Reminder
By Cybra
A/N: AU. And I need to be shot. And why I named Nigel's mother Cathy? The only thing that came to mind since we don't know her name.
Disclaimer: Codename: Kids Next Door belongs to the Warburton.
Monty Uno gazed down at the child in his wife's arms. He wanted to reach out and take the small boy, but something held him back.
A birth was supposed to be a joyous affair, but anyone would've thought the Unos were having a funeral. Cathy Uno held her newborn son in her arms yet didn't coo and fawn like most new mothers.
"I'm sorry, Monty," she finally said, breaking the silence. "Maybe…Maybe Ben…?"
He shook his head. "No, Ben can't stand small children."
The child had stopped his squalling hours ago. However, he didn't curl up against his mother. It was as if he instinctively knew that his parents weren't happy to have him.
Finally, Monty reached out and took the tiny newborn. Looking at the child hurt, but he'd have to push those feelings aside. No child deserved to be tossed away due to his parents' mistakes. "Well, Nigel old boy, welcome to the family."
"Dad."
"Yes, son?"
The word—after all this time—still felt awkward when he said it. Oh, true, time had lessened the sting, but it still felt like a lie. Which it was. Monty hated lying to the boy.
The two year-old toed the ground. "Um…"
"What's wrong?"
Dark blue eyes squinted up at him. "I just…can't see very good."
"'Well'," he automatically corrected.
The only response he got was a look of pure confusion.
"Never mind, Nigel. You said you were having problems seeing?"
A nod.
"Well, let's take you to the eye doctor, shall we?"
When the optometrist gave the result of nearsighted, Monty felt like he'd been punched in the gut.
"Push your glasses up, dear," his wife gently ordered.
The head of the household watched as the boy groaned and checked the lenses. "Yes, Mom."
The child was doing his homework, occasionally muttering to himself as if talking himself through the word problem. Nigel was intelligent but had the occasional hang-ups with his schoolwork.
Monty leaned over his shoulder. "Nigel, you might want to double-check your arithmetic."
Nigel blinked before looking back down at the paper. Then he flushed a faint pink. "Oops." He grumbled to himself as he hastily erased a section, "Four times eight is thirty-two, not thirty-six." He looked up at Monty with a smile. "Thanks, Dad."
"You're welcome, son." Seven years, and it still hurt.
He didn't fully understand what had happened, but one day Nigel's little friend had brought the boy home…and the child was bald.
Abby Lincoln had babbled something about an accident and it being all her fault. Nigel seemed to be in a numbed shock, as if he couldn't believe whatever had happened had actually happened.
"It's all right. He'll be as right as rain in no time!" Monty encouraged.
However, the boy's hair never came back. He'd also taken to wearing prescription sunglasses in place of his normal glasses. His mother had been furious.
The head of the Uno household couldn't help being grateful. If Nigel didn't have the brown hair that allowed him to occasionally believe that he was the boy's father, at least he didn't have to see Ben's eyes anymore.