Chapter 3: Family

"Hi. Kelly?"

"Hi, Will! How are you?" Kelly smiled into the receiver, blotting her shoulder length hair with the bath towel in her other hand, freshly showered and dressed for the day.

Will cleared his throat, and Kelly pictured him on the other end, standing spread-legged with his free hand jammed in his pocket, trying not to fidget. Will Rice didn't appear to her to be the phone talking type, and that made her appreciate his effort all the more.

"I didn't wake ya, did I? I wasn't sure when you'd be up after such a long day yesterday."

"No, you're fine, I've been up awhile. I'm on my second cup of coffee, even. I'm one of those rare people who can function on little sleep."

"Yeah, I know whatcha mean," he agreed.

"Did you manage to get some rest last night?"

There was a pause, and Kelly imagined him shrugging and nodding his head once before he spoke. "Some, I guess. Listen, Kelly, I want to apologize for givin' ya the bum's rush the way I did yesterday," he said without preface, leading Kelly to believe how they parted ways was weighing as heavily on his mind as it was on hers. "I haven't been actin' myself lately, what with everything that happened, and I ain't tryin' to make excuses for my behavior, but I think maybe you were right after all, and I woke up a little hard."

Kelly opened her mouth to speak, and then Will spoke up. "I mean," he cleared his throat, and Kelly touched the mouthpiece with her fingertips, "You were probably right, and I had a bad dream that took a minute to shake, is what I meant."

"I understand," she replied warmly. "And no apology necessary, I'm just happy to hear from you and that you're feeling better. You are feeling alright?"

"Mm hmm, yeah, I'm fine. Didja still want to stop in some time today for the wellness check thing?"

"That was my plan. Is there a certain time that's better for you? Like I said, I have today off, so my schedule is wide open."

"Well...actually...uhh," he fumbled, and Kelly heard a loud clatter. "Shit!" She covered her mouth with her hand so he wouldn't hear her laughing.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, sorry 'bout that," Will told her, now sounding completely flustered. "Can you make it around five? I was thinking, well, since you cooked me a nice dinner yesterday, which was excellent, by the way, really enjoyed it, I had some for breakfast too, I'll probably finish it for lunch, anyway...well, I could grill us some steak for dinner tonight? If you like, you know, or whatever…" he tapered off, and Kelly was afraid she'd taken the wind out of his sails with her silence, but she wanted to give him a chance to get out what he needed to say.

"I love grilled steak!" she said with genuine enthusiasm because she truly did, but rarely ate it because she didn't have a grill of her own most places she stayed. "I would love to eat dinner with you. Five o'clock works for me. And I'm glad you're enjoying the shepherd's pie."

Will breathed out an audible sigh of relief. "Okay, good, and thank you for that. I gotta guy downtown who sells real nice cuts. I'll pick up a couple for us."

"Mm, I can't wait!" Kelly said. "My mouth's already watering. What can I bring? How 'bout some salad stuff?"

Will didn't sound as enthusiastic about vegetables as he did meat, but leaped at the chance to invite her over sooner than their planned dinner time. "Why don't you bring your green stuff over here to hack up? I ain't doing anythin' this afternoon but hangin' around here. This nurse I know gets all bossy with me if she thinks I'm overexerting myself, and now all's I got to do is sit around watchin' soap operas like an old woman," he griped, but Kelly could hear the smile in his voice, and was delighted he was feeling comfortable enough with her to tease her.

"Hmm, she sounds like an outstanding nurse," Kelly teased him back and laughed when she heard him chuckling in her ear. That was the first time she heard him make a happy noise, and she hoped he would do it more often when she was with him. She had a feeling the lines on his face came from worrying, not laughter, and it made her all the more fond of him. She liked hearing that chuckle.

"I'll come by a little earlier and get your wellness check thing out of the way so you can watch the end of your soap operas in peace."

"Yes, ma'am. See ya later, Kelly."

"Bye, Will," she smiled, gently setting the handset back into the charger. She took note of the time, counting down the hours and minutes until she would see him again.

It wasn't just the grilled steak she was looking forward to.

The first thing Kelly heard when she got out of her Jeep was jaunty whistling and the pounding of a hammer. She skipped going up the steps into the house and circled to the backyard, where she spotted Will bent over another short set of stairs leading up to a small, brown stained deck. He was wearing a plain white v necked t-shirt, faded blue jeans, and his feet were clad only in a pair of white tube socks. Kelly smiled, glad she was only wearing her old beat up pair of sandals and jeans and a t-shirt herself, or she would have felt overdressed.

She halloed to him just as he finished hammering and stood up to eyeball his handiwork. He met her with an easy smile.

"Mr. Rice, you didn't build a deck today, did you?" Kelly pretended to scold him, her hands on her hips, the plastic grocery bag of vegetables bumping against her leg.

"Wouldn't dare risk the tongue lashing, Nurse Greer," he grinned, raising his hands. "I just put a couple of nails into a loose board that I been meanin' to take care of forever. Wouldn't want a bossy nurse I know takin' a tumble on my account."

"I think that's very sweet of you," Kelly said, and she would've sworn Will blushed.

"Eh," he shrugged, tossing the hammer into the air and catching it by the handle. "How you like your steak, I got the grill started," he asked, motioning for her to follow him inside. Kelly trotted up the steps and thanked him as he held the door open for her.

"Not mooing?"

"I can manage that."

They stood side by side at the sink to wash up before starting with their dinner preparations, shoulders brushing occasionally, and Kelly noticed he was clean shaven and freshly showered himself. He seemed to be moving around without discomfort, but there were puffy, discolored bags under his eyes.

"Any pain I should know about?"

"Nope."

"Any dizziness or blurred vision?"

"Un unh."

"How about difficulty breathing, urinating, sleeping, anything?" Kelly asked as she pulled the salad contents out onto the counter and took the wooden cutting board down out of the cupboard she had seen it in the day before when she cooked in his kitchen.

"Nah, not really," Will said as he walked out to the deck, leaving the door open behind him.

"What does not really mean? You look tired to me, Will," she said directly, wanting to know if there was a problem.

"I didn't get a ton of sleep last night," he said, his back to her as he fiddled with the grill.

"How come?" Kelly wished she could see his face, but kept her position at the counter. Sometimes it was easier for him to talk when they weren't eye to eye.

"Is this the wellness check thing, 'cause you sure ain't beating around the bush, are ya?"

"Will…"

He sighed. "Okay, okay. I don't sleep much at night, you know, in case."

"In case of what?"

"Well, in case," Will stopped, the rasp of the grill brush filling the air, "in case he comes back."

Kelly's hands stilled, a shiver coiling its way up her spine. "Who? David?"

"Yeah."

"Or whoever attacked you?" she asked quietly. Will was out of her sight now, but she heard him clear his throat so she knew he could hear her.

"I s'pose he could show up again. I don't know. I doubt he'd bother since I didn't have anything useful to tell him in the first place. What I said was true, I ain't talked to my son in eight years. I think he might still be around, but I'm not sure now, after…"

"Go on, I'm listening," she urged him, tossing the salad ingredients together in the Tupperware bowl she'd found.

"After David saw what they did to me. It mighta scared him away for good, especially considering what he told you about never coming back. I might never see my son again, or I might get the shit kicked outta me again for tryin' to protect him, but I gotta be here just the same. In case," he added, entering the kitchen again. He washed up, then turned around and leaned back against the sink next to Kelly, his arms crossed over his chest.

Kelly took a chance he would continue to open up to her and plunged on. "What, who, are you protecting your son from, Will?"

"I'm not sure, exactly. Some hateful people that mean him harm. I think it's got to do with...you know," he said in a hushed voice.

"With his...special ability?" she offered, turning away to stow the salad in the fridge. Kelly cast a critical eye over its contents. There were a few more items then there had been yesterday, a half gallon of milk, coffee creamer, eggs, lunch meats. The single bottle of beer was gone, replaced by a bottle of cola. She retrieved the butcher paper wrapped package of steaks and set them on the stove to take the chill off while she waited for Will to answer her. Or not.

"Is that what you'd call it?" he pondered. "Like something he was born being able to do? A gift from God, or a curse from the Devil? It makes you wonder, don't it, if there are people out there who want to hurt him because of what he can do."

Kelly bent back into the fridge, biting her lower lip, and took out the bottle of soda. Will simultaneously set out two glasses onto the counter, and nodded his thanks when she poured him a drink.

"Have you ever heard of teleportation?"

Will squinted at the soda fizzing in his glass. "You mean like time traveling?"

"No, not exactly. Teleportation is linear, I think, like you can move from place to place, but not back and forth in time. I can't grasp the mechanics of how it works, other than it seems like a mental power as much as a physical power. It's like you said, not everyone is born with such an ability," she shrugged. "From what I can make out, it is a special gift, one that very few of us have. I don't know where it comes from."

"Sounds like you been doin' some research," Will commented neutrally, but his eyes considered her with an intensity that made her body react in an unbidden way. His stance was relaxed enough, holding his drink against his chest with one hand, the other braced on the counter behind Kelly.

Kelly stayed within his reach, meeting his gaze. "I was curious after you guys showed up in the ER like you did. I did some reading, and honestly, as far-fetched as teleportation sounds, it was the only thing that made sense. Does it make sense to you? You know your son better than anyone."

"No," Will shook his head, "No. I mean what you're describing makes sense, but no, I don't know my son, Kel. He's as much a stranger to me as my wife, his mother, turned out to be."

Kelly wanted to smile at his familiar use of her name as much as she wanted to cry for his words, but his face remained impassive like he had accepted whatever had happened in the past and moved on. But had he? Here he was, still living in the same house even after he hinted he didn't want to be here, and Kelly had seen the photograph of the woman with the same colored hair as David he kept on the bookcase shelf.

She nodded in the direction of the living room. "Is that your wife, that picture?"

Will's eyes never left hers. "She was my wife. She called herself Mary Rice, anyway. Things seemed normal enough early on in the marriage. Then David came along and she seemed happy, was a good mother to him, a good wife to me, I thought...then she just...up and left one day when David was five. No note, no phone call, no explanation, no nothing. Like we meant nothing. And I ain't heard a word from that woman since. That's all she became to me, a woman I once knew, mother of my son, then my son up and left when he was in high school. I might be startin' to understand why he bailed, plus I know I wasn't the world's greatest father," he mused. "Maybe she decided to teleport herself on outta here, too, when she found out she could," he laughed mirthlessly.

"I'm sorry," Kelly whispered. "I can't imagine how much that hurt you." She didn't trust herself to speak further past the tears that made her throat burn. It was hard for her to process how someone could turn their back and disappear on their own family for no obvious reason. She wanted to hate that smiling woman in the photograph, but she also felt sorrow for her. Was she driven away by duress, was she taken against her will, did she leave out of desperate unhappiness, or because she found another man who made her happier? It was hard enough to sort out her own feelings. Kelly couldn't imagine how it must've torn Will up.

He took a swallow of soda and overlooked her sympathy for him.

Kelly moved on. "You don't seem concerned for your wife's safety like you are for your son's?"

Will lifted one shoulder. "Nah, I don't think it was anythin' like that. I don't know why, I don't get that feeling. Mary, she always had this faraway look in her eye, like only part of her was here, if that makes any sense. Like she was going through the motions but didn't have any feelings behind 'em. I don't know. We weren't ever connected on that level like some couples are," he admitted. "So, after a year, I set her free, had us declared divorced. I don't know what name she goes by nowadays, and I don't care. I don't stay here for her. I stay here for my son."

"I understand." Kelly looked down and was startled to see Will's fingers twined with hers on the edge of the counter between them. They both had been so engrossed in their conversation neither one of them realized they were touching each other like it was the most natural thing in the world for them to seek each other out physically. Will focused at the same time Kelly did, that they were holding hands, and he abruptly let her go, turning to set his glass down on the other side of the sink.

"The grill's probably ready to have them steaks thrown on," he announced. "You hungry?"

"Starving," Kelly smiled, handing him the package of meat.

He met her eyes briefly and nodded. "Okay then. Prepare to be wowed."

Kelly giggled at his serious expression. "I am ready and waiting, Chef Rice."

"Chef Rice, alright, I like that, it's gotta nice ring, don't it?" he winked, then disappeared out the back door.

"Yes it does," Kelly agreed. She lounged on the stair he fixed and sipped her soda while Will unleashed his grilling prowess on their dinner. They had run out of words for the time being, but their quiet was once again companionable, never awkward. Will resumed his whistling, and Kelly tilted her face to the sun, enjoying the last of its warmth for the day. Autumn was marking its quick approach in the lengthening of the shadows earlier in the afternoons, and the sharpness of the air even though the sun still shone brightly.

Soon there would be pumpkins for sale at roadside farm stands and leaves crunching underfoot, and rainstorms that dampened houses enough to have to turn up the heat to get rid of the chill.

Soon it would be Halloween, then Thanksgiving.

Soon she would be leaving him.

"I declare this cow done," Will said with a flourish as he gave the steaks one final flip, then forked them on to a plate, and tossed a couple of foil wrapped potatoes next to them.

"You made potatoes, and I didn't even see them!" Kelly exclaimed as she followed him into the house.

"Hey, when you're good, you're good," he smirked. "I been cookin' for years. Does it look like I'm starving?"

"Eh, you don't look too shabby," she said, taking the seat opposite him at the dining room table. "Now let's see about your cooking!"

Kelly was so full she could hardly budge by the time they finished dinner. Will grilled the steaks to her exact liking, and they chatted off and on as they ate, their meal accompanied by a symphony of lawnmowers and laughing children outside the open door.

Will stretched backwards in his chair, stopping before his ribs pulled, and rubbed his stomach, humming contentedly. "This was the best damn dinner I've had in a long time," he sighed.

"I second that," Kelly said, taking her time gathering the dirty dishes and putting what few leftovers there were away in the refrigerator. She phoofed at Will to stay sitting, telling him she just needed to be up and moving, and he agreed as long as she left the dishes for the morning.

"How come you ain't gotta family of your own?" he asked her as he watched her wipe the counters down, then he caught himself. "If you don't mind me asking," he added, sounding embarrassed. "I didn't mean for that to sound so blunt. Actually, you don't have to answer that, it ain't none of my business. You could have a family, for all I know. I shoulda thought of that sooner. Jesus. I just assumed, you know, from the way you talked about moving around and stuff."

"No, it's okay, I don't mind. Have you minded sharing with me?" Kelly asked, suddenly worried she had invaded too much of his privacy. She was here mostly in a professional capacity, but now that Will wasn't her nursing patient in a hospital setting, it felt like the lines were getting blurred the more time they spent together. She reminded herself one more day, and Will wouldn't need her around at all. She was positive he would get the go ahead from his doctor to return to his normal activities, seeing as he seemed to be getting around fine, other than slight rib tenderness. The only thing she thought about making a note of with his doctor was his nightmare, but that could be a one time thing, especially since he had been exhausted. Kelly reminded herself to check in with Will about his sleeping habits the next morning. He appeared to be much more relaxed this second evening at home.

Sometimes a listening ear was the best medicine, but still. It wouldn't hurt to ask.

"Un unh. You're easy to talk to. Maybe that's what makes ya such a good nurse," he told her quietly, rubbing at an imaginary spot on the table.

"So are you, Will," she replied, her voice soft.

Will grunted and squirmed, and Kelly decided to save him from further discomfort.

"And to answer your question," she said briskly, "it wasn't for lack of trying on my part. I love my career, but I never met anyone that was interested in being flexible enough to travel as much as I do. On the flip side, I haven't met anyone I'm willing to put down roots for. I've dated off and on and hung out with the hospital crowd, but we're all pretty much in the same boat. Work comes first. It's what we've chosen to do in life, despite the demands and sacrifices, because the rewards are great. Besides," Kelly said with an exaggerated eye roll, "somebody's gotta take care of the orneriest patients."

Will nodded soberly. "Them ornery patients owe you a debt of gratitude. I hope you realize that."

"I do," she smiled, "I see it every day. It's what keeps me going. And lots of coffee. Like, a lot of coffee."

"I bet," Will agreed, reflecting her smile. "Speaking of, you wanna cup before you go?"

"That does sound pretty good," Kelly said. She wasn't in any more of a hurry than he was for the evening to be over. Will suggested she see if there was anything worth watching on the television while he got the coffee going, so she wandered into the living room and made herself comfortable on one end of the couch, kicking off her sandals and curling her legs up under her. Her attention wavered between flipping through the movie channels and scrutinizing the picture of Mary. She was smiling and beautiful, and Kelly wondered if Will was the one who took the photo.

Will caught the line of her sight when he entered the living room. "I keep that there for the boy. She's his mother, and I ain't interested in taking that away from him. Or her. I'm sure he blames me for her leaving, but there's nothing I can do about that, I guess. I'd rather he thought that than blame himself for some reason. Kids are funny like that."

"You both must've loved her very much."

Will turned his back to her to pull the curtains closed against the encroaching chill of the night, then sat on the opposite end of the couch and rubbed his palms together. "I can't speak for David, but for me, there's no love left. Just a bunch of questions that are never gonna have answers. That chapter of my life's been closed a long time now and it's gonna stay that way, no matter what happens with David. Since then, it's been easier to be alone. Dealing with David's been enough."

"I'm sure being a single dad has its challenges." Underneath his gruff exterior and set ways was a lonely man, despite his words. She saw it every time she touched him. It was Kelly's turn to look away, to hide the tender protectiveness that welled up inside of her.

One more day, she reminded herself.

"You want the clicker?" she offered.

"Nope, it's all yours. How you want your coffee?"

Will insisted on fixing her a cup and bringing it to her, and Kelly felt like queen for a day. She was used to being alone, too, and being waited on was a treat, but one that she wouldn't be getting used to.

Will got comfortable in his recliner, took a few sips of his coffee, then immediately started dozing off.

Kelly hated seeing him fight off the rest his body obviously needed. "I can hang out here, if you wanna sack out for awhile. My internal clock is set on night schedule, so I'll be up for hours. Then, you know, I'll be here if anybody," she shrugged, "stops in?"

"I dunno," he yawned, "I can't ask you to do that. You've gone above and beyond your duty."

"It's not a problem, I don't mind, and you're not keeping me from anything. As long as I have the clicker," she held up the remote, smiling, "I'm good to go."

Will grinned at her sleepily. "It's yours, but don't get used to it. Maybe an hour or two, then I'll be reclaiming it, okay?"

"Okay," Kelly agreed. "Besides, I wanna finish watching this movie before I go."

"Mm hmm," he nodded once and closed his eyes. Two minutes later, he was snoring soundly.

Kelly smiled and turned the TV down so he wouldn't be disturbed. She knew how this movie ended since she watched it twice before.

She was halfway in to a crime thriller when Will suddenly sat bolt upright in his chair, his fingers digging into the cushioned arms. He looked at her blearily, and Kelly pretended to be engrossed in her movie to see if he would settle himself back down, assuming he was probably driven awake by another dream. She heard him sigh once, and he did what she hoped he would, leaning back into the recliner and falling asleep again.

Kelly was puttering in the kitchen, debating about fixing herself a snack or an early pot of coffee, when Will woke up for good around five o'clock the next morning. Kelly was satisfied he had gotten nearly eight hours of undisturbed sleep. It was exactly what he needed.

"Good morning," she sang quietly as he shuffled to the coffee maker, one hand pushed under the hem of his shirt to scratch at his belly.

"Mornin'," he mumbled, trying to rub his eyes and deal with emptying the previous night's coffee grounds without dumping them on the floor.

"Here, allow me, Mr. Sleepyhead," she said with a laugh, stepping in to rinse the pot out and fill it with water. Will's chest rumbled and he let her take over for him, leaning over to peck her cheek before he shuffled in the direction of the bathroom, his eyes half closed.

Kelly hummed a random melody from the last movie score she heard and took her time measuring the grounds so the coffee would be just right. It was the sweetest kiss she had ever been given, and she doubted Will was awake enough to remember, or realize, he had even kissed her, but she didn't mind.

Today was the last day he would need her. He didn't need her, she reprimanded herself, it was only a simple precautionary measure.

Tomorrow their lives would resume as if the last few days never happened, and this made Kelly thankful because it meant Will would suffer no lasting effects from the reason he had been in the hospital in the first place. That was her job coming to its best possible conclusion.

She pushed away the strange, hollow feeling in her heart. She needed sleep herself and watched one too many chick flicks last night while he slept beside her.

That had to be it.

Kelly had the creamer and sugar, and a mug with a spoon lying next to it set out at Will's place at the table by the time he emerged from the bathroom, the hair around his face curling and wet. He frowned when he saw the single mug.

"Aren't you gonna have a cup?"

"I was, but then I changed my mind. I should probably head home and get a few hours sleep before I start drinking coffee. Is that alright with you?"

"'Course," Will said, walking by her and opening the door to fetch the newspaper from where it had landed on the steps. "You do whatever you need to do," he added as he sat down and dumped the paper out of its plastic sleeve.

Kelly was a little disappointed by his distance and clipped voice after the almost cuddly cute way he woke up, and didn't want to overstay her welcome. She poured his coffee and pulled on the thick, plum colored cardigan she brought in from the Jeep during the night.

Will glanced at his steaming mug from over the newspaper he had spread in front of his face, the print and pictures an impenetrable gray stone fortress around the front of him. "Thanks," he said, disappearing again.

"You're welcome. So," Kelly ventured, picking up her backpack and feeling to make sure her glasses were pushed up on the crown of her head, "what're your plans for today, Mr. Rice?" she asked, hoping to coax him out from behind his mood.

"Dunno." One flap of the paper started to fall, and he shook it upright again.

"More soap operas?" she smiled.

"Hmpf."

"Okay," Kelly said, deflated. "I'll touch base with you later, but it'll be quick, I promise. Everything's good this morning?"

"Mm hmm, fine," the paper gruffed.

Kelly took that as her signal to leave. "Alright, bye, Will," she called over her shoulder, shutting the door with a final click before he had the opportunity to ignore her further, and ignoring her own wounded feelings.

Maybe he had awakened fully while he was doing his morning constitutional in the bathroom and regretted his sleepy show of affection.

She was wearing his signature frown by the time she climbed into the Jeep, throwing her backpack on the passenger's seat. Her head was down and she had the key in the ignition when she heard a sharp rap on the window.

"Did I forget something?" she asked after the automatic window slid down between them and she turned down the stereo, which sounded annoyingly loud to her first thing in the morning.

Will shrugged, his head bent as he kicked at an errant stone behind the front tire, still in his sock feet, both of his hands sunk deep in the pockets of his jeans. "No. You like spaghetti?"

"Yes, I like spaghetti. Why?"

"I was thinking I might make some for dinner tonight. Maybe you wanna come over then? That way you can sleep as long as you like and I'm here whenever, you know, later in the day. Or whatever. Since you gotta eat and all," he rambled, now squinting over the Jeep at the roof of his house. "Got another damn broken shingle."

Kelly squinted at him. "You're not fixin' to replace a roof today, are you?"

"No, ma'am," he said, shaking his head, still frowning at his house.

"Good thing. Will?"

His eyes flickered to hers, and he braced his shoulders. "Yeah?"

"I love spaghetti!" she declared, and Will's mouth tilted into the most adorable lopsided grin Kelly had ever seen on a man. She smiled wider when his eyes sparkled back at her.

"Alrighty, spaghetti it is, and we can finish the rest of your green stuff. See ya this afternoon?"

"Yes, sir. How 'bout I bring ice cream for after the green stuff?"

"How 'bout we have ice cream instead of the green stuff?"

"Nice try, Mr. Rice," she tsked at him, laughing.

"See ya later, Nurse Greer," he called over his shoulder, heading back to the house, hands still in his pockets.

"Alrighty," Kelly smiled, turning up the radio.

She was back in the mood for music.