This fanfic is taking place immediately after the end of "The Last of Summer". Actually it starts out about 20 seconds before the episode ended from Ephram's point of view. I hope you enjoy it. Review if you'd like, but I'm not one of those authors that needs them to continue writing, I just appreciate them. Thanks for reading and Enjoy.
Ephram couldn't help but be discouraged by the conversation he just had with Amy. She was taking Colin's death harder then he ever thought she would. This radical blaming of his father for something she knew he couldn't control was unlike her. But deep in his heart he knew she would eventually accept the events of the summer and she would learn to move on, or at the very least to function with the rest of Everwood.
The thing that worried him was that she would alienate more people on her way to recovery. Ephram was sure that he would never let himself become detached from her, no matter what she said or did. He knew that now, more than ever, she would need someone she could trust; he silently hoped that person could be him.
He checked his back pocket to make sure that he had grabbed his wallet off the table and found it to be missing. He quickly turned around and headed back to the table where he thought he left it. It was the same place where he had just tried to comfort Amy. He just hoped that he made her understand that he knew what she was going through.
As he approached the table he immediately stopped as he saw Amy running down the stairs, with a smile on her face. Obviously shocked, Ephram wondered what had suddenly made her so happy. He continued approaching the railing and looked out onto the pool deck at Amy who was smiling like someone who had just won a million bucks. She was gazing towards the diving board with a pleasant serene expression on her face that caused him to smile.
However her smile was short-lived as it fell to a dejected look, almost as if something great was given to her for a moment and then snatched away.
It was then that Ephram realized that he had seen that look before...on his father. 'After Mom died, he'd always been in that daze...when he'd see her.'
He turned away, back towards his father's car not wanting Amy to know that he saw her.
It was then that Ephram knew it was going to take a lot more than time to help Amy escape her grief from Colin's death.
-------------------------
"EPHRAM!!!!!" yelled a voice that sounded like it was miles away.
"Ughhh, what?" muttered Ephram as he began to wake up.
"EPHRAM GET UP!!!" came the voice again.
The realization then hit him, today was the first day of school. He quickly rolled over to look at his alarm clock and barely had time to mutter, "Shit," as he began to get dressed. He quickly threw on a pair of clothes that he had laid out the night before, crossed into the bathroom and peered into the mirror while washing his face. His hair actually didn't look to bad so he decided not to mess with it and rushed downstairs.
"You've got about five minutes before you've got to be out of here." stated Dr. Brown.
He sat down at the kitchen counter and saw a sight that never ceased to amaze him, eggs that looked edible, and perhaps, if it was a good day, would taste good.
"Wow, what's this, three days in a row that I haven't had to have cereal for breakfast?" joked Ephram.
"It'll be the last if you keep waking up late. Eat." retorted Dr. Brown.
For a moment there was silence until Ephram turned to his father and asked him a question that he had been dying to know the answer to since last night.
"Dad?" asked Ephram.
"Yes?" replied Andy
He paused a second to figure out how he wanted to phrase his question.
"How did you get over losing Mom, I mean, until you didn't see her anymore?" asked Ephram.
A thoughtful look encompassed Andy's face as he lowered his head, slightly embarrassed, but also pondering the question. What was it that made things seem at least some version of normal after Julia died?
"To be honest Ephram, I really don't know. Maybe it was partly that you and Delia needed me, partly because Colin needed me. I guess I just realized that I couldn't put my life on hold anymore and just started to move on. I had responsibilities to so many people that I just had to take care of, I think that's what finally woke me back up."
Ephram gazed back at his father, respecting what he had just said because he could understand how he felt. He too knew exactly what that was like. He himself had to take on the role of father for a while during the time in which Andy had to sort things out himself. In essence he had no choice to move on due to his sister's well being.
It was Andy's question that brought him back to their conversation.
"It's Amy isn't it?"
"Well yeah, I mean she's having a rough time, well obviously you know that. But she's not seeing Colin or anything." he lied.
"The only advice I can give you is that she's going to need someone to talk to more than you could ever imagine. At times you might have no idea what to say, but trust me, to have someone to listen to, at times, can be all a person needs."
"Thanks Dad." said Ephram solemnly.
Ephram took a few more bites of egg and gulped down the rest of his orange juice. He checked his watch and saw that his conversation with his father was probably going to make him a few minutes late.
'I hope I'm a few minutes late more than once this year,' thought Ephram.
Andy saw Ephram check his watch, turned to his son and asked, "I can drive you to school if you'd like?"
Ephram looked back at his father with a thoughtful look and uncharacteristically said, "Sure."
Ephram picked up his backpack slung it over and tossed his father the keys to the SUV.
'What a difference a year makes,' he thought.
Ephram couldn't help but be discouraged by the conversation he just had with Amy. She was taking Colin's death harder then he ever thought she would. This radical blaming of his father for something she knew he couldn't control was unlike her. But deep in his heart he knew she would eventually accept the events of the summer and she would learn to move on, or at the very least to function with the rest of Everwood.
The thing that worried him was that she would alienate more people on her way to recovery. Ephram was sure that he would never let himself become detached from her, no matter what she said or did. He knew that now, more than ever, she would need someone she could trust; he silently hoped that person could be him.
He checked his back pocket to make sure that he had grabbed his wallet off the table and found it to be missing. He quickly turned around and headed back to the table where he thought he left it. It was the same place where he had just tried to comfort Amy. He just hoped that he made her understand that he knew what she was going through.
As he approached the table he immediately stopped as he saw Amy running down the stairs, with a smile on her face. Obviously shocked, Ephram wondered what had suddenly made her so happy. He continued approaching the railing and looked out onto the pool deck at Amy who was smiling like someone who had just won a million bucks. She was gazing towards the diving board with a pleasant serene expression on her face that caused him to smile.
However her smile was short-lived as it fell to a dejected look, almost as if something great was given to her for a moment and then snatched away.
It was then that Ephram realized that he had seen that look before...on his father. 'After Mom died, he'd always been in that daze...when he'd see her.'
He turned away, back towards his father's car not wanting Amy to know that he saw her.
It was then that Ephram knew it was going to take a lot more than time to help Amy escape her grief from Colin's death.
-------------------------
"EPHRAM!!!!!" yelled a voice that sounded like it was miles away.
"Ughhh, what?" muttered Ephram as he began to wake up.
"EPHRAM GET UP!!!" came the voice again.
The realization then hit him, today was the first day of school. He quickly rolled over to look at his alarm clock and barely had time to mutter, "Shit," as he began to get dressed. He quickly threw on a pair of clothes that he had laid out the night before, crossed into the bathroom and peered into the mirror while washing his face. His hair actually didn't look to bad so he decided not to mess with it and rushed downstairs.
"You've got about five minutes before you've got to be out of here." stated Dr. Brown.
He sat down at the kitchen counter and saw a sight that never ceased to amaze him, eggs that looked edible, and perhaps, if it was a good day, would taste good.
"Wow, what's this, three days in a row that I haven't had to have cereal for breakfast?" joked Ephram.
"It'll be the last if you keep waking up late. Eat." retorted Dr. Brown.
For a moment there was silence until Ephram turned to his father and asked him a question that he had been dying to know the answer to since last night.
"Dad?" asked Ephram.
"Yes?" replied Andy
He paused a second to figure out how he wanted to phrase his question.
"How did you get over losing Mom, I mean, until you didn't see her anymore?" asked Ephram.
A thoughtful look encompassed Andy's face as he lowered his head, slightly embarrassed, but also pondering the question. What was it that made things seem at least some version of normal after Julia died?
"To be honest Ephram, I really don't know. Maybe it was partly that you and Delia needed me, partly because Colin needed me. I guess I just realized that I couldn't put my life on hold anymore and just started to move on. I had responsibilities to so many people that I just had to take care of, I think that's what finally woke me back up."
Ephram gazed back at his father, respecting what he had just said because he could understand how he felt. He too knew exactly what that was like. He himself had to take on the role of father for a while during the time in which Andy had to sort things out himself. In essence he had no choice to move on due to his sister's well being.
It was Andy's question that brought him back to their conversation.
"It's Amy isn't it?"
"Well yeah, I mean she's having a rough time, well obviously you know that. But she's not seeing Colin or anything." he lied.
"The only advice I can give you is that she's going to need someone to talk to more than you could ever imagine. At times you might have no idea what to say, but trust me, to have someone to listen to, at times, can be all a person needs."
"Thanks Dad." said Ephram solemnly.
Ephram took a few more bites of egg and gulped down the rest of his orange juice. He checked his watch and saw that his conversation with his father was probably going to make him a few minutes late.
'I hope I'm a few minutes late more than once this year,' thought Ephram.
Andy saw Ephram check his watch, turned to his son and asked, "I can drive you to school if you'd like?"
Ephram looked back at his father with a thoughtful look and uncharacteristically said, "Sure."
Ephram picked up his backpack slung it over and tossed his father the keys to the SUV.
'What a difference a year makes,' he thought.