The road sign read: Welcome to St Louis, the Gateway to the West. Egan Walsh turned and looked at his son sitting in the passenger seat next to him.

“Looks like this is where we’re gonna stop for the night. You hungry?”

Jacob Walsh stared straight ahead and nodded. He was also thirsty and had to go to the bathroom pretty bad for the past fifty miles, but had been afraid to say anything. He had learned that it was best to stay very quiet when in the company of adults; men in particular. He had to admit, however, that his father wasn’t like the other men his mother had the habit of taking up with; he was quieter, definitely smelled better and he even let him chose what station to listen to on the radio. He didn’t frighten him like the others, but still Jacob was wary. Grown ups could change from nice to mean pretty quick, especially when they’d been drinking. Never mind that his father had been drinking nothing more than coffee or bottled water for the past four days of driving; Jacob suspected that it was just a matter of time.

Egan looked at the storm clouds overhead and glanced at his watch; he’d hoped they’d make their way into Illinois before stopping for the evening, but it didn’t look as if Mother Nature would be cooperating. They’d gotten held up in Broken Arrow two days earlier when the water hose on his pickup blew; ended up staying overnight as the part had to be ordered from Tulsa. Maybe it would be a good idea to stay here a day or two as well; he could take Jacob to visit the City Museum and maybe they’d have enough time to explore the St Louis Zoo, weather permitting.

He glanced back over at his son and noticed the way he was sitting. “I’m with you, mate; I could use a bathroom break myself.” Egan reached over to ruffle the boy’s hair, feeling a small sense of triumph when he didn’t pull away this time from his touch. Baby steps, Riley had advised him. Time, patience and kindness will help put things right. “Do you think you can hold it until we get to the hotel?”

Jacob nodded again, liking the feel of his father’s hand on the back of his neck and the tickly sensation his fingers caused as they gently tangled in his hair. It reminded him of his mother, in better times before she became so angry.

“Hey, this looks like as good a place as any to stay for the night. Whaddya think?” Egan grinned at the way Jacob’s eyes widened when he pulled into the hotel entrance. The Hyatt Regency at Union Station resembled a European manor house with its turreted ramparts and heavy stone façade. “From what I understand, this used to be the old train station. With a little luck they’ll have a room available for a couple of tired old road warriors like us.”

Jacob wondered if there’d be any trains inside for him to play on, but was disappointed when he didn’t see any waiting for him in the main lobby. Luck did seem to be with them, however. The pretty young desk clerk blushed when Egan smiled her, stating that yes, there were still a few rooms available. Would he like a two room suite?

Egan shook his head as he reached for his wallet. “One room with two beds is more than adequate. Do you folks carry the Disney Channel?”

The girl smiled at Jacob. “Yes, and we also carry HBO, ESPN and the Cartoon Network.”

Egan winked. “Good, because my son and I like to watch Scooby Doo.”

The girl giggled and brushed her long hair back over her shoulder. “I’m rather fond of Scooby Doo myself.”

Jacob stood close by as his father finished up his business at the front counter, his eyes fixed on the lobby’s high arched ceiling and funny looking old lamps that reminded him of giant bowling balls. A question had been on his mind for the past couple of days, but he had been afraid to ask because he didn’t know how his father would react. In his experience, grown ups didn’t like it when kids asked personal questions, but he was beginning to come to the conclusion that maybe his father wasn’t like most of the grown ups he knew.

Registration completed, Egan reached for their overnight bags and guided Jacob toward the elevator, his free hand resting gently on his son’s shoulder. “Why don’t you push button number four for me?”

Jacob hesitated only a moment, not having been in many elevators before. He had wanted to press all of the buttons, but worried that maybe his father would get mad if he did. When the elevator stopped, his father ushered him out and they headed down a long narrow corridor with doors on either side.

“Let’s look for room 415.”

Jacobs counted the doors as they walked along; 411, 412, 413 …he stopped and looked up at his father, grinning as they stood in front of their room. Instead of a key, Egan pulled what look like a credit card out of his coat pocket and slipped it into a slot near the doorknob. A small green light lit up and the door popped open with a click. Reaching in to turn on the light, Egan motioned for Jacob to go into the room ahead of him.

“Better go use the bathroom before you burst,” Egan suggested. “Remember to wash your hands.”

Stopping just in front of the bathroom door, Jacob decided to take his chance and ask the question that had been burning in the back of his mind. “Are you rich?”

Surprised that his son had actually spoken to him, it took Egan a moment to catch his bearings. “Well, I wouldn’t say that I was rich, but I guess you could say I have enough money to do the things I like.”

Jacob considered his answer as he headed into the bathroom, locking the door behind him, just in case. The size of the bathtub caught his interest; it was big enough to swim in … well, at least big enough for two grown ups. He hoped that his father would let him take a bath later so he could investigate for himself.

He heard the sound of his father’s cell phone ringing on the other side of the door; a tune he would later come to know as Waltzing Matilda. He took his time washing his hands, fascinated by the dish full of little soaps wrapped up in paper like birthday presents. There were also child sized containers of shampoo and conditioner that smelled like vanilla. Big fluffy white towels were folded neatly on a rack next to the bathtub, and two thick white bathrobes hung from a hook behind the bathroom door. Jacob couldn’t help but wonder if the people who had used the room before left them there by mistake.

Finished with washing his hands, he dried them on a neatly folded towel, trying unsuccessfully to fold it back the same way when he was finished. Finally giving up, he rolled it up into a neat tube and sat it next to the dish of birthday soaps, remembering to flush the toilet right before he left.

Egan was standing in front of the window and looking out at nothing in particular.  But something had changed; Jacob had learned to anticipate the changing moods of adults and he started to get a little scared. He had no way of knowing the terrible news his father had just received, but he knew that the bathroom was close by if he needed to run someplace and hide. But what his father did next surprised him.

Egan turned and sat on the edge of the bed closest to him and ran his hands through his hair as he gathered his thoughts. “That was your Uncle John who just called. He lives in Vermont, where we’re headed, and he’s just given me some very sad news.”

He gently explained about his Uncle Jack and Aunt Natalie, and how one of their little girls had died in a terrible accident. “Maybe I shouldn’t be telling you all this, but people are going to be feeling pretty sad when we get there … but they’re also going to be very happy to meet you.”

There was no screaming or signs of anger in Egan’s voice. The sadness in his eyes was something even a seven-year-old boy could understand. Without considering the possible consequences, Jacob went over and gently placed his hand on his father’s shoulder.

“Everything will be okay.”

A light sparked in Egan’s heart. He had doubted his ability to cope with his son’s needs, worried that he’d end up doing more harm than good; and now the emotionally scarred and embattled child was offering comfort as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Trusting his instincts for the first time since their pairing, Egan took Jacob into his arms and held him close, breathing in the scent from his son’s skin and hair, recognizing the scent as surely as his own. And Jacob hugged him back, wrapping his hands around his father’s shoulders and patting him gently along his back.