Here it is, my new fic! I've been looking forward to posting it for a while. The whole thing was inspired by Downton Abby, a show that airs here in the UK! This fic has NOTHING to do with that Robert Pattison film that has a similar/the same name.
This is rated T, because there will be a fair amount bad language, and violence!
Here is the summary, a slight bit has been added, as I couldn't fit it in on the other summary!
At 12, TJ enters the Witness Relocation Programme, Spinelli being falsely informed that he died. 10 years on, Spinelli is unhappily married & working in a hospital, never truly accepting the loss. But who is the mysterious patient Spinelli is caring for?
I warn you, this fic will have you frustrated, but I hope you enjoy it nevertheless!
Chapter 1: You look familiar
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"TJ, Mr and Mrs Spinelli has to work, so Ashley will be spending the day again" my mum said, leading my four year old best friend, Ashley Spinelli, into the living room "Now you both settle down and watch Bonkey the Dinosaur, and I'll get you some milk and cookies!"
"SPIN!" I cried, running toward her and hugging her.
"TJ!" she shouted running toward me and hugging me too.
The theme tune of Bonkey started, and I ran around my living room excitedly, singing along to the lyrics "BONKEY BONKEY!"
I stopped running as I saw Spinelli standing and staring at me.
"Spin no like Bonkey?" I asked
"Bonkey whomps!" she said, blowing a raspberry.
"What's whomps?" I asked with confusion, everyone liked Bonkey!
"It means Bonkey is smelly, I no like Bonkey!"
"Whomps?" I repeated, pondering the new word "Tender! I like that word!"
...
A snowball hit me straight in the face, wiping the snow out my eyes; I could see my best friend, 12 year old Ashley Spinelli, grinning at me.
"I'm gunna get you back for that one Spin!" I said, grinning and gathering together a handful of snow.
"You'll have to catch me first Detweiler!" she said, laughing and running away, her raven blew in the wind, and reflecting the winter sunlight as sped off. Spinelli glanced over her shoulder her flipping across her face "Gotta be faster than that Teej!"
Laughing I threw the snowball high in the air, and watched it disappear into the blinding sunlight...
...I was driving; a bright light in front of me nearly blinded me, narrowing my eyes I saw the lorry swerving toward me. I slammed my foot on the break and the car skidded. First came the deafening sound of crashing metal, and then came the pain, my face, my legs, my shoulder...
"Mr Slater, Mr Slater, wake up" I heard a soft female voice call, but who was Mr Slater? I felt myself been shaken gently.
"Mr Slater, wake up, you're having a bad dream" I opened my eyes, and realised I had been dreaming, I was now awake, in a hospital bed, barley able to move. Bandages covered my face. As I tried to move, I realised my right shoulder and arm were in a cast, as was the bottom half of my left arm, and right leg; I then remembered that yesterday I'd been in a car accident. I looked at the person shaking me; she was beautiful, long, silky raven hair, tied up in a high pony tail, warm chocolate brown eyes and olive brown skin. It couldn't possibly be...
"Mr Slater?" she asked again, as I continued to stare at her in amazement.
"Uh, yes" I said, coming to my senses "yes that's me, just call me Zack"
In reality, my name wasn't Zack Slater at all, it was TJ Detweiler. When I was twelve years old, things turned bad between my sister Becky, and her husband Jimmy. Becky's life and her relationship with Jimmy became violent, and finally, after months, Becky retaliated to the violence against her, hitting Jimmy around the head with a frying pan. Jimmy had to be admitted to hospital, but wound up making a full recovery; however things only got worse from there. Jimmy and his family were part of a large, and notorious criminal gang, and they hadn't taken kindly to Becky's retaliation.
I can only remember snippets of that night. I remember us all sat, having a family meal when Jimmy and his gang stormed into our house. They shot their guns, violently smashed our home apart, and hit us. Sometimes when I dream, I go back to that night, and I can still hear the brutal sounds of fists on flesh, over and over again, then Becky's blood curdling scream would temporarily drown out the sounds of the harsh, merciless violence, before they'd return again. Those sounds will be something that never leave me, I then remembered the searing pain in my chest as I'd been shot, and everything went black.
The public, and our friends and family were told of how we all tragically lost our lives, but in reality, this wasn't true. My mother, father, and Becky had all died that night, but I alone, was lucky enough to survive. As soon as I'd recovered I entered the witness relocation programme, and I was given a new adoptive family, my new name, Zack Slater, and I was made to leave my old life behind. I drew my attentions back to the young woman stood in front of me.
"Hello Zack, my name is Ashley, I'll be the health care assistant looking after you today" she said with a smile "It's time for your routine observations, could I please take your blood pressure?" (A/N: I'm unsure of what I 'health care assistant' would be called in the US, it might be the same title, but basically, this is someone that carries out personal care, and other tasks. They generally look after people, and can work in other places, such as old people's homes)
"Uh, yeah, sure" I said, continuing to study her familiar face "You look familiar, what's your surname?"
"Lawson" she replied simply, wrapping the blood pressure cuff around my arm "Ashley Lawson-"
"Lawson?" I interrupted in horror, no, it couldn't be...
"Yes, I'm not sure if you'd know me or my husband Irwin Lawson tough" she said, inflating the cuff around my arm "We've just moved here for his work. Maybe you went to college with him?"
"You look familiar" I repeated as I felt my heart drop like a led weight, I continued hopefully "Do I look familiar?"
"I can't say so" she replied, putting the ear pieces of the stethoscope in her ear, I felt my heart sink even further, didn't she recognise me? She looked into my eyes and smiled "But I've got to say, I don't meet many people with bandages covering their face"
"Oh, of course" I replied, my spirits didn't lift however.
"Well you seem to be all in order" she replied "Breakfast will be along in a while, then I'll be back to help you have a wash"
I watched her leave, her ponytail swinging as she approached the man in the bed next to me.
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There it was, the first chapter, I will refer to TJ and Spinelli as TJ and Spinelli, not as Zack and Ashley, just thought i'd make that clear now! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Thanks for reading!
I'm dyslexic, so I'll apologise now for any spelling and grammar mistakes, I've done my best to make sure they're not there!
Please read and review! Constructive criticism welcome!
Big Cliffy Meanie x