It was pitch black in the apartment when Kody woke up. At first, he was confused, unsure of the time or where he was at—his body aches and migraines gone. The hunger pain had returned; he needed to get up and fix a meal. He thought about vegetables, and his stomach growled angrily at him.

"Hello?" He called into the darkroom. "Hello!"

No one answered.

"Okay, Brudford. Did you move while I was sleeping?" Stretching, he sat up.

Feeling along with the couch until his fingers touched the end table, Kody searched for the table lamp. A pull on the cord illuminated the room, light chasing the darkness into the corners to hide.

Kody briefly shielded his eyes from the bright light. Walking around the apartment, in search of his clothes, he found a note sitting on the kitchen table.

Call 1-868-555-4937

"What is this?"

Thinking the number belonged to Brudford's job, Kody found a landline and dial the number. He'd have to search the apartment for his cell phone; it was missing from his back pocket.

" Hello, " the feminine voice greeted him.

"Hello, " responded hesitantly, wondering who was speaking.

"Hey Kody, you probably don't remember me from the party. You've been out of it for a while, so Brudford had me check on you. How are you feeling?" She told him.

"Where is Brudford?" He searched the refrigerator for something to quiet his protesting stomach.

" I left pork chops in the refrigerator for you. I thought you might be hungry when you woke up.

"I see them; thank you. Can you tell me where Brudford is?"

"He was called away by a client who showed up and unexpectedly. He asked me to take care of you while he was gone."

"How long will he be gone?"

"He's been gone four days, so it shouldn't be much longer..."

"Four days?" Kody exclaimed, choking on the pork chop he chewed.

"Yes, you've been out for four days. You had a terrible fever. We weren't sure if you were going to pull through or not."

"I have to go. I have some things to take care of, " Kody hung up without even saying goodbye.

He ran around the apartment, shoving pork chops in his mouth, searching for his phone. He found it in the bedroom under the bed, the battery dead. He was unable to find his clothes, so he borrowed some of Brudford's clothing. He dashed out of the apartment and headed for the subway station. He had to get home.

Mrs. Birch, if she hadn't already vacated their home, had to be angry at him for abandoning his parents with her. Mr. Birch was not going to be happy with his long absence, either. He'd require more days of service from him. Kody willed the subway train to chug along faster.

His parents had to be confused about the unrelated woman in their home. They wouldn't understand where their son had gone off and why he hadn't returned to take care of them. Kody felt ill being away from them for so long. He was a horrible son.

He needed to come up with a unique way to thank Mrs. Birch for the care and attention she gave to his parents while he was away, especially during the extra days.

"Why wouldn't Brudford call before disappearing for so long? Or call to give me a heads up so I could choose to stay or go back home. He knows my situation."Hearing him talk to himself, the woman holding a baby next to him turned, putting her back to him.

A daughter was on an outing with her older mother. The older woman began twitching in her seat; then her water broke; she'd had an accident. The daughter's reaction made Kody ill.

"Why didn't you tell me you had to pee? I could have taken you to the bathroom before we boarded, " she yelled at her mother.

"I didn't have to go then. I tried to hold it, but it came out, " the old woman said quietly.

"Well, great job there,  Mom, you went all over yourself and the seat!" the daughter responded loudly, drawing attention to themselves.

"I'm sorry for embarrassing you, " the elderly woman's voice wavered, touching Kody's heart.

"You embarrassed yourself! Not me. And for the record, I am not cleaning that up. You can sit in it!" The daughter pulled out her phone, texting someone.

Kody turned to the woman beside him, holding a baby, "Can I borrow two of your child's pampers, please?"

Looking at him strangely, the woman handed her baby to him. Kody held the child out at arms reach; he wasn't good with children; he had a fear of breaking them.

"Here you go, " the woman produced the diapers from her diaper bag. "And here's some baby wipes in case you need them, " she said, exchanging the items for her baby.

"Thanks. Hold my seat for me, " he said, standing. He walked across to the old lady.

"Excuse me, ma'am, " he addressed her, offering his arm to her. "You can have my seat."

Looking into his eyes, she took his arm and let him lead her back to his seat, where he set a diaper down for her to sit on.

Tears flooded her eyes as she sat, thanking him for his kindness.

"It is nothing." Removing his shirt, he handed it to her. "Wrap this around yourself after you stand."

"Thank you. Thank you, " she repeated.

"Mom, leave the man alone, " the daughter demanded.

Kody spun around, giving her a warning look, and growled, "Leave her alone! And from now on, be kind to her. She gave birth to you!"

The grainy growl sent shivers through her, and his cold hard stare let her know he meant business.

Kody used the second diaper to clean off the seat beside the daughter as best as he could. When he finished cleaning the seat, he wrapped the diaper nice and neatly, then he handed it to the daughter. Trembling, she cautiously accepted the package.

"Make sure you dispose of it properly, "he said.

With a wink in the mom's direction, he sat in her old seat and took a quick nap before his stop.