The Darkest Day
So, yeah...back with a new story. I dunno what happened. I actually don't like to have two stories going on at the same time but somehow I felt like writing something different to "Home is where the heart is". No worries - I will finish that story, too. "The Darkest Day" will be a short story of two chapters. It just helps me to cope with the things that happened in the beginning of the new season and will focus more on how Jisa took the the news. So when you haven't watched the new season yet and don't want to get spoiled, please don't read the story.
Pls also be aware that those are just my thoughts on how things might have been and pls excuse any grammatical mistakes :)
JISA/ONE SHOT/ HURT/ COMFORT – SPOILER ALERT – sets in right after the flashback in S14e01. How is Jack coping with the recent circumstances? Can Lisa help? A little insight about their first encounter after the incident.
Chapter 1
Children's giggling broke the uncomfortable silence and sounded somewhat off in the gloomy atmosphere that hung in the air, preventing to breath normaly. The once happy and lively property of Heartland Ranch was covered by a blanket of doom.
Up in the late afternoon sky dark clouds just rolled in to pass the first field that run next to the driveway, making their way quickly across the place.
The worsening weather was noticed by a pair of blue yet concerned eyes. Even in them the dark shade was reflected which however came from the worry and shock the last couple hours had left in them.
Lisa dared another bewildered glance out the kitchen window, praying for the umpteeth time to finally see her husband's truck pulling in. She had lost track of how often she had already looked out, hoping to see them returning.
Yet, the front yard was still deserted. Left in this unsusual emptiness and it almost looked as if the approaching cloud painted the ground in a black colour.
It's been two hours since they had left.
A little more than two hours since it happened.
It.
It.
The moment that had changed everything.
That moment that broke their world apart.
A heavy sigh followed by an even heavier sob got stuck in Lisa's throat when the recent pictures were running before her eyes. Again. It were terrible pictures she wanted to get out of her head, hoping to wake up and realize that it was just a bad dream. Waking up and be wrapped into the arms of her husband who would calm her down and whisper in her ear that everything was okay, that she just had a nightmare and that it was over now.
Nothing was over. She found herself in the beginning of the worst nightmare which hunted the Heartland family and there was no comforting hug and no soothing words.
Lisa was alone with the two young girls sitting at the round kitchen table, drawing on their individual piece of paper. The tips of the pencils danced lightly over the plain paper surface, leaving tracks of different colours behind. Beautiful, shiny colours contrasted with the dark shade which crept into every corner of the house. There was nothing left out by the creeping fingers of darkness. Nothing but the still lively voices of two innocent children.
Lisa quickly turned away, not wanting them to witness her state of perturbation. Holding on to the edge of the stove she took a moment to calm down. Breath.
She needed to be strong now. For the kids. For the family when they returned. It was on her to offer hugs, words and comfort. Every bit of strength was needed for that. For the challenging time ahead. The future which didn't look too bright and promising.
Just at that moment the front door was ripped open and in came a young woman.
The lines on her face were hollow. The expression in her eyes empty. Her mouth shivering. A face as cold as ice. Only the deep red marks on the pale skin indicated the tears that had been shed.
Lisa wasn't able to move, she didn't know what to say. This miserable sight of her husband's granddaughter left her speechless. Her tongue felt tied and numb and before she even could get herself to say something Lyndy was already jumping up and held out two petite hands while reaching out to her mother.
"Mommy!", the happy and bright child's voice cut through the silence like a knife.
There was no reaction and the girl's arms dropped back down as Amy rushed past her daughter in a trance like state. She didn't even notice her.
Amy disappeard as quickly as she had come into the house, swirling up the darkness that had started to settle down already.
The silence took over again and the little hopeful spark that came from the little girl was shut down once more.
Hurting for Amy's daughter Lisa sympathetically stroke over her light blond hair. "It's alright honey. Mommy is not feeling well. Let's give her some time, okay?"
Lyndy just nodded and turned back to enthusiastically continue her art work. Only Katie, being the older one and already sensing that something was different today, looked a bit troubled after her aunt before she got distracted by her own mother who stepped into the kitchen. The dark-haired woman exhaled loudly while she looked after her sister and wordlessly attempted to follow her into the back of the house.
Lisa stepped partly in her way. Now that they had returned she missed her husband coming through the door as well. He was nowhere to be seen and the worry about him almost exploded in her chest.
"Lou.", she held her by the arm. Distraught, broken eyes turned towards her. Eyes that reflected the same disturbance like hers.
"Where's he?"
"Outside. I don't know. I have to-", she pointed after her sister to indicate that she needed to be with her right now.
"Yeah. Go!"
It was a nightmare.
Her heart was torn.
She looked at the two girls who still sat at the kitchen table, still playing with the colouring set, still innocent, still unaware of the tragedy that happened not too long ago.
She wanted to be there. For all of them but didn't know where to be first.
She had to find Jack. But what about the girls?
At that moment the front door was thrown open again and with what seemed like the upcoming wind Tim walked in. One hand just came down after swiping over his own unsettled face.
Another pair of perturbed eyes in this house.
He just started to look around when he was suddenly approached by Jack's wife who came to an abrupt halt close in front of him.
She needed his help. She needed him so she could go and look for Jack.
"Tim. Could you look after Lyndy and Katie? I need to-", her hand gesticulated somewhere in the direction of the yard, her eyes not standing still – moving back and forth between the door, the girls and Tim.
"He's in the barn. Didn't want me there.", he just said while stepping aside and nodding in agreement about taking over the watch.
In the barn. Alright, okay. That was a start and with a greatful nod, Lisa hurried over to the coat rack, grasped her coat and left through the door.
Immediately a gust of wind hit against her face and blew open the sides of her coat. The first heavy drops of an incoming area of rain found their way down onto the ground.
The sky started to cry. Cry about what happened on that property today. About what the family had lost.
It was a nightmare.
A nightmare.
And the sky became even darker.
In the distance the spot where he fell down came more and more into sight while Lisa ran across the yard, eyes on the goal in front of her, yet always ending up on the spot where he fell down. She saw him laying there. Face down. The horse. The people around him. The ambulance.
With a shaking head Lisa pushed these pictures back once more. There was no time to look back. She had to look forward now and put all her energy into the future. To help and support the family.
Eyes set on the barn, she stepped around the corner and entered the building.
There he was. Keeping himself busy with throwing hay over the doors into the horse's stables. The first wave of relief was quickly overcome by another wave of worry when she noticed that he didn't seem to be okay at all.
Jack looked like being miles away while moving the fork up and down that reminded more of a robot than a human being. A movement that was so well known by him that he could probably do it in sleep. Yet, right now the cause of his mental absence was different. He was lost by the recent circumstances that he witnessed with his own eyes. Once more in his lifetime. Her heart ached by the thought of the sorrow he had already seen in all those years.
Lisa could only get glimpses of his face whenever he was turning but couldn't read his current state. As if he was drowning in a different world. Not even her entrance was noticed so Lisa stepped further into the barn, Buddy snorting to her right and dropping some hay to the ground as he curiously looked over the door at the new visitor while still munching.
"Hi.", her voice was soft and cautious. She tried not to startle him with her sudden appearance. Jack briefly looked up, nodded slightly and carried on with the work.
There were like a hundred words swirling through her head. Words she wanted to say but didn't know how to get them out in a way that wouldn't hurt him even more. Questions like what the doctors said, what exactly happened, what the cause was, how this could happen, how Amy took all these information, how he felt.
The rushing noise of the pouring rain outside entered the barn now with another gust of wind in tow and picked up the loose hay from the ground, letting it fly through the air and sweeping it to the back of the alley. The barn lamps swung dangerously above their heads before their oscillating movement decreased with the abate wind.
Lisa was still trying to say something, when he suddenly stopped in his movements and looked up. Not at her but at an empty spot on the wall on the opposite site. It was hard to read what was going on within him. Lisa knew he was hurting but she needed him to open up to her.
"Honey...", she started, her voice cracked by the ache that was mingled within it.
"He's gone. Ty died.", with that he stumbled backwards against the wooden post behind him, leaned there and gasped for air. The fork landed with a loud noise on the ground as it slipped from his hand.
Speaking out what happened stung badly on his tongue. A sharp pain went through his chest. Tears glittering in his eyes, threatening to fall, but he tried hard to hold them back. Not willing to loose it.
Lisa had been afraid of those words to be spoken. It were the words of truth. The dark truth of the latest circumstances that couldn't be undone.
Ty died.
He died on that spot she just passed minutes ago.
Face down. The horse. The people. The ambulance.
The pictures were back.
This time in both of their heads.
And together they shed their first tear about the truth that couldn't be undone.
"Jack.", she stepped over to his leaning figure, his eyes glazed, still set on that invisible spot.
"Look at me."
And he did.
Pain.
In his eyes.
In her heart.
She had never seen so much pain before.
Had never felt so much pain by only looking at someone.
He needed something to let go of those tearing emotions. They both did. They needed each other.
"Come here.", and she pulled him down by the shoulder, tightly wrapped him in her arms which caused him to immediately break down on her. He finally was allowed to let go of the pain he had been holding back the entire time. Trying to hold upright his role of the rock of the family. Being the rock for Amy. Keeping a clear mind to make decisions. Everything while he himself was crumbling deep inside. Ty had been like a son to him. Lisa had been aware of the tight bond the two men shared over the last decade. Her husband had always thought highly of the young man. He was always filled with pride when he talked about Ty.
She could only imagine the last hours Jack had gone through and the only thing she could give him right now was the moment of letting go. He was allowed to let go. In her presence.
The next moment Lisa found herself doing something she didn't do very often. Yet, here and right now it felt like the only right thing to show how much she was emotionally connected to him.
She kissed him on the forehead. Her lips firmly pressed against his skin. A hand sliding around his neck, fingers disappearing into the salt and pepper line of his hair as she pulled him closer against her, passing on all the strength she could give right now.
(If you want to review, please review on this story and not on the season. I know that many are upset about S14 and I understand that but it's not my fault what happened there. I didn't write any of those episodes ;) What I wrote was this story and it took me long and effort enough haha. So it would be great if you could stick to the content given here. Many thanks!)