by G. R. Lyons
Always brothers, forever friends.
Chapter 18
VIC FELT the silence like a heavy weight as he finished telling the story, idly rubbing the scars on the knuckles of his left hand, his eyes still fixed on the bracelet across the room, his own words—from all those years ago—haunting him.
I wish you'd just disappear for a few days…
Vic squeezed his eyes shut. He'd gotten exactly what he wanted.
A sniff broke the silence, and Vic blinked a few times, trying to get his bearings, then looked down. Colby was still curled up against him, his little hands clutching Vic's shirt, tears streaming silently down his cheeks.
“Oh, sweetheart.” Vic pulled the boy into his arms.
“I'm so sorry,” Colby whispered.
Vic shook his head and kissed Colby's hair. “I didn't mean to upset you.” He gave the boy a squeeze. “But that's why,” he said, answering Colby's question. “It's my fault that some monster got Cam, so now I have to make up for it. That's why I do what I do. I find and rescue kids so they don't have to suffer like Cam did.”
Colby looked up at him. “Like you saved me?”
“Yeah.” Vic gave him a smile. “Exactly.” He paused, then added, “Sometimes, it never feels like enough. But using you would be unforgivable.”
Colby frowned and looked away, his tears stopping as a thoughtful look crossed his face. After a few moments, he looked up at Vic again. “How is Cam always so happy if that happened?”
“Well…” Vic idly rubbed a hand along Colby's arm as he thought of an answer. “He's had a lot of time to deal with it. The whole time he was in a coma, I visited him at least once a week, talked to him, just sat with him. He was conscious far more often than I realized, since he couldn't move or speak. Couldn't open his eyes. He had all those years to think about what happened to him, to accept it and move on.”
Colby's thoughtful frown deepened. “So I can be happy, too?” he whispered.
“Yeah.” Vic held the boy close. “Of course you can. It might take some time, but you can get past it all. I know you can.” Vic paused, then added, “And I'll do whatever I can to help you get there.”
Colby looked up at him from under his eyelashes. “Does that mean I get to stay?” he whispered.
Vic's heart broke all over again, seeing the hope and worry in Colby's eyes. “Of course, sweetheart. Yeah, of course you get to stay.”
Colby's eyes brightened and a hint of a smile showed on his face just before he burrowed in closer and hid his face against Vic's shirt. Vic rested his cheek on the boy's head, and let out a sigh. Still, he couldn't resist smiling. Even knowing how difficult it was going to be having Colby around, the thought of watching the boy open up and finally live was just the thing he needed. Maybe last night was just the beginning. He could channel that determination—that sheer need to give Colby anything and everything he might want or need—and finally have a chance at redemption.
“Vic?”
“Yeah?”
“If Cam was asleep all those years, how did he die?”
Vic's heart clenched with pain even as the old fury rose up again. His jaw tightened at the memory of that gods-awful phone call, the one he'd gotten while on Erostil two years ago. Vic was supposed to be focused on getting Asher back home after he and Ryley had rescued the man from his life of isolation on a deserted island, but that phone call had destroyed Vic's entire world.
He could still hear that cruel voice telling him, “Your brother is dead…I found out last night that you were out of town, so I figured this was my chance to finally put Cam out of his misery. You've been letting him linger for far too long. It was time for him to go.”
Vic's hands tightened into fists.
“Vic?” Colby asked.
Vic looked down and saw the boy's eyes widen with worry. Taking a deep breath, Vic closed his eyes and tried to push the rage aside. Poor Colby didn't need that right now.
He'd just about gotten himself calm enough to answer when his phone beeped a notification. Vic grabbed his phone, and smiled when he saw what was on the screen. A response from Roz. Keeping one arm around Colby, he thumbed open the message. It seemed Roz had just taken in a bunch of new dogs, so Colby would have several to choose from.
Assuming Vic could get the boy to actually leave the house.
He looked down at Colby. “What do you say we go pick out a dog?”
The little guy's eyes lit up, and Vic couldn't help but grin.
* * *
VIC SWITCHED off the car and turned to look at the boy curled up in the passenger seat. Colby had been nervous about leaving the house, bundling up in all his layers and huddling in a ball the whole way across town, but the prospect of seeing a puppy must have greatly outweighed his fear. After a long, serious talk about the responsibilities of owning a dog, Colby had gotten into the car with little coaxing on Vic's part, and peeked up at Vic with bright eyes as soon as they came to a stop again.
“We're here,” Vic said, then leveled a look at him. “Now, there's gonna be a lot of dogs in there, and—trust me—it's really tempting to want to take them all home, but we can only pick one, alright?”
Colby nodded slowly, glancing at the building out of the corner of his eye. “What happens to the other ones?”
“They'll all get homes,” Vic told him. “Someone else will come along and adopt them.”
Colby hesitated. “You promise?”
Vic nodded. “I promise.” He paused, then asked, “You ready to go?”
Colby gave the outside another nervous glance, then nodded. Vic went around to the other side of the car, picking the boy up right out of the seat and lifting him to his hip. Colby held on, ducking his head. Vic was tempted to make him walk, but Ahriman was still out and about in the world, and Colby was pushing his boundaries just by leaving the house, so at least they were making progress.
Vic walked up to the entrance and knocked on the door. The lights inside the entryway were off, but Vic knew Roz was in there. They had a long-standing arrangement that he could bring in rescues to pick out a therapy dog during off hours so that the experience wouldn't be as overwhelming. Sure enough, he spotted Roz through the window as she hurried across the entryway to open the door, a big smile on her face.
“Hey, Vic.” She stepped aside. “Come on in.”
Vic thanked her and carried Colby inside. The boy was hiding his face, but as soon as the front door was shut and locked again—and a series of excited barks reached their ears—Colby perked up.
The boy looked at Vic with wide, eager eyes.
“Oooh,” Roz said, grinning at Colby. “I think they know you're here, kiddo. You wanna go meet them?”
Vic smiled at her enthusiasm. It was probably just what Colby needed to make the experience more comfortable. The boy looked shyly at Roz, but he gave a nod.
Roz beamed at them and hurried off, waving at them to follow.
The barks and yips grew louder as they reached the row of cages. Despite all the noise, Colby's gasp was easy to hear. The boy's eyes grew impossibly wide as he took in the sight of all those dogs dancing about excitedly in their separate spaces.
“What do you think?” Vic asked, watching Colby look from one dog to the other.
“There's so many,” the boy whispered.
Vic gave a slow nod. There were probably only twenty dogs there—a mere handful compared to all the ones that existed in the world—but Colby had probably never imagined so many at once. Would the boy even understand that there were thousands upon thousands more out there?
“Do you see one you want to meet?” Vic asked.
Colby kept looking from one to another so fast, Vic wasn't sure he'd be able to pick.
“Hey, Roz? Do you think we could–”
“Way ahead of you,” she said with a grin as she darted over to the wall and pressed a button, unlocking all the cages at once.
The dogs flooded out, some heading straight for Vic and Colby while ot
hers darted down the hallway to the large, indoor play area where toys were scattered about. Just beyond the play area was a door to a fenced yard. Vic considered taking them all outside to see if he could coax Colby out there, but that was probably pushing things. For now, he walked Colby over to the play area and set the boy down.
Colby went right to his hands and knees and started crawling about amidst all the dogs, a smile slowly growing on his face as one after another tumbled about, wagging their tails and showing off their toys.
It was like the boy hadn't even noticed Vic's absence. A bittersweet feeling shot through Vic, both glad for the boy's sake while also missing that clinging sense of being needed.
Roz came up to Vic's side, and they both watched the boy. “What a sweet kid.”
Vic nodded.
“Looks like he's gonna have a hard time choosing,” Roz teased.
“Yeah, I was afraid of that,” Vic muttered, though the sight of Colby actually smiling was worth it. “Thank you again for this.”
“Hey, like I told you before: anytime. Besides…” She nodded at Colby. “That little face just made my day. Hells, I wanna take him home.”
Vic barked a laugh even as a stab of possessiveness shot through him. Mine. He shoved the thought aside. He couldn't be thinking that way. It wasn't right, and it certainly wasn't fair to either of them. Colby wasn't his. Would never be his. He couldn't keep him forever.
He shoved his hand into his pocket and clutched Cam's bracelet as he watched Colby play with the dogs. One of them curled up in Colby's lap and licked the boy's face.
Colby giggled—actually giggled—and Vic felt another piece of his shattered world settle back into place.
COLBY SANK his fingers into the puppy's fur, smiling at the sensation. He'd missed this so much. The soft touch. The sweet smell. The happy look on its face as it scampered about in play. His heart hurt, thinking of the poor, sweet puppy that Bad Man had killed, but seeing so many others running about, happy and free, gave him so much hope.
But he could only pick one? It seemed an impossible choice. He wanted them all. He wanted to keep them all and play with them, hold them and see them live. See them safe.
Eventually, the puppies all wandered off and played by themselves or with each other, except one that stuck close to Colby's side. It looked so much like the puppy that Bad Man had killed, except it was a little bigger. It nosed its way right into Colby's lap and curled up there, looking up at Colby with a happy, smiling pant. The puppy jumped up and licked Colby's face, then dropped back to his lap and just sat there, wagging his tail and looking around.
Colby smiled, hugging the puppy close. It felt like the puppy had chosen him, like it wanted to stay right there in Colby's lap forever. And Colby wanted that one, too. If he could only pick one, this would be it.
He was just about to turn around to find Vic, then spotted Cam on the other side of the room. The ghost was laughing, rolling around on the floor with a small dog that kept darting forward and back and jumping all over Cam, its tail wagging like crazy. Cam looked so happy.
And none of the other dogs seemed to notice him.
Colby glanced down at the puppy in his lap, hugging it close even as he got ready to let it go.
VIC WALKED over and crouched at Colby's side. It looked like he'd taken a liking to one of the dogs in particular, so Roz ran off to grab a leash while Vic had a talk with the boy.
“Hey, kiddo.”
Colby looked up at him with such happiness in his eyes, Vic thought his heart might burst.
“Who's this?” Vic asked, reaching out to the puppy in Colby's lap and scratching behind its ears. He trailed his hand down to the dog's collar and read the tag dangling from it. “Sharma, huh? He seems like a good boy. What do you think?”
Colby nodded, his eyes full of longing.
“Is this the one?” Vic asked. “Or do you want to think about it some more?”
Colby curled his arms around the puppy, then slowly let go and looked across the room, pointing. “That one.”
Vic frowned. The other dog was playing on its own and had barely spared Colby any attention. “Are you sure?”
Colby nodded, a solemn, determined look on his face.
“Colby.” Vic waited until he had the boy's attention, then asked, “Can you tell me why that one and not this one?”
“Because that one can see Cam,” Colby told him, “and Cam really wants a puppy, too.”
Vic blinked, that bittersweet feeling rushing through him again, his heart both breaking and bursting with joy all at once. He looked across the room, watching the lone dog. He couldn't see Cam, but the longer he looked, the more he could imagine his brother there, playing with it.
It was all he could do to stop himself from yanking Colby into a hug, not wanting to frighten or overwhelm the boy, yet desperate to show him how grateful he was.
Roz skipped back over. “Alright, Vic, we've got–”
“Hey, Roz?” Vic interrupted her. “We're gonna need two.”
Roz didn't even miss a beat. “Sure thing,” she said, beaming at him, and darted off again.
Colby gave Vic a puzzled look.
“What do you say,” Vic began, “we get that one for Cam, and this one for you?”
Colby's eyes lit up like he'd just been given the greatest gift in the world. “Really?” he whispered.
Vic nodded. Even though he had no idea how he was going to handle two dogs in the house after years of having none, he couldn't resist that face. “Really.”
Colby let out a happy squeak and hugged Sharma close, then turned and called out, “Cam!” He waved excitedly, a big smile on his face.
The lone dog scampered over, seemingly following Cam.
“We get to take them home!” Colby said.
An invisible force tackled Vic, almost knocking him over. Vic laughed and hugged Cam back, then drew Colby in as well when the boy joined them. The pure joy on Colby's face was breathtaking. Vic wished he could see Cam's face as well, but just feeling his brother's happiness was better than nothing.
Roz came over with two leashes in her hands. “Awww, aren't you guys adorable.” She crouched down and scratched both dogs behind the ears. “These little furballs going home with you?”
Vic nodded, and Colby wouldn't stop smiling.
“So, fair warning,” Roz said, patting Cam's dog, “Patches is probably gonna be a handful. They're a loving breed, but they need firm discipline since they don't always behave and are easily distracted.”
Vic grimaced, then saw Colby tilt his head as though listening.
Colby leaned close to Vic and whispered, “Cam promises to play with her a lot and take good care of her.” He pulled back, his eyes wide with worry, as though Vic was going to change his mind.
Vic gave the boy a smile. “Alright.” He glanced where he thought Cam must be sitting. “Thank you.”
Colby sighed with relief.
“Now, Patches is fully grown,” Roz continued, either not noticing or choosing to ignore the mention of someone she couldn't see, “but Sharma here is gonna get pretty big. Is that alright?”
Vic looked at Colby. “What do you think?”
Colby eyed the dog in his lap. “Puppies grow?”
“Yeah, just like people,” Vic said. He looked Sharma over, considering the breed: a domesticated variant of the giant wolves of Falsin. “He'll probably be as big as you are by the time he's done.”
Colby's eyes went wide, and he hugged Sharma closer.
“He might be a challenge to walk once he gets bigger,” Roz told Colby, “but they're very protective.” She nodded at the dog sitting in Colby's lap and looking around like he dared anyone else to get too close to his boy. “It's a good sign when they take to someone like this so easily.”
Vic tilted his head. “What do you say, kiddo?”
In response, Colby just kept hugging the dog like he'd never let it go.
Vic smiled. “Let's get these guys home, y
eah?”
Colby beamed at him.
Vic left the boys to play with the dogs for a few minutes while he filled out the paperwork and got Roz paid, then they got the dogs on their leashes and headed outside. Colby walked alongside Vic, eagerly clutching the end of Sharma's lead. He stuck close, but didn't even seem to notice that he stepped outside all on his own without a hint of fear.
Vic smiled.
They piled into the car, then stopped off at a pet store on the way home to get a few more supplies. Colby and Cam stayed with the dogs while Vic ran in to get what they needed, then they went home to get everything unpacked and set up while the pups explored their new territory.
The next several days were a chaotic mess. Vic ultimately got the dogs housebroken, but it was a stressful process, especially since Colby went into hysterics the first time one of the dogs had an accident. Vic should have expected it. After Ahriman had killed the only dog Colby had ever known—and for that very thing—it should have been no surprise that Colby would have expected the same result when it happened again.
It took some work, but Vic eventually got Colby calmed down, and they cleaned up the mess together, then showed the dogs where to go to get outside. Colby stopped at the doorway, too nervous to venture into the backyard himself quite yet, but he'd get there. The house was still a large space for him compared to what he'd always known. Someday, though, he'd be ready to push those boundaries a little more.
And having the dogs would certainly help with that.
In addition to that adjustment, Vic also had to balance getting his contract assignments done while starting to teach Colby about household chores as well as starting his lessons in reading and math. He downloaded some learning games onto a spare tablet, and when Colby wasn't playing with Sharma, the boy spent hours riveted to the screen, learning the alphabet and practicing basic math skills. He was oddly resistant to the latter at first, until his natural aptitude for the subject started becoming apparent. The more levels Colby passed in the games, the more he seemed to like it.
Slowly but surely, as the weeks and months passed, they developed a routine in which their afternoons were spent in companionable silence, both of them sitting on the couch, Vic working away on his laptop and Colby intent upon his lessons. As things began to settle, life started to feel really good. Vic could definitely get used to this.