Life After...
Chapter 3
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"Maggie, have you talked to Ty the last couple of days?" asked Sully, trying not to arouse alarm as he sat across from Ty's mother in the diner.
Maggie put her coffee cup down and looked Sully in the eye. "What's going on, John?"
"Probably nothing, but I've been trying to reach him and he doesn't return my calls. He's taken the last couple of days off as lost time," Sully reported. "You heard about what happened to Alex Taylor, right?" he asked her.
"That's the firefighter/paramedic that was with Ty in the hospital room when he got shot, right?" she asked him and he nodded.
"Yes, I did hear. How awful. She seemed like a very nice girl. Ty said that everyone kind of looked out for everyone else around there and that she was one of the guys," Maggie said, remembering back to the night she'd walked into Ty's room and saw the young girl there.
Sully smirked, "Just one of the guys, eh? Well, don't tell him I'm the one that told you, but he thought she was a little more than just one of the guys for a little while," Sully said, smiling at the memory of when he found out that Ty and Alex were 'seeing' each other. They'd been in the RMP and Ty had been in a particularly good mood. He put two and two together from past conversations and figured it out. He'd promised to keep it a secret and he'd kept that promise. "They had something in common; both of their fathers were killed on the job - Alex lost her Dad on 9/11. They found him under the debris of the Towers and he was laid to rest something like 233 days after 9/11."
"What a way to have something in common," Maggie said sadly. Then she grinned a little, "How did he keep that from me. He's never been able to keep his girlfriends from me," she said with a slight chuckle. She paused while they both took a sip of their coffee and the waitress refilled them.
"Well, I don't think they were still together when she died, but I don't think they ever really ended anything either," Sully told her. "It was kind of just hanging between them from what I can gather."
"Oh my God, John. How awful. He must feel terrible. How did he find out about her death?" Maggie asked him with concern.
"He didn't tell you?" Sully responded with surprise. "Maggie, he was there when it happened. He was one of the first to see her right after the explosion. She was cut completely in half by the metal of the car," he told her as gently as anyone could describe the scene. "He went with Kim Zambrano to pick up Alex's mother and bring her to the hospital."
"Oh no," she said with concern. "I better find him and see if he's okay. I haven't talked to him since yesterday. He sounded quiet on the phone, but he blamed it on a busy night at work," she told him.
Sully shook his head. "He hasn't been to work in three days, Maggie." She stood up and grabbed her coat and purse.
"I'm going to go find him. Thank you for telling me, John," she said, kissing him on the cheek before she started to leave.
"Maggie, call me when you find him. Let me know how he is and don't hesitate to tell me if you need me," he said.
"I will, John. I'll call you and let you know how he is. Thanks again," she said and then hurried out the door.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^**
Whoever was there wasn't going away. They'd been knocking relentlessly for the last five minutes. Then he heard it, "Ty Davis, if you're in there, open this door right now. I'll go get the building manager if I have to, but I'm coming in there."
"I'm coming. I'm coming," he called out through the apartment from his bedroom. Carlos had gone to work. The two of them just basically hung around when they weren't working - although Ty had taken the last couple of days off - or was it three. They didn't talk to each other, they just kind of sat around and watched TV.
Ty got up off the bed, walked to the door taking in the lack of neatness of the living room, and opened the door.
Maggie walked in and looked around at the mess. "Ty, are you alright?" she asked him taking in his unshaven, tired appearance. He just shrugged and walked into the kitchen. He opened the refrigerator and took out a carton of orange juice. He looked around and, not finding any clean glasses, opened the carton and drank straight from it.
"Ty Davis, this place is a mess. What's going on? Sully called me and said you hadn't been to work the last couple of days and that he couldn't reach you," she said, starting to straighten up the kitchen.
"Sully called you?" Ty said with irritation. "He should've minded his own business, Mom. I'm fine. I just needed a couple of days off. I'm really tired. I haven't been sleeping."
"Ty, I know all about what happened. You saw what happened to your friend. You were right there. It's understandable to be upset and a little depressed - it's part of the grieving process. But, Alex Taylor would not want you sitting around here feeling sorry for yourself or her, would she?" Maggie admonished.
"What else did Sullivan tell you?" he said, still agitated that he'd butted in.
"What? You think he told me about you and Alex Taylor?" she asked, mocking astonishment. "You really think that I didn't know about the two of you? You really do underestimate me, Ty." Ty just looked at her without saying anything.
"You must think I'm stupid, if you think I didn't notice her holding your hand that night in the hospital when you got shot. You never could hide it from me when you had a girlfriend," she said, poking him in the ribs as she walked by to put some items away that were lying on the counter.
"But, you never said anything," he said in disbelief.
"I figured if it was going to get serious, you'd come and talk to me about it," she said as she filled the sink to wash some dishes. Without looking up at him, she said, "Were you two still seeing each other when she was killed?"
"No," he said, a hurt look coming over his face. "No, we just kind of drifted away from each other after they found her father," he said quietly. She turned off the water and turned to look at him.
"Just kind of left things open and unsaid?" He nodded and she saw the pained look come across his face.
"Oh, Ty. I'm sorry, Baby," she said, moving toward him and wrapping her arms around him. Even though she was shorter than he was, she still provided the comfort he needed right now.
"Mom, I really miss her and I didn't get to say good-bye to her. I thought that we'd always eventually talk things out, but then this happened and it was too late. I waited too long," he said, tears starting down his cheeks. "Now she'll never know," he said as Maggie led him to the couch.
She put her hand on the side of his face after they'd sat down. "Ty, look at me," she said, pulling his face toward her. He looked at her and the pain in his eyes almost broke Maggie's heart.
"Did you see her before she died?" she asked and he nodded. "Did you make eye contact with each other?" He nodded again. "Then she knew, and you both said good-bye to each other," she said, her eyes filling. "You were luckier than me, Ty. I never got to say good-bye to your father. Just be glad that you had that last moment with her," Maggie said and Ty finally let all the feelings he'd kept inside since that day go. Maggie just held him until he finally fell asleep. She put a blanket over him and continued to clean up the apartment while he slept for the first time since the night before it all happened.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
"I'm here with him now, John. He's sleeping. I think he's gonna be okay," Maggie said into the phone. She listened to what Sully said and then said, "Goodnight. And, thanks for calling me John." She hung up the phone and looked over at her sleeping son.
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TBC...
Chapter 3
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Maggie, have you talked to Ty the last couple of days?" asked Sully, trying not to arouse alarm as he sat across from Ty's mother in the diner.
Maggie put her coffee cup down and looked Sully in the eye. "What's going on, John?"
"Probably nothing, but I've been trying to reach him and he doesn't return my calls. He's taken the last couple of days off as lost time," Sully reported. "You heard about what happened to Alex Taylor, right?" he asked her.
"That's the firefighter/paramedic that was with Ty in the hospital room when he got shot, right?" she asked him and he nodded.
"Yes, I did hear. How awful. She seemed like a very nice girl. Ty said that everyone kind of looked out for everyone else around there and that she was one of the guys," Maggie said, remembering back to the night she'd walked into Ty's room and saw the young girl there.
Sully smirked, "Just one of the guys, eh? Well, don't tell him I'm the one that told you, but he thought she was a little more than just one of the guys for a little while," Sully said, smiling at the memory of when he found out that Ty and Alex were 'seeing' each other. They'd been in the RMP and Ty had been in a particularly good mood. He put two and two together from past conversations and figured it out. He'd promised to keep it a secret and he'd kept that promise. "They had something in common; both of their fathers were killed on the job - Alex lost her Dad on 9/11. They found him under the debris of the Towers and he was laid to rest something like 233 days after 9/11."
"What a way to have something in common," Maggie said sadly. Then she grinned a little, "How did he keep that from me. He's never been able to keep his girlfriends from me," she said with a slight chuckle. She paused while they both took a sip of their coffee and the waitress refilled them.
"Well, I don't think they were still together when she died, but I don't think they ever really ended anything either," Sully told her. "It was kind of just hanging between them from what I can gather."
"Oh my God, John. How awful. He must feel terrible. How did he find out about her death?" Maggie asked him with concern.
"He didn't tell you?" Sully responded with surprise. "Maggie, he was there when it happened. He was one of the first to see her right after the explosion. She was cut completely in half by the metal of the car," he told her as gently as anyone could describe the scene. "He went with Kim Zambrano to pick up Alex's mother and bring her to the hospital."
"Oh no," she said with concern. "I better find him and see if he's okay. I haven't talked to him since yesterday. He sounded quiet on the phone, but he blamed it on a busy night at work," she told him.
Sully shook his head. "He hasn't been to work in three days, Maggie." She stood up and grabbed her coat and purse.
"I'm going to go find him. Thank you for telling me, John," she said, kissing him on the cheek before she started to leave.
"Maggie, call me when you find him. Let me know how he is and don't hesitate to tell me if you need me," he said.
"I will, John. I'll call you and let you know how he is. Thanks again," she said and then hurried out the door.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^**
Whoever was there wasn't going away. They'd been knocking relentlessly for the last five minutes. Then he heard it, "Ty Davis, if you're in there, open this door right now. I'll go get the building manager if I have to, but I'm coming in there."
"I'm coming. I'm coming," he called out through the apartment from his bedroom. Carlos had gone to work. The two of them just basically hung around when they weren't working - although Ty had taken the last couple of days off - or was it three. They didn't talk to each other, they just kind of sat around and watched TV.
Ty got up off the bed, walked to the door taking in the lack of neatness of the living room, and opened the door.
Maggie walked in and looked around at the mess. "Ty, are you alright?" she asked him taking in his unshaven, tired appearance. He just shrugged and walked into the kitchen. He opened the refrigerator and took out a carton of orange juice. He looked around and, not finding any clean glasses, opened the carton and drank straight from it.
"Ty Davis, this place is a mess. What's going on? Sully called me and said you hadn't been to work the last couple of days and that he couldn't reach you," she said, starting to straighten up the kitchen.
"Sully called you?" Ty said with irritation. "He should've minded his own business, Mom. I'm fine. I just needed a couple of days off. I'm really tired. I haven't been sleeping."
"Ty, I know all about what happened. You saw what happened to your friend. You were right there. It's understandable to be upset and a little depressed - it's part of the grieving process. But, Alex Taylor would not want you sitting around here feeling sorry for yourself or her, would she?" Maggie admonished.
"What else did Sullivan tell you?" he said, still agitated that he'd butted in.
"What? You think he told me about you and Alex Taylor?" she asked, mocking astonishment. "You really think that I didn't know about the two of you? You really do underestimate me, Ty." Ty just looked at her without saying anything.
"You must think I'm stupid, if you think I didn't notice her holding your hand that night in the hospital when you got shot. You never could hide it from me when you had a girlfriend," she said, poking him in the ribs as she walked by to put some items away that were lying on the counter.
"But, you never said anything," he said in disbelief.
"I figured if it was going to get serious, you'd come and talk to me about it," she said as she filled the sink to wash some dishes. Without looking up at him, she said, "Were you two still seeing each other when she was killed?"
"No," he said, a hurt look coming over his face. "No, we just kind of drifted away from each other after they found her father," he said quietly. She turned off the water and turned to look at him.
"Just kind of left things open and unsaid?" He nodded and she saw the pained look come across his face.
"Oh, Ty. I'm sorry, Baby," she said, moving toward him and wrapping her arms around him. Even though she was shorter than he was, she still provided the comfort he needed right now.
"Mom, I really miss her and I didn't get to say good-bye to her. I thought that we'd always eventually talk things out, but then this happened and it was too late. I waited too long," he said, tears starting down his cheeks. "Now she'll never know," he said as Maggie led him to the couch.
She put her hand on the side of his face after they'd sat down. "Ty, look at me," she said, pulling his face toward her. He looked at her and the pain in his eyes almost broke Maggie's heart.
"Did you see her before she died?" she asked and he nodded. "Did you make eye contact with each other?" He nodded again. "Then she knew, and you both said good-bye to each other," she said, her eyes filling. "You were luckier than me, Ty. I never got to say good-bye to your father. Just be glad that you had that last moment with her," Maggie said and Ty finally let all the feelings he'd kept inside since that day go. Maggie just held him until he finally fell asleep. She put a blanket over him and continued to clean up the apartment while he slept for the first time since the night before it all happened.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
"I'm here with him now, John. He's sleeping. I think he's gonna be okay," Maggie said into the phone. She listened to what Sully said and then said, "Goodnight. And, thanks for calling me John." She hung up the phone and looked over at her sleeping son.
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TBC...