Connor stood close by the casket as the few mourners stopped and offered their condolences after the funeral. He received the usual comments—how tall he was, how he must be surrounded by girlfriends, was he thinking of college, my, how grown up he was. He thought of them as the inane things adults said to kids, though he thought of himself less and less as a kid. He smiled as best he could, always unsure how to react to comments like those but determined to muddle his way through.
Through every hug and pinch on the cheek, he kept Theo close. Nurse Sheila wrapped the younger boy in a giant bear hug. Dr. Sorenson asked him how he was holding up. The others were kind to him but seemed to struggle with what to say or how to react. The awkwardness was apparent—even what to call him seemed difficult, though everyone knew his name, thanks to the explosion of media coverage.
After several painful minutes, the crowd dwindled to the few of them standing around Heather—the family, the sheriff, and the FBI agent. Connor watched his mother carefully, looking for signs she had considered their conversation. He knew the ask was big, but he hadn’t made it lightly. When she approached Theo, Connor held his breath.
She took the younger boy’s hands in her own. “Jaxon would appreciate that you were here for him.”
“Thank you for letting me, ma’am. I know I’m not… the easiest person to see.”
She nodded and reached out to sweep his hair off his forehead. Her fingers slid down the side of his face and lingered over the scar, tracing its line. “I caught up with Dr. Sorenson this morning before leaving work. She showed me their plan for your continued medical care and the counseling you’re going to need.”
She dropped her hand to his shoulder and squeezed it. “And that’s not all. You’ll need to work through the schooling you’ve missed, so that’s going to mean specialized classes and lots of self-directed learning.”
“Connor’s told me that I’ve got a ton to learn.”
“You’ll have a lot of decisions to make. I know it would be hard to stay here. You might be better off somewhere else in the state. Away from all this madness.” She swept her arm around the cemetery in the direction of the cordoned press.
“I know. A social worker came by this morning and told me about a boys’ home down near Raleigh. She said fewer people would know, but some still would.”
“I’ve thought that too. But all this attention will die down some day.”
“She said I could change my name if I wanted.”
“You could. You could get away from it all.”
Heather hesitated and looked again at Connor. He nodded at her, more convinced than ever that what he wanted to do was the right thing. The sides of her mouth turned up in a small grin, an acknowledgment that he had won.
She turned back to Theo. “We’ve been talking, Connor and I. You need more than counseling and teachers, more than a roof and food. It’s up to you, because, well, if you did what we’re thinking, you’d be right here, where everyone knows. And they won’t forget. Small towns don’t forget things.”
Connor draped his arm over the boy’s shoulder. Heather clasped Theo’s hands in her own. “Why don’t you come home with us? We’re not the perfect family, not by a long shot, and you’d have to carry your own weight with chores and walking the dog and stuff like that, but we do have a bed and a place at the table.”
“But…” The boy looked wildly from face to face.
Connor squeezed him in a hug. “And we’ve gotta do something about that awful snoring of yours if we’re gonna share a room.”
Theo’s face reddened as tears welled up in his eyes. “But if I’m there, you’ll be reminded of Jaxon every day.”
“Hon, I never want to forget him. He was the dearest, sweetest little boy.” She reached out and squeezed Connor’s hand. “Well, one of the two sweetest little boys.”
“No, I mean, not just of him, of what I did, of that man, of…”
She wrapped her hand around the back of his neck. “You’re not him. Never have been. Never will be. Whether you decide to come live with us or not, I never want you to think otherwise. Do you hear me?”
His words were choked in reply. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Good. You take all the time you want to decide, but whenever you’re ready—”
“I don’t need time. Yes. Please. Yes.”
She pulled him toward her, her arms cocooning him against her chest. Connor wrapped his own arms around both of them.