Chapter 9

4/15/2041

Alicia emerged from her room, clutching her doll.

"Papa, are we going to see the nice man?" she inquired.

"We will after preschool," Tyree said.

"Can we get him a present?" she inquired. "I don't want to see him sad," Alicia pleaded.

"Sure, sweetheart," he said as they walked to the car. "Daddy is sad because the nice man is sad," he explained. Tyree and his daughter entered the preschool when they arrived. "Now, be a good girl and have fun," he said.

"Bye, daddy," Alicia said as she followed a teacher into the room.

Tyree entered the art studio and headed to the office. He sat down at the desk and took out the stack of photos that Luca had given him to show off. Luca's twins were featured in a couple of photos. One picture showed the twins sleeping in their cribs, while the other showed them with Ken, their grandfather. He found suitable frames for them so that they could be displayed properly. Instead of letting himself drown in despair, Tyree focused on Luca's smile, which warmed his heart.

Tyree made sure Luca's drawings were in the main showroom with a few tweaks and rearrangements. A plaque labeled "Featured Artist'' hung on the wall above Luca's work.

"I promise you'll be smiling again," Tyree told himself as he took a step back to take in everything. Tyree looked at his watch and saw that Alicia would be leaving preschool in twenty minutes. He took his suede jacket and keys and went to his car. When Tyree arrived, Alicia stood by her teacher and waited.

"Are we seeing him now, daddy?" Alicia inquired as she climbed into her booster seat.

"Do you still want to get him a gift?" he asked as he buckled her into the car seat.

"No," she said with a shake of her head. "I made him one," Alicia said, holding a photo of a large red heart with the words "Get Well."

"I bet he'll love it, sweetie," Tyree said.

Tyree listened as Alicia told him about her day on the way.

"Perhaps you could tell our new friend about what you did," he suggested.

"All right, papa," she said. Alicia noticed her father had come to a halt in front of a brick building. "Daddy, where are we?" she inquired.

"Daddy is going to get a card for our friend," he explained.

"Can I assist you?" When she heard the news, Alicia's eyes lit up.

"Sure, baby," he replied, nodding. Tyree unbuckled Alicia and assisted her out of the vehicle.

As they entered the store, Tyree held Alicia's small hand. They made their way to the card aisle.

"Baby girl, let's find him a card," he suggested.

"All right, papa," she said, nodding. Tyree discovered three cards that piqued his interest.

"Choose one," Tyree said, holding them up for her to see. Alicia carefully examined each card before choosing one with several flowers on it.

"This one, daddy," she explained. Tyree glanced over the card that his daughter had picked out.

"That's perfect," he smiled, and hugged her.

They were back on the road once the card was paid for and everyone was buckled up. Alicia was talking to her doll, and Luca was on Tyree's mind. Despite the fact that they had only recently met, Tyree felt a connection with this young man. As they pulled into the driveway, Tyree's heartbeat quickened, and Alicia laughed.

"Yay!" Alicia exclaimed, clapping her small hands joyfully.

"Who's more ecstatic?" "Me or my daughter?" he wondered. He unbuckled Alicia's belt.

"We're going into someone else's house, so be a good girl," Tyree explained.

"I will, daddy," she assured him.

Tyree took Alicia's hand in his and led her to the front door. When Tyree knocked, there were several voices from within. Then he heard a baby cry. The door opened, and a short brunette stood in the entryway.

"Hello," he said when he recognized them. "Have you come to see Luca?" he inquired.

"Yes," Tyree said, nodding his head. "We brought some get-well gifts," he explained.

"Who is this daddy?" the little girl asked, clutching her father's hand.

"My name is Adrian," he introduced himself, "and I'm Luca's friend."

Alicia looked at Luca's bedroom door, then at her father.

"Go on in, sweetie," Tyree said. "I need to talk to Luca's friend for a minute," he explained. Tyree turned to face Adrian after the little girl had left the room.

"Have there been any changes?" he inquired.

"No," Adrian said, shaking his head. "And if he doesn't come out of this soon, we'll have to have him hospitalized," he said.

"I want to help," Tyree stated. He paused. "You might think this sounds crazy." "I can't stop thinking about Luca since I met him,"

Ken approached Tyree after overhearing the conversation.

"What you're feeling isn't crazy," he said. "When I first met you, I knew Luca had found his soulmate," Ken said.

"Thank you, sir," Tyree said as he turned to join his daughter. Tyree entered the room to find his daughter telling Luca about her day at school. When the little girl looked up at him, tears began to fall.

"Why are you crying, Daddy?" she asked, putting a finger to his eyes.

"Daddy's just happy," he explained. "Do you recall Daddy saying he was lonely?" Tyree inquired as he knelt to Alicia's eye level.

"Yes, daddy," she replied, nodding.

"Well, daddy thinks Luca can make your daddy feel less lonely," he explained.

Tyree took his daughter in his arms and hugged her tightly. As he set her down, Tyree said, "Let's make daddy's friend happy." Alicia smiled and nodded. "Luca, I know you want to disappear from the world, but you are needed here," he said, placing the drawing and the card on his chest. "There are many people who care about you," he said. "Me and my daughter are one of them," Tyree said, his voice cracking. Tyree turned to face his daughter when She said, "Daddy, look," "Mr. Luca is crying," she said, pointing to the man holding the items. Luca's pale cheeks were stained with tears.

"Ty," Luca said in a low voice,"

"You don't need to say anything because I already know," Tyree said, kissing Luca on the forehead.