The Kings IV II

43

Fran

I kept my arm wrapped around Hero's, smiling up at him as we walked through the yard together.

"I figure you had different plans for your birthday," he softly said, looking down at me.

I shook my head. "No."

He abruptly stopped, leaning his head back. He rubbed his eyes with his free hand, clearing his throat.

"Hey, you made it further today than yesterday," I said, "without a break."

"Everything is making me winded," he muttered, bending down. I let go of his arm and watched as he braced his hands on his legs, looking over at me.

"I guess I'd been running on pure adrenaline for a while, huh?" He chuckled, but I could hear the defeat in his voice.

Hero, who once could run miles at a time without even needing to take a breath, was struggling to walk outside.

"Well, you're getting better," I softly said, watching as he stood back upright.

"Hey, look," he said, "Daisy brought you something."

I looked towards the trees and saw Daisy running towards us, making me giggle and squat down. "Hi, sweetie."

Hero smiled the most genuine smile I'd seen him smile in a long time. I sat down on the grass and giggled, looking up at him.

"Did you do this?" I asked, pulling the small gift box off of her collar.

"Yes," he said, "keeping her still enough to put Velcro on her collar and stick that box on was like an Olympic sport."

He sat next to me, bracing his forearms on his knees. "I mean, I obviously couldn't do it, so Dad did. But it was my idea."

I smiled over at him. "Can I open it?"

He nodded, resting his chin on his arms. I opened the box, my lips parting at the beautiful necklace in the box.

"Oh, my goodness," I softly said, "it's so beautiful. Where did you find this?"

He looked up at the sky, squinting as he smiled. "It's a secret."

"Do I even want to know how much of your allowance you saved up to get this?"

"It really wasn't a lot," he chuckled, "I promise."

I looked over at him, smiling. "Thank you so much, Hero."

He nodded, making me gently wrap my arms around his fragile body. He softly rubbed my back, resting the side of his face against my forehead.

"I love it," I said, pulling away from him.

"Want me to put it on you?" He asked.

"Would you?" I asked.

He carefully pushed himself up out of his seated position, kneeling behind me. He clasped the necklace and I smiled down at it, squinting over at him as he sat back down.

"Thank you."

He nodded. "So, what did you want to do today?"

I shrugged, looking over at him. "Is there anything you'll eat from anywhere?"

I mentally forehead-smacked myself, letting out a loud sigh. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't-"

"Don't plan your birthday dinner around me. What do you want?"

I looked over at him. "You to be happy."

"I am happy," he muttered, looking towards the trees.