The Boys

Leaning back in the plain plastic chair Bliss tried to get comfortable. Not an easy task as hospital chairs were designed to be functional not to be cozy. Her eye flickered over the small forms nestled in the beds in front of her. Her boys were sound asleep. It was easier now that they were both in the same room. For weeks she’d had to trek from Damionn’s room in ICU to Keaghann’s in pediatrics. It wasn’t like it was a long trip between the rooms but it did wear on her nerves. She hated to leave one to see the other.

Her gaze came to rest on Keaghann’s tousled blonde mop of hair peeking out of the blankets. His hair was nearly the same shade as her own but his eyes were a pale shade of blue. The color reminded her of her Grandfather’s eyes, sky blue he had called it. Bliss didn’t know if it was true or not as the sky was always a grey hue now. Keaghann had gained enough weight in the past weeks that he now resembled the chubby cheeked five-year-old he was supposed to be. He looked health. His cheeks were round and pink. His eyes bright and clear. According to the doctors he was still undersized for a boy of five but Bliss didn’t care, he looked good to her. A far cry from the filthy, stick thin, parasite infested child she’d brought in a few weeks ago.

Bliss had found Keaghann to be a bright little boy, full of curiosity. He hung on every word of the tales she told him before bed. He asked to hear his favorites over and over again. She’d even heard him repeating the stories to Damionn perfectly, word for word. She tried not to interrupt when Keaghann was telling his new brother a story. She’d just stand at the door and wait for him to finish the tale.

He wasn’t a perfect little boy, not by a long shot. There were a few problems with Keaghann but they were, in Bliss’ opinion, small ones. He hoarded food, was leery of adult males and down right terrified of women with grey hair. He needed to work on certain personal hygiene skills and social ones as well.

He had quite the temper. Bliss smiled doing her best not to chuckle, as she didn’t want to wake the boys. As Keaghann grew more confident that Bliss would not allow anyone to harm him his temper had blossomed. The pediatric nurses had taken to affectionately calling him ‘The Tyrant Prince.’ Bliss had, however, heard it said in less then an endearing manner a time or two. His name was Keaghann Lovejoy, not kid, boy and especially not runt. He was also quite possessive. Bliss and now Damionn belonged to him. She’d heard a nurse attempt to argue the point with him once. That nurse felt Keaghann would be better off with a couple she knew then with a seventeen year old girl barely more than a child herself. Keaghann told the nurse exactly what he thought of that idea. A while later Bliss also told her what she thought of that idea. She hadn’t seen that nurse since but having a person shove a gun in one’s ribs did tend to make a person cautious. Apparently she was as possessive as Keaghann. No one was going to take either of the boys away from her without one hell of a fight.

Her eyes drifted over to Damionn’s pale face. She wasn’t sure if it was his dark hair that made him seem so pale or his recent illness. His hair was a blue/black. She smiled as she thought of his intense brown eyes. Ten years old and oh, so serious. One of the reasons the doctor’s had moved him into a room with Keaghann is they felt the company would draw him out of his melancholy. It worked as long as none of the doctors were around. With Keaghann, Damionn smiled; he even laughed on occasion. Bliss could also coax a smile out of him with little effort. He didn’t trust the doctors though. They were always poking and prodding at him. He hated to see one of the come in the room.

Damionn looked to Keaghann for protection and Keaghann gave it using Bliss as his weapon. It amused Bliss to no end when she heard the little imp tell some nurse or doctor that if they hurt Damionn she’d hurt them worse. Bliss knew they had a job to do and meant only to help the boys but she didn’t expect the boys to understand that. Keaghann had been horribly mistreated in his short life. Damionn’s life had been turned upside down in an instant. He’d lost anyone who meant anything to him. He clung to little Keaghann like the younger boy was his lifeline out of a world of insanity. He was slowly starting to look to Bliss for support. She didn’t try to force it to happen any quicker. She knew to let him take things at his own pace. As soon as Damionn was cleared for release she’d take both of the boys home. Until then Keaghann would stay with him. Damionn needed him there and Keaghann knew it. More than once she’d come in the room to find Keaghann curled up beside the older boy, holding his hand while they both slept. The bond between the two grew stronger with each passing day. As did her bond to them. Keaghann and Damionn made her feel grounded. She had a reason to keep going now. A reason she didn’t have before she found them. She would take care of them and they would keep her sane.

Minor setbacks

Bliss tucked the boys into their beds. Keaghann was chattering away a mile a minute about Garth taking them outside. He was so excited he could barely lay still. Damionn on the other hand was terrified of the idea. His dark eyes were huge as he clung to Bliss’ hand. Tremors ran through his slender frame. He kept whispering the same thing to her. "Please Momma, don’t make me go outside. The dead things are outside. Please Momma, don’t make me." This newly discovered fear of his was going to mean she would have to push her timetable back a bit. A minor inconvenience, she was more worried about Damionn.

Once she had calmed the pair she settled into a chair. She’d let Keaghann go outside and spend time with Garth. It would be good for him to be around a more positive male image then he had known in the past. She wouldn’t make Damionn go unless he wanted to. She’d also have to speak to Terra or Asche about a recommendation on a therapist for Damionn. He was traumatized in a way that was beyond her limited knowledge to fix. She knew that allowing Keaghann to go outside would most likely worry his brother a great deal but she also know that the younger boy’s talk of the fun and adventure with Garth would draw Damionn out eventually. The problem being she didn’t have an unlimited amount of time to wait for Damionn. The hospital couldn’t take care of him indefinitely. He’d have to leave sooner or later.

"Momma?" Bliss lifted her gaze and smiled at Damionn. "I’m right here Love. I’m not going anywhere. If you wake up and I’m not in the room just ask Elliot where I am. I’ll be here in the hospital all night." Damionn rubbed a hand over his eyes. "Okay Momma." He snuggled back down. She kept watch on him until his breathing slowed and she knew he was asleep again. Bliss tilted her head back. "Okay Venexx, if you have any ideas you’d care to pass on about this little problem I’m all ears." She didn’t really expect an answer but she didn’t figure it hurt to ask.

Bliss knew this was the just one of many problems that would happen as the boys slowly grew into men. She could only hope that the upbringing her grandparents had given her would be enough for her raise them well. She wanted more for them than she’d had while growing up. It’s not that she felt she had been deprived but she wanted more for her boys. They lived in a rough world where most people thought only of their own survival. It would be a challenge to teach them to look beyond themselves. She not only wanted them to have more; she wanted them to be more than she was. Momma Bliss had her work cut out for her and she knew it but a promise was a promise.

All Times of Tribulation information, places, and ideas are copyrighted by their creator Todd Rourke.

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