GRACE
PART TWO
Ty gazed down at the sun-dappled shade at his feet.
This has to be a dream, he thought.
But everything around him seemed too vivid, too alive, too...real.
His left leg, a curious combination of numbness and painful tingling, began to tremble. He looked down at it like it was a traitor, but try as he might he was unable to control it. His frustration began to build, but that only served to make the shaking worse.
"Hey Davis."
Ty's head lolled in the direction of the one who had spoken, and his eyes followed Faith Yokas' every move as she perched herself on the chair next to him.
"You look a bit out of sorts there," she said quietly.
What's happened to me Faith? he pleaded, but the only noise he could make was a strangled whimper.
"Do you want me to get Sully or your mom?" she asked, concerned.
At a loss to do anything else, he nodded.
The minute his mother placed her arm around him he dissolved into tears...
"What happened there?" Faith was asking of someone beside him.
Ty found he had not moved from his spot under the tree. This time as the confusion subsided he had the vaguest memories of the comings and goings of various people, and his mother saying to each, "Ty's alright, he's just having one of his episodes."
His eyes came back into focus. Faith still sat next to him on his right. To his left was his mother, his useless left hand firmly grasped, somewhat pointlessly he thought, in hers.
"He has blackouts still," his mother was saying to Faith, running her hand down her sons left cheek.
Ty peered at her. Blackouts?
Someone else had joined them on the chairs arranged in a small semi-circle beneath the cool shade of the tree. On his mother's left sat Alex Taylor, speaking rather tetchily to someone on her mobile phone.
He stared at Alex. Her pretty face seemed tense, her eyes sad, like something weighed heavily upon her. Unlike most of the others he didn't see pity in her face when she looked at him, just a look of strained preoccupation.
"Yeah, whatever," she snapped, hitting the end button and tossing the phone sharply into the bag at her feet. Snatching up the glass of wine she had balanced on the wide arm of the chair, she brought it to her lips, murmuring "Unbelievable son of a..."
"You're looking well, Faith," his mother said quickly.
She does too, Ty thought, realising that Faith, in sharp contrast to Alex, looked happy and relaxed.
"Things are goin' OK then?" Alex inquired.
"Things are goin' great, thanks," Faith replied, smiling. "What about yourself?"
Ty looked from Faith back to Alex, who shrugged.
"One day at a time," she answered quietly.
The children who had galloped past him earlier returned, squealing. As they came within range of the tree the pretty little girl who had introduced herself to him peeled off and made a direct beeline for Faith. Clamping her arms around Yokas' neck she placed a firm kiss upon her cheek.
"Hi mommy!"
"What've you broken?"
"Nothing!" she cried in mock disgust, "I just missed you."
Faith eyed her good-naturedly. "You want something then?"
"Nooo..."
Faith feigned surprise, and giggling her daughter clambered onto Faith's lap, snuggling back as her mother wrapped her arms around the child and kissed her hair.
"Hello Gracie," said Alex, mustering a half-hearted smile.
Gracie smiled back, waving.
"Where's your father sweetie?" Faith asked.
As bright as a button, Gracie sat up straight and announced in the boldest of tones: "Whipping Uncle Sully's saggy butt at pool!"
Maggie and Alex dissolved into laughter as Faith rolled her eyes and shook her head.
"He told you to say that didn't he?"
Gracie grinned and hid behind her hands.
"Well you go tell him that when he's finished having HIS butt whipped by Uncle Sully I'd like a word," said Faith.
Gracie clambered down and ran off in the direction of the house.
"She's so beautiful Faith," Ty's mother enthused.
"Don't let the angel wings and fairy dust fool you - she's her father's daughter," Faith replied, but she smiled proudly as she said it.
Alex made a noise into her wineglass that Ty didn't quite catch. He saw Faith and his mother exchange looks...
As his head cleared he found his mother stood beside him now, a plate of food in one hand, her other hand on his shoulder.
"Are you OK Ty?"
That question, he thought, was getting a bit old. He knew they were just concerned, but damn, it was getting on his nerves to be asked that time and again. He felt his right fist clench.
His mother offered him the plate. "Can you manage or would you like me to help you?"
Ty stared at her, dismayed.
Alex sat across from him, a plate balanced precariously on one arm of the chair she sat in, waving a folk aimlessly over her food.
"I don't think he's hungry," she said.
His mother put the plate on the low table that sat in the middle of the semi circle of chairs. "I'll leave it here for you."
Ty watched as his mother made her way over to where Sully sat with friends at one of the long tables in the sun. She was clearly distressed and Sully did his best to comfort her.
Alex watched her too, and after a while said: "Your mom and Sully look good together Ty."
Ty stared at her.
Alex watched him for a moment. "You have no damned idea what's going on do you?"
He whimpered, pounding his fist on his thigh.
"Yeah," she said, taking another gulp of wine, "life really can suck, can't it?"
Alex seemed comfortable with his inability to communicate. In preoccupied silence she picked some more at her food before deciding she wasn't hungry anyway and put the plate on the ground beside her. Rather blearily she held her wineglass up in front of her and stared at the gathering through it.
"Well, ain't that sweet?" she drawled.
Ty followed her gaze to the table that held the buffet everyone else seemed to be heartily enjoying and his gaze lit upon Faith Yokas once more. She stood with Gracie helping her daughter fill her plate, while chatting casually with other guests.
As he watched, a familiar figure ranged up beside Faith. Fondly he ran his hand down the curve of her back, letting it come to rest upon one cheek of her ass.
He's gonna die! Ty thought, but to his amazement, Faith made no attempt whatsoever to move away from the over-familiarity he was showing her. Instead she seemed genuinely pleased to see Bosco.
************************
TBC - but only if you pay your Aunty Minn sh*t loads of money not to!! Hah!
PART TWO
Ty gazed down at the sun-dappled shade at his feet.
This has to be a dream, he thought.
But everything around him seemed too vivid, too alive, too...real.
His left leg, a curious combination of numbness and painful tingling, began to tremble. He looked down at it like it was a traitor, but try as he might he was unable to control it. His frustration began to build, but that only served to make the shaking worse.
"Hey Davis."
Ty's head lolled in the direction of the one who had spoken, and his eyes followed Faith Yokas' every move as she perched herself on the chair next to him.
"You look a bit out of sorts there," she said quietly.
What's happened to me Faith? he pleaded, but the only noise he could make was a strangled whimper.
"Do you want me to get Sully or your mom?" she asked, concerned.
At a loss to do anything else, he nodded.
The minute his mother placed her arm around him he dissolved into tears...
"What happened there?" Faith was asking of someone beside him.
Ty found he had not moved from his spot under the tree. This time as the confusion subsided he had the vaguest memories of the comings and goings of various people, and his mother saying to each, "Ty's alright, he's just having one of his episodes."
His eyes came back into focus. Faith still sat next to him on his right. To his left was his mother, his useless left hand firmly grasped, somewhat pointlessly he thought, in hers.
"He has blackouts still," his mother was saying to Faith, running her hand down her sons left cheek.
Ty peered at her. Blackouts?
Someone else had joined them on the chairs arranged in a small semi-circle beneath the cool shade of the tree. On his mother's left sat Alex Taylor, speaking rather tetchily to someone on her mobile phone.
He stared at Alex. Her pretty face seemed tense, her eyes sad, like something weighed heavily upon her. Unlike most of the others he didn't see pity in her face when she looked at him, just a look of strained preoccupation.
"Yeah, whatever," she snapped, hitting the end button and tossing the phone sharply into the bag at her feet. Snatching up the glass of wine she had balanced on the wide arm of the chair, she brought it to her lips, murmuring "Unbelievable son of a..."
"You're looking well, Faith," his mother said quickly.
She does too, Ty thought, realising that Faith, in sharp contrast to Alex, looked happy and relaxed.
"Things are goin' OK then?" Alex inquired.
"Things are goin' great, thanks," Faith replied, smiling. "What about yourself?"
Ty looked from Faith back to Alex, who shrugged.
"One day at a time," she answered quietly.
The children who had galloped past him earlier returned, squealing. As they came within range of the tree the pretty little girl who had introduced herself to him peeled off and made a direct beeline for Faith. Clamping her arms around Yokas' neck she placed a firm kiss upon her cheek.
"Hi mommy!"
"What've you broken?"
"Nothing!" she cried in mock disgust, "I just missed you."
Faith eyed her good-naturedly. "You want something then?"
"Nooo..."
Faith feigned surprise, and giggling her daughter clambered onto Faith's lap, snuggling back as her mother wrapped her arms around the child and kissed her hair.
"Hello Gracie," said Alex, mustering a half-hearted smile.
Gracie smiled back, waving.
"Where's your father sweetie?" Faith asked.
As bright as a button, Gracie sat up straight and announced in the boldest of tones: "Whipping Uncle Sully's saggy butt at pool!"
Maggie and Alex dissolved into laughter as Faith rolled her eyes and shook her head.
"He told you to say that didn't he?"
Gracie grinned and hid behind her hands.
"Well you go tell him that when he's finished having HIS butt whipped by Uncle Sully I'd like a word," said Faith.
Gracie clambered down and ran off in the direction of the house.
"She's so beautiful Faith," Ty's mother enthused.
"Don't let the angel wings and fairy dust fool you - she's her father's daughter," Faith replied, but she smiled proudly as she said it.
Alex made a noise into her wineglass that Ty didn't quite catch. He saw Faith and his mother exchange looks...
As his head cleared he found his mother stood beside him now, a plate of food in one hand, her other hand on his shoulder.
"Are you OK Ty?"
That question, he thought, was getting a bit old. He knew they were just concerned, but damn, it was getting on his nerves to be asked that time and again. He felt his right fist clench.
His mother offered him the plate. "Can you manage or would you like me to help you?"
Ty stared at her, dismayed.
Alex sat across from him, a plate balanced precariously on one arm of the chair she sat in, waving a folk aimlessly over her food.
"I don't think he's hungry," she said.
His mother put the plate on the low table that sat in the middle of the semi circle of chairs. "I'll leave it here for you."
Ty watched as his mother made her way over to where Sully sat with friends at one of the long tables in the sun. She was clearly distressed and Sully did his best to comfort her.
Alex watched her too, and after a while said: "Your mom and Sully look good together Ty."
Ty stared at her.
Alex watched him for a moment. "You have no damned idea what's going on do you?"
He whimpered, pounding his fist on his thigh.
"Yeah," she said, taking another gulp of wine, "life really can suck, can't it?"
Alex seemed comfortable with his inability to communicate. In preoccupied silence she picked some more at her food before deciding she wasn't hungry anyway and put the plate on the ground beside her. Rather blearily she held her wineglass up in front of her and stared at the gathering through it.
"Well, ain't that sweet?" she drawled.
Ty followed her gaze to the table that held the buffet everyone else seemed to be heartily enjoying and his gaze lit upon Faith Yokas once more. She stood with Gracie helping her daughter fill her plate, while chatting casually with other guests.
As he watched, a familiar figure ranged up beside Faith. Fondly he ran his hand down the curve of her back, letting it come to rest upon one cheek of her ass.
He's gonna die! Ty thought, but to his amazement, Faith made no attempt whatsoever to move away from the over-familiarity he was showing her. Instead she seemed genuinely pleased to see Bosco.
************************
TBC - but only if you pay your Aunty Minn sh*t loads of money not to!! Hah!