“Jason?”
This time the voice was joined by a small, warm hand on his shoulder. Slowly he opened his eyes and looked up.
Nathan smiled back at him. His face looked happy—and clean somehow. His eyes shone with the brightness of the very young.
“Nathan,” he exclaimed and wrapped his arms around the boy as a loud yelp escaped. They fell together to the ground, both of them laughing like idiots.
Jason pulled the boy away so he could look at him, still afraid he might be a dream.
“You did it? You destroyed the light?”
“Yes,” Nathan answered, looking sheepish like a kid that just got his first Little League hit. “What happened to the Lizard Men?” There was not a hint of worry in the young voice.
“Gone,” Jason answered with his own proud smile. “For good, I think.”
Nathan hugged him again and rested his head on Jason’s shoulder.
“I want to go home,” he said in a sleepy voice. “I want to see my mommy.”
Epilogue
Nathan crawled up the rope ladder as fast as his legs could take him. He giggled and knew it didn’t sound cool, but he didn’t care—Jason was in hot pursuit. He pulled himself up onto the wooden platform of the huge jungle gym with his right hand, rolled painfully onto his back and laughed upward into the blue sky when he felt Jason’s hand on his leg. He squealed when Jason tickled his knee.
“Gotcha again,” Jason said with a chuckle. “Man, are you sure you’re the Red Ranger? You laugh more like the Pink Ranger!” He tickled Nathan’s sides, which brought another girly squeal.
“Stop, stop,” Nathan coughed out between giggles.
Jason collapsed beside him on his back, their two heads touching as they looked up at a few little clouds through the thick trees with their pretty white dogwood blooms. Nathan sighed and felt older than six.
“Do you ever feel like it was just a really bad dream?” he asked. He turned his head a little so he could see Jason’s face. He saw him unconsciously rub his fingers across the place where his shirt covered the scars on his chest. Nathan flexed his right hand and wondered why he didn’t have to have any scars. He wished Jason didn’t either.
“Yeah,” Jason said. “I feel like that a lot when I’m not with you. I think my mind tries to make me believe it so I won’t be scared, you know?” Jason looked over at him and Nathan nodded. Jason looked back up at the sky. “I’m glad it happened though.”
Nathan’s eyes got wide. “Really?” he said. “Why?”
Jason sighed and rubbed his chest again. “I learned a lot about myself, Nathan. I learned a lot of things that made me okay with my past. I think I learned a lot about good and evil.” He turned and looked at Nathan again. “I learned those things from you, Ranger.”
Nathan blushed. Sometimes it bothered him when Jason called him that now, but not this time. He smiled back but couldn’t think of anything to say. Jason squeezed his arm.
“Boys,” Jenny’s voice called from across the park. Nathan looked over and saw her and his mom waving at them. “Lunch, guys. Come and get it.” Nathan waved back and they both sat up. He loved Saturdays more than he ever had.
“Do you ever build dreams?” he asked.
“What do you mean?” Jason asked.
“You know, build dreams. You try and imagine yourself in a story or something when you’re trying to fall asleep and you’re feeling scared. Then when you fall asleep you get to have a dream about what you thought about.”
Jason smiled. “Yeah, I guess I’ve done that.”
“Well,” Nathan took his hand as they hopped down the big wooden steps. “When I was in the hospital and feeling really scared about the cave and all, I would build a dream about you and Mommy and Miss Jenny and me in the park.” He looked contentedly up at his friend. “And it was just like this.”
Jason stopped and picked him up.
“I love you, Jason,” he said and put his head on his friend’s shoulder.
“I know, buddy,” Jason said with a big squeeze. “I love you too.”
Jason set him down and got a twinkle in his eye. Nathan knew what was coming.
“Race ya!” Jason said.
And they tore off together toward the picnic tables and lunch.
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