Still smiling, Malachi shook his head.

“Okay, how about this old?” Faye went on.

More flashing of hands. More of Malachi smiling and shaking his head.

Her voice got softer, sweeter and she asked, “How about this old?”

Malachi’s eyes dropped to her hands, they shifted to her face and, the smile still in place, he nodded.

“Nine,” she whispered then, “I have a nephew who’s going to be nine this week. His name is Jarot.” She leaned in and shared conspiratorially, “But when you meet him, you can’t tease him and call him carrot. He doesn’t like that.”

Malachi’s smile got bigger but it fled his face when his eyes darted to the door and he saw Chace.

Faye twisted in her chair and she aimed a smile at him.

He smiled at her then looked at Malachi. “You’re good, buddy. I’m just here to bring your books.”

Malachi’s eyes dropped to the crate Chace was carrying and stayed there as Chace rounded his bed, giving it plenty of room as he went to the windowsill.

“I’ll set them up here and you can tell Faye where you want them after I’m gone,” Chace muttered.

He moved to the deep windowsill, set the crate down and carefully arranged the books as they’d been arranged in the box, keeping them in order and placing them as Malachi had had them in the shed.

When he turned back to the bed, he stayed at the window and saw Malachi’s eyes on the books, going up and down, counting, reading, assessing they were all there. Chace also saw, on the hospital table positioned over his bed, the book Faye had been reading him last night as well as a row of plastic wrapped Snickers bars that had been opened, two empty wrappers showing he’d dug in.

“I’m gonna steal Faye a second, talk with her and then I gotta go back to work,” Chace told Malachi and the kid’s eyes shot to him. “You need me to pick anything up when I come back after work?”

Malachi stared at him then shifted his eyes to Faye.

“Malachi isn’t up to talking yet, honey,” Faye said quietly and Chace looked to her. “You have to give him yes or no questions,” she advised.

When Chace looked back to Malachi he saw a hint of fear in his face and tenseness in his body. This said loud and clear he wasn’t up to communicating with Chace at all.

When Faye spoke again, Chace would know she’d read this as well.

“Chace is staying over there, sweetheart,” she said gently. “He would never hurt you. He was the one who sent his friend to find you so we could get you to the hospital, make you better then take care of you. But we both get things are a little scary now. Still, he’s willing to do a favor for you so maybe you could help him out by letting him know what you want like you do with me. Just nod your head but to Chace. Okay?”

Malachi held her eyes for some time then, what Chace assumed was a yes, he looked at Chace.

So Chace asked, “Do you want a cucumber?”

Malachi’s head jerked slightly, his eyes flashed then, thank f**k, his lips twitched before he shook his head no.

“Broccoli?” Chace went on and he heard Faye’s soft, quiet giggle but he didn’t take his eyes from Malachi who again shook his head no.

“Twix?” Chace continued and Malachi pressed his lips together and nodded. “Strawberries?” Another nod, another eye flash, the kid liked strawberries. Finally, quieter, Chace asked, “Have you read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe?”

His lips parted, he liked that a f**kuva lot better than strawberries and he shook his head.

“When I was your age, bud, that was my favorite,” Chace shared. “You want Faye to read that to you?”

He bit his lip but nodded his head.

“I’ll pick it up,” Chace muttered.

Malachi just stared at him.

Chace gave him a smile then looked at Faye and asked gently, “Can I talk to you a minute?”

She nodded, turned to Malachi and got out of her chair but bent slightly over him. “I won’t be gone long and then I’ll be back and we can talk some more.”

He held her gaze and nodded.

She reached out, touched his cheek lightly, going in slowly but the touch was fleeting before Chace watched her profile give him a gentle smile and she whispered, “Be back soon, sweetheart.”

She moved, Chace rounded the bed at a distance feeling Malachi’s eyes on him so he gave him a flick of two fingers and a wink and walked out with Faye. He stopped her outside his room so Malachi could see her through the window by the door.

Her eyes were searching and he knew her mind was still on their phone conversation when she asked, “Is everything all right?”

“My Dad paid me a surprise visit,” he shared, saw her body give a small, surprised jolt as her brows shot together and he moved into her, curling his arms loosely around her. She lifted her hands and rested them lightly on his chest as he muttered, “It’s okay.”

“Why did he visit you?” she asked.

“Why does he do anything?” Chace evaded. “Mostly to be an ass**le.”

“Is your Mom okay?”

He nodded. “She’s good. Got a call from her too. We’re invited to dinner, three weeks.”

“All right,” she replied hesitantly, her eyes still searching his face.

“It’ll be okay. Dad won’t be there,” he assured her.

She continued studying him before, for him, she let it go by whispering, “I’m sorry, honey. I don’t know what went down but I do know it’s unpleasant seeing him. So I’m sorry.”

Chace gave her a lift of his chin and changed the subject. “Those books, they’re special to him. My advice, talk to him, put them where he wants them. He’ll probably want them close and tell the staff to leave them be.”

She nodded.

“Should we be concerned about the fact he’s not speaking?” he asked.

“I don’t know yet. They’re having a child psychologist come up and have a chat with him after lunch. They say at this point that it isn’t really surprising considering how he was living and how he was found. He’s not refusing to eat. He’s communicating nonverbally. He’s not agitated. Except for not talking, he seems to be in good spirits. He does have some hesitation around the nurses but they’re going gentle and he settles pretty easily. He doesn’t seem to like men very much so it isn’t just you. They have a male nurse on this ward, he came in, Malachi didn’t like it. He noted it immediately and assured me he isn’t coming back.”