James almost had a heart attack when he came back home to find it empty. He wandered from one room to another while calling for Bo. It was his mistake that he forgot to tie his son when he left home in a hurry this morning. Fear began to haunt him as a series of unpleasant scenes flashed before his eyes, like a car accident or other life-threatening events.

As he checked every room and confirmed that the house was utterly empty, James rushed outside while screaming for his son's name. However, with just a few shouts, he stopped short when headlights of an unfamiliar black Audi A7 pulled into his driveway.

The car came to a stop next to him, and James could make out two of the men inside the vehicle, yet he could not identify the faces since it was dark outside. The door to the driver's seat opened first, revealing a tall, handsome guy he had never seen. He was about to ask who he was when the passenger's door opened later, revealing Bo stepping out of the car.

"Bo?" the man hesitantly asked, unable to believe that it was his son who came out of the stranger's car. However, the hesitancy vanished when Bo stepped to the light and let it illuminated his face.

"My son!"

The older man ran towards Bo and pulled the younger into his embrace. "Where were you? I was so worried. Please don't do this to me again. You don't know how scared I was!"

James's voice and shoulders shook due to his crying, bringing along Bo's body to undergo the same thing as he was being wrapped in a tight embrace. Sean's words immediately occurred inside Bo's head when he saw his father's reaction.

If Sean didn't save me, dad would have taken a big emotional blow. He would be suffering, burying himself deep within layers of grief. How could I be this thoughtless? Bo innerly scolded himself.

The emotional distress made a throbbing pain attacking his head once again, and before he knew it, his body went weak inside his father's arms as consciousness was slipping away from him.

James was having tea with Sean in the kitchen after they tucked Bo into bed. The latter then introduced himself and started to tell the older man everything that had happened except the part where he had stolen a kiss from the older man's son.

"He tried to commit suicide?" asked James. The hand holding the mug was trembling so hard that the tea was spilling out on the table.

"Yes, I was driving on the bridge when I saw him climbing up the reeling. Of course, I couldn't stop the car right away in the middle of the road, so I hurried to cross it and pulled over. When I rushed back to the spot, he was nowhere to be found. I looked down at the stream and saw the splashing water, to which I assumed he jumped, so I followed him into the water and fished him out."

"Oh gosh," James was still trembling, inside and out. The scene of his son jumping off the bridge to kill himself kept haunting his old, vulnerable mind. "I-I...don't know what to say. I knew he'd react like this; that was why I didn't tell him. I'd never thought things would go this way. If I'd known, I'd have told him that all of this wouldn't have happened when he asked."

James finally put down the spilled mug of tea that had grown cold without sipping it and dropped his face into his palms.

"Please, Mr. James, you don't have to feel this way. No one can predict a person's mind. You have your reasons," said Sean reassuringly, "besides, if Bo sees you in this condition, he would be more heartbroken than he already is."

With a sigh, James nodded and lifted his head. Putting up a smile with effort, he turned to look at Sean and said, "thank you, Dr. Sean, for saving my Bo's life."

"Please, just call me Sean."

"But how could I? Didn't you tell me you're a doctor?"

"I'm a psychiatrist."

"Isn't it the same as a doctor?"

"Yes. Somehow," answered Sean shyly, "but please, regardless of my profession, just call me by the name."

James was about to protest once again when Sean implored, "I insist, Mr. James."

"Okay," the older man nodded and gave up.

Sean breathed an inner sigh of relief.

How could I let my future father-in-law address me, his soon-to-be-son-in-law, so formally? Sean thought to himself.

A silly smile crawled up his face at his own thinking, an action that James overlooked, for the older man had no idea what was going on.

When James was about to ask what was Sean's business for his visit from the capital to such a small countryside, the sounds of glass breaking resonated from Bo's room. The two men shot up to their feet and rushed to the source of the noise to find things scattered all over the floor, broken and turned upside down. Sean stood with his hands covered his mouth, eyes widened while James dashed to where Bo stood, moving his face away just in time before a flying bed lamp hitting him. The older man hurried to grab Bo's hand 一who was picking up broken glass to cut his wrist一 and slapped the shard, making it drop to the floor. He usually managed to deal with the three-year-old Bo skillfully, restraining the younger while grabbing a rope under the bed to tie his son up.

"What just..." mumbled Sean as he watched the ropes wrapped around the smaller soft flesh and smooth skin. That explained the scars on Bo's wrists. When the latter was narrating him about the event, he did not mention this.

James wiped the beads of sweat forming on his forehead when he finished his job. With a deep exhalation, he turned to look at Sean, his eyes oscillating between guilt and sadness.

"I had to do this, or else I wouldn't be able to control him," said James as he watched Bo struggling with the knots on the bed. The blood on his palm, pierced by the shard of glasses from before, ran in rivulets down his wrist.

"I'll be back, Mr. James," said Sean, leaving the room and heading to his car. When he came back, he carried a brown leather doctor bag in his hand. Placing it on the nightstand that had several objects in disorder due to Bo's tantrum from before, Sean unzipped his bag and took out a small box that contained a syringe and a mini bottle of injection, "can you please hold his arm still?"

James did not know what Sean was doing, but he put his trust in the younger man, given the latter profession. As he was told, James stepped closer to sit next to his son while pinning the violently thrashing arm down to the mattress. Sean prepared the injection, testing the syringe and watching as the liquid disgorged from the tip of the needle, kneeling on the ground, on the side of the bed, and injecting the tip into Bo's arm.

Once the injection took effect, Bo's began to calm down and closed his eyes, drifting off to sleep. Then, Sean began to untie the rope and pulled the blanket up to the chest, making sure Bo was adequately tucked in and warm enough.

Every action did not escape James' eyes, and he could not feel any happier. To have someone other than him taking care of his son like this, what was more that he needed? His lips curved up into a smile as he watched Sean in contentment. The physiatrist was now cleaning the wound on his son's hand and tenderly wrapped bondage around it.

"I've given him a shot to calm him down. He should be fine," said Sean once he finished caring for Bo and began putting his medical supplies back into the bag.

"Thank you, Sean, for your help," said James.

"Please, don't mention it."

"I'm glad for what you did today, both earlier and now. It always weighs a heavy pain on me having to watch him wriggling under the knot that I tied. Even though it's just for tonight, I'm glad that I don't have to witness it."

"Then you should be feeling glad longer, Mr. James, because you won't be witnessing this just for tonight?" said Sean with a smile.

"Excuse me?" The older man was slightly confused at the vague sentence.

"I'll be taking care of him whenever he throws up his tantrum. I'll be the one to inject him and to look after him starting this moment," he paused, his face serious as he looked at James, "well, that's if you don't mind."

James gaped at Sean's words, for he could not believe his ears, "of course, I don't mind. I'm beyond elated to hear such a thing. But Sean, don't you have to get back to work in the capital city?"

The young physiatrist chuckled and said, "I feel like it's the fate I've applied for two weeks of vacation leave to come here. My times are free for the days ahead."

"But...," James trailed off, looking at Sean with his shoulders slumped, "Since you're from the city, I'm afraid I won't be able to afford your medical bill. But please," he took steps toward the younger man and grabbed his hand.

"I'll pay you little by little. I promise."

"Mr. James," Sean moved his hand, so he held the older man's hand instead, "I won't charge even a penny. I don't want anything from you. The only thing I need is your trust. A trust in leaving Bo within my care."

James did not know what to say, which must be the happiest day ever in his life. Not only did Bo come back unharmed, but he also brought back a living angel with him. It seemed James would be rest in peace in the future.

"You have my complete trust, Sean," James swallowed back the lump in his throat and looked up at the doctor with a smile full of joy from deep within, "please take good care of my Bo."

Sean bowed his head in respect as he said in a firm, resolute voice.

"I will, Mr. James. I promise with my life."