Page 54 of Kit

Kit stared at his knee as if transfixed.

“It’s just a little burn. I don’t see a blister yet, but there might be a small one.” I held up the ointment. “This will help keep infection away and make it feel better.”

“Okay.” His voice was hoarse, eyelashes still damp.

I spread the Neosporin over the red mark.

Kit bit his lower lip, then said, “That feels better, Daddy.”

I got out the band aid and opened it.

Kit’s eyebrows rose. “That’s blue and it’s got green cartoon dinosaurs on it.”

“Yep. Is that okay?”

He nodded.

I stretched the band aid into place, then patted his knee. “There. All better.”

Kit reached out and touched the edges of the band aid. “It doesn’t hurt anymore.”

“Good.”

“You’re magic, Daddy.”

I ruffled his hair. “Just experienced.”

I rolled his sweats back down. There was a little hole with dark brown edges at the knee, and through it I could see the blue and green band aid.

“We can get you new sweats, okay? But you can still wear these.”

“They’re like my torn boy clothes I like to play in.” Kit stretched out his leg.

“We can save them as your more rough-housing play clothes, okay?”

“Yes, Daddy.”

I leaned forward and kissed his forehead, wrapping the throw more tightly around him.

My boy. How deeply I’d fallen in love with him, I didn’t know, but it was deep enough to make me think I might actually drown if I lost him now.

17

Kit

Iwas conscious of the band aid at almost all times for the rest of that evening. It felt like a mark Parker had left on me, like the constant weight of his finger rubbing salve into my burn.

It comforted me. But it also reminded me how bad I’d been. Despite Parker’s reassurance that I hadn’t destroyed anything, I couldn’t get the feeling of my badness to go away.

I needed to make up for it somehow. I needed more to be done. It made me restless down deep inside.

He had wrapped me in a blanket, taken away my wet socks, and warmed me up. I had the best daddy ever. But I still felt distant.

As I started to fall asleep, Parker said, “Bedtime for tired boys.”

“Yes, sir.” I pushed the blanket aside and followed him upstairs.

I was slow to approach him to let him undress me.