Chapter 3

It was another beautiful and sunny morning, but Daniel didnt notice the chirping birds in the tree above his head or the warmth of the sun on his face. He sat on his usual bench on the street and stared into space. His thoughts drifted back to that fateful day nine months ago, like they'd done so many times since he'd woken up in that damned hospital bed with Sam and Mitchell by his side – and half of his left leg missing.

The bitter memories had brought with them the familiar feelings of mourning and guilt when he suddenly heard a female voice call his name.

"Daniel! Danny, where are you?"

Before realizing that she could hardly have meant him, he turned around to see a young woman hurrying towards him. Daniel knew he'd met her in the hallway once or twice in the past few months, but he didn't know her name.

"Have you seen my son?" she asked breathlessly, stopping in front of Daniel. "I just turned around to get the mail – and suddenly he was gone!" Panic was resonant in her voice, her eyes wide with worry.

An unhelpful "Uhm…" was all Daniel could get out before a yell from behind them made him turn his head once more.

"Mom, look what I've found!"

A young boy about the age of ten came running around the corner, clutching something in his arms. He skittered to a halt in front of Daniel's bench and loosened his grip a little.

"Oh, Danny," the boy's mother sighed, taking a look at his discovery. "Where did you find it?"

Pointed black and furry ears appeared at Danny's elbow while green and very intelligent eyes turned in the direction of Daniel who was still gaping at the two – no, three, he corrected himself – intruders who'd startled him out of his thoughts.

The kitten blinked at him and closed its eyes again, snuggling back into Danny's arms. Somehow, Daniel felt jealous of the cat's innocent trustfulness. He had been as trusting as this tiny cuddly ball a long time ago…

When he returned his attention to the people still standing next to him, mother and son had gotten into a heated argument over the kitten's future.

"We can't keep it, Danny, I'm sorry," the mother tried to explain to her son whose face began to screw up.

"But Mom…please! He's got no home."

The little boy was close to tears now. Daniel decided it was time to join in and carefully rose, using the backrest for support and trying not to put too much weight onto his injured leg.

"Hi, I'm Daniel J...Ballard," he introduced himself and tried a small smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. How many times had he said almost the same words over the past eleven years? He sighed inwardly when the mother turned around and smiled at him apologetically.

"Oh, Mr. Ballard, I'm so sorry! Hi, I'm Susan Jones." They shook hands. "And this is my son Daniel… Danny." Mrs. Jones pointed at the apartment house behind them. "We live at the other end on the tenth floor, that's how I knew you."

Daniel and Danny locked eyes, unsmiling blue ones into curious smaller blue ones until a smile flickered over the younger Daniel's face.

"That's a nice name you got," he joked, and Daniel had to smile, too, despite his earlier cheerless mood.

"Thanks, you too. May I see your cat?" And with that he lowered himself onto the bench again because he feared his legs wouldn't hold his weight much longer.

"Sure."

The boy sat down next to him and carefully hoisted the kitten onto Daniel's lap. The tiny cat sniffed around for a while and eventually coiled up into a small black ball with its eyes closed. Only the twitching nose and ears indicated that the cat was still awake.

Daniel had never had a pet other than fish – which didn't really count as pets in his opinion. He wasn't even sure he liked cats, but this little kitten seemed to appeal to his caring side which he'd believed long lost. The warm body on his thighs was a comforting presence.

The boy watched him scratch the cat's ears for a while and finally stated, "He likes you."

Daniel looked up in surprise. "Yeah? How can you tell?"

Young Danny didn't hesitate to answer. "He's snoring."

And really, the kitten was fast asleep on Daniel's lap, a peaceful expression on its tiny face that was half buried under its tail.

Danny's mother chuckled and sat down on Daniel's other side. "Sorry that I ran up to you like that, I was worried sick," she tried to apologize for her earlier behavior.

Daniel was still looking at the sleeping cat that wrinkled its nose and sneezed, and he answered absent-mindedly, "Oh, that's okay. I was just thinking about…something and hadn't paid much attention."

His voice trailed off, and he continued studying the fur ball on his lap with the same scrutiny he would usually have reserved for interesting artifacts or unknown obscure dialects on unexplored planets.

Mother and son sensed that he didn't really want to talk right now, so the three of them sat together in amicable silence and watched the napping kitten that seemed to be untroubled by their presence. After a while, it opened its eyes again, yawned, and tried to stand up on Daniel's left thigh.

"Ow!"

Daniel's sudden outburst startled the animal so that it jumped from the bench and hid under the nearest bush. It hadn't really been a stabbing pain, just an unexpected discomfort, so Daniel took a deep breath and tried to calm down, ignoring the worried glances coming his way from either side.

When he could speak again, he tried to soothe the kitten that watched them with anxious eyes. "I'm sorry, little one, it wasn't your fault." But the cat didn't move. Angry with himself, Daniel turned to Mrs. Jones. "I better get some rest. Will you take care of him?"

She just smiled. "Of course, we will. My Danny is as stubborn as his dad. He'll never give up until we take him home with us. I'm sure Danny has already chosen a name for him."

The boy only smiled his most innocent smile and jumped up, turning toward Daniel. "May I come visit you again?" he asked.

Bright blue eyes, so similar to Daniel's, were looking down at him hopefully.

"Danny!" the boy's mother started; but Daniel cut her off with an apologetic shrug.

"Sure you can. I'll be back this afternoon."

Danny's face lit up in a wide grin. "Great! See you later then." And with a happy wave, he danced off into the direction of the swings and other fascinating playground equipment he'd just discovered in the backyard.

His mother watched him climb a carousel with a sad smile on her lips and finally turned back to Daniel. "Are you sure, Mr. Ballard?"

"Daniel," he interrupted.

"Daniel," she confirmed with a nod. "He can be a little difficult at times."

Daniel shifted uncomfortably under her knowing gaze when he grabbed his walking stick to stand up, but quietly answered, "Yeah, I'm sure."

And to his surprise, he meant it.