He wriggled.
“Sit still for a minute. Let’s get you dry.”
He did as he was told.
“Are you happy to be here?” she asked him.
“Sure.”
“Are you missing Daddy?” She held her breath. One of the things that had kept her from leaving in the past was she hadn’t wanted to deny Zak his father.
“No, Mommy.” He twisted to look at her. “He was in a very bad mood. He would have been angry at you and angry at me when he woke up.”
“Yes, he would have been.” She stopped rubbing his arm, remembering he still had a smattering of bruises from where Gary had dragged him from the room on the weekend. “Do you think he’ll still be angry tomorrow?” she asked.
“No, when he’s angry one day, he’s nice the next and says sorry.”
She sighed. “Yes, he does.”
“I’ll miss him when it’s his nice day.”
“You will?”
“Yeah, perhaps we can see him on nice days,” Zak said. “On Daddy nice days.”
Daddy nice days.
She kissed his damp hair. “I don’t think so, at least not for a while.”
Make that never.
It was going to be hard for Zak to come to terms with not seeing Gary, but what choice did she have? If she hadn’t left when she had, she didn’t think she’d even be breathing tonight.
And where would that have left Zak?
She shuddered then stood. “Pop your clothes on again. We’ll get you new pajamas tomorrow.”
“With rockets on.”
“If we can find them.”
He held up his hand with his fingers crossed.
“Pizza!” a loud deep voice called. “Come get it.”
Zak abandoned his clothes and made for the door.
“Hey!” she said. “You are not eating your dinner without clothes on, young man. Get dressed.”
Zak dropped to the floor and started ramming his feet into his underwear.
“Pizza will still be there when you’re dressed,” she said, pulling the plug on the bath water.
“Hurry up, I’m gonna eat it all,” Jayden called. “I’m so damn hungry.”
“Mommy!” Zak said, alarm washing over his face. “He’s gonna eat it all.”
“He’s teasing you. Get dressed.” She smiled. “Then come and get your slice.”