A Fluffy Tale 2: Warm & Fuzzy (18 page)

“Please. I think there’s bread for toast,
and Alex likes cereal.”

“Tea for now. Sit and I’ll pour.” Another
caress to Daniel’s hair eased his anxiety. He sat and enjoyed the simple
pleasure of having Spen all to himself, with nothing more pressing than what to
eat for breakfast.

Spen knew how much milk to add to Daniel’s
mug, and did it without checking before putting the tea before him. That sort
of cosy, domestic touch could be dangerously easy to grow used to. Spen took a
seat and a long slurp of tea, before regarding Daniel with a serious
expression. “I had a thought, just before.”

“About us?”

“Yeah. I told you, don’t get worked up,
kiddo.”

“How many of your fingers do I have to
break to stop you calling me that?”

“Three?” Daniel made a face at him. “Look,
just drink your tea and listen, okay? I know how I said you were in control
here...and you totally are....”

“But you don’t really like me that way,
right?”

Spen set his mug down with a heavy sigh. “Apply
that scientific mind of yours to the available evidence, Danny boy. Do I look
like someone who’s gone off you?” He reached over to stroke Daniel’s wrist,
smiling kindly. Daniel’s heart fluttered a little. He’d always thought that was
just a saying, but no, he felt it in his chest.

“No,” Daniel managed to get out. “But...?”

“But, you suspicious sod, I was thinking
about the court case.”

Daniel made a face and pushed his mug of
tea away. “Oh thanks. I was almost feeling okay.”

Spen increased the pressure on Daniel’s
wrist, using his thumb to massage the back of his hand. “Hang on a little
longer, kid. All I was thinking is that I’ll have to give evidence against
Noball, and they might ask me why I got involved. About what my relationship is
with you.”

“And...you want....”

“To be able to answer truthfully that we’re
just friends.”

Daniel sagged. “Oh.”

“Friends who hug a
lot
.”

Daniel grinned. “Kissing too?”

Spen’s smile spread like a sunrise. “Maybe
now and then.”

“Well, if it’ll help put the bastard away....”

“I think it might. I don’t want to give
them any wriggle room.”

“I understand. Um....”

Spen held his hand up. “How about more tea
and maybe toast before any more big stuff, okay?”

“I’m not
five,
Spen.”

“Wasn’t talking about you, Danny boy. I’m a
growing lad.”

~~~~~~~~

Good intentions and sensible reasons
couldn’t stop Spen patting Daniel’s shoulder when the kid bumped hips with him,
or letting their hands stay in contact a little longer than they needed to when
they reached for the honey at the same time. “Just friends?” Daniel said, a ginger eyebrow cocked cheekily.

“Yes, you brat. Knock it off.”

Daniel’s good mood lasted until they
cleared up the breakfast things, and while they sat on the sofa, watching the
kems and enjoying being together with no demands on them. But just as Spen
wondered if he should make another pot of tea, Myko, who’d been chasing Kani
across the room and around the bookshelves, knocked a piece of paper off the
coffee table. When Spen bent to pick it up, he realised it was the pamphlet
about counselling. It couldn’t be the one he had from the hospital, because
that was sitting on his bedside table, back at his parents’ house.

He went to put it back on the table, but
Daniel stopped him, taking it from his hand. “No, let me have it. This is what
I wanted to talk about before.”

“Danny?”

Daniel smoothed out the pamphlet. “I’ve
been thinking...maybe you were right. Wouldn’t hurt to talk to these people. I
mean, rather than put it all on you. It’s not fair.”

“It’s not that it’s not fair, kiddo—”

“Grrrr.”

“Sorry.” He kissed Daniel’s cheek. “Don’t
worry about ‘fair’. The point is, they’ve got more
experience than I do. I’m dead scared I’ll hurt you out of ignorance. I don’t
know what to expect. Neither do you. You’re strong, Danny. But knowledge is
power.” He touched the pamphlet. “I could go with you. I mean, I’ve got
questions and I don’t know who to ask. This
prosecution could take months, Shah said. It’s just how the courts work.”

“Yeah, I know. I watch television too.”

“Oh well, then. No surprises for you.”
Daniel punched him lightly on the arm. Spen pretended to be mortally wounded,
but Myko spoiled the effect by jumping into Spen’s lap and whacking him in the
face with his tail. Spen picked his kem up and brought him nose to nose. “Watch
it, fuzzball.” He put the pest down on his lap again and wagged his finger at
him. Myko batted it with a paw. It was simply impossible to reprimand a kem.

“Would you really come along with me?”

“Sure. When?”

“Today? This morning?”

“Why not? The kids get back this afternoon.
What are you going to tell them about your job?”

Kani leapt up onto Daniel’s shoulder.
Daniel pulled his kem down onto his chest so he could pet him properly. “I’ll
have to lie. Dee can’t afford distractions. But I’m rubbish at lying to them.”

“So tell them part of the truth. Tell them
Fuckface is suspended because he’s been buying illegal drugs,
that they’re investigating him further, and you’re on leave so the
police can strip the office. No need to say more. After all, the police haven’t
charged him with more than that at the moment, so it’s not a lie.”

“No. I’ll have to try and be convincing. I
should get changed, I suppose.”

“How about I call them while you dress, see
if we need an appointment or anything?”

Daniel thanked him. Spen couldn’t help but
notice the burst of energy which had propelled him to make the decision about
the rape centre, had disappeared. Still, he hadn’t changed his mind yet, so
Spen would encourage him as long as Daniel didn’t actively resist the idea.

The centre did require appointments for
counselling, but strongly advised Daniel to come in and talk, get information,
and arrange to meet someone later. “Has he been tested? For STDs?”

“Not yet,” Spen said.

“We can help there too. Please, do bring
him down.”

Daniel came in five minutes later, neatly
dressed in an ironed linen shirt and sharp trousers. Spen felt distinctly
grubby next to him, but Daniel didn’t seem to care. He came over, his stance
inviting a hug, so he got one.

Spen told him what the centre said. “I’m
not doing anything about tests until next week.”

“I’m sure that’s okay. Are you? Okay, I
mean?” Spen tilted Daniel’s head up and searched his face for any sign that he
was freaking out.

“Mostly. It’s going to suck but I need to
do it.”

Spen bent and kissed him. “Good for you.
Come on.”

~~~~~~~~

Without Spen beside him, Daniel would
probably have never made it inside the rape crisis centre, let alone allow a
strange woman talk to him about intimate matters. It felt like he was making
something he hardly believed had happened, into reality. Spen held his hand,
and asked questions when it became too much for him. Even with that, Daniel
felt like a used dishrag by the time they stepped out into the sunshine.

“A pint?” Spen suggested.

“You’re driving. Coffee
and early lunch? On me, no arguments.”

“None from me, Danny.”

Daniel wished he could show Spen how much
he loved being called by that name. Loved it even though it made him sad too. A good sad though.

Spen knew a coffee shop not too far away
that served reasonable food, so they left the car in the carpark and walked. It
didn’t feel right to be here on a working day, men of leisure only because
someone had tried to carry out an attack on him. The sunshine felt good on his
face, though. “Is it wrong to feel good that I might never have to go back to
that office?”

“No,” Spen said. “You were mad enough about
that last night though.”

“I really need a job. But I think I might
die if I had to do that one again, even if it wasn’t working for him.”

“Danny, you’re a clever, wonderful person,
but Myko would make a better PA than you.”

“Hey!” Daniel’s indignant protest matched
Myko’s irritated squeak.

Spen grinned, and ushered him into the
coffee shop. He managed to distract Daniel by asking him to order, but after they
had ordered and paid, and found an outside table, Daniel pinned him with a
glare. “What do you mean about me being a bad PA?”

“I never said that. But it’s like asking a
dolphin to power a motorboat. It’s a pointless waste of your talent, and there
are people who would do it just as well and enjoy it more.”

“I’ve explained this to you.”

“Yeah, yeah, the qualification thing. There
has to be a way we can sort that out for you.”

“‘We’?”

“I’d like to help.”

“I don’t see how you can.” Daniel’s mobile
rang. He didn’t recognise the number. “I better get this. Daniel here.”

“Daniel? It’s Inspector Shah. How are you
doing?”

“Fine, thank you. Is something wrong?”

“No, not at all. I’m calling to say that
we’ve charged Tony Noble with rape as well as the other charges we discussed.”

A prickle of adrenaline ran across Daniel’s
scalp. Spen reached over and took his hand. Daniel was grateful for that. “Uh,
okay.”

“He’s still in custody, but he’ll probably
be bailed tomorrow.”

“But you can keep him away from me and my
family, right?”

“Yes, you and any other witnesses. We’ll
insist on that as a condition of bail, and the magistrate won’t have a problem
with that. Then there’ll be a committal hearing in a couple of months.”

“What if he, uh...comes near me?”

“You call the police. He can be thrown back
into custody if he tries that.”

“My brother and sister?”

“If he approaches them, we’ll see that as
an approach to you. We can arrange for police patrols to swing past your house
randomly and you should make sure your brother and sister know what to do if
they’re the least bit worried. I can arrange for an officer to chat to them if
you want. We also made it clear to Noble that the case
doesn’t rest on your testimony, so that means attacking you would be pointless.
I think it’s unlikely he’ll harass you. It would hardly help his case.”

“No. Uh...thanks for letting me know.”

“No problem. If you have any questions
about the case, you can call me.”

“Thank you.”

Daniel hung up. “They’ve decided to go with
the...you know...charge.”

Spen squeezed his hand. “That’s good.”

“He’s going to get bail.”

“Okay, well, that’s not too unexpected. He
won’t come near you, Danny.”

“How do you know?

“Why would he? Your testimony isn’t the
only evidence against him, and the police have enough to get him on some
serious shit without it. If he tries to threaten you, then the police will haul
him in.”

“He might not stop at threatening. I’m
worried about Dee and Alex.” Daniel’s chest was tight with unwelcome familiar
rising panic.

“Okay, I understand. Daniel, calm now.”

Daniel gulped. “Sorry. I wasn’t
expecting...they did mention bail, but it’s all sooner
than I expected.”

“Yeah, same here.”

The waitress set their food and drinks
down. Daniel thanked her, but his appetite had fled, though Kani as usual found
the food fascinating. Spen was watching Daniel. Maybe waiting to see if he was
going to melt down, Daniel thought sourly. “I’m okay,” he snapped.

“Oh...sorry, I was just thinking. When do
Dee and Alex start the summer break?”

“Week after next. Why?”

“Well, if you’re not working, you can keep
an eye on them, but didn’t you say something about your aunt offering to have
them?”

“I am
not
sending my brother and sister away!”

“Shhhh. God, Daniel, calm down.”

Daniel looked at his plate, where Kani was
nosing under a spinach leaf. “This isn’t up for debate, Spen.”

“I know. I wasn’t suggesting that. But
maybe they could go stay with her over the holidays. By the time the break is
over, the committal hearing might even be over.”

“I don’t know if Aunt Lisa would agree. But
the trial will be months and months after that.”

“Yeah, but if he’s going to try anything,
he’ll probably do it sooner rather than later. Worth thinking about, anyway.”

Daniel nodded. He’d grown so used to not
considering his extended family in his plans, other than worrying about whether
he should send the kids to their grandparents or not, that his overseas
relatives hadn’t even entered his thoughts. “I guess it would let me look for a
job without worrying about them worrying about me.”

“That too,” Spen said, a little
distractedly.

“I do need another job.”

“Yes, I know. One step at a time, squirt.”

“Kani, bite him.”

Myko lifted his head from where he’d stuck
it into Spen’s fruit juice and squeaked at Daniel, whether in encouragement or
disapproval, Daniel didn’t know. Kani ignored them both. Spen just grinned. “No
respect,” Daniel muttered.

Spen ruffled his hair. Daniel pulled away
and frowned at him. “Not in public, you thug.”

“Oh sorry, your majesty. Eat your food
before Kani distributes it to needy people.” Kani squeaked in annoyance.

Daniel poked at the salad. “Maybe I should
hold off on the job hunting for a month or more. I don’t feel like I can sell
myself right now.”

“It wasn’t your fault.”

“No, but I still feel like damaged goods.
Guess I’ll end up with a generic reference after all.”

“Wait until you speak to Mr Stern, and
don’t do anything until you clear it with Zachary. Julian says Zachary is a
brilliant lawyer. If anyone can squeeze a good deal from those tightwads, he
can.”

Daniel nodded again. His life was on hold.
Waiting for Tony to be tried. Waiting for the company to fire him. Waiting for
Spen....