Scott snapped his fingers to illustrate his point then walked through the living room into the kitchen, waving for Mark to follow him. "Do you have children?"
"No." It was too complicated to explain that about the time he was ready to settle down and have kids, he'd been locked away as an enemy combatant. His eyes fell on Thomas, now parked in a high chair and banging away with his hands on the tray.
The child turned to him and grinned. "Eat! Hunggy!"
Laughing, Mark reached out and tousled the boy's hair. "Me too, buddy."
"Why don't you have a seat, Mark, and lunch will be ready in just a couple of minutes. Scott, could you get out another plate, please?" Jen bustled around the stove and looked at Mark over her shoulder. "I hope you like macaroni and cheese."
"Sure, that's fine." His leg bounced under the table, and he tried to control it. Why had he accepted the invitation? They seemed like nice people but with everything going on, he knew they would start asking questions. At least he'd only had the one dream about Thomas's fall. Sometimes, the camera surprised him with more than one tragedy. Good thing today hadn't been like that. The way he felt, he wouldn't be good for much more, anyway. He rolled his shoulders and tilted his head to work out a kink.
Scott opened the fridge and bent to look inside. Bottles clinked and scraped before he pulled his head back out. "Would you like something to drink? We have milk, lemonade and apple juice."
"Milk is fine." Mark made a silly face at Thomas and was rewarded with a whoop of belly laughter. The kid was cute. Slowly, Mark walked his fingers across the child's tray, watching as the brown eyes became bigger and bigger as the hand approached, then suddenly, Mark swooped in and tickled Thomas's ribs much to the child's delight.
"You're good with kids," Scott said as he tugged out a chair and sat opposite him. He placed a tall glass of milk in front of Mark and handed a sippy cup to his son.
Feeling self- conscious , Mark pulled his hand back. "I like kids, but the only ones I see are in front of my lens usually.
Scott shrugged. "Still, you're good with 'em." He cleared his throat. "I hope you don't take this wrong, because I mean this in the most sincere way, but there is some truth to the article, isn't there?"
He knew this was coming and probably should have declined their invitation to lunch. Mark sighed and glanced at Jen, who was standing with the serving spoon frozen above the pot of mac and cheese, awaiting his answer. "It's not like the article says. I sometimes get a little...warning of some things that will happen, that's all. If I can, I try to change things to prevent the bad stuff."
"Like Thomas's...fall?" Scott and Jen exchanged a look and remnants of their recent terror still lingered in their expressions.
Mark nodded unable to meet their eyes when he knew that right now they were imagining what would have happened if he hadn't been there. Even though he had prevented the tragedy, he was sure they would be haunted by the sight of their son falling and being too far away to help.
Some of the dreams he had haunted him even after he'd prevented the tragedies. If only he could have gotten here sooner, he could have just gone to the front door and let them know that the balcony door wasn't shut all the way. They could have shut it and never known what would have happened.
"I'm sorry. I should have been here sooner." A drop of milk traced a path down the side of his glass, and Mark wiped it up with his finger.
"Sooner? What would that have mattered?" Jen set plates piled with gooey pasta in front of each of them and a small plastic bowl of the same in front of Thomas before taking a seat at the other end of the table.
"I could have warned you and you'd have just locked the door. That would have prevented the...the fall." Mark shrugged, still feeling too guilty to look at the couple. He picked up his fork and ate a bite. It was good, but his appetite had
"No." It was too complicated to explain that about the time he was ready to settle down and have kids, he'd been locked away as an enemy combatant. His eyes fell on Thomas, now parked in a high chair and banging away with his hands on the tray.
The child turned to him and grinned. "Eat! Hunggy!"
Laughing, Mark reached out and tousled the boy's hair. "Me too, buddy."
"Why don't you have a seat, Mark, and lunch will be ready in just a couple of minutes. Scott, could you get out another plate, please?" Jen bustled around the stove and looked at Mark over her shoulder. "I hope you like macaroni and cheese."
"Sure, that's fine." His leg bounced under the table, and he tried to control it. Why had he accepted the invitation? They seemed like nice people but with everything going on, he knew they would start asking questions. At least he'd only had the one dream about Thomas's fall. Sometimes, the camera surprised him with more than one tragedy. Good thing today hadn't been like that. The way he felt, he wouldn't be good for much more, anyway. He rolled his shoulders and tilted his head to work out a kink.
Scott opened the fridge and bent to look inside. Bottles clinked and scraped before he pulled his head back out. "Would you like something to drink? We have milk, lemonade and apple juice."
"Milk is fine." Mark made a silly face at Thomas and was rewarded with a whoop of belly laughter. The kid was cute. Slowly, Mark walked his fingers across the child's tray, watching as the brown eyes became bigger and bigger as the hand approached, then suddenly, Mark swooped in and tickled Thomas's ribs much to the child's delight.
"You're good with kids," Scott said as he tugged out a chair and sat opposite him. He placed a tall glass of milk in front of Mark and handed a sippy cup to his son.
Feeling self- conscious , Mark pulled his hand back. "I like kids, but the only ones I see are in front of my lens usually.
Scott shrugged. "Still, you're good with 'em." He cleared his throat. "I hope you don't take this wrong, because I mean this in the most sincere way, but there is some truth to the article, isn't there?"
He knew this was coming and probably should have declined their invitation to lunch. Mark sighed and glanced at Jen, who was standing with the serving spoon frozen above the pot of mac and cheese, awaiting his answer. "It's not like the article says. I sometimes get a little...warning of some things that will happen, that's all. If I can, I try to change things to prevent the bad stuff."
"Like Thomas's...fall?" Scott and Jen exchanged a look and remnants of their recent terror still lingered in their expressions.
Mark nodded unable to meet their eyes when he knew that right now they were imagining what would have happened if he hadn't been there. Even though he had prevented the tragedy, he was sure they would be haunted by the sight of their son falling and being too far away to help.
Some of the dreams he had haunted him even after he'd prevented the tragedies. If only he could have gotten here sooner, he could have just gone to the front door and let them know that the balcony door wasn't shut all the way. They could have shut it and never known what would have happened.
"I'm sorry. I should have been here sooner." A drop of milk traced a path down the side of his glass, and Mark wiped it up with his finger.
"Sooner? What would that have mattered?" Jen set plates piled with gooey pasta in front of each of them and a small plastic bowl of the same in front of Thomas before taking a seat at the other end of the table.
"I could have warned you and you'd have just locked the door. That would have prevented the...the fall." Mark shrugged, still feeling too guilty to look at the couple. He picked up his fork and ate a bite. It was good, but his appetite had
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