A/N: Sorry about the long wait! Here's the final chapter!
Daddy's Back
Chapter Three: The Bitter Heart
Robert Connell turned over and groaned loudly, glancing over at his clock , which said it was about one in the morning. "Hello." he spoke into the receiver.
"Rob?" Isabel's breaking voice came from within the phone.
"What is it, Iz?" I don't have time to be yelled at."
"No, it's Tyler. He's been in a car accident, on the way to your house," her voice got bitter. I had forgotten about that, Rob thought. Don't you blame it on me, I never told that kid to come here. "William and I are on the way to the hospital. I thought you'd want to come."
"Yea." Rob said not really meaning it.
"He's pretty seriously hurt, you might want to hurry. " she added and then hung up. Did fate or God, think this would reach him, teach him a lesson? They had been wrong. He should have felt something-anything for his only son, his only child. But, the years had made him cold. Too cold and bitter to see anything that mattered.
*~*
"If you would like to make a call, hang up and try again…" the operator's voice rang in her ears. She still held the phone in her hang wondering what happened. He probably just lost service on his phone she thought to herself. However, the sinking feeling in her heart told Val otherwise.
Val winced at the familiar buzzing of her pager. She didn't need a call right now, not with the hours of algebra homework she had to do. she thought again.
"Oh well." Val said to no one is particular and headed for the station in a matter of minutes.
"Val, glad you're here. We've got a man verses automobile out on Sycamore." Hank said quickly as he, Val, and Jamie got into the ambulance. "I paged Tyler but he didn't respond yet." he added.
"I guess we'll just have to met him there." Jamie mutter as the doors slammed shut and the three headed to the scene of the accident.
*~*
Isabel patrolled the hospital halls like a mother lion looking for her cub. She hated the waiting,. Waiting to know if her son had died or lived. The doctor had told her Tyler's prognosis didn't look good, with his internal injuries, broken leg and brain damage. She glanced over to her left as she spotted some of her son's friends, they were on the squad with Tyler she remembered. They most have brought him in, she continued thinking. She remembered when the EMTS then had brought Annie to the hospital, so cold and motionless. She had been scared then, just as she was now. She didn't want to lose her son as she had with her daughter. It didn't seem fair life had already taken so much from her.
"Mrs. Weisman?" Isabel turned around.
"Hi, Val. Call me Isabel." she said trying to smile. Val could still see Tyler at the crash site, the car was so badly mangled that when they first arrived it hadn't looked like anyone could have survived it. Once they could see who the victim was, Val worst fear soon became a reality.
"Is there any word on Tyler?"
She began to answer but was interrupted by the doctor. "How is my son?" William too, saw the doctor and rushed down the hall to hear news on his stepson.
"Critical and unstable. He's suffered irreversible brain damage. Your son is brain dead. I'm so sorry but we may have to talk about whiter or not to continue life support." The doctor looked down. He hated this part of the job, telling a parent that their child wasn't going to live.
"I-I don't understand. My son's going to die? Why can't you fix him, it's your job!" she cried hysterically. It wasn't fair she didn't want to become childless tonight.
"I'm sorry." He repeated and sighed now came the worst part. "I'll have my colleague come by later and talk about organ donation."
She could only nod in response. "May I see him?"
"Of course. I am sorry." the doctor replied once more and went in search of a patient he could fix.
Isabel hugged her husband and did not dare to look into the equally shocked faces of Jamie, Hank, and Val.
"I'm sorry we couldn't revive your daughter. Her heart never restarted."
It was the same thing all over again, even eight years later. It seemed she would always live in the shadows of Annie's death, like it was a serpent that threatened never to let go.
It had taken her daughter and now it wanted Tyler.
"Hey baby." she spoke gently stroking his bandaged head. How could she let him go? She wondered to herself. Isabel looked into his sleeping face, in it she saw him as an eight year old, and finally realized the one thing he and she needed. His father's forgiveness was the one thing that would give them peace.
*~*
"Hey Robert." William Weisman greeted his wife's ex. "Did Iz tell you about Ty?" Rob could see the utter sadness in William's face. He would have made a good father to Tyler, Robert thought to himself. In Rob's face wasn't the fear, anger, or grief that could be placed on the face of a father who was about to lose his child. In Rob's eyes were nothing, absolutely nothing. Why am I here? He thought again, I don't belong here. This was a place for people who cared, Jamie's and Hank's and Val's and William's and Isabel's expression could tell him that.
"Thank God you're here. You have to tell Tyler you forgive him." she didn't want to lose her son but even though the doctor's told her he was clinically dead, Isabel felt that he was in pain. His body wanted out even if Tyler wasn't ready to leave.
"What? I only can to see what you wanted. I will not forgive him! He killed her." he said to her.
"You have to. Tyler was just a boy when she died. It wasn't his fault. If you want to continue blaming me then fine, but stop blaming him. Tyler's going to die Rob, are you that heartless? You've made his life horrible since he was a little boy. Can't you give him peace now?"
"I won't pretend that we were the perfect father and son, I won't and I won't tell him I forgive him." He walked to his car, never looking back.
Isabel walked back into Tyler's room hours later, after she became sure of what she was about to do, this time with William standing by her. "Hey sweetie. Your dad was here earlier, he wanted to tell you this but was to proud to say it. He wants you to know he doesn't blame you for Annie's death. Can you hear me honey? It's ok you can go now." she said kissing his cheek then nodding at the doctor. She continued holding his hand as the monitor went into a loud winning sound that echoed through the room. She lied to him so he could be at serenity, so they all could.
One day you'll realize you've made a mistake and it'll be too late to change it, You've made bigger mistake then I did with Annie. You abandoned your son.
She placed the letter in the envelope and walked away from Rob's house this time she was the one who never looked back.
Daddy's Back
Chapter Three: The Bitter Heart
Robert Connell turned over and groaned loudly, glancing over at his clock , which said it was about one in the morning. "Hello." he spoke into the receiver.
"Rob?" Isabel's breaking voice came from within the phone.
"What is it, Iz?" I don't have time to be yelled at."
"No, it's Tyler. He's been in a car accident, on the way to your house," her voice got bitter. I had forgotten about that, Rob thought. Don't you blame it on me, I never told that kid to come here. "William and I are on the way to the hospital. I thought you'd want to come."
"Yea." Rob said not really meaning it.
"He's pretty seriously hurt, you might want to hurry. " she added and then hung up. Did fate or God, think this would reach him, teach him a lesson? They had been wrong. He should have felt something-anything for his only son, his only child. But, the years had made him cold. Too cold and bitter to see anything that mattered.
*~*
"If you would like to make a call, hang up and try again…" the operator's voice rang in her ears. She still held the phone in her hang wondering what happened. He probably just lost service on his phone she thought to herself. However, the sinking feeling in her heart told Val otherwise.
Val winced at the familiar buzzing of her pager. She didn't need a call right now, not with the hours of algebra homework she had to do. she thought again.
"Oh well." Val said to no one is particular and headed for the station in a matter of minutes.
"Val, glad you're here. We've got a man verses automobile out on Sycamore." Hank said quickly as he, Val, and Jamie got into the ambulance. "I paged Tyler but he didn't respond yet." he added.
"I guess we'll just have to met him there." Jamie mutter as the doors slammed shut and the three headed to the scene of the accident.
*~*
Isabel patrolled the hospital halls like a mother lion looking for her cub. She hated the waiting,. Waiting to know if her son had died or lived. The doctor had told her Tyler's prognosis didn't look good, with his internal injuries, broken leg and brain damage. She glanced over to her left as she spotted some of her son's friends, they were on the squad with Tyler she remembered. They most have brought him in, she continued thinking. She remembered when the EMTS then had brought Annie to the hospital, so cold and motionless. She had been scared then, just as she was now. She didn't want to lose her son as she had with her daughter. It didn't seem fair life had already taken so much from her.
"Mrs. Weisman?" Isabel turned around.
"Hi, Val. Call me Isabel." she said trying to smile. Val could still see Tyler at the crash site, the car was so badly mangled that when they first arrived it hadn't looked like anyone could have survived it. Once they could see who the victim was, Val worst fear soon became a reality.
"Is there any word on Tyler?"
She began to answer but was interrupted by the doctor. "How is my son?" William too, saw the doctor and rushed down the hall to hear news on his stepson.
"Critical and unstable. He's suffered irreversible brain damage. Your son is brain dead. I'm so sorry but we may have to talk about whiter or not to continue life support." The doctor looked down. He hated this part of the job, telling a parent that their child wasn't going to live.
"I-I don't understand. My son's going to die? Why can't you fix him, it's your job!" she cried hysterically. It wasn't fair she didn't want to become childless tonight.
"I'm sorry." He repeated and sighed now came the worst part. "I'll have my colleague come by later and talk about organ donation."
She could only nod in response. "May I see him?"
"Of course. I am sorry." the doctor replied once more and went in search of a patient he could fix.
Isabel hugged her husband and did not dare to look into the equally shocked faces of Jamie, Hank, and Val.
"I'm sorry we couldn't revive your daughter. Her heart never restarted."
It was the same thing all over again, even eight years later. It seemed she would always live in the shadows of Annie's death, like it was a serpent that threatened never to let go.
It had taken her daughter and now it wanted Tyler.
"Hey baby." she spoke gently stroking his bandaged head. How could she let him go? She wondered to herself. Isabel looked into his sleeping face, in it she saw him as an eight year old, and finally realized the one thing he and she needed. His father's forgiveness was the one thing that would give them peace.
*~*
"Hey Robert." William Weisman greeted his wife's ex. "Did Iz tell you about Ty?" Rob could see the utter sadness in William's face. He would have made a good father to Tyler, Robert thought to himself. In Rob's face wasn't the fear, anger, or grief that could be placed on the face of a father who was about to lose his child. In Rob's eyes were nothing, absolutely nothing. Why am I here? He thought again, I don't belong here. This was a place for people who cared, Jamie's and Hank's and Val's and William's and Isabel's expression could tell him that.
"Thank God you're here. You have to tell Tyler you forgive him." she didn't want to lose her son but even though the doctor's told her he was clinically dead, Isabel felt that he was in pain. His body wanted out even if Tyler wasn't ready to leave.
"What? I only can to see what you wanted. I will not forgive him! He killed her." he said to her.
"You have to. Tyler was just a boy when she died. It wasn't his fault. If you want to continue blaming me then fine, but stop blaming him. Tyler's going to die Rob, are you that heartless? You've made his life horrible since he was a little boy. Can't you give him peace now?"
"I won't pretend that we were the perfect father and son, I won't and I won't tell him I forgive him." He walked to his car, never looking back.
Isabel walked back into Tyler's room hours later, after she became sure of what she was about to do, this time with William standing by her. "Hey sweetie. Your dad was here earlier, he wanted to tell you this but was to proud to say it. He wants you to know he doesn't blame you for Annie's death. Can you hear me honey? It's ok you can go now." she said kissing his cheek then nodding at the doctor. She continued holding his hand as the monitor went into a loud winning sound that echoed through the room. She lied to him so he could be at serenity, so they all could.
One day you'll realize you've made a mistake and it'll be too late to change it, You've made bigger mistake then I did with Annie. You abandoned your son.
She placed the letter in the envelope and walked away from Rob's house this time she was the one who never looked back.