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days this time and he’s getting worse, so I think observing him fora day or two, running some tests to make sure he doesn’t have some underlying medical problem, is a good idea. I appreciate the offer, and I’d appreciate it if you’d oversee his care, Eric.”
    “Look,” Eric said, “I’ve got to get back to work. But, yes, James, I’ll take over his medical treatment, observe him, run some preliminary tests. You know, blood tests, a general physical, maybe some X-rays, that sort of thing. So, until we know more, if you have any questions, call me. And feel free to sit with Tyler for as long as you like. I’m sure he’ll be happy to have you with him when he wakes up.”
    “I’m not so sure of that,” James muttered, slumping to the wall as Eric took his leave. “I’m really sorry about all this, Fallon. I didn’t mean to drag you into it. This whole thing with Tyler has been…difficult.”
    “Have you talked to his mother about how he’s acting? Maybe she knows what triggers the temper tantrums.”
    “Do you think she’d actually tell me anything? I mean, she didn’t even tell me I had a son until her husband didn’t want him any more. If Tyler had been a well-behaved child, I’m pretty sure she would have never revealed her little secret about his existence. So I have no reason to believe that she’ll tell me anything about his behavior. The hell of it is, Fallon, that when she drops him off and leaves, I don’t even know where she goes. Don’t know where Tyler lives when he’s not with me. They have a son of their own now, and Donnie, the husband, doesn’t want Tyler around. I’d wanted to ask her some questions, so a couple of months ago, after she disappeared with Tyler for the second time, I hired an investigator to find them. But apparently she and Donnie move around a lot, and every time my investigator catches up to her, she moves again. So we start over.” He sucked in a sharp, angry breath.“Secrets. Her stupid damn secrets are killing me, and I can’t do a thing about it.”
    Secrets… Reality sprouted in the form of a dull ache in her chest. “But you’re going after custody?”
    He nodded. “My first round didn’t turn out so well. I didn’t have the results of the DNA test back, although our blood types matched. And the judge wouldn’t hear the case. To make matters worse, Shelly came back in the middle of that mess and wanted Tyler back, and the judge said I had no legal recourse at that point, that I had to let Tyler go. So I did, then I couldn’t find him again.”
    “It must be awful for both of you, never knowing what she’s going to do.”
    “This time it may not be up to Shelly to decide.”
    It was unthinkable, what Tyler’s mother was doing to him. What she was doing to James. Poor child. Poor James. “And nothing’s getting better yet, is it?”
    He shook his head. “Tyler’s so angry, and he’s frightened, and I can’t blame him. When I grew up I had great parents who took care of me, protected me. At his age, I probably had no concept that one, or both, of my parents could simply get rid of me the way Shelly did Tyler. I can’t even imagine…”
    “Well, however it works out in the long run, you have Tyler right now and I know you’ll do whatever’s best for him. And if there’s anything I can do in the meantime to help him…”
    “Actually, if you ever run onto a place where Tyler and I can live…”
    “Where are you now?”
    “We’re staying in a hotel room. One room, with a microwave and a mini-fridge. Two beds, a television and a lamp. For me, it was fine. I wasn’t in a hurry to find a house or a condo because this is the tourist season andI know nothing’s available. But the thing is, I won’t get custody of Tyler if I don’t have a stable home for him. And that little room isn’t enough for him. He’s bouncing off the walls, it’s driving him crazy. So if you know of a place I can rent, or even buy… Oh, and a