Disclaimer: Nope - the characters still do not belong to me.
Author's Note: Here is my third fanfic!! I want to take this moment to thank all of you who've read & reviewed my stories thus far. Your comments mean a great deal to me and I appreciate it. If you liked this story, you may also find my first two stories interesting as well, given you haven't read them already!! Well, hope you have a few tissues handy (esp for chapter 6) cause you might need it by the time you're done with this story.
Title: When You're Not Strong
Chapter 1: Maternal Instincts
"How are you holding up?" Ephram asked fumbling with a plastic cup trying to pour his father water from a pitcher.
"Hanging in there." Andy croaked as he adjusted his pillow. Ephram handed the cup to his father.
"You've been taking your post-medication and everything?" Ephram inquired.
"Yes sir, Dr. Brown. I have taken all the drugs you've given me. Sir." Andy joked desperately trying to get a smile out of Ephram.
"Ha. Ha. Very funny, dad." Ephram grinned tiredly. "I see you've got your humor back."
"I know. Isn't it great? I came in for a vagotomy and came out with a sense of humor. Who knew a stomach ulcer would be this much trouble." Andy sighed taking a sip of the water. "Ephram, you seem paler than usual. Have you been eating? You look thin." Andy observed closely after a short pause.
"Here we go." Ephram threw his arms up in disbelief. "Dad, I think you're delusional. Of course I've been eating." Ephram lied. In fact, he's been so busy lately that food was the last thing on his mind. "I can take care of myself you know."
"Go home and get some rest. You look like you can use some."
"I will. I just have one more errand to run. I'll come by in the morning. Hope you don't drive the nurses here too crazy." Ephram smirked.
"Listen, I know you were looking forward to our vacation. Sorry I ruined our plans."
School had just broke for the summer and just about everyone had plans. While the Abbott's were spending a good part of the summer basking on the sunny beaches of Santa Monica and the Hart's visiting extended family in Vancouver, being this was the first summer Colin had awaken from his coma, the Brown's were stuck in crappy Everwood. The Brown's had been looking forward to taking a trip back to New York, but that did not happen.
It all started when Andy scheduled himself up for a gastrointestinal endoscopy at the hospital after complaining about constant heartburn and burning pain in the abdomen. His doctor passed a long thin flexible tube through Andy's mouth into the stomach and was able to see a whole side of Andy no one's ever seen before. A tissue sample of the stomach lining was taken for tests. At the end of a day, the doctor found Andy had more than a bit of indigestion. Andy was diagnosed with a benign gastric ulcer. Medication was all he needed but as it turns out, the ulcer was resistant to medication. His doctor advised a vagotomy. And so, their New York summer getaway was grounded.
"There's always next summer. Don't sweat it." Ephram got up to leave.
"Hey, Ephram." Andy called just as Ephram reached for the doorknob. Ephram turned around. "Thanks." Andy paused. "For everything."
"Just pulling my weight around here." Ephram waved and exited the room.
The truth was Ephram had not been well at all. It wasn't easy juggling everything and getting over a head cold. He was exhausted to the point where his entire body ached but he won't admit it - especially to his father. Maybe it was a guy thing. Nina and Edna offered their help, but Ephram refused. He wanted to be able to say he can handle it. After all, his father had been doing this for a little over a year now and never complained. For the past two weeks, Ephram had been the man of the house. He did everything from the house cleaning to laundry, from mowing the lawn to grocery shopping to cooking meals for Delia, from looking after Delia to caring for his father at the hospital. He made time for Delia as well as. In the beginning, he dubbed himself "Super Brother", but now, he preferred to retire his cape and super powers to play just the role of the normal irresponsible teenager.
Ephram walked out of the hospital with his hands jammed into the pockets of his jacket. The winds have picked up. He should've worn a warmer jacket. Why did he always find himself in this predicament? He was not used to the unstable Colorado Rocky Mountain weather. The morning was chilly, afternoon warm, and night bitter cold. There was a difference of nearly 30 degrees between morning and night. He gazed at the evening sky. Increasingly dark clouds were forming overhead. It looked like rain. He quickened his pace.
*** The Journey Home ***
By the time Ephram got out of the market, the sky had turned pitch black and the rain was coming down in bucketfuls. Carrying a large brown paper bag in each arm, he started walking. It was typical of him not to think of bringing an umbrella. Petty thoughts always lingered in his mind keeping him from paying too much attention to the local weather stations. He was sopping wet from head to foot after walking two blocks and he was feeling a bit sick.
A car slowed down and honked trying to get Ephram's attention. He nearly jumped out of his skin upon hearing the loud noise. He looked over and recognized Nina's little red Saturn. She rolled down the passenger side window.
"Need a ride?" Nina yelled flashing a smile. Even though Nina lived right next door, he normally wouldn't accept any favors but given the circumstances, he approached the car. "Put the bags in the trunk!" Nina said as she popped the trunk open. Ephram did so and slid into the front passenger seat.
"Thanks, Nina." He said while shaking off the rain.
"Look at you, you're all wet. We've got to get you dried off." Nina cooed as they sped away.
"I'm ok. Really." Ephram replied nonchalantly. But in reality, he extremely relished the attention. Since his mother died, Nina had been the epitome of a mother figure to him. Of course, no one can take the place of his biological mother, but Nina sure came close to second place.
"How's your father doing?"
"Recovering."
"When's he getting out? I bet he can't wait."
"Day after tomorrow."
"That's good to hear. I'm glad he's going to be fine. No more spicy foods or alcohol for him." Nina said bubbly. "So, what's going on with you?"
"The usual." Ephram wasn't in a talking mood.
"How's Delia? She must miss her dad these few weeks."
"She's coping."
"You feeling ok? You seem a bit quiet." Nina continued and shot a worried glance at Ephram, who was preoccupied with watching the windshield wipers slide back and forth wiping away the accumulating dashes of rain. "Ephram?"
"Huh? Oh, sorry. I'm fine. Just have a headache. I'll take a Tylenol when I get home."
"I made lasagna. How about I bring some over and we can have dinner together?" Nina said sensing Ephram was not well. He was about to refuse when Nina started talking again. "I know you are capable of taking care of yourself, but with Delia at the slumber party and Sam with his grandparents tonight, maybe we don't have to eat alone. Besides, my lasagna is the best in all Everwood. So, yes?" She always had a way with words.
"Yea." Ephram accepted. He really wasn't up for an argument. Especially when he knew she was going to win anyway.
"Good. Then it's a date." Nina marveled as she pulled into her driveway.
*** Feeling Sick ***
They were half way into their quiet dinner of piping hot lasagna, when Ephram started feeling really lousy. He tried to hide it by wolfing down food, even though he didn't have much of an appetite.
"Well, I'm impressed." Nina said trying to strike up a conversation. "The house is spotless." She exaggerated as she observed the cleanliness of the house.
"No wild parties here." Ephram replied.
Silence.
"Ephram, you look a bit flushed. Are you sure you're ok?" Nina pressed.
"It's just from running around all day. This lasagna is delicious." He said changing the subject and stuffed the last forkful of lasagna into his mouth.
"I'm glad you approve." She smiled. "Have you taken that Tylenol yet?"
Ephram always thought Nina was pretty. She reminded him of his mother. They both had long sandy brown hair, except Nina always tied her hair back. Nina had beautiful hazel eyes that danced like little flames each time she laughed. Ephram knew it had only been a year and a half since his mother's death, but sometimes he secretly wished his father would marry Nina. He didn't think it was so far-fetched especially since Nina was just a few years younger than Andy. But as luck would have it, Nina was already married. It was a shaky marriage to a traveling salesman, who seemed to be away on "business" forever. It was complicated. Ephram needed a mother and he was already very fond of her.
"Huh?"
"For your headache?"
"Oh. No, I forgot." Ephram mumbled.
"Why don't you go do that while I clean up here?" Nina instructed.
Ephram poured a glass of water and found the bottle of Tylenol on the second shelf of the kitchen cabinet. As soon as he twisted the plastic cap off, his vision blurred. He shook his head in attempt to clear his impairment. A rush of dizziness enveloped him. The room spun around in circles. He found himself swaying on his feet. There was an abnormal stabbing pain in his chest and it was suddenly hard to breathe. He wanted to call out to Nina but somehow his vocal chords failed him.
Nina heard the bottle of Tylenol fall. The scattered pills bounced off the lacquered hardwood floor and rolled in a hundred different directions. Ephram tried to keep from falling by holding onto the edge of the kitchen counter, but it was no help. By the time Nina got to Ephram, it was too late. He had already dropped to the floor like a ton of bricks.
* end of chapter 1 *
Author's Note: Here is my third fanfic!! I want to take this moment to thank all of you who've read & reviewed my stories thus far. Your comments mean a great deal to me and I appreciate it. If you liked this story, you may also find my first two stories interesting as well, given you haven't read them already!! Well, hope you have a few tissues handy (esp for chapter 6) cause you might need it by the time you're done with this story.
Title: When You're Not Strong
Chapter 1: Maternal Instincts
"How are you holding up?" Ephram asked fumbling with a plastic cup trying to pour his father water from a pitcher.
"Hanging in there." Andy croaked as he adjusted his pillow. Ephram handed the cup to his father.
"You've been taking your post-medication and everything?" Ephram inquired.
"Yes sir, Dr. Brown. I have taken all the drugs you've given me. Sir." Andy joked desperately trying to get a smile out of Ephram.
"Ha. Ha. Very funny, dad." Ephram grinned tiredly. "I see you've got your humor back."
"I know. Isn't it great? I came in for a vagotomy and came out with a sense of humor. Who knew a stomach ulcer would be this much trouble." Andy sighed taking a sip of the water. "Ephram, you seem paler than usual. Have you been eating? You look thin." Andy observed closely after a short pause.
"Here we go." Ephram threw his arms up in disbelief. "Dad, I think you're delusional. Of course I've been eating." Ephram lied. In fact, he's been so busy lately that food was the last thing on his mind. "I can take care of myself you know."
"Go home and get some rest. You look like you can use some."
"I will. I just have one more errand to run. I'll come by in the morning. Hope you don't drive the nurses here too crazy." Ephram smirked.
"Listen, I know you were looking forward to our vacation. Sorry I ruined our plans."
School had just broke for the summer and just about everyone had plans. While the Abbott's were spending a good part of the summer basking on the sunny beaches of Santa Monica and the Hart's visiting extended family in Vancouver, being this was the first summer Colin had awaken from his coma, the Brown's were stuck in crappy Everwood. The Brown's had been looking forward to taking a trip back to New York, but that did not happen.
It all started when Andy scheduled himself up for a gastrointestinal endoscopy at the hospital after complaining about constant heartburn and burning pain in the abdomen. His doctor passed a long thin flexible tube through Andy's mouth into the stomach and was able to see a whole side of Andy no one's ever seen before. A tissue sample of the stomach lining was taken for tests. At the end of a day, the doctor found Andy had more than a bit of indigestion. Andy was diagnosed with a benign gastric ulcer. Medication was all he needed but as it turns out, the ulcer was resistant to medication. His doctor advised a vagotomy. And so, their New York summer getaway was grounded.
"There's always next summer. Don't sweat it." Ephram got up to leave.
"Hey, Ephram." Andy called just as Ephram reached for the doorknob. Ephram turned around. "Thanks." Andy paused. "For everything."
"Just pulling my weight around here." Ephram waved and exited the room.
The truth was Ephram had not been well at all. It wasn't easy juggling everything and getting over a head cold. He was exhausted to the point where his entire body ached but he won't admit it - especially to his father. Maybe it was a guy thing. Nina and Edna offered their help, but Ephram refused. He wanted to be able to say he can handle it. After all, his father had been doing this for a little over a year now and never complained. For the past two weeks, Ephram had been the man of the house. He did everything from the house cleaning to laundry, from mowing the lawn to grocery shopping to cooking meals for Delia, from looking after Delia to caring for his father at the hospital. He made time for Delia as well as. In the beginning, he dubbed himself "Super Brother", but now, he preferred to retire his cape and super powers to play just the role of the normal irresponsible teenager.
Ephram walked out of the hospital with his hands jammed into the pockets of his jacket. The winds have picked up. He should've worn a warmer jacket. Why did he always find himself in this predicament? He was not used to the unstable Colorado Rocky Mountain weather. The morning was chilly, afternoon warm, and night bitter cold. There was a difference of nearly 30 degrees between morning and night. He gazed at the evening sky. Increasingly dark clouds were forming overhead. It looked like rain. He quickened his pace.
*** The Journey Home ***
By the time Ephram got out of the market, the sky had turned pitch black and the rain was coming down in bucketfuls. Carrying a large brown paper bag in each arm, he started walking. It was typical of him not to think of bringing an umbrella. Petty thoughts always lingered in his mind keeping him from paying too much attention to the local weather stations. He was sopping wet from head to foot after walking two blocks and he was feeling a bit sick.
A car slowed down and honked trying to get Ephram's attention. He nearly jumped out of his skin upon hearing the loud noise. He looked over and recognized Nina's little red Saturn. She rolled down the passenger side window.
"Need a ride?" Nina yelled flashing a smile. Even though Nina lived right next door, he normally wouldn't accept any favors but given the circumstances, he approached the car. "Put the bags in the trunk!" Nina said as she popped the trunk open. Ephram did so and slid into the front passenger seat.
"Thanks, Nina." He said while shaking off the rain.
"Look at you, you're all wet. We've got to get you dried off." Nina cooed as they sped away.
"I'm ok. Really." Ephram replied nonchalantly. But in reality, he extremely relished the attention. Since his mother died, Nina had been the epitome of a mother figure to him. Of course, no one can take the place of his biological mother, but Nina sure came close to second place.
"How's your father doing?"
"Recovering."
"When's he getting out? I bet he can't wait."
"Day after tomorrow."
"That's good to hear. I'm glad he's going to be fine. No more spicy foods or alcohol for him." Nina said bubbly. "So, what's going on with you?"
"The usual." Ephram wasn't in a talking mood.
"How's Delia? She must miss her dad these few weeks."
"She's coping."
"You feeling ok? You seem a bit quiet." Nina continued and shot a worried glance at Ephram, who was preoccupied with watching the windshield wipers slide back and forth wiping away the accumulating dashes of rain. "Ephram?"
"Huh? Oh, sorry. I'm fine. Just have a headache. I'll take a Tylenol when I get home."
"I made lasagna. How about I bring some over and we can have dinner together?" Nina said sensing Ephram was not well. He was about to refuse when Nina started talking again. "I know you are capable of taking care of yourself, but with Delia at the slumber party and Sam with his grandparents tonight, maybe we don't have to eat alone. Besides, my lasagna is the best in all Everwood. So, yes?" She always had a way with words.
"Yea." Ephram accepted. He really wasn't up for an argument. Especially when he knew she was going to win anyway.
"Good. Then it's a date." Nina marveled as she pulled into her driveway.
*** Feeling Sick ***
They were half way into their quiet dinner of piping hot lasagna, when Ephram started feeling really lousy. He tried to hide it by wolfing down food, even though he didn't have much of an appetite.
"Well, I'm impressed." Nina said trying to strike up a conversation. "The house is spotless." She exaggerated as she observed the cleanliness of the house.
"No wild parties here." Ephram replied.
Silence.
"Ephram, you look a bit flushed. Are you sure you're ok?" Nina pressed.
"It's just from running around all day. This lasagna is delicious." He said changing the subject and stuffed the last forkful of lasagna into his mouth.
"I'm glad you approve." She smiled. "Have you taken that Tylenol yet?"
Ephram always thought Nina was pretty. She reminded him of his mother. They both had long sandy brown hair, except Nina always tied her hair back. Nina had beautiful hazel eyes that danced like little flames each time she laughed. Ephram knew it had only been a year and a half since his mother's death, but sometimes he secretly wished his father would marry Nina. He didn't think it was so far-fetched especially since Nina was just a few years younger than Andy. But as luck would have it, Nina was already married. It was a shaky marriage to a traveling salesman, who seemed to be away on "business" forever. It was complicated. Ephram needed a mother and he was already very fond of her.
"Huh?"
"For your headache?"
"Oh. No, I forgot." Ephram mumbled.
"Why don't you go do that while I clean up here?" Nina instructed.
Ephram poured a glass of water and found the bottle of Tylenol on the second shelf of the kitchen cabinet. As soon as he twisted the plastic cap off, his vision blurred. He shook his head in attempt to clear his impairment. A rush of dizziness enveloped him. The room spun around in circles. He found himself swaying on his feet. There was an abnormal stabbing pain in his chest and it was suddenly hard to breathe. He wanted to call out to Nina but somehow his vocal chords failed him.
Nina heard the bottle of Tylenol fall. The scattered pills bounced off the lacquered hardwood floor and rolled in a hundred different directions. Ephram tried to keep from falling by holding onto the edge of the kitchen counter, but it was no help. By the time Nina got to Ephram, it was too late. He had already dropped to the floor like a ton of bricks.
* end of chapter 1 *