Silver Lining
By Dawn Nyberg
Disclaimer: Tribune Entertainment owns the characters of Andromeda. No profit is being made.
Read and Review!
************************************************************************
Harper woke up to the smells of cooking food. He wandered out into the kitchen. Tyr glanced up from chopping up onions for their omelets. "I see you finally decided to get up."
"Sorry."
"I need you to cut up the tomatoes while I finish this. Use that," Tyr pointed to a knife he had all ready selected for the boy. Harper eyed it with doubt, but Tyr didn't lead on that he had seen. "Well? What are you waiting for? I've got my hands full." Tyr turned back to what he was doing.
"But?" Harper began.
"But, what? You know how to cut vegetables, Little Man. Just don't cut yourself."
"Yeah, no engineer good has fingers off cut," he had spoken fast and his speech made him cringe. Tyr didn't lead on that he had noticed. He was glad the kid was talking - the rest would follow.
Tyr looked at Harper, "Well, I guess it could be a problem, but I just don't want you to bleed all over the tomatoes and ruin them." Harper looked wide-eyed at the Nietzschean who had said that deadpanned. "Well?" Tyr spoke again, "They aren't going to cut themselves up. Just cut slices and then chunk the slices. I'd like to eat in this century."
Tyr finished his onions and put them in a bowl and began to crack eggs. He had his back turned to Harper. He heard the young man at first struggle with picking up the knife, but he was certain he could handle the thick grip. He tried to look busy and appear to be ignoring him. He heard the knife cut through the first tomato and he let out a silent sigh of relief that the kid had not cut himself. He thought simple tasks at improving his grip were the best option. Some of the tasks the doctors had suggested to Tyr seemed to be almost infantile to him and he decided to do things his way.
**Twenty Minutes Later**
"Finished," Harper said with satisfaction. Tyr smiled. The task should have been finished in five minutes, but he didn't care - Harper had done it.
"Good. Hand them over." Harper looked at the cutting board they were on. "Do - you - want - them in - a bowl?" He tried to separate his speech again.
"Yeah." Tyr watched Harper pick up the cutting board by the handle. It was a little thin, but the young man was trying. Harper's hand started to shake as he tried to pick up the board. He brought up another hand to try and steady it and strengthen his grip. Everything was going great until he let go to hold the bowl while he tried to get the tomatoes in. The board slipped hitting the bowl edge tipping it over and dumping the fresh cut tomatoes on the counter and floor.
"I breakfast ruined. Sorry," Harper hit the counter in frustration.
"Its only tomatoes Little Man. Anyway Rome wasn't built in a day, was it?" His voice was light. Harper looked at him. "Now, let's clean these up and eat." Tyr used the tomato slices that fell on the counter while he had the boy pick up the ones from the floor. Of course, there was method behind that cleaning task. He knew some of those slices would be a challenge for the kid to pick up, but with satisfaction he saw that Harper was doing it.
** One Month Later **
Harper stood on the shoreline by the lake. The sun had come up a short while ago and he was wide-awake. He had actually beaten Tyr out of bed. His mind was tossing around a lot of things. He liked being on Arabus, but he missed the Andromeda. He was getting better, but the progress seemed slow to him. Tyr had never relented once in his speech or physical therapy. He had discovered that the Nietzschean was capable of patience where he was concerned. Harper looked down to pick up a stone - it slipped from his fingers, but he tried again and held on to it. He skipped it across the lake surface and smiled.
"Good job." The voice was Tyr's and it made Harper jump.
"Geez, Tyr." Harper took a breath.
The Nietzschean chuckled. "You're up early."
"Yeah."
"Are you all right?"
"Just thinking."
Tyr had noticed that Harper was able to string two and three words together now without switching them around over the last couple weeks. He wasn't sure Harper had really taken notice yet and he never pointed it out to the boy fearing it would make him too self-conscious of his speech and make him regress. Harper scratched at his cheek. His face had stubble on it and he needed a shave.
"Gotta shave," Harper said.
"What? It's peach fuzz," Tyr joked.
"It itches."
Tyr sighed. "Well, come on then."
"Huh?"
"Your grip has improved Little man, but I'm not about to let you handle a razor. I'll do it." Tyr had Harper sit out on the porch as he sharpened a shaving straight razor against a small leather piece. Harper eyed him with hesitation. "It's the best way to shave Little man. I know what I'm doing." Ten minutes later, Tyr wiped off the remaining shaving soap, "All done, but it really was just peach fuzz," he kidded.
"It's not peach fuzz, it's stubble." Harper replied irritated. Tyr stepped back and looked at Harper with a smile. "What?"
"It's not what?" Tyr asked.
"I said, it's not peach fuzz, it's stubble." Harper's speech came out perfectly. It was the first time he had said a full-length sentence without stopping between some words to insure they didn't come out switched.
"That's my boy!" Tyr smiled. "Welcome back, boy."
Harper understood suddenly. He had spoken correctly. "Did I just say that?" Harper laughed.
"Yes, you did. Well done." Tyr clasped a hand around one of Harper's slight shoulders.
The rest of the day Tyr had a hard time shutting the kid up, but he didn't really want to. The boy was getting better, but he still had to work on his motor skills and his recovery wasn't over. And, Tyr would see the young man made it back 100% before he took him back to the Andromeda. But, today he finally saw some silver lining.
Disclaimer: Tribune Entertainment owns the characters of Andromeda. No profit is being made.
Read and Review!
************************************************************************
Harper woke up to the smells of cooking food. He wandered out into the kitchen. Tyr glanced up from chopping up onions for their omelets. "I see you finally decided to get up."
"Sorry."
"I need you to cut up the tomatoes while I finish this. Use that," Tyr pointed to a knife he had all ready selected for the boy. Harper eyed it with doubt, but Tyr didn't lead on that he had seen. "Well? What are you waiting for? I've got my hands full." Tyr turned back to what he was doing.
"But?" Harper began.
"But, what? You know how to cut vegetables, Little Man. Just don't cut yourself."
"Yeah, no engineer good has fingers off cut," he had spoken fast and his speech made him cringe. Tyr didn't lead on that he had noticed. He was glad the kid was talking - the rest would follow.
Tyr looked at Harper, "Well, I guess it could be a problem, but I just don't want you to bleed all over the tomatoes and ruin them." Harper looked wide-eyed at the Nietzschean who had said that deadpanned. "Well?" Tyr spoke again, "They aren't going to cut themselves up. Just cut slices and then chunk the slices. I'd like to eat in this century."
Tyr finished his onions and put them in a bowl and began to crack eggs. He had his back turned to Harper. He heard the young man at first struggle with picking up the knife, but he was certain he could handle the thick grip. He tried to look busy and appear to be ignoring him. He heard the knife cut through the first tomato and he let out a silent sigh of relief that the kid had not cut himself. He thought simple tasks at improving his grip were the best option. Some of the tasks the doctors had suggested to Tyr seemed to be almost infantile to him and he decided to do things his way.
**Twenty Minutes Later**
"Finished," Harper said with satisfaction. Tyr smiled. The task should have been finished in five minutes, but he didn't care - Harper had done it.
"Good. Hand them over." Harper looked at the cutting board they were on. "Do - you - want - them in - a bowl?" He tried to separate his speech again.
"Yeah." Tyr watched Harper pick up the cutting board by the handle. It was a little thin, but the young man was trying. Harper's hand started to shake as he tried to pick up the board. He brought up another hand to try and steady it and strengthen his grip. Everything was going great until he let go to hold the bowl while he tried to get the tomatoes in. The board slipped hitting the bowl edge tipping it over and dumping the fresh cut tomatoes on the counter and floor.
"I breakfast ruined. Sorry," Harper hit the counter in frustration.
"Its only tomatoes Little Man. Anyway Rome wasn't built in a day, was it?" His voice was light. Harper looked at him. "Now, let's clean these up and eat." Tyr used the tomato slices that fell on the counter while he had the boy pick up the ones from the floor. Of course, there was method behind that cleaning task. He knew some of those slices would be a challenge for the kid to pick up, but with satisfaction he saw that Harper was doing it.
** One Month Later **
Harper stood on the shoreline by the lake. The sun had come up a short while ago and he was wide-awake. He had actually beaten Tyr out of bed. His mind was tossing around a lot of things. He liked being on Arabus, but he missed the Andromeda. He was getting better, but the progress seemed slow to him. Tyr had never relented once in his speech or physical therapy. He had discovered that the Nietzschean was capable of patience where he was concerned. Harper looked down to pick up a stone - it slipped from his fingers, but he tried again and held on to it. He skipped it across the lake surface and smiled.
"Good job." The voice was Tyr's and it made Harper jump.
"Geez, Tyr." Harper took a breath.
The Nietzschean chuckled. "You're up early."
"Yeah."
"Are you all right?"
"Just thinking."
Tyr had noticed that Harper was able to string two and three words together now without switching them around over the last couple weeks. He wasn't sure Harper had really taken notice yet and he never pointed it out to the boy fearing it would make him too self-conscious of his speech and make him regress. Harper scratched at his cheek. His face had stubble on it and he needed a shave.
"Gotta shave," Harper said.
"What? It's peach fuzz," Tyr joked.
"It itches."
Tyr sighed. "Well, come on then."
"Huh?"
"Your grip has improved Little man, but I'm not about to let you handle a razor. I'll do it." Tyr had Harper sit out on the porch as he sharpened a shaving straight razor against a small leather piece. Harper eyed him with hesitation. "It's the best way to shave Little man. I know what I'm doing." Ten minutes later, Tyr wiped off the remaining shaving soap, "All done, but it really was just peach fuzz," he kidded.
"It's not peach fuzz, it's stubble." Harper replied irritated. Tyr stepped back and looked at Harper with a smile. "What?"
"It's not what?" Tyr asked.
"I said, it's not peach fuzz, it's stubble." Harper's speech came out perfectly. It was the first time he had said a full-length sentence without stopping between some words to insure they didn't come out switched.
"That's my boy!" Tyr smiled. "Welcome back, boy."
Harper understood suddenly. He had spoken correctly. "Did I just say that?" Harper laughed.
"Yes, you did. Well done." Tyr clasped a hand around one of Harper's slight shoulders.
The rest of the day Tyr had a hard time shutting the kid up, but he didn't really want to. The boy was getting better, but he still had to work on his motor skills and his recovery wasn't over. And, Tyr would see the young man made it back 100% before he took him back to the Andromeda. But, today he finally saw some silver lining.