Brand New Day

Chapter 7
Chapter Seven

The migraines keep getting worse.

On a Friday afternoon, he receives another call from Felicia who found a ‘terribly distraught’ Ryder curled up under his desk in the study, with all her attempts to coax him out being entirely unsuccessful. He only wants you, Mr. Ellis, she’d insisted, He keeps asking for you. He hadn’t found it odd, that she sounded so much more like his childminder than his housekeeper.

All Daniel had done was hurriedly grab his things, one shoulder supporting his cell as he gratefully thanked her. After a frustrating hour stuck in traffic, Daniel at long last arrives home, dumping his briefcase by the door and heading straight to the darkened study.

With a deep breath, he draws closer to the dreaded desk.

And has to stifle his wince.

The sight of Ryder cowering with tears in his dark brown eyes and arms wound securely around his bony knees as he clutches a damn highlighter to his chest breaks Daniel’s heart.

"Hey," he greets warmly in the softest voice he can muster, crouching down in front of him. "You’re gonna get a really nasty kink in your neck if you stay like that for much longer."

Peeking up at him miserably, Ryder bites down hard on his fist to keep from whimpering. Whimpering, for Christ’s sake.

"Hey, hey." He places a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "It’s okay. It’s just a little headache. Let me just-"

The boy’s lower lip wobbles.

Oh, God.

"I don’t suppose I’m going to be able to wheedle you outta there anytime soon?" A barely perceptible shake of the head. He heaves a sigh. "Didn’t think so."

Daniel lowers himself to the ground fully, incapable of keeping his lip from curling or his nose from wrinkling as he eyes the dust, and proceeds to make himself comfortable. "Well, kid, looks like we’re in it for the long haul," he mutters, sliding under the desk beside Ryder and mourning the lose of ache-free muscles.

Out of the corner of his eye, he catches Ryder anxiously gnawing on the cap of the highlighter and quickly intercedes.

"Hey!" he rebukes sharply. "Get that disgusting thing out of your mouth." Ry groans in complaint. "I don’t care," he holds out an open palm, "Hand it over. I will not have you snacking on a choking hazard." The young man moans, but one look at his uncle’s expression makes him promptly give in.

Ryder wearily drops his head onto Daniel’s shoulder, mumbling, “You’re mean.”

“And you’re exhausted,” he swiftly counters. “How about you try to get some sleep?"

Swiping a hand across his face with the slapdash accuracy of a sleepy two-year-old, he argues, “Can’t.”

"Why not?"

"Inside." There’s too much going on inside. As if to prove his point, the kid clumsily taps his temple.

"Well, what if I distracted you from the happenings of ‘inside?’ Then do you think you’d sleep?"

An idea already shaping in Daniel’s head, Ryder mumbles into the older man‘s collarbone, "S’worth a shot, I guess."

Smoothly extracting his phone from his pocket, Daniel clicks on an app and flicks through his small collection of e-books, pausing at one of Ryder’s favourites. Keeping his voice low and hushed, he begins to read, lips toying with the makings of a smile as he feels rather than sees the boy relax.

Blinking blearily, Ryder silently mouths the words he’s long ago committed to memory in harmony with his uncle’s narration, becoming more and more lethargic as time goes on.

“And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had the familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer..." Daniel’s gaze wanders down to the noiseless teen, a fond smile gracing his lips when he learns he’s already fast asleep.

Keeping a secure grip on the young man to stop his head from rolling, Daniel absently smoothes a thumb over Ryder’s patchy, red cheek and doesn’t even notice when he starts to hum a soft tune that could easily pass for a lullaby.