“What’s going on?”
“I’m so sorry, Caden. I didn’t mean to snoop, and I just wanted to know if we could help him,” Sam blurted out, his eyes filling with tears.
Confused about his outburst, I looked at Jakob, who reached out and rubbed Sam's back. “What are you talking about? Help who?”
“H-H-H-Henry.”
“Henry? What about him?” My confusion turned into worry, and I looked at Jakob. “Is he alright? Did something happen to him?”
“No, nothing happened. Henry’s alright, we think.” Jakob sighed and pulled Sam closer when he started to cry. It was painful to watch a Little cry. I reached into my pocket, pulled a handkerchief out of my pocket, and offered it to Sam. Sam looked at it the same way Henry had, and I almost laughed. But I saw an opportunity to cheer Sam up, and I couldn’t resist.
“Ok. What is it with you Boys looking at my handkerchiefs like that?” I raised it to my eyes and scrutinized it. “They’re not ancient relics or anything.” I grabbed the corner, shook it open, and handed it to Sam.
Sam tilted his head and smirked. “Well, they are old. Probably as old as you. Or maybe you’re older.”
“Oh, is that so, naughty Boy?”
My distraction worked, and Sam stopped crying. He sighed and leaned against Jakob. My mind started to turn this situation over. What could Sam have found that made him this upset?
“There is something we need to tell you.” Jakob pulled me out of my thoughts.
“Okay.”
Before we could get into the conversation, Olivia knocked and brought a tray with three cups of coffee, milk, sugar, and a bowl with cookies. I saw her wink at Sam when she placed the bowl of cookies right in front of him. Olivia knew that I was a Daddy, and I guess she figured out that Sam was Jakob’s Little. She knew me too well because before she left, she stopped in the doorway and looked at me.
“I guessed you would need some time, so I checked your calendar. There are no meetings scheduled for the rest of the day, and I can handle the phone. I’ll let you know if something important comes up.”
“You’re the best, Olivia, thank you.” With a smile, she closed the door behind her. Bracing myself for the worst, I took a deep breath and looked back at Jakob. He poured some milk into a cup and handed it to Sam. I waited until he had a cup of his own before I spoke up again. “Why are you here and what do you need to tell me?”
“It’s about Henry, we…” Jakob started, but then Sam put his cup down so quickly that he spilled some coffee over the table.
“I didn’t mean to snoop. I was just curious after I met Henry, and after what Des told us about him. I only wanted to know what had happened to him to see if there was anything we could help him with. Then I found…nothing. I mean nothing. Literally. Twelve years ago, Henry Reed didn’t exist.”
“Wait…what?” Confused, I looked between them. Jakob sighed and put his hand on Sam's leg, trying to calm him down. “Jakob?”
“We all saw how scared Henry was, and we wondered about the reason. Then Des told us what he knew, and Sam decided to do a little research on Henry.”
“I wasn’t snooping. I promise.”
“Shhh, it’s okay, Baby.” Jakob kept rubbing his back, and I watched him trying to calm his Boy down. Sam was an IT specialist. It had been his job to do all sorts of background checks and research during his time with the police. I would never have pegged him as the snooping guy. Still, I wondered why he had been digging into Henry’s life.
“Calm down, Sam, no one is accusing you of snooping. But you did a little research on Henry and you…found something?”
“Yes. I mean, um no.” Sam wailed. He cleaned his nose and looked at Jakob before he looked at me with a sigh. “I found nothing. Until twelve years ago, there was no record of Henry Reed. Henry Reed suddenly appeared.”
Twelve years ago. Henry was twenty-six now, which meant that he had been fourteen at the time. He was fourteen when he lost his hearing. It was the incident Henry never spoke about. Before I could ask any questions, Sam continued, “I looked into the paperwork at the hospital.”
My eyebrows raised at that, and I looked to Jakob, who groaned.
“Don’t ask. Let me just assure you that Sam won’t get into trouble for it. Well, we hope.”
If that was supposed to calm me down, it didn’t work. “You hacked into the hospital’s records?” Sam’s blush was all the answer I needed. “Are we having this talk because you need a lawyer?”
“No. We’re having this talk because Henry is…” Jakob stopped himself, took a deep breath, and then leaned forward to look me straight in the eye. “It’s bad, Caden, like really bad, and I’m sorry. But I think you need to know the details.”
“Know what?” What the hell is going on here? I knew Sam was crazy skilled, and whatever it was, it had him in tears and utterly devastated.
“Tell him, Baby.” Jakob encouraged Sam with a gentle nudge to his side. “Tell him from the beginning.”
“I like Henry, and I was curious. Des told us that Henry lost his hearing in some sort of accident and that Ava got custody when he was fourteen,” Sam finally said quietly. “He seemed so scared when he came into
