Ian woke up alone on the couch, but not alone in the room. The hushed sounds of cartoon characters babbled in the background. I’m here, he thought. Still. He hadn’t been nudged at godforsaken hours to be rushed from the apartment, or insistently told that he leave the moment they’d got off. That had to be some kind of a good sign.
“Morning, Cole,” Ian said, turning on his side to study both television and child. There was no indication Cole had heard Ian speak, he didn’t turn, his gaze didn’t appear to leave the television set.
Bright, cheerful voices trilled words too soft for Ian to understand but they seemed to hold Cole’s attention well enough. Ian tried again. “You like this show?”
“I’ve never seen it,” Ian continued as though Cole had answered. “But that one guy there is pretty cu
