GRACE
PART FIVE
He could hear voices around him.
"He's out again, isn't he?" he heard Alex say.
"Ty? Hey Ty?" Sully's voice rumbled nearby. "He's getting tired - it's worse when he's tired."
His vision took it's own sweet time to clear, but when it did he found himself looking into Gracie Boscorelli's beautiful blue eyes.
She stood gazing at him, grinning cheekily. When he managed to smile back the grin became wider and those eyes of hers danced. After a moment she waved and wandered back over to her parents, scrambled up onto her father's lap and lay her head upon his shoulder. Ty watched as Bosco gently kissed his daughter's head and Faith leaned closer to them both, whispering something to Gracie that made the little girl smile. The Boscorelli's whole dynamic was a source of endless fascination for Ty.
"The little golden goblin of cute," Alex murmured. "Was I ever that cute d'ya think?"
Ty began to laugh, or at least he tried. Sully was right. He was worse when he was tired. Even the bits of him that still worked were beginning to go out on strike.
Alex was doing her best to rise from the chair next to him.
"Time for me to go, I think," she said, eventually managing to get free of the chair's comfortable embrace. She swayed a little as she stood.
Faith and Bosco, too, had decided to take their leave.
"Need a ride anywhere Taylor?" Faith asked her.
Alex forced a smile. "Yeah," she drawled, trying to sound appreciative, "that'd be...nice."
She turned to Ty and rolled her eyes. Ty mustered a smile, but he could feel himself starting to lose his hold on the moment.
A look of sad fondness crossed Alex's face. "Hey, it's been...good...to see you again Ty." She leaned forward unsteadily and placed a firm kiss upon his cheek. "You take care."
Ty could barely keep his eyes open. He became aware that Faith and Bosco had also made their way over to say their goodbyes and he fought the growing sluggishness that threatened to overwhelm him.
His last clear image was of Gracie, safe and happy in her father's arms, her beautiful eyes fixed upon him as she waved him goodbye...
He woke with a sharp jolt.
Ty sat bolt upright and looked around. The clock on the bedside table told him it was 4.23am.
A quick mental check of his body revealed there was no pain, no tingling, no numbness. Every part of him moved freely and was firmly under his control.
"What the hell?"
He got up, headed for the kitchen and discovered Carlos was already there.
"Hey," his flatmate acknowledged him. "Can't sleep either?"
"Just had the most weird-ass dream," Ty replied.
"Thought I could hear you mumbling to yourself," Nieto grumbled sourly. What was it about? The dream, I mean."
Ty began to shake his head. "Oh man, the weirdest stuff..."
Carlos seemed less than interested, so Ty saw no reason to say anything further.
The memory of the dream lingered strongly for some time after, and for whatever reason it was the image of Gracie in her father's arms waving him goodbye that visited him most frequently. Unbidden the little girl would clamber through his thoughts and for the first few weeks or so Ty found himself watching Faith and Bosco closely for any sign that would give the dream some credence. He was surprised by the level of disappointment he experienced when he found nothing in their interaction to suggest anything beyond a solid, if slightly dysfunctional, working relationship.
As a month went by the day to day realities of his life crowded in around the memory of the dream and it was shuffled into the background of his thoughts...
"Mrs Hiller hasn't seen him and neither have any of the regulars," Sully growled as he stepped back into the car, tucking something into the pocket of his jacket.
"You believe her?"
"No reason not to," his partner replied. "She has no idea her sweet little nephew's nothin' but a piece of crap."
They moved away from the curb and re entered traffic.
"So what's our next move?" Ty asked.
Sully shrugged and grumbled "I dunno. Bosco reckons he saw Dougie on Ardo's patch a couple of days ago. It might be worth a look. But I swear to god, I'm gonna skin him alive if...Ty?"
Sully looked across at his partner. Ty had tuned out and was leaning forward in the passenger seat staring intently straight ahead of him.
"Sul, what did you buy back there?" Ty asked suddenly.
"What?"
"What'd you buy?"
"A lottery ticket - why?"
"Stop the car."
"What?"
"You need to stop the car, Sul', I mean it."
"What the hell's wrong with you Davis?"
"Stop the car, man! Stop the damn car!" By this time Ty was shouting and reaching for the wheel.
Sully hit the brakes and turned sharply to confront his partner.
He never got the opportunity to utter a word before all hell began to break loose right in front of them.
A van travelling at speed suddenly blasted through the lights to their right and clipped the back end of the car that had been travelling just in front of them across the intersection. It sent the van into a wild spin and then it rolled, flipping crazily across the road and onto the sidewalk, scattering glass and pedestrians like confetti.
Sully stared in open mouth disbelief at the van and then turned to his partner.
"That would have hit us," Sully murmured. "How the hell...?"
Ty sat staring at the scene before him. "Grace, Sul'," he murmured. "It was Grace..."
*******************
TBC - Just one more, I promise!
PART FIVE
He could hear voices around him.
"He's out again, isn't he?" he heard Alex say.
"Ty? Hey Ty?" Sully's voice rumbled nearby. "He's getting tired - it's worse when he's tired."
His vision took it's own sweet time to clear, but when it did he found himself looking into Gracie Boscorelli's beautiful blue eyes.
She stood gazing at him, grinning cheekily. When he managed to smile back the grin became wider and those eyes of hers danced. After a moment she waved and wandered back over to her parents, scrambled up onto her father's lap and lay her head upon his shoulder. Ty watched as Bosco gently kissed his daughter's head and Faith leaned closer to them both, whispering something to Gracie that made the little girl smile. The Boscorelli's whole dynamic was a source of endless fascination for Ty.
"The little golden goblin of cute," Alex murmured. "Was I ever that cute d'ya think?"
Ty began to laugh, or at least he tried. Sully was right. He was worse when he was tired. Even the bits of him that still worked were beginning to go out on strike.
Alex was doing her best to rise from the chair next to him.
"Time for me to go, I think," she said, eventually managing to get free of the chair's comfortable embrace. She swayed a little as she stood.
Faith and Bosco, too, had decided to take their leave.
"Need a ride anywhere Taylor?" Faith asked her.
Alex forced a smile. "Yeah," she drawled, trying to sound appreciative, "that'd be...nice."
She turned to Ty and rolled her eyes. Ty mustered a smile, but he could feel himself starting to lose his hold on the moment.
A look of sad fondness crossed Alex's face. "Hey, it's been...good...to see you again Ty." She leaned forward unsteadily and placed a firm kiss upon his cheek. "You take care."
Ty could barely keep his eyes open. He became aware that Faith and Bosco had also made their way over to say their goodbyes and he fought the growing sluggishness that threatened to overwhelm him.
His last clear image was of Gracie, safe and happy in her father's arms, her beautiful eyes fixed upon him as she waved him goodbye...
He woke with a sharp jolt.
Ty sat bolt upright and looked around. The clock on the bedside table told him it was 4.23am.
A quick mental check of his body revealed there was no pain, no tingling, no numbness. Every part of him moved freely and was firmly under his control.
"What the hell?"
He got up, headed for the kitchen and discovered Carlos was already there.
"Hey," his flatmate acknowledged him. "Can't sleep either?"
"Just had the most weird-ass dream," Ty replied.
"Thought I could hear you mumbling to yourself," Nieto grumbled sourly. What was it about? The dream, I mean."
Ty began to shake his head. "Oh man, the weirdest stuff..."
Carlos seemed less than interested, so Ty saw no reason to say anything further.
The memory of the dream lingered strongly for some time after, and for whatever reason it was the image of Gracie in her father's arms waving him goodbye that visited him most frequently. Unbidden the little girl would clamber through his thoughts and for the first few weeks or so Ty found himself watching Faith and Bosco closely for any sign that would give the dream some credence. He was surprised by the level of disappointment he experienced when he found nothing in their interaction to suggest anything beyond a solid, if slightly dysfunctional, working relationship.
As a month went by the day to day realities of his life crowded in around the memory of the dream and it was shuffled into the background of his thoughts...
"Mrs Hiller hasn't seen him and neither have any of the regulars," Sully growled as he stepped back into the car, tucking something into the pocket of his jacket.
"You believe her?"
"No reason not to," his partner replied. "She has no idea her sweet little nephew's nothin' but a piece of crap."
They moved away from the curb and re entered traffic.
"So what's our next move?" Ty asked.
Sully shrugged and grumbled "I dunno. Bosco reckons he saw Dougie on Ardo's patch a couple of days ago. It might be worth a look. But I swear to god, I'm gonna skin him alive if...Ty?"
Sully looked across at his partner. Ty had tuned out and was leaning forward in the passenger seat staring intently straight ahead of him.
"Sul, what did you buy back there?" Ty asked suddenly.
"What?"
"What'd you buy?"
"A lottery ticket - why?"
"Stop the car."
"What?"
"You need to stop the car, Sul', I mean it."
"What the hell's wrong with you Davis?"
"Stop the car, man! Stop the damn car!" By this time Ty was shouting and reaching for the wheel.
Sully hit the brakes and turned sharply to confront his partner.
He never got the opportunity to utter a word before all hell began to break loose right in front of them.
A van travelling at speed suddenly blasted through the lights to their right and clipped the back end of the car that had been travelling just in front of them across the intersection. It sent the van into a wild spin and then it rolled, flipping crazily across the road and onto the sidewalk, scattering glass and pedestrians like confetti.
Sully stared in open mouth disbelief at the van and then turned to his partner.
"That would have hit us," Sully murmured. "How the hell...?"
Ty sat staring at the scene before him. "Grace, Sul'," he murmured. "It was Grace..."
*******************
TBC - Just one more, I promise!