Robby was sitting on the sofa arm, tapping his foot anxiously as he awaited his dad's arrival. He didn't know what to do, how to fix this mess.

Maybe things can't change. Maybe they'll never get better.

The smeared blood on his face had dried an unpleasant maroon color that stuck out on his beige skin. The pain had slowly started to ebb afterwards, but the memory hadn't left his mind since.

His words, his actions, they weren't Kenny's. They couldn't be.

He chanced another look out the window. Nothing was there.

What did you even expect him to do? Fix everything for you?

He didn't know what he wanted, they'd never even really had a full conversation. All he knew was that needed someone. He needed his dad. The quiet humming of a car's engine broke through Robby's thoughts. He stood motionless, lost for words.

"Click." The door opened softly as Johnny entered the apartment.

Well, you wanted him here.

"Robby, what happened?" asked Johnny confused, his gaze immediately falling on the side of Robby's face where the blood was smeared.

"You were right, I couldn't fix it," exhaled Robby, tears sparkling in his eyes.

Johnny looked at him, a sympathetic smile on his face.

"Hey, it's gonna be alright," reassured Johnny.

Without hesitation, Robby fell into Johnny's arms, embracing his father as tears streamed down his face. The feeling of their hug felt strange, almost ethereal.

After a few minutes, they sat on the couch next to one another, their gazes falling on the door.

"I wanna go with you to Mexico, if you still want me to," offered Robby hoarsely, looking back at his dad.

Johnny's expression was one of surprise and happiness.

"Yeah, that would be good," smiled Johnny.

Robby didn't really know what to say so, he just nodded thankfully.

An hour later..

Robby adjusted his denim jacket in the bathroom mirror absentmindedly. The face that stared back at him looked tired, but relieved. It was like talking to his dad had removed a weight pressing against his chest, at least temporary.

Nothing seems permanent anymore.

He had cleaned himself up while Johnny got ready for their trip and was now wearing a dark green t-shirt and zippered gray hoodie underneath the jacket paired with ripped jeans. He'd never been to Mexico before so, he wasn't sure how hot it was. The blood on his face had been washed off, clear elastic band-aids now covering the evidence from the day's earlier events. He took a deep breath, trying to collect his jumbled thoughts before stepping out of the bathroom.

"Hey, just finished packing, you ready?" confirmed Johnny.

Johnny's equivalent of packing was basically tossing everything into a luggage bag and throwing it in the car's trunk. Not that there was a lot of stuff to pack anyway, only two, maybe three bags total.

"Yeah," answered Robby as he grabbed his backpack from on top of the couch's patched cushions and slung it over his shoulder. He stepped out the door and got into the passenger seat of his dad's car (which was painted with a large bald eagle) while Johnny locked up.

There's no going back now.

As he looked out the car window, he saw Carmen walk up to Johnny. The car wasn't exactly the "newest" model so, its Insulation was practically non-existent, same as the apartment.

"Hi, Johnny," smiled Carmen.

"Hey, I was just about to come say goodbye," responded Johnny, gesturing towards the Diazes' door.

Is there a tinge of anxiety in his voice?

"I know, and I fully trust you to bring our Miggy home," she said, placing her hands in his.

Johnny nodded in appreciation, rubbing her hands gently in his.

"But I just have to tell you, the people you're going to be dealing with, they're dangerous," warned Carmen.

"I know which is all the more reason I gotta find him," stated Johnny, looking into her eyes.

The love they seemed to share, it was unlike anything Robby had seen before.

"Bring our boy home," smiled Carmen before she kissed him goodbye and returned to the comfort of her apartment.