In a Heartbeat
"What the Hell is Going On?"
A/N: Finally the conclusion of Never Promised You a Rose Garden….
* * *
Tyler woke up in a cold sweat, he kept having the nightmare over and over.
Mom and Dad had gone out for their anniversary and had left them alone with a babysitter. Tyler had been six and his little brother, Matt, five. The two had been incredibly close, though even then Tyler could sense a favoritism for Matt over him. Not from his Mom, she loved them both equally but from his Dad it was obvious that he didn't like Tyler much. Still Tyler craved for his father's love.
Little Tyler had heard them arguing about him in the night when they thought he wouldn't be able to hear. But he always did. He reminded Mike Connell of everything he hated about himself. Matt was everything he loved about his wife.
Anyway the babysitter hadn't been a good one and had fallen asleep on the couch. Matt had decided to start playing with the matches. Then suddenly,
Strike!
He had lit one and in fear had dropped it to the ground. Tyler ran away then, ignoring his brother's cries for help. Tyler just knew that Daddy would find some way to make it his fault.
"Ty!" he heard Matt's screams, though still using his nickname for Tyler. The screams grew more frantic, more desperate. Tyler turned and ran back into the flames, but it was too late…
* * *
"You're looking well" spoke Michael Connell approaching his son. Another time, another dream another nightmare.
"Dad, I want to talk to you." Tyler tensed up. His heart racing. But he went on, he needed to know the truth. "About Matt."
"Tyler-"
"Please?"
"Alright go on."
" I'm sorry about what happened, and that I know you wish I died instead of Matt. We both know he was-"
Mike shook his head. "I know it always seemed that way but I loved you both, it's just that you were-are so much like me and I didn't need that at the time."
"So, you didn't wish that I was the one who died in the fire? You didn't blame me for it?" Tyler spoke feeling much like a little boy again.
"No, I never though that. I wish you could answer me."
Tyler smiled back, then though to himself didn't he just answer him?
In the real world
As in dreams
Nothing is quite as
It seems…
Morning come, but it felt different somehow to Tyler as if he had been sleeping for along time and was just now getting up,
"Tyler?" he heard a voice call. He tried to answer, but he couldn't speak, it was Val, leaning over him. Her hair was longer and she looked older somehow.
"You're awake!" she was excited now, to take in everything at once. "I'll go get Dr. Robinson."
* * *
"Happened?" Tyler asked his brain was fuzzy and it took him a long time to think of what to say.
"You were in a coma for a year and a half." the doctor spoke
A year? What about the everything that happened?
"Fire?"
"Yes, you were in a fire, you saved a little boy's life."
"I was par..par" his brow scrunched up in frustration. I was paralyzed, there it was simple ; he could say it in his head. "I was par- paral" he tried again.
"Paralyzed?" she said. "Yes, there is some damage done to you spinal cord as well as some minor brain damage. However with time I believe, you will walk again as well as talk and act normally. But , Tyler" She turned to Mrs. Connell-Stein and William " -will never be exactly how he was before."
Over the next few days he begun to realize that his reality was sort of a dream he had created by what he heard in the a coma, conversations with people actually happened , but not how Tyler imagined it.
"Tyler?" Val said approaching his bed.
"Hi." he grinned.
"I can't believe your ok." she said her eyes tearing still.
"You want me go to parent wedding?"
"You heard me say that?" Val remembered that she wanted him to walk up so badly and she said that in some desperate ploy to make him wake up. "Your hand jerked , and I thought you understood me and was going to wake up. The doctor just said that that sort of thing just happened sometimes, but I knew you had understood me."
Tyler nodded, "I did I think." She leaned over and kissed him, "I love you, an I'm so glad that you wake up."
He was glad too, but one year had been taken from his life . It might not seem like much to a normal person but he had missed his junior and senior year of high school. Jamie, who had opted to graduate a year early, and Caitie had surprised everyone by getting married, Hank had gotten excepted to Harvard, Val, Berkley and Brooke was in high school. Even his family had changed. His mother and William had a baby girl named Madison and Mike Connell was engaged. Frankly, it seemed to Tyler that everyone had gotten on pretty well with out him. How could he step back in to this strange life where nothing was the same and nothing was right. He'd have to face long faceless months of learning how to walk, talk, and think normally again as well as a year and a half missed of school. And then there was his dad and Matt.
It always came back to that.
"Hi son." he dad spoke, looking happier then Tyler had ever seen him.
"Dad."
"How are you?"
"I ok." he spoke the words still jumbled. "I heard you said. Thanks for forgiving me."
"I love you son. I think we both should put away our guilt of Matt's death. It was neither our faults it was just something that happed.."
"Okay."
And as simple as that years of resentment , pain , was resolved. Not forgotten but simple put away. Besides, Tyler had a wedding to attend…
* * *
That's it good ? Bad?
"What the Hell is Going On?"
A/N: Finally the conclusion of Never Promised You a Rose Garden….
* * *
Tyler woke up in a cold sweat, he kept having the nightmare over and over.
Mom and Dad had gone out for their anniversary and had left them alone with a babysitter. Tyler had been six and his little brother, Matt, five. The two had been incredibly close, though even then Tyler could sense a favoritism for Matt over him. Not from his Mom, she loved them both equally but from his Dad it was obvious that he didn't like Tyler much. Still Tyler craved for his father's love.
Little Tyler had heard them arguing about him in the night when they thought he wouldn't be able to hear. But he always did. He reminded Mike Connell of everything he hated about himself. Matt was everything he loved about his wife.
Anyway the babysitter hadn't been a good one and had fallen asleep on the couch. Matt had decided to start playing with the matches. Then suddenly,
Strike!
He had lit one and in fear had dropped it to the ground. Tyler ran away then, ignoring his brother's cries for help. Tyler just knew that Daddy would find some way to make it his fault.
"Ty!" he heard Matt's screams, though still using his nickname for Tyler. The screams grew more frantic, more desperate. Tyler turned and ran back into the flames, but it was too late…
* * *
"You're looking well" spoke Michael Connell approaching his son. Another time, another dream another nightmare.
"Dad, I want to talk to you." Tyler tensed up. His heart racing. But he went on, he needed to know the truth. "About Matt."
"Tyler-"
"Please?"
"Alright go on."
" I'm sorry about what happened, and that I know you wish I died instead of Matt. We both know he was-"
Mike shook his head. "I know it always seemed that way but I loved you both, it's just that you were-are so much like me and I didn't need that at the time."
"So, you didn't wish that I was the one who died in the fire? You didn't blame me for it?" Tyler spoke feeling much like a little boy again.
"No, I never though that. I wish you could answer me."
Tyler smiled back, then though to himself didn't he just answer him?
In the real world
As in dreams
Nothing is quite as
It seems…
Morning come, but it felt different somehow to Tyler as if he had been sleeping for along time and was just now getting up,
"Tyler?" he heard a voice call. He tried to answer, but he couldn't speak, it was Val, leaning over him. Her hair was longer and she looked older somehow.
"You're awake!" she was excited now, to take in everything at once. "I'll go get Dr. Robinson."
* * *
"Happened?" Tyler asked his brain was fuzzy and it took him a long time to think of what to say.
"You were in a coma for a year and a half." the doctor spoke
A year? What about the everything that happened?
"Fire?"
"Yes, you were in a fire, you saved a little boy's life."
"I was par..par" his brow scrunched up in frustration. I was paralyzed, there it was simple ; he could say it in his head. "I was par- paral" he tried again.
"Paralyzed?" she said. "Yes, there is some damage done to you spinal cord as well as some minor brain damage. However with time I believe, you will walk again as well as talk and act normally. But , Tyler" She turned to Mrs. Connell-Stein and William " -will never be exactly how he was before."
Over the next few days he begun to realize that his reality was sort of a dream he had created by what he heard in the a coma, conversations with people actually happened , but not how Tyler imagined it.
"Tyler?" Val said approaching his bed.
"Hi." he grinned.
"I can't believe your ok." she said her eyes tearing still.
"You want me go to parent wedding?"
"You heard me say that?" Val remembered that she wanted him to walk up so badly and she said that in some desperate ploy to make him wake up. "Your hand jerked , and I thought you understood me and was going to wake up. The doctor just said that that sort of thing just happened sometimes, but I knew you had understood me."
Tyler nodded, "I did I think." She leaned over and kissed him, "I love you, an I'm so glad that you wake up."
He was glad too, but one year had been taken from his life . It might not seem like much to a normal person but he had missed his junior and senior year of high school. Jamie, who had opted to graduate a year early, and Caitie had surprised everyone by getting married, Hank had gotten excepted to Harvard, Val, Berkley and Brooke was in high school. Even his family had changed. His mother and William had a baby girl named Madison and Mike Connell was engaged. Frankly, it seemed to Tyler that everyone had gotten on pretty well with out him. How could he step back in to this strange life where nothing was the same and nothing was right. He'd have to face long faceless months of learning how to walk, talk, and think normally again as well as a year and a half missed of school. And then there was his dad and Matt.
It always came back to that.
"Hi son." he dad spoke, looking happier then Tyler had ever seen him.
"Dad."
"How are you?"
"I ok." he spoke the words still jumbled. "I heard you said. Thanks for forgiving me."
"I love you son. I think we both should put away our guilt of Matt's death. It was neither our faults it was just something that happed.."
"Okay."
And as simple as that years of resentment , pain , was resolved. Not forgotten but simple put away. Besides, Tyler had a wedding to attend…
* * *
That's it good ? Bad?