Archive of Our Own

Greg Universe didn’t like to feel watched. It might have been a poor career choice to become a musician after all; if he couldn’t handle a single child, how could he handle a crowd? But adoration and suspicion were two completely different moods, two completely different forms of watching. He hadn’t realized it, but when he was up on stage, he had tuned out a lot of the other humans in the audience, leaving him alone with his songs. 

Now, he was alone in the back of his van with the weirdest child he had met in his life. The man let the breeze roll through the open doors as he tried not to notice the boy’s studious stillness. It was like he was some kind of animal that camouflaged itself by staying perfectly still. Greg suspected that Stephen was homeless. The t-shirt and shorts looked like they had been handed down or scavenged. His hair looked like it had never seen a salon in the boy’s life. He was twitchy and aware and constantly on edge as far as the man could tell. 

The strangest and most beautiful thing about him were his eyes. Greg tried not to stare back whenever there was an opportunity. The silver ripples didn’t seem human. Whatever genetic blessing had given Stephen his looks had turned him into a masterful creation of a boy. He would be strikingly handsome were it not for his unkempt demeanour and rough edges. 

“So, Stephen, is that with a ‘v’ or a ‘p-h?’” he asked.

“I… Is what?”

“Your, uh, your name! How do you spell it?”

The boy opened his mouth for a half-second and swiftly shut it again. He shook his head. Well, that was just about as much of a non-answer as the adult could get.

Greg let one leg dangle out the back of the van. His green sweater was enough to protect him from the slight chilliness of the afternoon, though the sun had heated up the inside of the van a little over the course of the day. His jeans were old but durable, sun-bleached from many a summer spent out here. Maybe he looked untrustworthy. The hair was something he hadn’t considered much before. Did he look like a hippie? Stephen, hunched in the back with his outstretched legs pressed together, looked away from Greg and said nothing.

“Do you go to school with Connie?”

“N-no.”

“Stephen, do you go to school at all?”

There was an edge of bitterness in the boy’s face as he smiled, as if there was something Greg couldn’t understand, some generational gap. Greg turned his body and stretched his legs just like Stephen, laying across the van’s floor like a speedbump. He had left the doors open to make the boy feel less trapped with him. Together, the van felt oddly sad.

The parking lot of the hospital was as full as it had always been, an average assortment of cars and spaces. Greg had pulled up near the front when they had first arrived to ensure that Connie wouldn’t have a long walk to get inside and see her mother. Despite her busy schedule, Doug knew Priyanka well enough to understand that she would always make time for her daughter, no matter what. As soon as they had pulled in, Stephen had edged up behind Connie’s seat and looked at her wordlessly, nervously. The girl had turned around, wincing, to look Stephen in the eyes. 

“I’ll be fine,” she assured. “I’m going to see my mom and get checked out, and then… Well, Mr. Universe can drop you off at the beach with me, okay?”

“Connie, whoa there, I should be taking you home after. And I can just drop Stephen off at his house, too. You’re in no position to be walking around anywhere, and you better not be swimming so soon!” Greg had said. 

The two children had exchanged a glance. Connie had tightened her lips, as if she was thinking harder than she had ever thought before.

“Just wait here with Mr. Universe. I’ll be back, I promise.”

He had been so kind with Connie. That was something Greg had noticed as soon as he had pulled up and seen the two. Connie wasn’t one to have a large friend group, so seeing her with someone else her age was rare enough, but to see her with a boy who looked as though he would have walked her to the hospital himself was something else. He was determined, quiet, and above all, scared. It was something Greg knew all too well. Whatever Stephen’s home situation was, it couldn’t be good. He was starting to suspect that Stephen didn’t have a place to call home at all. Out of all the characters she could have run into, Connie’s kindness had led her to this poor kid. Greg tried not to be overwhelmed with pity.

He reached over to the case, propped up behind the driver’s seat, over Stephen. The boy shrank back but didn’t retaliate as Greg moved around him, until he brought the case over to his lap. He clicked it open and pulled out the guitar carefully before pushing the case back. Last night he had been working on a couple new songs, so everything was still in tune. He plucked a single note, and immediately, Stephen jumped. Greg looked over in surprise.

“You alright, buddy?”

“What is that?”

“...This is a guitar. It’s an instrument. How old are you that you’ve never seen one of these things before?”

“Eleven seasons.”

“Right. Okay. Starting to get the feeling that we’re on different wavelengths here.”

As expected, Stephen didn’t say anything. Greg plucked another note, a gentle chord, and even though the boy was scared, Greg started to play. It was almost impossible for him to imagine that a child had gone for so long without knowing one of the most popular instruments, but Stephen’s upbringing seemed to be mysteriously barren. The whole impression Greg got was that Stephen was raised so sheltered that he was disconnected from other boys and girls, from life outside of whatever hippie convent he was being raised in, from people other than his family. He couldn’t even spell his name. Greg wondered how far the rabbit-hole went. It wasn’t his job to think, though, as much as it was to be a responsible adult. He played a simple melody for Stephen, one of his old songs at half-tempo. Anyone could play it with enough practice. He strummed the chords and kept one eye on his new charge.

Stephen was staring at him and the instrument with those wide, alien eyes, and he watched the fingers curl and switch on the fretboard as Greg strummed. The man’s hands felt light as they made the majors and transitioned from note to note, observing Stephen gradually relaxing with every passing bar. When he had finished, Greg started over again, and Stephen didn’t seem to notice.

He wondered where exactly Connie had met this kid. Presumably in her adventures by the boardwalk she had stumbled across him, reading and swimming and enjoying the warming weather, but Greg had never seen him before, and if there was one thing that Greg knew it was that not a single resident came or left without stopping by for either a car wash or a chat. Even the kids without cars came by on behalf of their parents. Greg had been around town for almost two decades at this point, and he hadn’t seen Stephen moving in or out. That fact shed evidence on the theory that Stephen was from some out-of-town wandering camp. But even then, there wasn’t a homelessness problem in Beach City, excluding him living out of his van.

Eventually, Greg let his hand fall on a chord and let the sound echo through the van. Stephen almost smiled at him from the other side. The boy’s hands were tucked in between his thighs, squeezed together. Greg looked him over once again.

“Stephen, I need you to be honest with me,” he said. “Can I ask you a couple questions? You don’t have to use your words, you can just nod yes or no.”

Stephen seemed to grit his teeth, but he nodded after a beat. Greg laid the guitar flat across his lap.

“When Connie comes back out, I’m going to take her home. But I’m going to take you home, first, because I’m getting the feeling you’re not comfortable being chauffeured around by some old fart you don’t know.”

It would also give the man some insight into where he was taking Stephen, and what to look for. At the first sign of a dangerous environment, Greg would go to the police.

 “Do you have a home where you’re staying? Warm place to sleep at night?”

Stephen nodded. Well, that was something out of the way.

“Okay, Stephen — but is it a safe place for you? Do you feel that you’ll be okay there?”

He nodded again.

“Are you in any danger at all? Are you worried about...about someone hurting you, or taking away your home?”

This time, Stephen hesitated, but he shook his head. Greg watched his shoulders hunch up a little, a messy lock falling over his forehead.

“That’s good. Okay, I’m glad that you’re safe with all that. Stephen, do you live with your mom and dad?”

Stephen’s mouth opened just a fraction, enough to suck in a tiny bit of air before his lips sealed shut again. There, something was wrong. Greg watched as the boy turned away for a moment, hips rocking uncomfortably, toes curling and uncurling. Finally, after a stubborn silence, he shook his head.

“I’m sorry, buddy. I left my home a while ago and haven’t seen my mom and dad in a long time either. Do you miss them?”

Whatever Greg felt about his parents, he understood what it meant to lose people you loved, and he had to stop himself from sighing with understanding as Stephen’s face screwed up. It must have been so uncomfortable, to be sitting in a van in the middle of a parking lot, talking with a man he hardly knew, thinking about his parents. Right now, Greg didn’t have to know what the history was, but he understood, observing Stephen as the boy bit his lip, his thick eyebrows pushed in in an arc of misery, those mysterious silver eyes welling up with tears.

“...N-never knew them.”

An orphan. Greg wondered what would be worse: to have lived without parents, or to live with an abusive home life. Out of morbid curiosity, he also wondered if Stephen had perhaps been kidnapped. Getting him to talk would be like pulling teeth. It wasn’t Greg’s place, and as concerned as he was for the boy, there was only so much he could do.

“Well, it’s not much, but for whatever it’s worth,” Greg said, “you can get yourself out and come down to the car wash whenever you need. It’s a safe place. You can hide out here in the van and I can whip up some eggs or waffles or whatever. Sound good?”

Stephen just turned his head, wiping his face. Greg wasn’t sure if the boy had really heard him at all. Reassurance could only go so far. The man tapped his fingers on his guitar and looked out the open door. When was Connie going to come out? Greg knew he should be waiting inside, getting ready to take Connie home for the weekend, but he had to stay with Stephen first and foremost. He felt a strange pang in his heart for the boy. Maybe it was localized, maybe it was temporary, but there was an aura of sadness around his head, a halo of true darkness in the dark of his curls.

“Hey, Stephen — how did you meet Connie in the first place?”

The boy looked up, and a wavering smile came over his face. 

“She was… She came to the water, and — I was there. And she took me for a pizza, and we read together.”

“Oh, yeah? You like pizza?”

For the first time, Greg saw Stephen finally start to relax. The memory of pizza was clearly comforting, as it would be for any child. He couldn’t afford it as much as he wanted, but Greg loved pizza just the same as Stephen probably did. The poor kid probably didn’t have much in the way of luxury food or restaurant experience. Stephen nodded and let a goofy smile spread over his face. He snorted as Greg chuckled. 

“Tell you what. If you ever want to come by the van, if you can get away from home, I’ll walk you down and we can get you some pizza. And Connie can come too! And I’ll splurge for ya. You seem like a good kid.”

Stephen shifted in his seat, flexing his legs back and forth in nervous kicking motions. It was a lot to take in, to be fair. And Greg knew he was still a stranger. The reputation he had in the town probably didn’t extend to kids like Stephen. Nothing extended to kids like Stephen. The isolation the boy must feel seemed unbearable. Even though he didn’t speak any evidence, his body language told Greg everything he needed to know and then some. It was strange to see him so physically healthy and yet so mentally anguished. Stephen was clearly well-fed, as stocky as a St. Bernard, with smooth skin and bright eyes and a general cleanliness all around. Greg was polite enough not to mention that the boy smelled like seaweed. To be fair, they had been swimming not an hour ago.

“You two go swimming together?”

“Yes! Connie is good at the swimming.”

“That’s great! That’s great, I’m glad to hear you two have something to do together.”

“She reads to me.”

Based on how attentive he had been to Connie’s needs when she was injured, Stephen must have been quite the attentive pupil of Connie’s. Someone Stephen’s age being unable to read, though, was still unsettling to the man. There was so much he wished Stephen could have. Greg kept a smile on despite the pain in his gut.

“What does she read to you, kiddo?”

“Books about magic! And the adventuring. A girl, Lisa, and her bird, and her father!”

Next to Stephen, Connie’s backpack was zipped up tight, and Greg suddenly realized that there was probably a change of clothes in there. Connie had gone in with just her bathing suit, and that must have made for an embarrassing change. Memories of babysitting passed through his head, of the twins and Vidalia’s boys and Dewey’s young scamp. Greg put the guitar aside and reached for the backpack. If Connie brought a change of clothes, he could bring it in and save her from a hospital gown.

“ NO! ”

Stephen grabbed the pack and pushed himself into the corner behind the driver’s seat, into a pile of folded clothing. His silver eyes were wide and panicked, fixed on Greg as he breathed heavily. The man curled his outstretched fingers and sat back down.

“Easy, Stephen. I’m not going to hurt you. I just need to… I just want to bring Connie her clothes, that’s all.”

“I-I can’t. I…”

There must have been something in the backpack that Stephen didn’t want Greg to see. His first irrational thoughts were that Connie had been doing something illegal, that there was alcohol or perhaps something like weed or solvents. But that was both prejudiced and ridiculous. Stephen looked too healthy, and Connie would never do any kind of drug. It was a bit of a head-scratcher. Something personal, something vital, something precious — it mattered to Stephen, and he clearly didn’t feel safe without it around. Greg had to proceed with caution.

“Okay, buddy, we can go in together. And you can give the backpack to Connie, and I won’t touch it. How’s that sound, Stephen? Is that okay?”

“...Inside?”

Through the van window, Stephen looked at the hospital. The turn from calm laughing back down to panic had been almost instantaneous. He was, in Greg’s head, clearly a traumatized child. Being away from his home with no parents to go back to must have made life so difficult. The man pulled over his guitar case and put the instrument back in as Stephen’s breathing leveled out a bit. He didn’t relax his grip at all. Once the guitar was back in, Greg snapped it shut and stepped out of the van doors onto the pavement.

“I’m gonna be with you the whole way,” he said, “and we’re going to see Connie. They’re gonna page Dr. Maheswaran and we can walk all the way down and go meet them. Have you met Connie’s mom before?”

Stephen shook his head. The bad news was that Greg knew how Priyanka could seem to strangers. Her matronage was intimidating to say the least. It had taken years for Greg to work up the courage inside, even though Priyanka had been nothing but warm to him in her own way. To coworkers and rude patients, it was another story. The good news was that Greg had a good spin for Stephen, and he was a scared boy. If he got to Priyanka and explained the situation, there was a chance she would be how she was around other children. He had seen the woman on the boardwalk administer a bandage to the bleeding knee of a tourist’s toddler, a classic case of ‘is there a doctor in the house.’ It was like she was an entirely different person.

“I’m sure she’d love to meet you. She’d be happy to hear that Connie made a new friend! Come on, it’s okay.”

It felt like he was coaxing a kitten out of an alleyway with a plate of tuna. Stephen held onto the backpack like a vice as he crawled over the floor and stood on solid ground. Greg noticed that he was still barefoot. The man held up a hand.

“Hold on a tic.”

They had to be around somewhere. Greg moved his shorts and a couple of t-shirts as he clambered back into the back and sifted around. There, there was another pair of flip-flops, like the ones he was wearing, except faded red from the sun and torn at the foam. The man exited and dropped the sandals on the ground in front of Stephen. Slowly, the boy put his feet in one at a time, like he had only done it once before. They were way too big, but there weren’t any other options.

“There we go. You want to carry the backpack?”

Stephen nodded again. He clutched the straps and held the pack in front of him. Something important was in that thing, Greg just knew it. But it wasn’t his place to intrude. Even standing out here, Stephen looked frightened by the world. It was a tense fear, an animal fear, one that Greg had never seen in another human’s eyes. He felt a mix of pity for the boy along with a rush of hatred, hatred at the world that made him feel this way. Reaching over, Greg rested a hand on top of Stephen’s head and ruffled his hair, pressing into the scalp.

The reassurance made the boy tremble, but only for a moment. Tension rose in his cheeks, then the freckled skin fell once more into relaxation. Stephen almost smiled at the touch. Greg recognized the warmth. Stephen had been holding on to Connie when he first picked the kids up, and Greg had seen how he had had his arms around her, supporting, caring. He had been gentle. Touch was a language Stephen spoke well. All the newness, all the frightening parts of this civilized world, were unfamiliar to the boy for reasons he couldn’t divulge. And he didn’t need to. Greg Universe felt a strange tug in his heart for the boy. Similar feelings had led him to stay in Beach City, even though he could be anywhere else in the world. It was inexplicable.

“Follow me, Stephen. Don’t worry, I’ll be with you all the way to Connie, and I’ll introduce you to the good doctor. Sound good, champ?”

Stephen nodded.

The walk across the parking lot was slow. Thankfully, there was nobody coming in or out as Greg and Stephen made their way to the automatic doors. Stephen looked up at the sensor as the glass slid apart for them. As they came into the lobby, something occured to Greg. The man knelt down and turned Stephen gently towards him.

“Stephen,” he murmured, “have you ever been in a hospital before?”

“Hos-pital?”

That was an answer. Greg slowly stood and guided his charge over to the chairs in the waiting room. The only other person waiting was an older woman in a pink tracksuit and matching glasses, staring at a cooking magazine. Stephen held the backpack on his lap as the two of them sat down. 

“People come here when they get sick or when they get injured, like what happened to Connie,” Greg said. “And people like Connie’s mom, a doctor, give them medicine and help them to, um… They help make their injuries heal so they’re not hurt anymore.”

Stephen could only nod. This kid must be sheltered, Greg thought, to the fullest extent that a person could possibly be, if he didn’t even know what a hospital was. Whatever commune he was living in probably had some new-age healing junk that they used in lieu of modern medicine. Greg had only been in the hospital once during his stay in Beach City, thankfully, on Dr. Maheswaran’s tab. He couldn’t afford to stay here otherwise. 

It bothered him that Stephen didn’t even have the rudimentary knowledge of the world outside. When they had started up the van, the boy had jumped out of his skin, as if he only knew what a ‘car’ was in concept. This right here might even have been the farthest he had ventured from his home. If he didn’t know what a hospital was, the chances of him knowing any other homeless resources were slim to none. Greg formulated a kind of plan, to talk to Priyanka while the kids were occupied doing whatever they wanted to do. 

“Put your backpack on.”

Obediently, Stephen stood up and slipped the pack over his shoulders in a series of awkward motions, until it was slung over his t-shirt. He really did look like a mismatched mess. The boy gripped the straps tightly. As Greg stood himself, he reached up and peeled the child’s left hand off the fabric and held it in his own. The fingers squeezed, but Stephen didn’t resist. The man gently started towards the receptionist’s desk, and Stephen followed in his stead. 

A younger man with short, dark hair was taking notes as they approached. He looked up and put his pen down, leaning on his desk in anticipation. Greg waved.

“Hi there. I’m here to see Dr. Maheswaran.”

“I can give her a call, but I think she’s a little packed at the moment. Do you mind waiting?”

“It’s for her daughter. We brought some of her things, she came in here a little while back?”

“Gimme one sec.”

The receptionist wheeled his chair over to the phone and pushed some buttons. Glancing down, Greg could see Stephen’s eyes darting all around the desk, looking at the pens and the computer on its raised monitor, the mechanical black keyboard, the phone that made a sudden monotone ringing noise that made the child squeeze Greg’s hand even tighter. The line clicked.

“Yes, Armando?” said the brusque voice.

“Hey, doc. We got a — what was your name, sir?”

“Greg Universe. And Stephen.”

“— a Mr. Universe with some things for your daughter,” he finished into the phone.

Stephen looked as though he was ready to dash out the sliding doors and burrow back into the van at any moment. There was a second of silence on the other line before it came back to life.

“Right, they’re both good to come up,” the voice said. “We’re in exam room 12A. I’m just finishing up.”

“You got it. Thanks, Dr. Maheswaran.”

There was another click before the receptionist turned back to the pair. He pointed down the hall.

“Take a left at the painting there, and it’ll be the, ah, the second or third door on your right, the one right next to the bathrooms.”

“Thank you! C’mon, Stephen.”

As they turned to walk down the hall, the child’s eyes still roved about like an animal taking in its new surroundings. He pulled Greg in close as their sandals smacked on the tile with each step. Greg was trying not to sweat. There could be hundreds of simple concepts that Stephen couldn’t understand from whatever sheltered background he came from, based on his reactions to the simple parts of the receptionist’s desk. It was entirely possible he didn’t know what a computer was, or even what a phone was. He was even gawking at the lights on the ceiling. There was a network of damage that a single hospital visit couldn’t undo.

They weren’t even here for Stephen, and Greg was already thinking about taking him back once this was all over. Surely Priyanka knew a couple of child psychologists who could help Stephen out. The man felt almost guilty for leading Stephen around like this. The poor kid probably didn’t understand how bad things seemed from the outside. To Greg, it felt like he was leading Stephen into a trap, or maybe trying to navigate traps, the pitfall called reality. Both were equally terrifying. For all the sitting he had done, he was nowhere near fatherhood potential. No good dad lived in the back of a van.

Turning the corner, Greg and Stephen approached Connie’s room. The door was closed. Greg raised his hand and knocked twice. Stephen squeezed his other hand.

The tall, stern woman who opened the door hadn’t changed a bit since the last time Greg was over for dinner. Dr. Priyanka Maheswaran looked somewhere between exhausted and commandeering, with lines under her eyes and new strands of graying hair. She glanced down at Stephen, and the boy stared at her with wide, terrified eyes. The doctor looked back at Greg, as if she was trying to restrain from raising her brow.

“Hey, Priyanka.”

“Good to see you, Greg. And you must be Stephen.”

The poor child looked as though he was going to collapse. New people in a new place, well, that was a combination for disaster. To Greg’s relief, Priyanka’s demeanor changed immediately. Her gaze softened as she ushered the two into the room and closed the door.

Stephen let out a small gasp. There was Connie on the exam table, sitting on the crinkly roll of paper in her shorts and a hospital gown, looking thoroughly embarrassed. The bathing suit had been folded up and placed next to her, from where she had had to undress, and Greg winced inwardly. Getting examined by your own mother could be a blessing and a curse. As soon as she saw the pair, though, Connie smiled and relaxed her shoulders. Immediately, she sucked in air and brought her hand to her side. 

“Connie!”

The strange boy released Greg’s hand and ran up to the girl, reaching out to hold on to Connie’s other arm in comfort. Greg watched Priyanka stiffen up as if she was going to shout at the child for invading her daughter’s personal space, but Greg reached out to put a hand on her shoulder.

“Stephen here is the one who walked Connie back to the road, so I could pick them up. Pretty sure that he was the one to help her out of the water, too!”

“Is that right?” Priyanka said. “Well, Stephen, I suppose I owe you my thanks. I can’t imagine what you two were thinking, though, swimming out by those rocks.”

“It was an accident, mom! Really, we won’t do it again.”

“Young lady, you and your ribs aren’t going to be swimming for about six weeks. Or tennis, or track tryouts. This is going to put a severe damper on your physical activity. I understand that accidents happen, but this could have been severe. You could have drowned if Stephen wasn’t there!”

“I know, mom…”

Connie trailed off as Priyanka turned her attention to Stephen. The woman took a step forward, and Stephen took a half-step back, squeezing Connie’s arm. Greg watched the woman retreat and clasp her hands together. It was always easy to tell when she was thinking about something.

“Alright,” the woman muttered. “Alright. Stephen… Connie’s going to take you down to the nurse’s station, and you two can each get a sucker. Then you can come right back, and Connie, you can take your backpack and get changed.”

“Oh, um, okay! Come on, Stephen.”

“Don’t put weight on your left side. I’m going to have to get you a crutch to walk around school. And probably a rolling backpack.”

“Yes, mom.”

Stephen looked for all the world like he had no idea what was going on, but he was determined to stick next to Connie as she came off the table and onto the floor. The two children padded to the door, with Greg holding it open for them as they went into the hall. Connie let herself put weight on Stephen as they vanished around the corner in search of candy at the nurse’s station. As soon as the door was closed, Priyanka gestured for Greg to have a seat.

“I know,” the man said, grunting as he pushed himself onto the exam table. “He’s an odd duck, that one. I’m worried about him.”

“Connie hasn’t mentioned any boys at school. I don’t think she’s mentioned any swimming friends, certainly not classmates.”

“Doc, Stephen doesn’t...go to school.”

“Excuse me?”

Greg rubbed the back of his head. Priyanka bored into him with her trademark glare, looking for someone or something to blame for this transgression. It was as if she was ready to pull Stephen out of the hospital and drag him to the middle school and put him in a desk immediately. The man knew how seriously she took her daughter’s education, and how much it irked her to see someone not living up to that. They had had several talks about Greg going back to school, which thankfully he couldn’t afford.

“I think he’s homeless,” Greg said, “or at least he’s living in some place that’s outside of the city limits. He doesn’t know his parents, not sure who his guardians are. I think this was the first time he had been in a car of any kind. Priyanka, he didn’t know what a guitar was!”

“That’s...egregious. If he’s homeless, though, we can — well, I don’t know what we can do. I’m inclined to give DCYF a call, unless he’s under some legal guardianship with his family. Is it other family he’s staying with?:

“No clue, sorry. He hasn’t opened up to me much either. All I know about him is that he’s an orphan who likes pizza, and that he’s got the wildest eyes —”

“I swear those are contacts. There’s no genetic mutation that I know of that could make them look like that.”

“I know! But with Stephen, anything seems possible right about now. He’s never been to a hospital, either.”

“Whoever is taking care of him isn’t going to be taking care of him for much longer if I have anything to say about it,” Priyanka said curtly.

All Greg could do was smile. The woman leaned over on the desk next to the powered-down computer and sighed. The two adults had known each other for years. Greg still felt the pain in his leg from the car, pushing young Connie out of the way. Not thinking had saved her daughter’s life, and it seemed that Greg, Connie and mortal peril came closer together than any parent would like. It wasn’t Greg who had saved Connie this time, though, but another stranger, and he couldn’t imagine how it must have felt seeing Connie limping into the exam room in her bathing suit.

“Hey, how’s it look? Is Connie going to be okay?”

“I don’t know what rock she hit, but it left a nasty bruise,” Priyanka said, “and the rib is definitely broken. First bone she’s ever broken, and it’s because… I always thought she was a better swimmer than that.”

“It’s the Atlantic. There’s tons of awful stuff out there under the surface. First time I went to the beach as a kid, nearly got pulled out to the riptide.” Greg paused. “That was the last time for a good while.”

“She didn’t tell me she was going swimming. She didn’t tell me she had a friend she was going with. I’m going to have to talk to her about this. I need to know if she’s going to do anything like that in the future, so I can tell her no and stop her from making bad decisions!”

“Hold up. I know better than to get in between you two, but maybe it’s because of Stephen that she’s feeling ashamed. Or maybe she’s trying to protect him.”

Priyanka opened her mouth to protest, but Greg raised his hands in a plea. There was only so much leeway he could manage with a woman as strong as the doctor, and he needed to get as much in as he could. He lowered his open fingers, taking a deep breath.

“Stephen is in a rough situation, and he might be in a place where he’s not allowed to have outside contact, like for a religious or political reason. If Connie isn’t talking about being with him, then it might be to protect him from situations just like this.”

“What, from adults wanting to help him?”

“Well, yeah! Because then prying eyes come in, and Stephen’s home is bam, gone, his life, gone, what family he has left, gone. Connie… Well, Connie knows that you’d want to ask him a million questions. And if he answers honestly, and he answers wrong, then he’s in hot water. I think that Stephen knows he’s in trouble.”

Priyanka curled her arm up and rested her chin on her knuckles, staring off into a corner of the office as she thought. This was a predicament of sorts. She had read Stephen as soon as he had walked in the door, but Greg knew there were so many unknowns for her, so many things that neither one of them knew about the boy with the silver eyes. Greg couldn’t think of any communes off the top of his head that would shelter kids like that with the exception of those weird luddites, but they were in the northern bay, nowhere near here, and they certainly wouldn’t dress a boy in modern clothing like Stephen had.

“Do you think… Well, it doesn’t matter, since he saved her life, according to Connie, but Greg, do you think they were on a date?”

“Doubtful. Connie isn’t the kind to be thinking about boys behind your back. And Stephen’s just too innocent.”

Speaking of innocent, the door opened up and the children entered, with Stephen still supporting Connie on her left. The boy had a stick coming out of his mouth and blue stains on the edges of his lips, and he looked happy as a clam. Connie gently took the backpack off of Stephen as she stood straight. The two smiled at each other. The girl took out her lollipop to turn to her mother.

“Can I get changed now? It feels weird being in one of these dresses.”

“Well, if you didn’t want to be in one, you shouldn’t have gone swimming in dangerous waters, young lady!” Priyanka waved her hand. “But yes, go get dressed, and Mr. Universe will take you home. You’re going to need rest, and I’m going to be monitoring you.”

“I know, mom.”

Stephen looked aggrieved as Connie turned back out to the door, but she rested a hand on his shoulder. He gave her a dubious grimace, but the sound of the sucker clicking against his teeth was seemingly enough to pacify him. Connie opened the door and limped around to the bathroom. Priyanka tilted her head as she looked at Stephen. Silence started to seep into the exam room as he looked from Greg to the doctor and back again, his hands balled into nervous fists.

“So, you got the blue one?” Greg offered.

“Mhrm.”

“Is it good?”

The boy nodded. Greg smiled and nodded back, trying his best not to seem like he was studying the kid. Priyanka made no such measures. She narrowed her eyes and stroked her chin, as if she was taking notes in her head. Greg wanted to snap at her as he watched Stephen avert his eyes, shifting his weight from flip-flop to flip-flop. Clearly he didn’t feel safe without Connie around. The doctor rolled forward in her chair, and Greg could practically see the hairs on the back of Stephen’s neck rise up.

“It’s alright, Stephen,” Priyanka said. 

Her voice had transformed from her curt and maternal demeanour into something soft and wary, like she was approaching a wounded animal. That was the change Greg was hoping for. The eagerness to delve into the unknown was mitigated by her knowledge that Stephen was in a new land, new territory, that different measures needed to be taken.

“Stephen, have you been to a doctor’s office before?”

The boy shook his head.

“Okay. Well, my name is Dr. Maheswaran. My job is to make sure that people stay healthy, that kids like you and Connie are feeling well. And if something happens, like what happened to Connie, I can treat it and make her feel better.”

The doctor smiled. Stephen didn’t return it. She faltered, looking to Greg for assistance. Greg hopped off the table and grunted as he lowered himself to his knees. Stephen allowed the man to get closer, but his hackles were still raised. It would take a lot to earn his trust. Greg felt a burning feeling in his chest, and he almost felt a tear come to his eye. What had happened to make the boy feel like this? What kind of place was he living in?

“So Stephen!” Greg said. “What you did out in the ocean was very brave. You helped get Connie back so that her mom could help her and look at her body and make sure she was okay. You’re a hero, kiddo!”

“That’s right! Thank you, Stephen. You did something extraordinary. Are you a good swimmer? Do you swim a lot?”

Once more, the boy nodded. A semblance of an awkward smile was coming to his face, a certain redness to his cheeks. Inside his mouth, there was a resounding crunch as the lollipop was fractured and the boy chewed. Priyanka nodded thoughtfully, though her face didn’t disguise the fact that she was still perturbed. That was just how she operated, as much as it made Greg nervous. Stephen was keen enough to tell when he was being studied.

“Who taught you how to swim, young man?”

Stephen looked blank. He narrowed his eyes in confusion, bringing his hands up to play with the stick dangling out of his mouth.

“Nobody was teaching me,” he said.

“Nobody taught you? You taught yourself how to swim?”

“Yes?”

The confusion was shared between the doctor and patient. Priyanka opened her mouth as if she was about to respond with his preposterous that was, then closed it and leaned back in her chair. She cleared her throat and raised a tentative hand.

“Well, that’s...nice. Stephen, may I look at your eyes?”

The boy pointed up at his face, and Priyanka nodded. He turned to face her and blinked, keeping his eyes turned towards her obediently. As soon as she rolled forward and reached up, Stephen inhaled sharply and stepped back, his head shrinking into his neck, coiling in nervousness. Greg shuffled forward on his knees, holding out a hand.

“It’s okay, buddy. Dr. Maheswaran’s not gonna hurt you. Nobody’s gonna hurt you.”

Stephen looked unconvinced. All the doctor could do was wait. The boy looked down at Greg as if he was going to bolt out of the room. Greg kept a smile on his face, but inside, he hurt deeply for the child. He didn’t deserve to feel this scared with a simple doctor’s visit. No child deserved to feel that way, but especially not someone at-risk like Stephen. The mysterious circumstances only made the man’s empathy grow. Somehow, he knew that Stephen was in danger, though he couldn’t place how. There was no other reason for him to be as skittish as he was.

“I’m just going to —”

The door opened again. Connie and Stephen looked almost like twins, dressed in shorts and t-shirts that were just about the same size. Stephen whipped his head around to face the girl, and Connie stared at the scene in front of here.

“Mom, what are you doing?”

“I was just examining Stephen’s eyes, Connie. We should get some tests done while he’s here. Did you know it’s his first hospital visit?”

The girl’s lips tightened, and she looked at Stephen like she was about to grab him and run out the door. Both the children looked remarkably nervous. Greg wasn’t about to be suspicious, but something told him that Connie knew more about her friend’s life than she was letting on. Maybe in private there were things to divulge, but she clearly wanted to keep some secrets. The more that they acted furtively, the more Greg wanted to know, and he knew that Priyanka would interrogate both of them unless he stepped in. But before he could say anything, the woman cleared her throat.

“Also, Stephen, why are you wearing Connie’s clothes?”

Greg hadn’t noticed, but he also wasn’t the one who did Connie’s laundry. If indeed that was true — and it looked to be so — then it raised further questions about Stephen’s living situation. Connie looked as though she was going to pass out. Stephen curled his lips inward and took a deep breath, turning between Connie and her mother, pulling his hand away from Greg.

“He — didn’t have spare clothes to change into!”

“What did he go swimming in?”

“He left his bathing suit at the beach when he changed.”

“Connie, were you and Stephen changing clothes in front of each other?”

If Connie wasn’t ready to pass out then, she certainly was now. Even Greg could tell she was red in the face, and Priyanka looked as though she was ready to give the lecture of a lifetime. The girl shook her head frantically, stammering as Stephen turned towards her in confusion and concern.

“No! I-I came to the beach already dressed, and so did Stephen, and he went somewhere else down the beach to change into street clothes. We didn’t do anything, mom, I promise.”

“I see.”

Greg and Priyanka exchanged glances. Something about Connie’s story was off, but neither one of them wanted to press. It wasn’t Greg’s place, first and foremost, and Priyanka had better things to focus on than whether or not Connie’s story held water. Stephen had saved her, and that’s what mattered. The doctor crossed her legs and leaned forwards. 

“Stephen, Greg — Mr. Universe and I are concerned for you. We’re worried that you might not be in a safe place, or that you might have trouble at home,” Dr. Maheswaran said. “We know you’re not going to school, and that you’re not living with your parents. We just need to be sure that everything is alright.”

Connie took a step forward. Greg stood up with a hand outstretched, shaking his head. As much as it pained him to see Stephen put on the spot, he needed to be able to speak for himself. The girl gripped her backpack straps and looked between the man and the boy, shifting her feet nervously. The concern she had for Stephen was immense, and Greg felt it too. The man walked around Stephen and put a hand on Connie’s shoulder. She knew Greg well enough. She kept her eyes on Stephen as he clasped his hands together in front of Priyanka, casting his eyes down to the ground.

“I…”

The boy turned his head to look at Connie, then turned back to the doctor. The exam room turned into a tomb. Greg watched Priyanka patiently tuck her hands into her lap in anticipation. As professional as she was being, Greg could sense the motherly instinct in her poise, the way she waited for Stephen. The man felt it, too. It didn’t matter how far her schedule was pushed, or how busy she would be later. The same time she made for her daughter she could make for any other child, especially one in need like this one.

Stephen’s eyes squeezed shut and his cheeks rose as he pressed his lips together. Fat tears began to roll over his freckles, down his cheeks and chin, running over his neck. The boy sniffled and crossed his arms over his chest. Greg had to resist the urge to run over and hug the child, wrap the boy up in his arms, carry him far away from this pain. Stephen grit his teeth, and Greg saw from the side their jagged edges, their animal sharpness.

“Mam and da,” he whispered. “I...I was learning, today, of their...that they… I saw them, I saw their dying today, heard their…”

He pushed both hands into his face suddenly, opening his mouth in a silent grief-stricken gasp. The cry that came out was almost inaudible, before raising to a stressful monotone blubbering.

“M-m-ma — Da! Hhh hnnnuuu —”

It was Connie that rushed forth from Greg’s side to catch Stephen as he stumbled backwards. Priyanka sat up in alarm as her daughter hugged her friend, wincing through the pain of her broken rib as she was hugged back, stocky spotted arms thrown around her torso. Greg couldn’t hold back his own tears any more. He got down on one knee, waiting by the sidelines as the children rocked together. Dr. Maheswaran looked stunned. Stephen merely hugged Connie and sobbed into her shoulder as she whispered to him.

“It’s alright, Stephen, I’m here, I’m here for you…”

“Buh-uh, hhn… C-C…”

“I know, Stephen, I know…”

The woman stood up and put a hand on Greg’s shoulder. The two adults stepped back, leaving Stephen and Connie in the middle of the room. Priyanka turned her back on the children and looked Greg in the eye fiercely.

“I’m calling DCYF,” she whispered. “This is the clearest-cut case of trauma I’ve ever seen. He needs to be moved away from wherever he’s living, stat. Counseling, check-ups, I’m positive he doesn’t have vaccinations —”

“Priyanka, hold on!”

“I am not going to let this child suffer! Stephen needs help and he’s not getting it, bottom line. His living situation —”

“We don’t know his living situation!” Greg hissed. “Look, what if there’s some legal hangup that could land you in hot water? Just because Stephen doesn’t know doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.”

“And so if Stephen does have special needs, then his guardians are acting all the more negligent for leaving him alone. When you left the beach, was he worried about telling anyone where he was going?”

“No, but that’s what I’m going to find out.”

“Excuse me?”

His mind had already been made up. Looking over, Greg saw Stephen and Connie pressing their foreheads together as the sobbing died away. The silver eyes were still wet with tears. There were wet spots from Stephen’s eyes and nose on Connie’s shoulder. One of the boy’s hands rested on the girl’s upper arm, and the other was gently pressed against the spot where she had been struck, where her skin was bruised and her ribs were cracked. Greg took another step back and gestured to Priyanka.

“I think I can get Stephen to open up to me. I can find out where he lives, I can go undercover, and I can tell you everything you need to know on the down-low. If you get into trouble, you could lose your job,” Greg murmured. “But I’ve got a clean record and nothing to lose. And I’ve got something else.”

“What are you talking about, Greg?”

The man held up a finger and walked back to the children. Connie looked up as he approached. Greg motioned for her to back up. When she parted, Stephen opened his eyes and looked up, eyes darting to meet Greg’s own. His face followed the adult as he got on his knees in front of Stephen and smiled. 

“Hey, buddy.”

Carefully, as if the child was made of glass, Greg raised his hands to Stephen’s cheeks. His rough thumbs touched the bridge of the boy’s nose. The skin was so warm. Greg ran his thumbs down the crevice of those freckled cheeks, following the tear trails, fingers tracing down the boy’s chubby jawline. He could feel Connie and Priyanka staring at him, but as he looked into Stephen’s silver eyes, he sensed the muscles relaxing, the mouth parted in a confused and wordless opening, and nothing else mattered in the world.

It was entirely selfish. Greg found comfort in comforting the boy. He felt a deep sadness welling up inside of his throat, stopped only by the notion that Stephen needed someone in his life, and that Greg could possibly step into that role if he was so daring, if he was so presumptuous. Living alone and growing up with all the families in Beach City had left a hole in him that hadn’t emerged until he saw Stephen’s pain. He could never be the boy’s family, but he could be an anchor as much as he could, a rock, a friend, a trusted adult. Nobody knew what Stephen had or didn’t have, but Greg knew what Stephen needed.

Without prompting, the child closed his eyes and leaned his head to the side, pressing his cheek into Greg’s hand. The boy lifted his own hands and held onto the man’s arm, gripping and holding Greg against him. Second by second, his lungs settled, and the sniffles slowed. Greg curled his digits against Stephen’s face, stroking him, calming him as best he could. Even through his blurred vision, Greg knew that this was right.

“When we get out of here, I’m gonna take you right home, but first,” the man murmured, “we’re gonna head down to the boardwalk, and we’re gonna get some pizza.”

Immediately, Stephen’s eyes shot open, and he bit his lower lip. It took a second of silence, and Greg had to raise his eyebrows in encouragement, but Stephen eventually nodded slowly. Behind Greg, he could hear Connie give a half-sniffle half-chuckle. 

The man brought his feet around and grunted as he brought himself to his feet again. Stephen held on to one hand as Greg wiped his face with the other on his sleeve. When he looked at Priyanka, the woman had her arms crossed over her chest. She didn’t appear convinced, but she wasn’t about to say so in front of the two. She had seen what had just happened. Nobody could doubt that there was some kind of connection, and that Greg would be the one to get Stephen out into the light. He nodded to the doctor in understanding. There was a responsibility he had now to ensure he figured Stephen out and kept him safe.

“Well. I suppose that’s that,” Priyanka muttered.

“You got a schedule, doc?”

“I’m probably already late for my next appointment. But no matter. Mr. Universe, would you mind terribly dropping Connie off at home? She needs to get that rib rested and iced.”

“Absolutely. Mind if she comes along for lunch with us?”

Priyanka sighed and narrowed her eyes at her daughter. She couldn’t deny the fact that she was grateful for the girl to be here, and she also couldn’t deny that she had been through a lot today already. Greg tried not to let his relief show when the woman finally nodded. Connie straightened up and winced again. 

“Thanks, mom.”

“Let Greg or Stephen carry your backpack. You need to keep weight off.”

“Yes, mom!”

The girl shrugged the pack off and handed it over. Before Greg could grab it, Stephen reached around with his free hand and snatched it away. That’s right, the man remembered, there was something else in the pack of Stephen’s that he didn’t want to show. Either that, or he had been really protective of Connie’s clothing. It was a mystery that Greg was determined to solve. Stephen threw the pack around his shoulder as he held the adult’s hand. 

“Stephen?” Priyanka said.

“Yes’m?”

The woman took a step forward with her hands together. She took a deep breath.

“This hospital is a safe place for you, always,” the doctor said. “And anytime you want, you can come here yourself, or you can get Mr. Universe to drive you down, and you’ll always be safe here. Everyone is here to help. We want to help you, Stephen.”

He nodded. It was the most she could get out of him at the moment. Greg could see in her face that she wanted to examine the boy so badly, to do what she wanted to do as a caregiver and as a doctor. Keeping children safe was important to her as a mother, instinctively. But she could only treat what she was given. Priyanka looked up at Greg with eyes of stone. 

If you mess this up, her gaze said, this child’s blood is on your hands.

Walking past Armando and the sliding doors out of the hospital, the three of them were met with the new rays of the sun. How fitting, Greg thought, for the light to be shining on them now. It was getting warmer around Beach City, though the waters were still cold and the sea wind was still blowing over the inland. The hospital was far enough away from the sea to be a few minute’s drive, but it wasn’t any trouble. From there, Greg knew that he could find his way to Connie’s house easily. He had been driving that route for years now.

Watching Connie move along, while Stephen gripped his hand, Greg wondered how the two had met at all. He knew that Connie didn’t get the chance to leave school or her home much except to come down and read by herself, as she had admitted to him quietly on rides home. It was only in the last year that she had been able to leave the house by herself and travel down to the coast. Maybe it was the natural occurrence of being out of the house that had allowed her to run into a character like Stephen. They both seemed like lonely souls, damaged in their own unique ways. But then again, everyone was damaged. It was funny, the man thought, that no matter how a person was hurt, they could fit together, puzzle pieces joined by imperfection, creating a perfect portrait.

Stephen let go to open up the van door for Connie, tugging on it and holding it for her as she climbed up into the front seat. Greg knew he would have to walk her up and help her into the house, based on how she was straining to get into the front seat. Thank goodness there hadn’t been anything serious that Priyanka had found. The possibility of her lungs or organs being hurt was something that made Greg shudder to think about. At least, he thought, it was only a rock that had bashed her a single time.

Connie pulled the door shut, and Stephen hoisted the backpack around his back, putting his arms through the straps as Greg made his way to the back door of the van. Before he opened it, the man turned around. Stephen looked up as Greg turned to face him, hands in his pockets. 

“Before we hit the road, champ, mind telling me where you live?”

“I...am living...by the beaches.”

Greg squatted on the pavement as Stephen averted his eyes. The man raised a hand up to the boy’s cheek and rubbed it again. This time, the child didn’t turn back. There was the first sore spot that Greg had to uncover. Piece by piece, though, he would figure this out. He had to, for Stephen’s sake. 

“You don’t want me to come take you home?”

Stephen shook his head. 

“You want me just to drop you off by the beach then?”

He nodded. 

“Okay, buddy, I can do that this time, but you gotta make me a promise, okay?” Greg said. “You have to promise that you’ll come by and see me sometime, and if you do, I’ll get pizza for you then too. And we can just talk and hang out. Does that sound okay?”

Slowly, Stephen nodded again, rubbing his cheek against the man’s hand. Greg patted it and stood up with a grunt before he opened up the van doors. Stephen jumped on up, and Greg shut the doors. It was quiet for a moment in the parking lot, with the children’s voices muted inside. Greg considered opening up to eavesdrop, but it didn’t matter. They could have their privacy. What truly mattered was Stephen’s safety. 

Why did this always happen? Saving a younger Connie from a car had almost cost him his life. Babysitting for Vidalia had taken years off his sanity. And now here he was, in the middle of a possibly illegal operation to rescue a child from some unknown adversity. Greg looked up at the sun, at the beams that shone through the clouds and made solid streaks of light against the horizon. It was always the children that got him. The only reason that he stayed in Beach City was to be there for them, to be there as transport and guidance, to teach about cars and driving and music, to babysit and pander. The difference with Stephen was that the boy didn’t have anything else. There was no other parent to joke with Greg, nobody to call and ask if he wanted to come over for game night or if he’d be available to help with car repairs. Stephen had nothing. In a way, he was just like Greg.

Maybe Stephen, too, sat by the beach some nights. Greg swallowed as he fished in his pockets for his carabiner. There was another reason he couldn’t leave this town, a reason he could never understand. Maybe Stephen felt the allure of the ocean at night, the sense of something greater in this town. There was some magic left in this world.

But Greg couldn’t deal with that right now. He had a goal in mind, and that was to keep both children in his van safe. If he was going to be a trusted adult, he had to act like it. Greg took a deep breath and swung his keys around on his finger. First pizza, then the beach, then the dropoff. He was on a strict itinerary. And as long as Connie was around, Stephen would be more receptive to clues. The two of them had something stirring up their sleeves, Greg just knew it.

The man smiled to himself. There was a whole universe to explore. Greg walked around and opened the van door, climbing inside and turning the key. He glanced back at Stephen on the floor, and the boy smiled shyly from the bed. Connie gave him a thumbs-up. Greg turned his head, backed the van out of the hospital parking spot, and started on their way down to the pizza parlor.