Chapter 12

He stared at the pantry door. Mama was still sleeping. She usually slept in longer than he did. Maybe he could go down. Just one more time.

The little man he'd carried downstairs two days ago had hurt Bryan badly. Mama said he did. Said he needed to be kept away from Bryan, to help Bryan.

He desperately wanted to help mama make Bryan okay. To keep him happy. And mama gave him cake for helping. That was good. He loved cake.

All he wanted was for mama and Bryan to be happy. Mama hadn't been happy after papa died. And he'd made it harder for her, he was too clumsy and not smart enough. Bryan had wanted to take him to his house, but mama insisted he would be better at the Home. And he liked it there a lot. He played lots of games and even helped in the kitchen sometimes. But he missed Bryan, especially lately as he hadn't visited as much. But Bryan had seemed happy.

But if Bryan wasn't happy now, maybe mama was right. That man had hurt Bryan and deserved to be punished.

Mama had said not to go back down there, that she'd take care of the man, of Wyatt. But she hadn't gone down but once, Eddie was sure of it. And she'd left yesterday, to check on Bryan, to make sure he was okay.

The man...Wyatt... had to be thirsty. Which was why he'd taken a bottle down yesterday, even though he'd been afraid mama might return and catch him down there. Seeing the man shivering on the floor confused him. He seemed so cold even though mama said he'd be fine, that she just needed to wash his clothes. So why hadn't she returned them yet?

He had wanted to touch that soft golden hair, but when the guy flinched away, Eddie knew he was doing it again. He sometimes forgot when he wasn't allowed to touch. The little guy had asked him to let him go, but Eddie knew he couldn't. Mama would have been so mad with him and yelled at him that he was hurting Bryan more, that he'd never get to see Bryan again. He couldn't hurt Bryan. But... this man had looked hurt too...and that wasn't right either...

Mama was so confusing sometimes.

Eddie's hand clenched at his side in front of the pantry door. Mama had said not to go down. But if he took one more peek, would she know?

He listened for her footsteps upstairs. Nothing.

He turned the knob on the pantry and slipped in, bumping his broad shoulders on the shelves and knocking down a box of mac and cheese. Clumsy. Clumsy. He'd get it when he came back up, though. Mama could come down soon.

Opening the back of the pantry, he stepped down. The wooden stairs creaked under his massive weight. They always did. He wasn't the little boy he had been when he and Bryan used to come down here, before papa boarded it up.

He froze at the bottom of the steps. The man, Wyatt—he had to keep reminding himself of the man's name—was huddled, coughing, even though he looked like he wasn't awake. He took a couple more steps forward, waiting for Wyatt to look at him, but he never did. Strangely, the floor looked wet, and it smelled worse down here than usual. Papa hadn't wanted him and Bryan down here because of the mold and bacteria. It had made Bryan sick once.

Eddie stepped closer, looking around. Where was his water or dishes from his food? Obviously, mama had forgotten to take care of the man. Again. Mama could be forgetful sometimes. Hesitantly squatting, he sat the small bottle of water down next to Wyatt. He reached a tentative hand out, softly touching the cold, damp strands of honey. His hand stroked down the long, exposed spine, shocked by the shivers vibrating through his fingers.

Mama needed to get done with his clothes, he frowned. He wondered what was taking her so long. He jumped when a spasm of coughs erupted from Wyatt, and the man rolled his head to look at him.

"Cold?" Eddie asked.

Wyatt nodded as he stayed huddled, giving Eddie an oddly sympathetic look. Wyatt curled in arms against his bare chest. Eddie remembered admiring the leather bracelet Wyatt had worn. Mama had told him to take it off Wyatt, that she'd keep it safe for him. It was pretty, like Wyatt.

Eddie reached out his huge hand again, hesitantly placing it across the expanse of Wyatt's shoulders. Wyatt flinched under the touch for a second, but then Eddie heard him groan and lean into the warmth of his hand. Eddie smiled. He could make Wyatt better.

Just because Wyatt had to stay away from Bryan to make Bryan happy didn't mean Wyatt had to be cold, right? Mama just said they needed to keep Wyatt away.

He slowly rubbed at the smooth skin, enjoying petting the man and making him feel warmer. Maybe he'd could make Wyatt a little happy. He liked keeping people happy.

"Eddie," a raspy voice came, "p-please..."

He could only frown. He didn't know what Wyatt wanted.

"Can y-you g-get me f-free?"

Eddie stared at the cuff locked around Wyatt's ankle, shaking his head, sadly. While he wanted to make the beautiful little man happy, unfortunately, that was something he couldn't do. He had no key.

He looked at the eye-bolt in the floor. He could see it where it had been worn around the edges. He'd tried to pull it loose when he was little. Wyatt looked like he'd done the same thing. Eddie wondered if he could pull it out now. He was stronger now. He almost reached out to test it.

But that wouldn't make mama very happy at all. His gaze traveled to the locked cuff around the pale ankle. "Mama has key. You stay safe here. Bryan will get happy."

The wretched groan that Wyatt let out startled Eddie, scaring him. "It okay. Mama take care of you 'til Bryan happy again."

"No, Eddie. Bryan isn't happy. He needs me. I need him. Please—"

Eddie shook his head, confused. "Mama says you hurt Bryan, now you have time out, for hurting Bryan. Like me, when I hurt Bryan when he little."

Wyatt's eyes widened, watering with sympathy. "Oh fuck, Eddie, I'm so sorry..."

"No, I made Bryan cry. I'm big, and he little. Didn't mean it." He glanced down in shame. He'd never meant to ever hurt Bryan, but he had sometimes. Bryan always told him it was okay, it was just an accident, just like papa would say. But mama didn't like his accidents. Said he needed time outs to think about it. But he'd learned quick, and mama had only done it twice, yet he'd remembered and he was careful. He didn't like those time outs. Papa never understood when he told him that he'd prefer a spanking over a time out, but papa's time outs were different—in his chair or his room.

"Eddie, c-can y-you tell Bryan? T-tell h-him where I am."

Eddie recoiled at the thought, yanking back and standing up abruptly. "No, no, no, no. Mama said never tell. These time outs are secret. I get big trouble if I tell."

"Eddie, what y-your mother has d-done is w-wrong. She's k-keeping me h-here when I d-don't want to be h-here..."

"Nobody likes time outs," Eddie stated, confused. Did Wyatt not understand that time outs weren't a choice? Mama never offered him a choice, why would she offer Wyatt one?

Wyatt's head dropped back to the damp stone floor, his small body shuddering. "Eddie, I know you love Bryan—"

"He's my little brother," he said proudly. "I love him lots. Mama love him lots too."

"And s-so do I," Wyatt whispered. "W-we both l-love Bryan v-very much. And I k-know he loves y-you very m-much. He w-would want t-to know w-where I am."

Eddie frowned again. He wondered if Bryan ever wondered where he was when he'd been in time out too. Maybe Bryan not get happy if he worried. But mama wouldn't want him to tell Bryan where Wyatt was spending the time out.

"Mama will come back, when time out is over," Eddie assured himself out loud, like he'd done so for himself when he was younger, sitting scared in the dark. He wrung his hands together anxiously, confused. "Your time out is very long though. You hurt Bryan very badly?"

"N-no, Eddie, I w-would never h-hurt him." Eddie could tell Wyatt meant that. Eddie had too. He'd never hurt Bryan either, but sometimes it happened. He had been too clumsy and big when they had been horsing around. Maybe Wyatt had done that too. Accidently hurt Bryan. His mama wouldn't punish Wyatt without a reason.

"When time out is over, you say sorry," he said helpfully. "Then everything be fine again."

But Wyatt broke into a fit of coughs, his shoulders shaking. Wyatt nodded sadly at him. "Yes, Eddie."

Eddie though he saw tears in those golden brown eyes. No, he didn't want Wyatt to cry. He swallowed hard, not knowing what to do.

Eddie knew he better leave. Mama would be waking up and looking for him. Then he knew how he could make Wyatt happier. "I get you blanket," he told Wyatt, "'til mama gets your clothes."

He turned for the stairs.

"Eddie." Wyatt's soft voice stopped him. "T-tell Bryan I l-love him." Eddie frowned in confusion. "One d-day, please, j-just...tell him. So h-he k-knows."

Eddie didn't understand why he just wouldn't say it himself, once time out was over. He hurried up the stairs, and he grabbed the old quilt he had used last night from mama's couch. She'd be mad he left it there anyway and not put it back in his room.

He'd just made it back to the top of the stairs when he heard her voice calling him.

"Eddie? Sweetheart? Where are you?"

Panic shook his body, and he froze for a moment. Then he threw the blanket over the rail where it dropped into the shadows. Quickly yanking the hidden basement door closed, he stepped back out of the pantry, almost stepping on the fallen box of mac & cheese.

He felt sweat break out on his forehead.

"Kitchen, mama. Hungry," he managed to say as he heard her coming down the stairs.

She smiled at him, and he sighed happily. He liked it when mama smiled. When she walked over to him and cupped his large jaw, he leaned into the warmth. "Are you ready to head back?"

He nodded, and she looked down at what he had in his hand. A soft laugh escaped her throat. "Silly, boy, you can't have mac and cheese now."

He frowned at the box he'd picked up from the pantry floor.

She patted his cheek. "I know how much you love it, but how about we get McDonald's today?"

His eyes lit up. "McDonald's?"

She wrapped her small arms around him a tight hug, and he carefully held her back, making sure not to squeeze too tight. He did that sometimes, though he didn't mean to. She smelled like lavender. He loved when she held him. But she didn't do it as much now that he was so big.

She drew back with a soft chuckle when he tried to stay in her arms. "Yes, sweetheart, you've been so good on this visit, I thought you deserved a treat." She turned to pick up her purse and keys, as well as his duffle bag. She held the bag out to him. "I've packed your bag, so we can get you back before lunch."

"Thank you, mama," he smiled as he relished the warmth of his mama's praise.

"And because you were so good, I'll pick you up in a few days again for another visit. Okay?"

Eddie felt his heart flutter with excitement. Maybe even Bryan would visit next time he was here. Mama said he'd been too hurt to see him this time. Maybe next time Bryan would be better. The little man Wyatt would have learned from his time out and everybody would be happy again.

And coming back so soon for a visit... he could barely contain his smile.

That made him happy. She never brought him back home like this. Bryan did, and he loved spending time with Bryan. His little brother gave the best hugs.

"Now go on out to the car and wait for me. I'll be right there," she called.

"Are you feeding him now?" Eddie said hopefully.

He stiffened at his mother's dark scowl. Oh, no, he hated seeing that look. Was she mad now? Would there be no McDonald's? No trip back?

Her gazed softened slightly. "Yes, darling. You are so sweet to worry about him while he's in time out like that. But don't you worry. I'm taking good care of him. When you come back, he'll be very sleepy though. I might need your help to carry him home."

Eddie smiled. "I can do that." He realized he almost asked his mama about Wyatt's clothes and if they were clean yet. Usually it didn't take too long for that. But then mama would know that he'd seen Wyatt, against her orders. He pressed his lips together. "He live someplace nice."

His mother's smile looked funny. "He lives in the mountains, sweetheart. He loves hiking and the outdoors."

"Me too," he piped up happily that they had something in common.

"Now, get on out to the car. I'll be there in a few minutes."

"Yes, mama," he smiled, hefting his small duffle bag of clothes and practically skipping outside to the only car out there.

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Wyatt heard the odd rustle and glanced over enough to see that Eddie had indeed retrieved a blanket. His heart leapt at the sight of all that thick, cottony warmth in the big guy's arms. Oh, thank god.

But then something had startled the man. Carol. He must have heard his mother and panicked. Wyatt practically whined in dismay as he watched the blue wad of softness drop over the railing into the shadows against the wall. The door to his prison shut quickly.

Eddie was gone.

And the blanket was so far away. He dropped his head with a resigned sigh.

He reached for the water bottle Eddie had left. He was sure that Carol hadn't approved of Eddie bringing it to him. He stretched to hide it in the shadows as far as he could behind him. It was darker there, the light didn't seem to quite reach much farther than where he was tethered. She hadn't noticed the other bottle that Eddie had brought yesterday either, though that one was nearly empty now.

He'd try to save it. Because it didn't look like Eddie was coming back.

Poor Eddie. He'd seemed so sad and sorry. Wyatt could see the man trying to work out his confusion and understand what was going on, and his heart ached for him. Knowing Eddie had been down here as well, as a child, broke Wyatt's heart.

The bolt chaining him to the floor had obviously been used before; it had been slightly wriggly even before Wyatt had tried wrenching it free. He'd worked on the thing for hours, even trying to twist it out, and it hardly budged. Now, he imagined a young Eddie trying to do the same thing, and his hate for Carol Foxgrove tripled. That she could do something like this to a boy... Wyatt was sure Bryan and his dad had obviously had no idea how his mom had punished Eddie because Bryan would never have accepted that. He loved Eddie.

And Eddie so obviously loved Bryan. And he so wanted to please his mother, to do as he'd been told. Wyatt had eventually realized he no chance of breaking that hold over him in the few minutes that they'd met. And Carol had him wrapped under her control offering comfort, even while threatening punishments.

He only wished he'd had more time. More time to talk to the man. More time to convince Eddie to tell Bryan. More time to...

He broke down as he realized what he'd been about to think.

More time... to tell Bryan how much he loved him. More time to spend with Bryan. Just... more time.

Another coughing fit took over. He could practically feel the thick, moldy air crawling down his lungs. His head hurt, but his body was practically numb. He could barely feel his toes anymore as his body focused on keeping his heart and brain functioning. His stomach gnawed at him, demanding energy it knew his brain and body needed.

He'd realized in one of his hazy moments of being awake in the last few hours that Carol's plan would work. While the icy water itself hadn't made him sick, it had certainly lowered his body's ability to fight the bacteria and mold floating around this musty basement. As more coughing fits wracked his body and his head pounded between feeling feverish, he knew it wouldn't take much longer for his body to slowly shut down.

She would win. And she was right. It would probably be soon.

He looked up hopefully when he heard footsteps on the stairs. But realized quickly they were too light to be Eddie.

He was abruptly glad he'd hidden the water bottle right away.

"Morning," Carol's voice greeted cheerfully.

He cringed at the pitcher in her hand. Fuck, not again.

She stepped just close enough to toss the ice water over his back.

"Ahh, shit!" He jolted when the water seemed to try to drive into his spine.

His only consolation was that the 'baths' had washed away most of the blood that had covered his chest and hands. Shivers raked over him again, spurring more coughs.

"Oh, I see you aren't feeling well already," she cooed. "I'm so sorry. Bet you're probably feeling hungry too."

He glared at her from his crouched position, water dripping into his eyes, snaking down his neck. "Fuck you."

"Oh, but honey, I'm just doing this to help it go faster. You really don't want to linger like this for too long. Hopefully only a few more days, and you'll have peace."

Shit, she was insane. He'd given up even trying to reason with her. Eddie he thought he could eventually reach—if he even came back. Eddie just wanted Bryan happy. The poor guy seemed to want to help Wyatt, but he couldn't go against his mother. He truly believed she was being helpful. He didn't know what his mother was doing would be the opposite. Wyatt prayed Bryan understood that Eddie hadn't hurt him, that he had really wanted to help.

He offered a silent prayer. God, please help Bryan through this. Help him find peace after I'm gone. Let his brother help him and tell him that I loved him so much. Don't let his mother hurt him anymore. Let him find someone to love again, eventually. Someone he wants, not who his mother chooses. Like Eddie, I want him to be happy, though I will miss him... so much.