Chapter 62

"What are you doing?"

He had accepted the call on his phone absentmindedly, then fumbled to put it on speakerphone as he couldn't hear what was being said.

"Are you okay?"

Finally, he collected his mind and was able to bring out a response.

"I'm here. I'm fine." He stumbled his words.
"Did I wake you up?"
He didn't want to let on he had been getting lost inside his own mind. "Yeah, I must have dozed off."
"I'm sorry." He could hear the honesty in her apology. "I can let you go back to sleep."
"No, no." His words were quick. Her voice is what he needed to hear. "What are you up to? Are you home?"
"I am. Do you want to see Daniel?" She asked, but the invite came as she said her next words. "We can video chat for a bit."

He accepted the invite and his call turned into a clear image of his son's face, who looked confused as to why a phone was being held in his face.

It made him smile. "Hey little buddy." He said, happy to see Daniel recognize him on the phone. "I love seeing you guys together." He said, smiling at his phone, glad the picture of two precious people was clear.
"We are excited to see you soon too. It's been a while since I got to see you perform. When is the L.A. show again?"
"The eleventh, it's a Friday so everyone can come."
She smiled back at him. "That would be fun too. The whole family but do we get you the day after?"

He looked for his itinerary, making the picture go small, into a corner of his phone so he could access the rest of its fuctions.

"Las Vegas the day after." He read, "we'll fly there in the afternoon so I'll probably be able to spend the night at home."
"You can make me eggs for breakfast." She said happily.
He shrugged as he chuckled. "Or you can make me eggs."
"Or..." she waited, "you can make me eggs."
"Or..." he waited, "you can come to Las Vegas for the weekend since we take a few days off there."
"That sounds like fun."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah, I'd like that." She confirmed for him.
He nodded, liking the idea. "Great, I'll arrange it." He said excited, any family time he could squeeze in, he would.

As he enlarged the video chat screen again, he noticed how much time had gone by so unnoticed. He was starting to really enjoy the invention and ease of video chatting but nothing could replace the real thing. He knew tomorrow would be a busy day but right now, he felt happy and at ease. Sleep could wait.

He continued his conversation, even if she wasn't in the same room, seeing her and talking to her already made him feel much better than he had before.

Sometimes that was all he needed, someone to pull him out before reaching the bottom of the abyss.

"How's Noah doing?" He asked, he hadn't spoken to him in a few days and was curious what he was up to these days.
She looked up at the ceiling. "Probably upstairs in his room," She said, "I can go bug him for you." She suggested with a smile, almost getting up from the couch.
"No." He said quickly. "Let him be."
With a sigh, she sat down again. "Are you sure?" She asked with a smile on her face.
"Yeah, I'm sure. Leave him alone. I just wanted to make sure he was okay, we haven't texted as much as you and I do."
She shrugged. "He's been pretty much the same as usual," She explained, "Reading mostly, even at school, always has that ebook with him. I don't think he has many friends this year." A small frown and pout appeared on her face, as if she was sympathetic to his situation.
"He'll be alright. School only just started. Maybe some of his friends graduated last year already." He suggested. "Most of the kids in his honors classes were seniors after all. He'll make new ones soon enough." Richie said surely of his son bouncing back when given some time.

Even if he had an entirely different high school experience than Noah had, he could understand how easy it was to feel lonely in a crowded place. Reaching out wasn't always an easy thing to do.

"Hey, Ava?" He said to get her attention again as their conversation had stalled. He continued when she raised a questioning eye brow at him. "I love you." He reminded her.
That beautiful smile he loved appeared brightly on her face. "I love you too papa bear."

It's all he needed to come back to the surface were he was safe from his own mind.