Chapter Text
“Are you okay?”
Henry sits on the curb outside the pizzeria. The flashing red and blue lights of emergency vehicles reflect off the glass windows of the diner.
“Daddy….?”
He’s struck from his rumination by the tiny voice of his son-
Oh! Sammy!
He sits up, suddenly aware of Sammy’s presence next to him. Everything happened so fast- too fast. Finding Charlie. The phone call. Police interrogating him.
But how did he forget Sammy? His own son.
He grabs him, holding him firmly to his chest. At least one of his children made it out alright. He presses his tear-stained face into his son’s dark curls, hiding there from the chaos. The moment is ruined, just like it started, by his son’s voice.
“Where’s Charlie?” He asks, worry creeping into his voice. “I can’t find her.” He moves his head to look up at Henry. Big brown eyes that he once shared with his sister peer at him, needing reassurance. Except he has none to give.
The question leaves him feeling breathless, like a punch to his chest. And all Henry can think to do is hug Sammy harder, tighter - until his boy stops asking questions.
Sammy falls asleep soon after that, nestled in the security of his father’s arms. He hopes his son’s dreams are pleasant, because the next few months are about to be anything but.
The emergency lights fade away as Henry buckles his one and only surviving child into his car seat. The employees that stayed over to make sure the restaurant closed smoothly have started leaving one by one, until only his business partner remains, watching Henry through the large pane window.
He smiles, and a shiver runs up and down Henry’s spine. How can he smile at a time like this? Choosing to ignore him, Henry gets into the driver’s seat. The urge to leave this horrible place overtakes him as he drives off.
In the backseat, blissfully unaware, Sammy smiles in his sleep.