Disclaimer- Don't own, just love
A.N. This story takes place before the pilot episode. (That's why Tyler still has the leprechaun thing before the flashback.) I guess this could be called a late response to Em Walters' challenge. Read part 1 before you read this. Enjoy! J
Memories
(Part
2)
For the next 2 weeks, Tyler closed up, no one could
bring him to open up, he didn't even confide in Kyle. In the weeks to come, it was decided that Tyler would stay with
his mom in Chicago, while Kyle and his dad would move to Colorado. Tyler went numb with shock. He was losing his dad, and his
brother.
At the airport, right before John and Kyle's
departure, Tyler's dad swooped him up in a hug. His feet were left dangling in
the air. Tyler was trying so hard not
to cry. His face was turning red with
the effort. He turned to face his
brother, and totally broke down. How
was he ever supposed to live without Kyle to confide in? Tyler cried the whole way home. Saying goodbye was the hardest thing he had ever
done.
Life with
just his mother felt weird, and empty. Tyler quit his football team, and his grades nose-dived. He felt like he was falling, with the bottom
nowhere in sight. His heart had broken
in two, and he separated himself from the world.
After a few weeks, he opened a little
toward his mother, and started helping her out a lot more. His father sent money, but Tyler's mom still
had to work a lot. Things steadily
improved, albeit slowly. He managed to
pull off decent grades. He was slowly
working on opening up to others, and making friends. But just as Tyler was getting accustomed to life this way, his
mom started seeing someone. His name
was William. Tyler was always distant
from William, he already had a father, he didn't need another. He convinced himself that William was here
temporarily, and would leave soon enough.
But his mom continued seeing
William. It had been 2 months, then 5,
and then a whole year. Tyler kept in
touch with Kyle, and told him all about William, and asked Kyle's opinion. Kyle had some troubling news in return. Their father had met someone as well. Things with the Connell family weren't
working out the way they had expected. And Tyler's dream of being a family again was soon to be squashed.
Tyler was helping his mom with the
groceries one day when he spotted a ring on his mother's finger. It wasn't the one his dad had given
her. His eyebrows went up in surprise
and suspicion. His mother saw his
expression and asked what was wrong. Tyler gestured to her hand. His
mother glanced at it and sighed.
"Tyler, William and I… um well, we're
getting married." Tyler just stood there, staring. How could she?!
"And when were you planning to tell
me?" he asked incredulously.
"I was planning tonight at dinner,
when William was here with me," she said resignedly, "look, honey, I know this
will be hard for you," she said, stepping closer to him. Tyler stepped back, and fled once more, his
mother calling his name after him.
After William moved in, (they had
decided they would live in the Connell house, it was slightly bigger,) Tyler
made himself as scarce as possible. Even when he was with his mother and William, he seldom talked. His grades dropped, and he closed up once
more. Things went from bad to worse. One evening at dinner, his mother announced
that they would have to move. William
had been transferred to Kingsport, Connecticut, and the job offered a lot of
money.
Tyler started to pack his many things
resignedly. He reached for the
leprechaun snow globe that his father gave him when he was 6. 'Thanks a lot, dad,' he thought as he packed
it along with his other stuff.
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
Tyler was more miserable than
ever. He was uprooted from his home,
and transplanted somewhere where he knew no one, not to mention he had no
friends. His mother and father were now
officially divorced. His father and
brother were about a thousand miles away. And to top it off, William had come into the picture.
Tyler set himself to the task of
unpacking his stuff. His new room was
even bigger than his old one, due to William's raise. Tyler monotonously unpacked one box after another, his thoughts
far away. Eventually, his hand brushed
across the tattered snow globe. The
globe triggered something, and Tyler was filled with a rage.
He threw the globe across the room,
not seeing or caring where it landed. He threw himself on his bed, and started sobbing heartily into his
pillow, and murmuring incoherent words to himself. Everything that he had bottled up for the past 2 years came
gushing out in torrents. He lay in his
room, sputtering occasionally until he fell into a troubled sleep.
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
A cool breeze ran past Tyler as he
walked the streets of Kingsport. His
mom and William had been bugging him to get out of the house more, so he
decided to take them up on that offer. Hey, at least he wasn't that close to William all the time. Tyler had come to a decision in the past 2
weeks. His heart had felt like it had
been tearing in two since his dad and brother moved away. It was a terrible feeling. He wanted to make sure no one else felt what
he had felt; he wanted to help fix their hurt. He had heard about a squad of EMT's, (Emergency Medical Technicians) in
Kingsport. He wanted to join as soon as
he was old enough. He wasn't going to
be fixing the same kind of hurt that he had gone through, but it would do.
Tyler was on his way to the Kingsport EMS station to
pick up a training book. Even though he
had about a year and a half until he was 16, and able to become an EMT, he
figured he might as well be prepared. He had even met a new friend, Hank, who wanted to be an EMT also. Things were going slightly better for Tyler.
He entered the station, and walked down the hallways,
humming softly to himself. He came to
Alex's office, and tapped lightly on the glass. Alex, who was on the phone, motioned Tyler in with a wave. Tyler entered and stood in front of the
desk, waiting patiently for Alex to finish. When he did, he looked up and smiled.
"Hey Tyler, did you come for the book?" he asked.
"Yeah," Tyler answered. Alex reached under his desk and pulled out a thick manual. He laid it down on his desk, and pulled out
some forms.
"Sign right there," Alex prompted. Tyler complied, and signed his name on the
sheet. As he did, he noticed Hank's
name was on there also.
"Good luck," Alex said as Tyler picked up the book,
and turned to leave.
"Thanks," Tyler replied absently, already absorbed
in reading the book. He continued to
read as he walked through the EMS station. He was so wrapped up in reading, that he didn't see the girl around the
corner until he collided with her. Books flew everywhere. Tyler was
startled. He looked up to see who he
had collided with. What he saw almost
took his breath away.
He had collided with an absolutely gorgeous
girl! She looked to be about 14. She had short, blonde hair, and beautiful
blue eyes.
"Oh! I'm so
sorry! Let me help you with these,"
Tyler exclaimed, bending down to pick up the books. She bent down also, and gathered some books up. Tyler caught the titles of the books as he
handed them to her. They were all EMT
books!
"Hi," she said, as she brushed herself off and
extended her hand, "I'm Val."
"I'm Tyler," he said, as he shook her hand. 'Man,' he thought, 'things are finally
starting to go my way!'
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
Tyler
smiled as these last thoughts flew through his head. Everything had turned out all right in the end. He got up, with the globe in his hand, and
put it up on one of his shelves, where it would be safe, and where he could be
reminded of his dad and brother more often. Maybe he could find some use for it some day…
Hope ya liked it, please
review if you have any feedback. I
could certainly use it!
~Ash Skywalker