"Why didn't you tell him about what happened in the bathroom?" Abigail asked as htey exited the room.

"I didn't think he needed to know." Ben said simply. He moved to the kitchen and looked inside the fridge because he was hungry. "Why doesn't he have any good food…" Ben asked while looking inside, "No wander he is so skinny." He said loud enough so that only him could hear.

"I'm sure he has some good …" She was cut short when she saw the inside of the fridge. "Okay maybe you're right…I think I'm going to go home and get food and a change of clothes for us." Before leaving she looked back and asked, "You going to be alright?"

"Ya, we'll be fine don't worry about it." The door closed and Abigail was gone leaving Ben with a sleeping Riley.

Three months later

It has been three month since Riley gotten sick. They never had talked about what had happened in the bathroom, because they almost all forgotten about it…almost all…because Ben could not forgot the terrified look in his best friends eyes and the pleads that had echoed throughout the bathroom.

"Hey Ben are you okay?" Abigail asked from the kitchen.

"Yeah just thinking." Then putting his book down he moved from the living room to the kitchen. "So are you cooking anything good?" He asked his wife after placing a gentle kiss on her forehead.

"Well that depends what you are hungry for." She said turning around and returning to her cooking. "But today I'm making chicken, bean and potatoes." She said.

"Sound good to me honey…" Ben was about to leave the kitchen when she asked.

"Did you invite Riley?"

"Yeah he should be here in twenty minutes." Ben said and then called over his shoulder. "I'm going to take a shower before eating." Ben said while going up the stairs.

Riley Poole shut the door making sure it was locked before going down the stair to where is car was parked. He had been invited to Ben's and Abigail's for super and was looking forward to it because he had been really busy because of work to really eat a good meal or almost anything at all.

He got in his car while he was holding the wheel a wave of dizziness hit him. After it passed he started the car and got on the road. He lived about teen minutes from his friends' house (if there was no traffic).

These pass month had been really hard for him because he kept having nightmares about his childhood, that had been hell on earth. When he had been a kid he had always thought that he deserved what he had gotten from his dad, but now, as an adult was not too sure. When he saw his friends' house he pulled over to the side of the road. He shut the engine and took a deep calming breath to pull himself together. After sitting in his car for a minute, he pulled the car back on the road and drove up the driveway.

"Hey there Riley, we thought that you had forgotten." Abigail said while opening the door for Riley.

"How could I forget about this you've been telling me that I was invited everyday for the pass week." Riley said with a forced smile.

"Is Riley here?" Ben asked from the kitchen doorway.

"Yeah I'm here Ben." Riley responded.

"Good because I'm starving." Ben said then they all sat around the table.

They eat in silent, which was not normal for them, but everyone seemed to be lost in thoughts. After eating Ben told Abigail that he would do the dishes and Riley said that he would help.

"So how have you been?" Riley asked because he could not stand the silence anymore.

"Good…busy but good." Ben said while washing a plate. "You?"

"Oh…I've been good tired…but good." After that the silence was back. Ben had been handing Riley a plate when he saw a scar on his hand that he had never notice before.

"Hey how did you get that scar on you hand?" Ben asked pointing at Riley's left hand.

"What?" Riley asked because he had not heard what Ben had just said.

Pointing at Riley's hand he asked again, "Where did you get the scar on your hand?" Riley looked down and saw the scar on the bottom of his left hand, "Oh that…that's nothing…" Riley said a little too quickly.

"Common how did you get it?" Ben asked again while washing his hand. When Riley didn't answer Ben asked again. "Common it can be that bad, right?"

"I was a clumsy child…what can I say, I fall on it and cut it open." Riley lied and he was sure that Ben had not believe him.

Before Ben could answer Abigail came in. "I see you guys are done, so are you guys ready for dessert?"

"Yeah that sounds good, but I think I going to on a walk first." Riley said before leaving the kitchen.

"What is wrong with him?" Abigail asked her husband as they heard the front door close.

"I don't know, but I think I'm going to go too." With that Ben left the house to look for Riley.

It took him teen minutes to find where Riley that was sitting against a tree with his eyes closed. Not wanting to startle him he called. "Hey Riley you awake?" The respond only he got was Riley's eyes opening. Ben sat down next to his friend not knowing what to say. "Beautiful day isn't it?" What was he doing taking about the weather! He thought, mad at himself because that was not the way to get Riley to open up to him.

"Yeah it's perfect." Riley said without even opening his eyes. "So I guess there is a reason to why you followed me out here, right?" Riley asked.

"How did you get that scar?" Ben asked again. Riley sighed and opened his eyes looking at anything but at Ben.

"You're not going to drop it are you?" Riley asked.

"No." The younger man nodded. "So are you going to tell me or do I have to start guessing."

Riley was quiet for a moment, and then he said in a very small voice without looking at Ben. " I was six when it started…"