adults as well.
He doesn't answer me, and I can see that he thinks it's a test that he will fail no matter what answer he gives, so I make the decision for him.
"What about a secret knock?" I ask, squatting down in front of him. "So you know it's me?"
A tiny smile transforms his adorable face.
"Like this," I say, knocking three times on the footboard before tapping my fingernails rhythmically.
His smile grows wider.
"Do you have it memorized?" I do the sequence again, smiling when he nods.
"Like this," he says, mimicking the actions.
"That's perfect. Let's head downstairs. There's a friend down there I'd like you to meet."
He slowly gets off the bed, but he's in no rush as he crosses the room toward the door.
"What will I be doing?" he bravely asks as we look down at Nolan and Caitlyn from the top of the stairs.
"I think you're going to play. Maybe color," I tell him.
"Will there be trains?"
"I don't know," I answer, making a mental note to buy the kid every train in existence if it makes him happy.
Chapter 37
Jericho
Eli was incredibly timid when he came into the living room, but I think Hemlock picking a female therapist with everything he has been through was the best choice. Eli has warmed up a little, and it's so strange to watch Caitlyn with him. She isn't sitting on the couch asking him a million questions. She's right beside him on the floor, and it's as if they have a playdate together. It doesn't resemble anything I thought it would, but after her explanation, I can see what she means about therapy.
We now know that his favorite color is green. He loves trains, and he would rather play with magnetic blocks to build stuff than action figures with weapons.
Every new thing that is introduced to him is met with uncertainty, and I swear I want to kill Damien all over again. If I could track down whomever it was that was keeping Eli, I'd skin them from the tops of their heads to the slopes of their feet for the harm they've caused my son.
I hold my breath when Eli is handed a train that doesn't have a rolling wheel. He looks at the thing with narrowed eyes, but he doesn't focus on it for very long. When he's handed a train that has a button you can push that makes it emit a really loud noise, he puts it to the side.
Caitlyn gathers it and places it back in front of him, laughing when she presses the button and it makes the sound.
He keeps his eyes locked on her when he presses the button for the first time, gauging her reaction, as if he thinks he might get into trouble for making noise. She laughs again when he does it, and then quickly moves on. Eli then uses the button to make the noise and even makes the sound with his own mouth for several of the other trains he has been provided.
Caitlyn looks up at us frequently, as if to let us know that things are going well. I never realized just how much you can learn about a child by watching them play. He was afraid to make noise, but she let him know that noise was okay.
I know this is the first of many appointments he'll have with her, so I'm glad he seems to like her.
Eli doesn't look up when Hemlock walks around the outer edge of the room to get to the kitchen, but I see how he stiffens and the way his eyes dart to the side as if he has to prepare himself for something bad. I hate the way his little shoulders tense up with fear.
"Did I hear a train whistle?" Hemlock asks as he inches closer.
Eli sits up fully, his eyes darting between all of us in the room.
"I found this upstairs. It's not a train but listen," Hemlock says, pressing a button on the top of the car, smiling when it makes an engine revving noise.