CHAPTER FORTY THREE

Sammy lie in his new bed crying. Mrs. Geralds had tried to come and tuck him in but Sammy had cried and shrank away every time she or her husband came near him. He felt the same ripping pain he had felt when his mother had left him. How could it happen twice? How could they have split him and Brian, his daddy, up when he loved him so much? His daddy… he wanted his daddy. He wanted him to come and tuck him in at night and read him a story. He wanted Brian to be the one who woke him and made him breakfast in the morning.

He had begged and cried to be able to go back to living with Brian, but they had all shook their heads.

“You’re too young too understand. This is the best thing for you.”

How could he not understand? He understood that Brian was his daddy and that he loved him. No matter what they all said, he knew Brian was his father. His daddy who loved him. how could they know what was best for him? Surely Sammy himself knew what was best for him? He knew what he wanted. He wanted Brian to be here and stop his tears. What if Pete came back for him? He already haunted Sammy’s dreams. Why wouldn’t they let Brian come to comfort him?

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Hilary watched Sammy with growing anxiety. She had come to visit him to see how he was getting along, but he had refused to speak to her or anyone else. When she first arrived, he had asked for Brian, but when Hilary had said that it was too early for him to see him again Sammy had cried and then stopped talking to everyone.

She was worried about him. He had been such a bright child and had been so happy with Brian. Now it seemed as if he was someone different altogether. He was just a little boy. He didn’t deserve this kind of stress. He had lost two people he loved in such a short time. She wasn’t sure how much more he could take.

He was lying on his tummy in front of the T.V watching a cartoon. He had tried to lock himself in his room, but Mrs. Geralds had dragged him back out and tried to get him to speak to Hilary. He stubbornly refused to even open his mouth and stayed still and silent in front of the screen.

His new ‘father’, Andrew Geralds, was seated on the couch. He had tried to bribe Sammy into sitting with him using a box of chocolates but Sammy had decided that the floor was more appealing.

Hilary looked around and saw Maggie Geralds watching Sammy while she polished the mantle piece. This was not working at all. They had jumped at the chance to look after Sammy. They had been looking for the perfect child to foster for so long. They had thought Sammy was the one for them but they had been seriously mistaken. Sammy was absolutely refusing to be their son and shunned all the love they offered to him.

The cartoon finished and was replaced by the news. Andrew put his paper down to watch the program. Sammy stood up and pressed the button on the front of the T.V set, looking for something new and interesting to watch.

Hilary watched as Andrew scowled at him. Sammy couldn’t stay here. She could see there would be serious trouble if he did. Maybe they had pushed him too quickly. The board had thought that a new family might help him to recover from the awful events he had just endured. It appeared to have been a bad call.

Sammy flicked through several programs; more news, sport, war film, game show, adverts, pop concert, news… He switched it back to the concert. Bright lights and pyro technics flared all over the screen. Sammy sat down cross-legged to watch as five men danced about the stage singing.

Hilary could see trouble brewing already, especially when she saw the look of annoyance Andrew gave him. He was not the type of man who watched pop concerts.

“What kind of job is that, making an idiot of yourself!” Andrew said. He picked up the remote and changed the channel back to the news. “You don’t want to watch that trash, Sammy. Bunch of idiots the lot of them!” He smiled, hoping to lighten the mood.

Hilary stiffened. Andrew really had no idea…

“NO THEY’RE NOT!” Sammy screamed.

Andrew froze, shocked at the outburst. “You won’t get anywhere with an attitude like that!” he snapped.

Sammy began to wail as tears fell from his eyes. Maggie looked over in concern.

“Let him watch his show, Andy,” she said.

Andrew turned the channel back. The screen was filled with one of the singers faces. Sammy began to cry even harder. The little sobs were enough to wrench anybody’s heart.

“Now what’s wrong!” Andrew said, his anger rising.

Maggie tried to hug him but Sammy pushed her away.

“Come on, baby, what’s the matter?” Maggie asked.

“I want my daddy!” Sammy sobbed.

“You’re dad’s dead! Remember?” Andrew said.

“Shut up!” Hilary snapped, giving Andrew a warning glare. She should have told them about Brian. They were convinced that he still missed his mother and biological father. Hilary shook his head. She would have to think of something else. This truly was not going to work out for Sammy.

Sammy sobbed and pointed at the screen. “I want Bri Bri! I want my daddy!”

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