Prologue
The child's breath clouded the air in front of him as he saw a figure out of the corner of his eye. He froze; it must be his dad! It had to be. None of the other boys' parents ever arrived halfway through a match. Slowly, wanting to savour the moment, he turned. His classmates ran past him, still fully immersed in their rugby match. But the boy didn't move. His eyes locked on the figure standing next to the pitch. It wasn't his dad; but he recognised the man- he was the man he'd gone to the races with. The man who liked dogs. His lips began to curl upwards slightly, but as he met the man's gaze, his smile stopped in its tracks; and, in an instant he knew what had happened. He just knew. He found himself walking towards the man as his arms opened. He walked into them, welcoming the warmth, burying his head in the man's black coat. Darkness. Nothingness. Comfort. It had been a long time since anyone held him that way.
Standing a good few feet away, unnoticed, Ros watched as Harry's head bent down to place a kiss on the top of the child's head. She shook her head slightly and looked down at the grass, biting her lip. So it was real. So he was really gone. And he'd left this boy behind- nothing more than a child, who needed him, who loved him and yet had never really had the chance to get to know him.
Who exactly are we describing here?
After several minutes, Harry stepped back, although he kept his hand on Wes' shoulder.
"Come on, there's someone I want you to meet," he said as he slowly turned Wes Carter away from the rugby pitch.