Chapter Three: Being Trusted

Andy was currently wondering how he had gotten roped into this mess. Sure, he had told Sandra that he would be willing to do anything to help her with her divorce and her son, but he knew this wasn't what he signed up for. Far from it, but he didn't have the heart to tell her that.

Sandra had to go back to court, something about working out a custody arrangement so she could see her daughter, but she hadn't expected Norman to get sick. They had only been at the house for three weeks and Norman had already come down with the flu. He had been coughing for nearly two hours straight and Sandra couldn't miss the court date. So Andy had been left with the little tyke for the day.

He stood in the doorway of Norman's room, just watching the babe fidgeting in his sleep. Oh, where was his mother or Mrs. Babcock when he needed them? Just because he was almost forty years old didn't mean anything, Andy never learned how to take care of a baby because he knew he was never going to be a father. But here he was, the man who was supposed to take care of Sandra's child. Oh dear, how had the poor man been dragged into this?

Andy couldn't just stand there when Norman began to whimper. He remembered whimpering like that when he was a young one after having a nightmare. He remembered his mother carding her fingers through his hair and telling him that it was just a dream. He remembered her doing the same thing for Sandra when she had nightmares, especially after their father died, even though she had been fifteen at the time. If his mother could do it for him and Sandra, why couldn't he do it for little Norman?

Andy walked over ran his fingers through Norman's hair and the reaction was instantaneous. The whimpers died away and a small smile came across Norman's face. Andy started to recite the poem about the cow jumping over the moon, which further calmed the boy in the little bed. He couldn't believe it; he was actually making the little guy smile!

"I knew he would be safe with you Andy."

Andy jumped and turned around, seeing his mother in the doorway. She must have gotten home from her yoga class early. He wanted to tell her exactly what he thought of her scaring him like that, but he didn't want to risk waking the little tyke. By now, Norman had a death hold on his pointer finger and was sucking on his own thumb. He could help but smile at the complete innocence his nephew exhibited when he slept, when no ghosts were around to distract him. Andy wondered if Norman could see his father, Norman's grandfather, or if he saw the long since deceased Mr. Babcock, his other grandfather.

His mother motioned for him to follow her and he replaced his finger with the teddy bear Norman always carried with him. He believed that Mr. Spot was the name for the old teddy bear. If Mr. Spot wasn't with Norman, then Norman always acted afraid, like the teddy was the only thing protecting him from the evil things around him.

He barely got to the doorway before his mother wrapped him in a hug.

"Mom, what are you doing?"

"I'm hugging my oldest baby."

"Why?"

"Because you did the right thing with Norman."

Andy smiled at that. If his mother was saying he was doing to right thing, then he was obviously not half bad. His mother didn't hand out compliments every day. "I was just doing what you used to do for me when I was a boy Mom.""

Anne let go of her son before giving him a smile and dashing off to the kitchen. Most likely she was going to make cookies with Eve. Adam rolled his eyes before checking on Norman to see that he wasn't having any nightmares before going to his room to ask his deceased father if he could be seen by Norman.

When Sandra returned later that day, long after everyone was supposed to be sleeping, she saw a light in Norman's room. That worried her greatly, had something gone wrong while she had been at the court case? She almost ran up the stairs and leapt through her son's bedroom door before relaxing again.

In a little rocking chair that she remembered her mother using when she was a child, was her brother Andy. He was cradling Norman, who had regained some color while she had been away. In Andy's left hand was Norman's favorite book Good Night Moon. Her brother had most likely fallen asleep while reading to Norman.

She smiled and turned off the lamp on the bedside table before hurrying off to her own room. It looked like her mother was right, leaving Andy alone with Norman did bring out a sort of parental side in him. She would have to leave Norman with Andy more often; he seemed to have a knack for getting the older man to come out of his shell.