Feeling a hand on his shoulder, Henry turned to Lily, whose expression had become serious. She motioned toward the other side of the street, away from the crowd. She began walking and Henry followed silently, both of them stopping by a rusted fire hydrant.

“Alright, what did I fuck up this time?” Lily seemed taken aback.

“What do you mean?” 

“Well, usually when you want to talk to me alone, it’s because I did something you didn’t like.”  

“Just because I don’t agree with everything you do to raise them, doesn’t mean you necessarily “messed up.” I just…” Her eyes turned back to the school, searching for the right words. “Has… has Rowan been okay…like, at home?” Henry suddenly felt very nervous.

“As far as I can tell, he’s been normal? Why? Has he been getting in trouble?”

“No, he’s very well behaved from what I understand, but…does he…does he talk about school at all?” Henry scoured his brain for any times he had talked with Rowan about school.

“Not really. If we did, it was usually about schedules or projects.”

“And he doesn’t talk about any friends or crushes or…” Lily’s voice drifted as she waited for Henry to respond.

“No, he doesn’t talk about anyone. Sometimes I ask him about which teachers he has to see if he has had some of the same ones as me, but that’s about it.” Lily looked toward the ground, fiddling with her hands like she always did during hard conversations. Henry could clearly see the gears turning in her head. “Lily, what’s going on?” 

“…I…I don’t think Rowan has any friends.” Henry waited for a few seconds for Lily to continue.

“Uh…and?” Lily’s expression became a mix of anger and astonishment.

“And?! What do you mean “And?”?!”

“Well, I was expecting something, I don’t know, more important?” Lily’s nostrils flared as her brow formed an intense scowl.

Well, if I didn’t fuck up before, I’ve definitely fucked up now.

“This is important, Henry! It’s not okay for kids to not have friends!” Lily was moving more into Henry’s personal space.

“Maybe it's not obvious who his friends are?”

“No, I’ve talked with his teachers. None of his classmates act or treat him like they’re friends. He doesn’t have a single friend in any of his classes.”

“Well, I mean, he’s a bit of a loner, so…”

“Even the loner kids have friends, Henry!” Lily paused to take a deep breath and recompose herself. “Rowan used to have friends that went to this school. Most of them are still here, but they don’t seem to spend any time together anymore. Has Rowan ever mentioned going to hang out with them or asked about having them come over?” Henry thought over the past few years, realizing that Rowan hadn’t had anyone visit in that time. When he went to spend time with other people, it was always for a group project. Just as he was about to respond, Henry received a message from the medic of his patrol.

LUKE: hey chief got a sec

ME: if this is about Gerry, then no.

“No, he hasn’t hung out with anyone outside of school from what I know.”

LUKE: r u sure

“Doesn’t that bother you?” 

ME: Luke, not now

“I mean, yeah, I guess it’s unusual, but he seems like he’s doing fine…” Another patrol member’s message pops up in Henry’s vision.

BOR: Captain, Gerald is pestering me and Sasha. It distracts us while we capture target. Please speak with him.

“How do you know that? Do you talk with him?”

“I…uh…” Another message. 

AIM: Henry~ U R N trbl~ 

Henry could feel his pulse rising.

“Henry, I know you have a lot on your plate between work and the kids, and I know you’re doing your best with them, but I’m worried that Rowan is being neglected.”

REG: Hey, sorry but he’s starting to spam us.

“Neglected?! Are you saying I’m not taking care of him?!”

“I’m not meaning that you’re doing it maliciously or intentionally, but sometimes these things slip through the cracks when you’re preoccupied…”

LUKE: chief u there?

AIM: Henry <3 

“So what, I just tell him he needs to start having friends?!”

“No… I’m trying to say that I think this is a symptom of something else.”

BOR: Sir, please respond, over.

SAS: Captain, please contact Gerald, over.

“Like what?! Bullying?!”

“Trauma, Henry.” Henry realized he was breathing heavily now. He felt like there was a vice around his throat. “I don’t think that it’s no one wants to be his friend. I think he’s pushing people away.”

REG: Henry?

LUKE: chief woohoo

AIM: H <3 E <3 N <3 R <3 Y <3

“You think this about…” Henry could barely say the word. “…Ashley?” It felt like all the moisture was sucked from his throat the moment he said her name. He never expected saying her name would be so hard.

BOR: Please respond, over.

SAS: Please respond, over

REG: ?

LUKE: chief chief chief

AIM: Do i have to call you “daddy” to get a response?

Henry had had enough. He violently turned away from Lily, practically snarling as he had the assistant type the message for him.

ME: FUCK OFF LEAVE ME ALONE

UNMUTE “BOSS.” 

A flood of messages poured in. Henry ignored all of them.

ME: IF YOU SEND ONE MORE FUCKING MESSAGE TO ME OR MY TEAM I SWEAR TO GOD WHEN I GET TO THE OFFICE THAT I WILL SHOVE MY FIST SO FAR UP YOUR ASS THAT I’LL USE YOUR SKULL AS A SOCK PUPPET!

MUTE “BOSS” ALL DAY.

Henry felt dizzy and winded, bracing himself against a nearby power pole. He could hear his own heartbeat in his ear as he struggled to breathe. His ribs felt like they were tightening around his lungs, preventing any air from filling them. After an awkward amount of time had passed, Henry felt Lily gently place a hand on his back.

“My god, Henry, are you okay?” Henry tried to take a few deep breaths.

“Just…just give me… a sec.” Lily stood silently beside him, patiently waiting as he slowly calmed down. When his breathing seemed to be under his control, he stood on his own again. “Lily, I…work is…I’m sorry. I need to go.” Turning back to her, Henry could see she was incredibly worried.

“Henry, is everything alright? I’ve never seen you like that before.” The heartbeat in Henry’s ear began to fade.

“Lily, I’m sorry, we’re going to have to finish this another time.” Lily was worried to a degree she seemed scared, but Henry couldn’t, or more, didn't want to dwell on it and began walking away. He had nearly made it to the street corner when he heard Lily call out to him.

“Henry, please! One last thing!” He stopped and turned around. Lily was fidgeting with her hands again. “I…I don’t know if this will mean anything after all these years, but…I’m…I’m sorry…I’m sorry for what I said at the hospital.” Henry felt the vice around his throat again.

The truth was it did mean something to him. Henry had thought about that night, that conversation so many times. He had thought about what if Lily did apologize. What would he say? What would he feel? The more time that passed, the more Henry thought the words wouldn’t matter, that he’d feel nothing, but now he was too choked up to even utter a word of appreciation. All he could do was give her a nod and take off in a slow jog down the street.