Danny pushed out of Alik’s lap and looked up into his eyes carefully before climbing into Alik’s arms and studying his eyes for himself. His two perpetually sticky little hands were holding either side of Alik’s face, as though insisting he return the stare. At first, Alik just sighed deeply, wondering if Danny was tired or hungry. Eventually Alik stared back and saw his reflection in Danny’s big, soft blue eyes.
“What is it big man?” Alik asked in a hushed tone.
Danny stared even more intently as though he were desperate to say something.
Instead, he wrapped his arms around Alik’s thick neck and offered him a toddler-sized hug so big his little arms shook.
“Wow, Danny. What did I do to deserve that special hug?” Alik finally managed to say, though the little guy was making it difficult to breathe.
Danny put his right hand up to his mouth fingers wide. That was his sign for Meg because of how many kisses she would press into his slowly fattening cheeks.
“Meg is not here. Something happened and she had to go away for a while,” he answered carefully.
Danny pointed to his teeth, his sign for Maze as he was fascinated with the coyote’s sharp canines.
“Maze is not here either. He went with Meg.”
Danny’s face fell. Next to Alik, Meg and Maze were his favorites in the whole house—probably because they played with him.
“Listen Danny, I’m going to have to go away for a while.”
Danny’s face immediately snapped up and he looked at him with wide, scared eyes. “It’s okay little brother. You’ll stay here with Mom and…” Alik looked up at Theo wondering what he should be called to Danny.
“Dad,” Theo offered with a sincere smile.
Alik nodded approvingly. “That’s right. You’ll stay here with Mom and Dad and Farrow.”
“Um, sorry to interrupt, Alik, but I’m coming with you.”
Alik looked over his left shoulder to see Farrow standing with her arms crossed over her chest. Her brows were raised above those wide, beautifully-shaped eyes daring him to contradict her decision.
“Yes, well, apparently Farrow’s coming with me to keep me company.”
Danny buried himself into Alik’s wide chest. His face mushed against the white T-shirt he had on.
“I would love to have your company, too, but kiddo, I’ve got to get Meg and Maze—the others, too. I’ll be back as soon as I possibly can. I will—promise!”
He offered a huge hug, but when he pulled back, Danny’s eyes were glistening wet. “Don’t be sad, little brother. Farrow and I are just going for a few days, and we’ll bring everyone home.”
“I know I’m not as cool as Alik, but I’ll play with you,” Margo offered softly, not wanting to force herself on him.
“You know Danny, it was Mom who taught me how to play with toys when I was exactly your age.” Danny looked over at Margo and tipped his head to the side.
“Know what else? I didn’t want to talk to anyone for a very long time after Mom rescued me from the bad people who hurt me just like you don’t want to talk yet. But you know who helped me feel safe enough to talk after a long time waiting?” Alik nodded toward his mother and exchanged a tender look with the woman who meant the world to him.
“Mom is very nice, so nice that she taught me how to trust that not everyone was going to hurt me. She never hurt me. Not once. All she did was play with me and read with me and when I was really scared after a bad dream or a storm, it was that sweet lady over there that made everything all right just because she was there and…”
“…and I will never leave you, Danny—just as I never left Alik.” Margo smiled widely at her oldest son, thanking him silently for helping smooth the way for her to build a relationship with their newest family member.
Alik hugged his little brother to him and crawled on his knees toward his mom as he spoke. “You know what else? Mom needs your help. See? She has this new wheelchair and has to learn how to get around the house in it because her legs don’t work like yours. Do you think you can be a big helper for Mom?”
Margo nodded. “I could really use your help Danny.” She smiled widely. “And hey, after I get good at using this we could go for rides together. You could sit right here,” Margo motioned to her lap, “and we will go zooming around the house.”