A/N: And that's a wrap :). Thanks to everyone who reviewed! It's been fun. (On a quick promotional note, Suspension and I are currently writing a new fic together called Kill the Messenger. Check it out if you get the chance!)
Note from DMBFan: There will be a sequel entitled Redemption (tagline: no sin goes unpunished) featuring the gang, plus more Cody. Look for it this weekend.
Thanks again, everyone!
Boston, MA
"Did they hurt you, Tyler?"
"No, mom."
"I need you to look at me, sweetheart. Did they hurt you?"
"No, mom."
Carson sighed, seeing no flicker of dishonesty in his big eyes. She was grateful to Jack and the others from rescuing her son, but a deep fear still covered her heart when she thought of what could have happened…
Tyler tapped his feet idly, losing interest in the conversation. Carson swallowed once resolutely before standing and motioning towards the kitchen. "How about we order a pizza?" she suggested. Tyler grinned.
"Yeah!" he agreed.
When the pizza had arrived they turned on a Red Sox game and cheered together as it commenced. The fifth inning saw the bases loaded, two strikes against the Boston batter, and a tied score of six-all.
"HIT A GRAND SLAM!" Tyler was shouting, up on his feet and leaping up and down in excitement. "COME ON! COME ON! COME ON!"
Carson laughed, enjoying her son's antics more than the game as she steadied his water to make sure he didn't accidentally kick it over and spill it. The pitcher threw his famous curve ball, and with the grace and suspense of a seasoned hitter, the batter slammed the ball out of the park.
"YES!" Tyler screamed, cheering loudly and clapping fanatically as he hopped around in the living room. "WE WON WE WON WE WON!"
Carson cheered along with him, deciding not to point out that more innings remained and that this temporary lead could very well dissipate. Victory was too sweet, she knew, not to celebrate its existence.
Once Tyler had settled down and the Red Sox had struck out, the boy climbed up on the couch to settle down next to his mother. Carson smiled contentedly and draped an arm around his shoulders, pulling him close. She planted a kiss on top of his head and closed her eyes.
Cody looked up as his brother entered the suite, smiling a little in greeting. "Hi," he said excitedly, staring back at the TV screen. Zack blinked at him, shaking his head a little as though preoccupied with his own thoughts.
"Hey," he answered distantly. "What're you watching?"
"Fifth inning, bases loaded, two strikes, score six-all."
Zack's tired face quickly broke out into a wide grin and he sprinted over to his twin. "Seriously?" He sat down, mimicking his brother and leaning forward eagerly. "Oh man—if he hits a grand slam-,"
"We might beat the Yankees!" Cody finished, crossing his fingers. Both brothers stared intently as the pitch was thrown. The ball came closer and closer until it made contact with the bat, and then-
"YES!" both boys screamed, echoing the glee of the cheering stadium, and of the homes of half of Boston.
Jack stared at his son. A few minutes ago Luke had woken up, and though the boy was tired and weak and didn't really remember much, he was awake and he was lucid and he was alive, and for Jack that was more than enough.
All thoughts of John, who had been picked up by Vic (and Kathy) had fled his mind and now his conversation with Luke regarding the Red Sox seemed so terribly normal it almost felt to Jack as though it wasn't really happening.
And because the Yankees had lost and this was hardly considered customary, it was almost a time of great celebration and not, as was perhaps necessarily expected for their situation, a time of great wonder.
But Luke was alive and Jack was so, so grateful, and he thought that perhaps he would have been willing to have talked about anything so as to hear his child's voice answer back. Because to have gone so long without hearing that voice…It seemed almost a sin in itself, and so to have such a gift back seemed truly, remarkably, exhilaratingly phenomenal.
The baseball conversation ended as Luke fell silent. Jack took his son's small hand in his.
"What is it, buddy?" he asked. Luke looked up at his father, tears glistening in his eyes as he shrugged a little in bewilderment.
"I remember," replied Luke slowly, painfully.
"You remember." Jack echoed, nodding pensively as he waited for the boy to continue. Luke turned to look at the plain walls of the room and swallowed thickly.
"What happened," he said quietly. "I think I remember what happened."
Jack said nothing.
"So—what? Do you work tomorrow?" Cody asked his brother casually as they reclined with soda and chips during a commercial.
"Nah," said Zack with a cynical laugh. "I'm taking a break."
Cody rolled his eyes. "Yeah," he said sarcastically, examining a chip. "Delivering stuff. What a hard job."
Zack shook his head. "You have no idea…" he said, tone awfully cliché.
"You know," said Cody a few minutes later as a special news bulletin regarding a shoot-out outside of the city played out on the television. "People are so stupid. If everybody just, like, didn't bother anyone else and just minded their own business the world would work like a clock-," he snapped as if to illustrate his meaning.
Zack nodded agreeably. "But then cops would be out of work." he noted.
Cody shrugged. "They could just take your job," he said playfully. Zack rolled his eyes, laughing as he beat his brother mercilessly over the head with a pillow.
Hours later, Kathy wiped off a few stray tears as she sat next to her sleeping son, back to her ex-husband.
Jack's beeper went off, startling the tense calm of the room. He groaned as he checked the number and Kathy turned to give him a suspicious look.
"It's Vic. John must have been booked already," said Jack absent-mindedly, running a hand through his hair. The anger he'd felt before had dissipated, and now he just felt empty…Not so much in a bad way…More like in a calm, serene way. Kathy tightened her grip on Luke's hand and laughed bitterly as she sniffed.
"Hey, it's going to be okay," said Jack assuredly. Kathy shook her head and Jack stood up and put a hand on her shoulder. She stiffened at his touch.
"Jack-please." Kathy said numbly as she stood up, letting go of Luke's hand. She turned to face her ex. "I don't want-,"
"-Just-listen, okay?" Jack took a deep breath, suddenly needing to say something. "This-," he waved around to the room to illustrate his point. "All this was murder on both of us. I was hoping we could try to heal some old wounds now."
Kathy looked at him, cringing. "Jack," she said mournfully, eyes glittering.
"I just can't," she said, turning away from him. Her defensive walls were going back up and Jack knew that if he didn't move fast, she'd be gone from him forever.
"Kathy, we both care for each other! We can't-we can't hide that fact, okay? Let's just end this stupid divorce and-and go get remarried!" Jack pleaded, his words sounding a little too desperate for his liking. Tears fell down Kathy's face as she turned again to face her son.
"I'm sorry, Jack. I can't. I just can't right now," she said stonily. And just like that, she retreated into her shell. Jack's shoulders fell—the moment was lost.
His beeper once again went off and, leaving Kathy to her own private world, Jack went over to Luke and planted a kiss on the boy's forehead. He gave Kathy a slight nod and then left the room.
Instead of heading for the elevator, Jack headed for a balcony that was near Luke's room. He was familiar with it because he'd often retreated there for solitude.
He stepped out on the balcony and looked out over Boston. The sun was going down and the sky was a pale orange with a splash of pink.
Far in the distance, a siren cried out. A bird chirped. A car honked.
Jack stared out over the city, unsure of what the future held.
That night as the boys were turning in, Cody tossed Zack his toothpaste before switching off the light. "Hey," he said casually. "Did mom tell you the insurance company called?"
Zack froze. "No," he said hesitantly, waiting for bad news.
"Yeah," continued Cody as he climbed underneath the covers. "Turns out the operation was covered."
Zack blinked, all the blood rushing to his head. He numbly sat back on his bed and nodded, swallowing roughly. When he found his voice he managed a shaky smile. "That's good," he said thickly. "That's really good."
Outside, it started to rain.
The End
