Chapter IV

The summer that never happened

B&W Rick: "I can't get enough of her. . I know I said I'd give her all the time she needs, but by God, this is like torture . ."

Late at night inside Phil Brooks' farm in Mississippi.

It's a gorgeous farm, like a romantic getaway space.

Everyone is having dinner, everyone but Andy who keeps trying to throw away his food whenever Barbara and Lily aren't looking.

"Andrew, we do not throw away food, do you hear me?" Barbara yells when she catches one more of his attempts.

"But I'm not hungry"

Lily takes a look at his son. He's pale and awfully sad.

B&W Lily: "His face tucked in his arms, like that. . God he looks like Rick, when he's sad! . . I can understand him. . I mean it must be awful to spend summer vacations with 2 sisters, of which one totally ignores his existence, my mother who keeps yammering at all times, a single aunt, a grandfather who keeps trying to turn him Jewish and who hates his father and myself. . I know where he rather be right now, and honestly, I'd rather be there to."

"Sweetie, it's ok, you can leave it." Lily tells him with a smile.

"Lily this child. ."

"Mom, why don't you let me and his father worry about him, I mean at least leave me my son, because up until now you have taken full charge of Grace and Zoe, so he's all I have left."

"Elizabeth Manning, don't talk to your mo. ." Phil tries to warn Lily, but Lily gets up from the table and turns her attention back to her son.

"Sweetie, come on"

They move upstairs, leaving Phil and Barbara speechless, angrily staring at her, and Grace rolling her eyes.

"Where's my dad, I want to go home, I hate this place, it scares me!" He tells Lily as she picks him up.

"Oh. . boy. . you're getting big. We'll still be here for another week. Hang on, it'll be quick. One week's already gone"

Outside in his car Rick waits a little longer after the last light of Phil's farm is off to walk out of his car.

He smiles to himself imagining Lily's face in a few minutes when she sees him. He can't wait to see her. He knows he has promised her he would be a nice boy and stay home, but after the last phone call, it was obvious she was dying to see him and he himself couldn't bare to wait another week.

He grabs a few small stones from the floor and starts throwing them on Lily's window.

Lily had only minutes ago laid her head on her pillow she could not believe what was happening. Plus who would do that? Who would throw stones on her window at midnight. It had been such along time since the last person did that, Lily had been 18 and was about leave to Chicago to go to college.

B&W Lily: "Robbie Howard. . that was the last one"

Lily opens the window and looks down, not really believing her eyes.

"I thought you'd never open" Rick smiles.

"How did you. .? What are you. .?" Lily can't believe it yet. Rick standing there, smiling at her.

"Can I come up?"

Lily nods still in disbelieve.

He climbs up the trees and the fence to Lily's window, where with her help he gets in.

Lily smiles at him as he stands in front of her. Than she kisses him, passionately.

"I can't believe you came here!" She states, not being able to hide her happiness and running her hands through his shirt, feeling the tight muscles underneath it.

"I couldn't wait another day. I had to see you, at least for a few hours." He answers planting small kisses on her neck.

"God,. . where did you come from?" She grabs him falling in bed with him on top.

Though she rolls over landing on top of him. Her legs kneel on both sides of Rick. She throws her hair back to gaze him hungrily.

"I'm going to show you just how worthy I am" She smiles at him.

Rick can't believe his great luck.

B&W Rick: "This is my fantasy. . have her take charge and do everything I love"

Lily's teeth start working on his shirt, allowing her tongue to play with every skinned revealed, while her hands works to unbuckle his belt.

Rick is lost in heaven, a bomb could have dropped down and they wouldn't care as long as they stayed in that moment, in that night.

Lily granted his every wish, his every fantasy, having his strong arms hold her tight to himself as a response.

That night, just like the first they just couldn't get enough of each other, it was one touch, one kiss to send them back to the animal selves and grab one another. Both made sure to please the other with every desire they had and hit paradise far more than once.

B&W Lily: "The way he knows my body. . the way he knows everything it needs, the way he holds me tight, turning our bodies into one . . Best lover I have ever had. It's a touch and I'm in paradise."

B&W Rick: "Her body is a wonderland, I feel like I have to discover every inch of skin in it, find every secret hidden in it. And God she does the same to me, . . I mean I have never had a woman who knew exactly where to touch me to drive me wild"

Inside his room, Andrew tried hard to fall asleep, but he couldn't.

He lays awake in bed petrified of every sound he hears. He tries to calm himself down remembering what his mom once told me that the noises were made because the wood was old and so every movement on the floor could be easily heard. But Grace had once told him that Mississippi was the land of the ghosts.

He gets up and turns every light in his room on. He knows he's mom is going to notice it and walk downstairs. She always does. Andy sits there for about 15 minutes waiting, but nothing, no sign of Lily.

He remembers a story Rick once told him about a guy who raced his horse to scare away his fears and he has an idea.

He grabs his riding things from his closet and walks out of the house to the stables.

Having had been there at least once a year since he was born, he has by now learned how Lily prepares her horse to go riding. He so opens the door to where Lily's horse, Lightning is and carefully pushes the horse outside.

Inside the house. Spent, now Lily and Rick lay awake snuggled together, with no knowledge of what their son is about to do.

A thick rain starts to fall, and the clouds make it impossible to look out of the window.

"What time is it?" Lily asks in a tired mumble.

"5:30"

"How long can you stay for?"

"Are you kidding? I better leave before your dad catches me here" He answers.

"God, this is like high school" They both laugh.

Outside on the stormy weather, Andy has managed to climb the horse and riding the horse outside the stables.

Rick attempts to get out of bed.

"No, stay, please." Lily holds him back, "They don't wake up until 9:00, I swear"

"Fine, another hour, than I close my toy boy business"

"Toy boy, I need you to hold me"

"That's an easy job"

"Rick?"

"Lily!"

"Leave your shirt"

"I'll leave my shirt."

Lightning, Lily's horse races through the fields, Andy has lost control of the horse. He tries to stop, he tries to cry for help, but the horse keeps racing, like it had never before. Andy looses grip and starts crying. He can't see a thing ahead of him.

Lily sits in bed with a funny feeling in her stomach.

B&W Lily: "Since Grace was born I have gained my sixth sense, which is to know exactly when one of my children is in trouble. And right now. . I have a feeling Andy's in trouble,. . No that's silly, he's in bed."

Rick gets out of bed and sits by the window. He tries to clean the window to be able to see outside.

B&W Rick: "Call me crazy but there's something not right. . And I think it's Andy!"

"What?" Lily asks noticing Rick's worry.

"I don't know, you?"

"Don't know."

Suddenly Rick sees something. He presses his eyes to try and see it better, Lily's horse is racing it's way out of the farm with what looks to be Andy on top.

He moves faster than he has ever before, putting on his clothes.

"Andy" He tells Lily, though there's no need for another word, Lily hurries even faster than Rick.

They race out of the house in a flash. Climbing into Rick's car to be able to catch them faster.

"Rick, I don't have a good feeling"

"Me neither" They look at each other with fear in their eyes.

"I'll be ok." Rick tries.

Though the horse has left the farm, Andy doesn't raise his face from the horse's neck. His eyes shut, he cries like a baby, calling out for his mother.

"RICK!!!" Lily shrieks in fear as a truck with a loud horn hits the horse throwing Andy back far away from there to land with his head on the floor, knocked out.

In the blink of the second Rick stops the car and flashes out to look for his son, Lily follows.

The truck stops and the driver races out himself.

Rick finds Andy knocked down, with blood around him. Rick's happy to see it isn't from the boy's head. Because Andy's wearing the hat and there's no sign of blood there.

He goes down to check on Andy's pulse. And catches a glimpse of Lily frozen at the sight, panicked.

"Lil, snap back, Lily, come on. Lily call 911!"

With one blink and a head shake she snaps back and hurries back to the car to do as she was told.

The driver reaches Rick.

"Is he all right? The horse is dead,. . I'm sorry, I didn't thing there could be someone out here at this time and certainly not at that speed."

" His weak, I don't think there's time to wait for the ambulance" The driver gets the clue and helps Rick to pick up Andy trying hard to move him as less as possible.

Lily sits on the back seat with Andy while Rick drives off as fast as he can.

20 minutes later at the hospital:

"I called Judy. She'll be here with everyone else as soon as they can"

Lily tells Rick as she approaches him.

He doesn't really care, but listens. He takes her in his arms, holding her tight. Lily leans her head on his chest and cries herself out.

B&W Rick "have you ever had your worse fear realized? . . I'm living my personal nightmare. . My son. ." he cries out loud.

B&W Lily: She can't talk! The tears have taken over her. "My baby. . God, please don't take him like this. ."

"I shouldn't have come here. I should have stayed in Chicago with him. He didn't want to come . . I insisted. .why did I do that? I'm an idiot, how could I. ."

"Lily, this is not your fault! It was an accident, how could you possibly imagine that he would decide to ride a horse in the middle of the night and be hit by a truck? You brought him here because you don't want him to be a plain city boy who has no knowledge of true nature. The only question that comes to my mind that we should be asking ourselves to understand this is what the hell went through his mind to do that?"

H holds her even tighter. Somehow the embrace comforts them both and they can't get away from it.

Later everybody is at the hospital waiting for the doctors to give them any news about Andy's situation.

Phil is not at all happy to see Rick there and specially not pleased to learn that Rick had spend the night with his daughter. But under the circumstances Phil respects they pain both Rick and Lily are going through and decides not to discuss it any further. He's sure though he will discuss it later with Lily.

Grace and Zoe try to call out for Lily's attention by fighting with each other every minute, but Lily couldn't care less, right now. Her thoughts are consumed with her son and flashes of memories keep running through her mind putting her in a melancholic state. Rick keeps trying to comfort Lily, but at moments he needs to let Judy take care of that in order to be able to breathe outside for a second, which means he cries himself out. Barbara and Phil keep taking turns to look after the girls in order to take them a little away from Lily.

About 1 hour after everyone had been at the hospital the doctor finally comes to talk to them.

"Mr Sammler, Mrs Manning . . I'm not going to lie to you Andy's situation is serious. He has been through a very difficult operation and although he has responded well, he's still not awake. So we don't know what the consequences are. Which makes it more difficult to report what the healing process will be like. It might be that he has no consequences at all, but it also can mean that he will never walk again or has lost memory. . or in a more severe condition stays in the state of coma for years... . but since he's responded so well to the operation my opinion is that it won't take him more than 1 or 2 months to be back at home" He tries to smooth it all with this last sentence but doesn't manage it much. He goes on "I wouldn't allow anyone inside yet, but since he's only 5 I suggest you two stay in there with him. Try to talk, to let him know you're there. Remind him of things in his life, read stories . . is very likely that he's listening to you."

Rick and Lily enter the room, though one look at her son lying with tubes and wires attached to him, Lily couldn't bare it.

B&W Lily: "Seeing him lying there, helpless and needing us more than he had ever needed . . it sunk my heart. . . My baby . . the one I gave birth to . . suddenly could be taken away from me and I wasn't able to stop it.. . It's a nightmare."

She left the room to cry herself out and only came back with Judy by her side and after she thought to be strong enough to handle it.

Both sisters froze as they listen to Rick talking to his son. Tears rolling down his eyes and holding his son's hand in his.

"Daddy's so proud of you. I need you to know that for whatever happens with you from now on. I need you to know that you were the greatest gift daddy ever got . . and you in your innocent way brought along the most amazing person I have ever dreamed of loving, your mom. I wouldn't and couldn't dream of a life without you two . . my most prized possessions. . . and . . you have to get better . .because we still need to become a real family . ."

"and we couldn't do it without you" Lily finishes for Rick. From the other side of her son. They smile at each other.

For the next month Rick and Lily take turns staying with their son or simply just stay together. They do exactly what they were told to by the doctor, they read stories, tell Andy everything they can remember from the day he was born describing every little thing of that specific day.

"How long do you think he'll be like this?" Lily asks when Rick hugs her after another long day at that hospital's room.

"I don't know. . but I know he'll come back" He kisses her forehead.

They stay hugged for a lung time. Lily playing with Rick's fingers tangled with hers.

"He's getting the shape of your hand."

Rick tries to take a better look at his son's hands. "You're right. My body to"

The take a minute looking at their son, and it happens.

Andy's feet move out of the blankets to showing themselves out of the end of the bed.

Seeing the move they both come closer to his face.

"Andy! Sweetie, can you hear us?" Rick tries.

"Andy? Are you playing?"

Andrew shuts his eyes open and manages a large smile.

Both parents can't help but to smile at him.

"My baby" Lily plants small kisses on the boy's face.

Rick stops for a moment to adore the image, his eyes fill with tears.