(Sorry it's taken forever to update! Hope this extra long chapter makes up for it.)

Chapter 8: Lifesaver

"Hello. Dad?" Ephram spoke earnestly into his cell phone calmly disguising the anxiety in his voice. An uneasy feeling twisted his stomach into tight knots. Something uncontrollable was happening to him. He felt like Dr.Jekyll turning into Mr. Hyde.

"Ephram. Hi! How's your first day back at school going?" Andy's cheery voice came on the other end of the line. His father didn't register the turmoil that lingered in his son's tone. Ephram paused trying to hold back the giant ball of tears in his eyes ready to give way. A lumpy knot irritated his parched throat. The seams of hope, which he hung so dearly onto, were gradually bursting one by one. It was too agonizing and hurtful to hold it in any longer.

"Dad!!" Ephram sobbed. The flood of tears came making his stifled sobs more noticeable.

"Ephram? What's wrong?" Andy asked cautiously catching the stifled sobs.

"I'm sorry to bother you, dad. I know you're very busy at work and everything but I just needed to hear your voice." Ephram blurted in despair.

"It's no bother at all. I was waiting for your call actually. Why are you crying?" Andy shifted attentively in his black leather executive chair. If only Andy knew the severity of Ephram's situation.

Ephram tried to control the breathtaking hiccups from his sobbing. He didn't know what to say. Perhaps calling his father was a mistake after all. Somehow, the events that led up to this point now seemed stupid and puerile.

"I don't know. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. I shouldn't have called you." Ephram's voice shook hoping his father wouldn't turn him away.

"No, no. Wait! Don't hang up. I told you that you could call me anytime, anywhere. Besides, getting a call from you is the highlight of my day." Andy sensed the fragility in his son's voice. "You don't know how dull it gets here sometimes. I can't say business is booming."

Ephram sniffled and moved his position on the pebbled concrete block slightly when the coldness of the stones penetrated thru his jeans. He watched the foamy white clouds roll casually across the clear blue sky above. Wild geese echoed each other's squawk as they flew overhead in a neat triangular squadron. Their peculiar formation made an arrow in the sky. * This way * they pointed and flew passed the horizon with the clouds on their wings.

"You sound upset. Why don't you tell me what's wrong?" Andy said after a pause. The additional silence prompted Andy to keep talking. "Ephram, say something. Anything."

Ephram tried biting his lip to refrain from bawling but once he let that one sob go, it was very difficult to control whatever came after. His cries were so heavy that it brought both misery and concern to Andy's heart. It was a thousand knives through Andy's soul. Never had he heard a child's sobbing contain so much poignancy. He had yet to discover Ephram's atrocious intentions.

"Did something happen at school?" Andy took a wild guess.

"What does it matter? They all treat me like a freak anyway." Ephram slobbered all over his silver-coated Motorola cell phone.

"Tell me what happened." Andy persisted. Except for an occasional snort to suck in the nasal drip, there was silence from Ephram on the line. "Ephram, calm down. Tell me. I really want to know."

"I hate 'em. I hate every single one of them. They just stare and gape at me as if I'm some sort of creature out of a horror movie. When I wheel myself down the hall I see them scatter to one side like they were afraid I might accidentally roll over their toes. They dart their eyes and whisper about me. People who never even gave me the time of day last year came up to me and asked me how I was and that they've read about the bus accident in the Everwood Gazette. In Chemistry class, five people offered to be my lab partner. Last year, nobody volunteered to be my bio lab partner - heck - no one would touch me with a ten feet pole let alone be my lab partner. It was like I had leprosy or something. In the end, I did just fine dissecting that frog by myself. I know they suddenly treat me nice not because they liked me but they do it because they felt guilty for the kid in the wheelchair." Ephram heaved.

"Gym, Dad. Gym is the worst." Ephram continued before his father could reply. "Tell me it's not hard for someone like me to be in a class where participation counts. Everyone's playing ball but lucky me, I get to display myself by the bleachers while they look at me with their sorry-ass faces. Even Coach Williams look at me all weird. I know he's always hated my guts back then and a class didn't go by without him getting in a word or two about how puny I am. So I said to his face, "What's the matter meathead? Don't know what to say to a handicap?" And he just patted me on the back and smiled. He used to make me run laps around the gym for pissing him off, which is most of the time. What can he make me do now? Nothing. That's the answer - nothing. In fact, all the teachers give me the special treatment like I'm terminally ill. I don't want to be golden like Colin - I only want to be normal. Why can't I JUST be normal?" Ephram rambled.

"Honey, you're jumping ahead of yourself. Why don't you start from the very beginning and tell me everything." Andy said as he leaned back on this chair and put his feet up on his desk.

"I don't know if it matters anymore dad. It all sounds really stupid about now." Ephram let his feet dangle aimlessly over the edge.

"It's not stupid. Ephram, it does matter. You matter. I know it's hard, but that's what I'm here for - to help you. I can't speak for everyone but I do know that it's just as much a shock for you as it is for them. And you're right. Guilt may have something to do with it but you can't hold it against them. While half the town people were out enjoying their summer vacations, you were confined to a hospital bed and in pain 90% of the time. Truth is, we all feel a bit guilty you had to go thru it. But you pulled through. You survived the unthinkable." Andy reasoned.

"I keep telling myself that things will get better and that I'm so close to walking again. Lies. All lies." Ephram wept some more.

"No, no, no. Baby. They are not lies at all." Andy soothed. "You ARE getting better everyday."

Pause.

"Ephram, maybe I was wrong to make you go back to school so soon. But the reason why I did was because you were doing so well with your rehab and things were finally starting to look promising. Do you remember two weeks ago - that chair exercise, when Marla told you to try extending your leg out and you couldn't? But now you could!! Wow, think about it Ephram - you've mastered it in two weeks where most people would need at least a month of rehab to get as far as you have." Andy pointed out.

Another pause.

"I'm so lost." Ephram finally whimpered and ran a nervous hand thru his hair. He leaned the back of his head against a mossy thick wooden beam behind him. Ephram gazed into the blue sky with pleading eyes as if in search for God to send an angel to come save him. His tears flowed out of his eyes again.

"Then let me be the one to find you Ephram." Andy didn't get a response. All he heard was his son's continued sobbing. "Look, you get off from school in an hour, don't you?" Andy glanced at his watch. "Why don't I pick you up and we'll talk over a chocolate float at the Dairy Queen? It'll just be the two of us. Delia will hate us for excluding her out of ice cream but she'll just have to deal with it this time."

Edna whirled into his office without knocking and waved her hands frantically trying to get Andy's attention. He guessed his dedicated nurse was trying to tell him he's got a patient waiting for him. Andy, with his feet still on his desk, pointed to his cell phone and shook his head motioning to Edna that it was an important call. All her "But Andy's" were cut short when he waved her away. Unsuccessful at getting Andy to listen, Edna hurried back to her desk in a frustrated huff.

Silence.

"Well Ephram, what do you say? I'll pick you up by the side exit. Cool?" Andy asked again.

"Dad, I'm not at the school right now." Ephram choked on his sobs. "I left." Shocked and worried, Andy took his feet off his desk and straightened his posture.

"WHAT? Where are you? Does anyone know you're gone?" Andy exclaimed a little too loudly. A thousand menacing thoughts ran thru Andy's mind.

"No, I didn't tell anyone. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you worry. I had to get away. I needed to get away." Ephram wiped the tears off his cheeks with the sleeve of his coat. "No one understands. It's my problem -"

"No Ephram, it's not your problem. It's OUR problem. We are in it together." Andy responded as Edna rushed into his office again. Only this time she flashed a yellow legal pad in front of Andy with "THE SCHOOL CALLED - EPHRAM'S MISSING" scrawled with a thick black magic marker. Andy nodded, pointed to his cell phone, and mouthed the word "Ephram" to Edna. "Are you at home?" Andy spoke into his phone.

"No." Ephram replied with a shaky voice. Andy stormed out his office. Edna watched him worriedly as he paced around the foyer several times before finally grabbing his coat off the coat rack and headed out the door.

"Please son, tell me where you are." With his cell phone glued to his ear, Andy slid into his car and started the ignition.

"Why do I do these things?" Ephram grunted in anger. "Please forgive me, dad. I'm such a screw up." He sobbed. "I hate myself."

"Ephram, don't talk like that. You're not a screw up. You are a good son."

"You're wrong. If I were a good son, I wouldn't put you through so much grief. I've been a jerk from day one - I did things to spite you no matter how kind or right you were. And now, I've really out done myself. With my ass stuck in a wheelchair, you've got your hands full. And all those mean things I said to you. Dad, I said I hated you and wanted you to go to hell. What good son would say those things to his own father???" Ephram paused for breath and a chance to wipe his face with his sleeve again. "And still, you treat me so well. Sometimes I think I don't deserve your love."

"You are a teenager - I expected you to be difficult. Nobody said it would be easy. Rebellion is a part of being a teenager. And don't be so hard on yourself. When people are pissed off, they often tend to say things they don't mean. I don't hold any of it against you cause I know you didn't mean it. If it'll make you feel any better, I called you a bastard during one of our arguments - which is pretty stupid because if I'm calling you a bastard, then I'm really calling myself a bastard since we're related. I say we call it even." Andy said.

"I felt so awful right now. So confused and messed up. I only want the hurting to stop." Ephram shivered as the winds picked up. "It hurts so bad."

'Hurt?! What did he mean by that?! Hurt - as in the literal sense or non- literal sense? What has he done?' Andy's mind panicked.

He knew about Ephram's suicidal thoughts when things got bad. Morbid thoughts and worse case scenarios rendered Andy's troubled mind. Has Ephram hurt himself? What if he's sitting somewhere with his wrists slit bleeding profusely while the life slowly drained out of his body? Or what if he overdosed on pills and would be a matter of time before the drugs kicked in? Knowing all the possibilities that could occur with Ephram's current condition made Andy nervous. He was in agony to know what was going on at the other end of his phone line. But what was he supposed to do? He wanted to come right out and ask the boy what he'd done.

"Ephram, where are you?!" Andy cried. He regretted ever having made the decision for his son to go back to school so soon. "Please tell me where you are!! Please!!"

'Ephram was in a wheelchair - he couldn't have gone far.' Andy thought to himself.

A tear slid down Ephram's chalky face. The air, which he breathed in, was crisp and minty. It was the first sign that old man winter was nearing. He inhaled a deep breath of this pleasant, unpolluted Rocky Mountain air. It was especially refreshing and cleansed his lungs making him feel new again. He admired the rustic autumn hues of red, orange, and yellow treetops swaying in a gentle motion to resemble a massive plush carpet rolling down the mountainside. He was able to see everything from the altitude where he sat. Mother Nature was there to comfort him.

"Hello? Ephram? You there? Are you ok?" Andy called upon hearing his son's heavy sigh.

"I'm here." Ephram replied coldly. "Life is fair to everyone except me."

'Ok Andy, whatever you do - stay calm. Calling me was Ephram's cry for help. He doesn't want to die. If he did, he wouldn't have called.' Andy coaxed himself into thinking. 'But oh my God!! He's started talking about life not being fair. What is this subject leading to??? I HAVE to find out where he is.' Andy thought.

"Why is this happening to me? Why? What horrible thing did I do to deserve this? Does this have something to do with mom?" Ephram's sobs became louder. "Was it because of me that she died? Was it my fault?"

"Your mother's death had absolutely nothing to do with you. Why would you even think that???" Andy exclaimed with fear in his eyes.

"It's the only logical explanation I can think of." Tears blinded his vision. "All because of a dumb suit for my piano recital! She insisted on picking up my gray suit from the dry cleaners. I told her it wasn't necessary and that I could wear something else, but she liked the way that particular suit fit on me. She decided I had to look perfect for the recital. I could've stopped her from going into the car, but I didn't. I let her die. That's why God is punishing me, isn't it?" He blubbered while quickly wiping his tears away from his red, swollen eyes.

"No. No. No. Ephram - it was raining hard that night and the roads were slippery. Besides, nothing you could've said or done would've changed your mother's mind. Once she has an idea stamped in her head, she won't let it go of it until it's done." Andy's heart pounded and his head spun. He couldn't believe what he'd just heard. Never in a million years would he even suspect Ephram blamed himself for Julia's death. "It's not your fault. Please listen to me. It's NOT your fault."

"I hate being like this. I don't know what to do with myself." Ephram tasted the salty tears that had fallen on his lips. "Sometimes. Sometimes, I want to die." He stared at a tiny black spider moving with elegance and rhythm as it speedily crawled in between the eroded crevices of the old pebbled blocks. The spider's fine, thread-like legs reminded him of delicate violin strings.

'God no! Don't even go there, boy.' Andy thought wildly as his worst nightmare unraveled.

"I'm afraid I might do it one day." Ephram sobbed. He wiped the mucus that was dripping onto his lips. His eyes were blood shot and swollen to the point where it looked like he'd been crying for days straight. "My heart is so full of pain. I want it to stop. I do." He bawled.

"I know you're hurting. I want to help you. Why won't you tell me where you are?"

'Because dad. Because I wanted so bad to end my miserable life.' Ephram's thoughts trailed off. He just couldn't bring himself to saying it out loud.

The pause felt eternal.

"Son, did you plan on doing something?" Andy hesitated before asking this question. He was afraid he already knew the answer.

Ephram sobbed at the question asked of him. His father had read his mind. He had a hidden agenda, but he wasn't sure he could go through with it now. It was a constant tug-of-war between boundaries and the rope was getting thinner and thinner. On one end was the relief from all pain and anger, and on the other end was his family's devoted love for him. He was torn between his selfish wants and his family's needs. Death teased him - it was an easy way out. But love was strong and binding and made life worth living for. His father made him feel wanted and valuable but most of all - needed.

"I'm so ashamed." Ephram muttered through chokes. Andy took this reply as an automatic 'yes.'

"Don't be. Everyone has a vulnerable moment. Things are going to be fine." Andy tried to suppress the fear. "Please Ephram, tell me where you are and I'll come get you."

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Ephram repeated partly to his father and partly to himself. "I didn't mean to. I was just thinking of it. Thinking and doing are two totally different things. I know I was bad to think of it, but it seemed like such a good idea in the beginning - I dunno, like a door number 2, an alternative. I don't expect you to understand at all and I-I know you try so hard to - But I really wasn't going to do anything - honest!" He babbled on.

He heard a noise that sounded like someone stepping on twigs. He glanced around to see who had discovered his secret hiding place. Turns out, it was no one. It was the creaking sounds of old rotted wooden beams that held the place together when the wind blew. It was unreasonable for anyone to be there this time of year anyway. The place had been abandoned and left un- kept for what seemed like years. The slosh of the swelling water beneath him crashed against the jagged rocks as the tide came in. It was saying, "I'm hungry. Let me swallow you" in Ephram's mind. "Jump kid, jump. They won't find you for days. Maybe the current would deliver your body right into the hungry mouths of piranhas, where they will strip what little meat you have left on your whimpy bones. Go on you worthless, good for nothing speck of fly spit." Ephram squeezed his eyes shut to block out the evil voice. He whimpered and sobbed in anger.

"It's so horrible. Horrible." Ephram whined and covered his eyes with his hands. Sucking in too much of the brisk air and sobbing made him nauseous.

"Ephram-" Andy pleaded. "Son? Please. I understand you completely. I love you too much Ephram. You can't do this to yourself! You can't!!" Andy listened to his son's desperate cries. "Tell me where you are - I'll take you home."

Those last few words vibrated in Ephram's head. Home. Home was the only place where he felt secure. It may be just four walls but those four walls protected him from any contact with the outside. Those very walls housed his family, his things, and his hope. It sheltered him from pain and heartache. He needed to feel safe again.

"I'll take you home." Andy repeated. "Please."

Ephram did want to go home. It sounded very comforting, besides he felt lousy. Home wasn't such a bad idea after all. Ephram decided it was time to give up his secret location.

"I'm - I'm at the bridge." Ephram murmured through sobs.

"The bridge?!" Andy's pulse raced. 'Good God, the boy was going to push himself off a bridge.' He thought.

But which bridge?! As far as Andy knew, there were four different bridges in Everwood. Andy thought for a moment. There was no background noise from Ephram's side of the phone, which meant it wasn't the Madison Bridge over Springs River. The Madison Bridge was ultimately a busy area with high vehicle activity. And out of process of elimination and the distance that Ephram was able to wheel himself to, there was only one bridge that came to mind. "You mean the Old Miles Bridge?" Andy asked.

"That's the one." Ephram replied.

"Stay put. I'm on my way." Andy pulled out of the parking space and sped down the street.

The Old Miles was just a few blocks within driving distance away from the school. The old wooden bridge was a short bridge of a few miles, which ran over Elk River. It'd been unused and abandoned for as long as the townspeople could remember. Since the Madison Bridge was erected, there was no use left for this rickety old wood-planked bridge, which was beyond repair and everyone was just waiting for it to collapse of old age. However, in the spring and summer, kids often came with their rods and bait, and fished off the middle of that old bridge. And from what Andy's heard, there are some good-sized porgies that could be caught there.

"Dad?" The boy called weakly as a gust of brisk air swept the bridge.

"Yea, son. I'm here." Andy swerved in an out of lanes trying to beat the traffic and reach Ephram before he did anything foolish. The thought did cross Andy's mind of the possibility that Ephram might have already done something to himself. He didn't have to jump off a bridge to commit suicide. There were a million other ways to end one's life and Andy could only guess what was happening with his son right then. Regardless, Andy had to keep the boy talking.

"Are you mad at me?" Ephram asked. The cold, pebbled stones of the block under his jeans made his legs frigid. With a little effort, he managed to pull each knee up to his chest with his hand. He hugged his knees with his free arm to generate some warmth.

"Mad at you? Of course not!! It would've been nice if you told me first that you wanted to hang out at the old bridge before going there by yourself." Andy tried to focus on his driving while talking on his cell phone simultaneously. It wasn't easy when the conversation was this intense with the limitation of one hand on the steering wheel and the other holding the phone. It was like rubbing your stomach and patting your head at the same time.

"Sorry. I n-needed a breath of f-fresh air." Ephram's teeth chattered audibly from the coldness by the water.

"Son? You ok?" Andy braked at the traffic light when the light suddenly turned yellow then red. He tapped his fingers on the leather strapping of the steering wheel impatiently waiting for the green light to appear.

"Hmm? J-just kinda c-cold." Ephram breathed.

Andy couldn't tell if his son was suffering from some self-inflicted injury or if he really was just cold. "Do you have your coat on?" He asked. The second the traffic light turned green he pressed hard on the gas pedal making tire tracks on the street.

"Yea. I should've w-worn a warmer coat. Brrrr." Ephram stuck his hands inside his cuff.

"You left your Brooklyn sweatshirt in the car here. Maybe that would help." Andy offered.

Preoccupied with talking to Ephram, he forgot to come to a complete stop at a stop sign. A blue sedan came out of nowhere and nearly sideswiped Andy's car. He slammed on the brakes as the traction on his tires made a sharp screech. His cell phone almost flew out of his hand. Luckily, the sedan missed Andy's car by an inch but the idea of almost colliding with the car gave Andy goose bumps. It could've been a serious accident. God was watching over him that day. Andy's first New York instinct was to scream on the top of his lungs every possible cuss word made known to mankind and to top it off with the infamous middle finger, even though it was initially his fault. But he remembered he wasn't in New York. People in good ol' Mapletown, USA - Everwood were polite. He stuck his head out the window and yelled "Sorry about that sir!" with an apologetic smile and an amiable wave of his hand. He quickly continued his way to the Old Miles Bridge.

"Ephram - you still there?" Andy cradled the phone between his ear and shoulder as he wiped the sweat off the palm of his hand on his trousers.

"Yea. What was that all about?" Ephram asked curiously.

"Uh - oh nothing." Andy said innocently. "Um, almost ran over some guy's dog." He didn't have the heart to tell his son he was almost in a car accident after Ephram blamed himself for Julia's car wreck. "So, you hungry? Wanna grab a snack?" Andy changed the subject.

"Not really. I'm not hungry." Ephram answered. He wanted to straighten his legs and pull himself back onto the inside of the bridge where his wheelchair was. But his legs were too cold and weak to allow him any favorable movement. He would need both hands to grab onto the nearest beam and pull his body slowly out. One hand holding the cell phone made it quite difficult.

"What? Nonsense. You're always hungry. What are you - fasting?" Andy tried to lighten the conversation. "How about some fries or cheese nachos?"

"Please don't talk about food. I don't think my stomach can handle the thought of it right now." Ephram said. The queasy feeling in his stomach still had not subsided yet.

"What's wrong?" Andy tensed up.

"Stomach's not cooperating with me today." Ephram replied. "Must've ate something bad."

"What do you mean by that?" Andy blurted unwittingly. His hair stood on end with the eagerness of finding out Ephram's condition.

"Nothing."

"Ephram, are you not telling me something I need to know?" Andy said in a concerned fatherly tone. "Tell me it's not what I think you did. What did you eat?" Andy demanded. He meant to say, 'what kind of pills did you take?' but refrained from saying those exact words.

Andy's shiny hunter green Range Rover pulled up to the Old Miles Bridge. He stepped out of the car in a hurry.

"Ephram, I'm at the Bridge. But I don't see you." Andy said into his phone as he scanned the area before him anxiously. He studied the place more carefully and spotted Ephram's empty iGlide by the metal railing. He had expected to see his son in the wheelchair. His eyes widened.

As soon as Andy approached the wheelchair, he noticed a slight movement on the outside ledge of the bridge. He ventured a closer look and the first thing he noticed was a black coat sleeve, then a blue denim pant leg, then a black sneaker, and finally a head of black hair. His heart nearly stopped when he saw Ephram huddled against the cold beam of wood, which hid his small frame too well. Andy snapped his cell phone shut and placed it into his coat pocket.

"Ephram! I found you. Turn around." Andy called out to get his son's attention. The boy turned his head to see his father waving at him. Ephram pocketed his cell phone. "Son! I'm coming!!" Andy yelled. He wondered how Ephram managed to pull himself into that position. Ephram obviously didn't know how dangerous it was - one false move and he could hurl himself over the bridge willingly or not.

Andy took a step onto the old beam that stood in between the pebbled block ledge and the inner metal rail. For a man who was afraid of heights, this was a big challenge. It was a long way down and his knees were rubbery. But he had to put all his fears aside and save his son. As soon as he set a foot on the beam, the wood made a loud cracking noise - like the noise a tree makes before it falls over. This forced Andy to retreat back onto the inside of the bridge.

"Dad!!" Ephram exclaimed.

"I'm too heavy. Both our weights will bring the beam down. You are going to have to pull yourself over so I can reach you." Andy instructed.

Ephram released the hold on his knees and moved his legs so they were parallel to his body. He rolled onto his stomach and reached for the wooden beam above him to gain some leverage.

"Easy now. Careful." Andy coached while grabbing the rusted metal railing with both hands. The flaky rust rubbed off against his palms the color of burnt orange. It smelled heavily of iron. His heart pounded violently against his chest.

Ephram's hold on the wood beam slipped forcing his torso to be thrown forward onto the pebbled block. His face smacked against the cold stones and left him dazed for a few seconds. Andy let out an uncontrollable shriek as he witnessed this nerve-racking attempt. Ephram shook his head and rubbed his cheek where it came into contact with the cold hard surface. A tiny rock had fallen into the river making circular ripples as it hit the water.

"Are you alright??" Andy hollered.

"Hmm? Yea. I think so." Ephram squinted to focus.

"Reach for my hand." Andy hollered. He extended his hand as far out as he could. He tried desperately to reach for his son.

Ephram tried to grab the wood beam a second time to pull himself closer to Andy's hand. He willed his legs to move and much to his surprise, they obeyed. It was just a little push but it worked. He stretched out his hand and was able to touch Andy's fingertips.

"A little more." Andy reached. "OK, I got you. Hold on!" Andy grabbed his hand. He took him by the back of the coat and hoisted him up by the waist onto the middle of the bridge.

"Are you ok?" Andy cried in distress. He frantically searched every inch of Ephram's body for injuries. He checked Ephram's wrists and felt his limbs and torso for any signs of hurt. Ephram obediently watched his father examine him. Once Andy was satisfied with his findings, he pulled the boy to his feet and held him in a tight hug by the waist. He cared so much for him.

"Oh Dad!!" Ephram's voice cracked as he burst into tears and threw his arms around his father's neck. He sobbed tenderly into his shoulder. Andy flung him around like a giant soft ragged doll in his arms refusing to let go. Ephram would fall to the ground easily should his father release his grasp.

"Ephram, baby, tell me you didn't hurt yourself. Did you take anything?" Andy said thru hot blinding tears.

"No, dad. I didn't. I didn't." Ephram repeated truthfully. He clung to his father neglecting his constantly falling tears.

"Are you sure? You wouldn't be lying to me, now would you?" Andy sighed and squeezed his son tighter.

"I swear. I didn't take any pills. I promise." He sobbed.

"You had me so scared." Andy kissed his son's ear and continued to hold onto the boy.

"I don't want to go to school. Please don't make me go back!!" Ephram squalled. "I can't go back."

"Whatever you want, baby. Whatever you want. Don't try this again. If something happened to you, I would never forgive myself." Andy heaved.

"Please don't tell Nina. Don't tell anyone about this!!" Ephram begged. Sobs shook his body.

"I won't but she's going to find out sooner or later. She's a smart woman."

"I'm sorry dad!!" Ephram yelled as the tears continued their journey down his cheeks and onto Andy's coat. "So sorry!!" Ephram repeated over and over through heart wrenching sobs. "I won't do it again!"

"I know. Ssshhh. Its ok." Andy lulled. "Don't cry. It's ok."

The embrace lasted for a long while. Andy's arms grew tired from holding up Ephram's weight but he didn't care. He would hold him forever if he had to and never allow any harm come to his precious child. Ephram had no choice but to hang on. His legs would never hold him up. Besides, he didn't mind the paternal display of affection. It was convenient that no one was around to witness it and tease him about being a "daddy's boy."

"Uh, dad?" Ephram mumbled softly. A nauseous sensation developed in the pit of his stomach. The saliva in his mouth gave a sharp acid taste.

"Yea, buddy?"

"I-I don't feel so good. I think I'm gonna be sick." Ephram warbled. Andy lowered his son down carefully onto the curb and sat beside him. He brushed Ephram's tangled hair away from his face.

"It's nerves." Andy concluded. He looked closely at the quiet boy. The clammy skin and glossy eyes made him realize that Ephram was indeed not well. Andy watched the boy's complexion turn from a tint of rose to a pale shade of green. Before he could utter another word, Ephram bent over to his side and regurgitated all the contents of his stomach. The thick purplish soupy mess made a loud splash onto the wood and seeped thru the gaps of the planks. He gagged on the last of the vomit and winced at the sour aftertaste. Andy rubbed the boy's back to ease the discomfort.

"Man, what the heck did you have for lunch?" Andy mused staring at the irregular chunks of brown and reddish globs floating in the filmy purple vomit.

"Meat loaf, coleslaw, and a grape soda." Ephram coughed and cleared his throat.

"Yuck! That's a nasty combination." Andy frowned. "No wonder your stomach rejected it."

"It was either that or a horse burger deluxe and rubber tater-tots." Ephram spitted out the last of the bitter saliva in his mouth.

"The burgers are not made of horse." Andy rolled his eyes in disbelief.

"For all I know, they could be made of bear or deer but they sure don't taste like beef to me. And I know what beef tastes like. Maybe it's ground up snake. People in these parts of Colorado eat snakes, don't they?" Ephram said nervously.

"That's a misconception. Just like the misconception of all New Yorkers being connected to some crime boss." Andy was glad his son was showing his spunkiness again. "Are you feeling better now?" Andy switched to worried father mode. He ran a palm over his son's cheek and forehead.

"Yea, I'm fine."

"Well, I'm going to have to disagree with that. You feel kind of warm. How long have you been sitting out here?" Andy asked.

"I left the school about after lunch." Ephram stared at the unraveled shoelace on his left sneaker. "Been here ever since - trying to decide whether or not to call you."

"I'm glad you called me." Andy smiled and tugged at his son's sleeve. "We'd better get you home though. You've probably caught a cold sitting here with this freezing air blowing at you." He placed an arm over his shoulders and pulled him into a semi-hug.

"Just my luck." Ephram grinned and pretended to be disappointed. "Now, Nina will HAVE to make me some of her delicious chicken soup with rice."

"Ah, so you like her fussing over you, don't you?" Andy saw Ephram avoiding his glance. "I know you like the attention. Well, she's great. And I'm forever grateful that she's here to lend a clueless dad such as myself a helping hand with raising my kids. Heaven only knows you guys need a mother's touch too."

"She's a better cook than you." Ephram admitted.

"Don't worry, after I tell her you've got a temperature, she's going to be waiting on you hand and foot." Andy winked comically. He easily scooped Ephram up with one had under the boy's knees and the other across the shoulder blades. They made their way back to the car and Andy placed Ephram in the front seat. He went back to the side of the bridge to retrieve the wheelchair. And once that was loaded into the trunk of the car, they drove home.

Andy darted worried glances over at his son, who was strapped into the passenger side securely with a seat belt. His black sweatshirt draped over the shoulders of his coat for extra warmth. Ephram quietly stared straight ahead hardly ever blinking at the passing scenery. Andy saw the way the pupils of his son's eyes dilated at the acceleration of the vehicle. The poor kid was still frightened - less now than compared to a few weeks ago but nonetheless, he was frightened and this put a constant worry in Andy.

"Hey, buddy?" Andy said in a hypnotic tone. "Buddy?" Ephram's concentration on the windshield was broken after the second time Andy called him.

"Huh?" Ephram said nervously and turned his head to face his father.

"You alright?" Andy questioned skeptically.

"Yea, fine. I guess. Why?" Ephram replied.

"Your face is white and you look like you're about to pass out."

"Oh." Ephram said. "I forgot to take my Valium this morning. Maybe I'm just a little edgy." He admitted.

Andy shot an occasional glance at Ephram. A young kid like Ephram shouldn't be dependent and reliant on a drug to calm his nerves. But from Andy's point of view, it was necessary - at least for the time being. Ever since Andy found out about Ephram's nightmares, he paid closer attention to his son and became more perceptive on his actions. Not only were the nightmares more frequent and kept the boy awake at night, he noticed Ephram becoming increasingly jumpy at sudden loud noises. So, Andy prescribed his son a dose of Valium each day. It was given to him only one dosage at a time by Andy as a precaution to Ephram's unpredictable suicidal urges. Ephram needed a tranquilizer to ease his mind - at least so he could get a good night's sleep.

"You're doing fine. I know you're scared. I know what you're going through and it's ok. Things will get better." Andy reassured. Ephram smiled, leaned back and closed his eyes. He inhaled and exhaled slowly trying to calm his nerves.

"Breathe. That's it. We're almost home." Andy informed. After a few calming seconds of listening to Ephram breathe, Ephram's eyes shot wide opened and he sat straight in his seat.

"DAD!!" Ephram yelled.

"What?! What?! What's wrong??" Andy's mind twirled when he heard his son cry out. He thought Ephram was having a panic attack.

"I was thinking, could we stop at Momma Joy's and pick up a homemade cinnamon apple pie? It would go great with the vanilla ice cream we have at home!" Ephram reeled. "We can invite Nina and Sam over for dessert."

"Oh, is that all?" Andy felt relieved. "You've just succeeded in scaring me half to death. I thought there was something wrong. Does the word cardiac arrest mean anything to you?" He said wryly.

"Jumpy, aren't we? I guess it runs in the family." Ephram joked. "Well, so can we?"

"Sure." Andy grinned. Things were back to normal. Or so it seemed. There was a long unpaved road ahead and it was their destiny to walk it together regardless of the jagged the rocks that pierced their feet with each step. Ephram's hope needed to be restored.

*** Cell Phone Tag ***

"What is this?" Andy said pointing to a large salad bowl filled with little brown pellet-like balls. Ephram stopped writing and looked up from his seat at the dining room table.

"It's Cocoa Puffs." Ephram answered candidly and continued writing in his notebook.

"Ok, would you care to expand on why the Cocoa Puffs are in a salad bowl?" Andy asked after Ephram's explanation fell short.

"Oh, Delia was looking for the Pokemon decoder ring in the bottom of the box this morning." Ephram said without looking up.

"A what?" Andy was confused.

"The prize they hide inside the cereal box. You know dad, the main reason why Delia picked that cereal." Ephram twirled his pen in his hand.

"For a cheap plastic ring that cost less than a penny to produce?" Andy reached for the cabinet knob.

"Hey, it's not just any plastic ring. It's a Pokemon decoder ring AND it glows in the dark." Ephram said seriously.

"She shouldn't leave a mess for someone else to clean up." Andy took a large Ziploc storage bag out of the cabinet.

"It's not her fault. I told her to use the salad bowl cause it's easier to find the ring that way than to have her digging thru the box with her hands." Ephram's eyes followed his father.

"So you're covering for her now, huh?" Andy humored as he brought the bowl and bag to where Ephram sat.

"No comment." Ephram said smartly and brought his pen back to the notebook.

"What are you working on?" Andy nodded towards the stack of books and school supplies scattered all over the table.

"Homework. At this rate, I don't think I'm ever going to finish. I'll never catch up!!" He fretted.

It was decided that Ephram would be doing his schoolwork from home for a while. Ephram's shaky nerves and psychological stress were the very reasons Andy refrained from pushing his son back into the whirlwind of peer pressure and school life. Ephram was not ready to go back. The last thing Andy wanted was to have his son get a nervous breakdown and try to kill himself again. Andy served as the liaison between Ephram and the school. He dropped off Ephram's completed homework in the mornings and picked up his next assignments on his way home from the office every other day. He'd kept his son's situation confidential - he managed to do that much. The reason he gave to Ephram's teachers and principal was the fact that Ephram was emotionally distraught and suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, which was not a total lie.

"I think your teachers will go lenient on you - given the circumstances. Just try your best." Andy smiled and poured the cereal into the plastic bag careful not to spill any onto the floor.

"Easy for you to say." Ephram pouted. He stuck his nose in his American History textbook and began jotting down notes in his binder.

A bleating electronic rendition of the theme music to Mission Impossible rang out catching Andy's attention. Andy spotted the blinking red light on Ephram's small black Nokia cell phone on the table beside his yellow highlighter marker. Ephram made no signs of acknowledging the call. He kept his eyes glued to his book occasionally scribbling some important fact in the margins.

"Aren't you gonna answer your phone?" Andy questioned as the ringtone continued to sound.

"Nope." Still busy writing in his notebook.

"Don't you want to know who it is?" Andy tilted his head to read the caller ID feature on his phone.

"I know who it is." Ephram said trying to sound uninterested.

"Ephram - at least talk to her." Andy suggested after he learned who the mystery caller was.

"I have nothing to say to her."

"Sure you do. When was the last time you talked to her?" Andy asked as he watched a stray Cocoa Puff roll off the table. "Ephram, I asked you a question."

"I don't know. The day before we went to the fair." He answered.

"So, she doesn't know about - ?" Andy's voice trailed off. Ephram nodded. "I still think you ought to talk to her." Andy gave his opinion.

"And tell her what?! That I'm stuck in a wheelchair? That I may never walk again? She's the only cool person I know and if she finds out, she'll become like all the others. Nobody wants to put up with someone like me." He said dryly.

"You don't know that."

"Yes, I do." He challenged.

"If she is as cool as you say she is, then she would understand. I thought you guys were such good friends. Didn't you want to see her when we go back to New York for Christmas?"

"Oh no. Uh-uh." Ephram shook his head. "I'm not going back."

"Why not? I thought you loved your hometown." Andy stopped pouring the cereal into the Ziploc bag. It shocked Andy that Ephram would ever refuse a trip back to New York. "Are you feelin' ok?" Andy placed the back of his hand on Ephram's forehead pretending to see if he had a fever. "We're talking about New York, here. Not Oklahoma." Andy kidded.

"I know and you heard me right. I don't want to go." Ephram said sternly.

"We've discussed this and you can't back out now. I've already booked the flights and hotel accommodations. I can't return it." Andy said.

"Well, I changed my mind. You can auction my ticket off on ebay or something because I ain't goin'." Ephram argued.

"Ephram, what are you afraid of? Your grandparents know what happened to you and they want to see you. You're going to disappoint them." Andy pressed. Ephram gave a blank look because he really wasn't sure what he was afraid of.

"I don't know." Ephram said lowly.

"If it's because you get nervous riding in cars - I told you that we will rent a car and I will drive us around. Not a problem."

"It's not that."

"Then it's settled - you're going." Andy patted him on the back. "What's the matter?" Andy added when he noticed Ephram acting like he had something he wanted to get off his chest.

"I'm not sure if it's a great idea. Going to New York, I mean." Ephram shrugged.

"Why? Does it have something to do with meeting your friend?"

"No." Ephram spoke too soon making it obvious to Andy that was the reason. "I don't know." Ephram gazed at a cartoon caricature of the Boston Tea Party in his history book.

"That answer's not good enough. You can't hide forever. Just talk to her."

"Maybe I don't want her to know about what happened to me."

"Friendship doesn't work that way. How can you be friends with someone and not talk to the person? How many times has she called you?"

"Just about every day since. She leaves messages to call her back. I haven't returned any of her calls." Ephram mumbled.

"So, in other words - you don't want to be friends with her?" Andy twiddled his thumbs. Ephram didn't give an answer. "If that's the case, then you should let her know. She needs an explanation why you're brushing her aside. She deserves that much." Andy was pretty good with reverse psychology.

The Mission Impossible ringtone rang out again. Andy watched his son stare at the cell phone making no intentions of picking it up.

"This is stupid. I'M going to answer it." Andy snatched the phone off the table before Ephram could prevent his father from doing so.

"No!! Dad! Give it back!!" Ephram hollered desperately.

"Hello? Ephram's phone. Ephram's dad speaking." Andy spoke sincerely after hitting the green call button. Pause. "I'm doing just fine, thank you. And yourself?" Pause. "Good." Pause. "Yea, he's around. Hold on a sec."

Andy held the phone out for Ephram to take it. He waved his hands and mouthed the word "no."

"Talk to her. She won't bite." Andy said in a low tone.

"No dad!" Ephram whispered. Andy shoved the phone in Ephram's ear as he said those words.

"Go on - say hello." Andy forced his son. Ephram shot an evil glance at his father.

"Hello?" Ephram finally muttered into the phone.

"Hey Mr. Intriguingly Cryptic! If I didn't know better, I'd say you were avoiding me!!" The voice on the other end said with an excited squeak. She didn't seem upset that he hadn't returned her calls or answered his phone.

"Hi Jewels. Yea well, I've been kinda busy." Ephram looked solemnly at his legs.

"Oh, but me too!! But I'm so glad I finally got through to you. It's not fun playing phone tag all by myself! How are things?" Jewels said cheerfully.

"I'm ok, I suppose. You?" Ephram replied with no emotion.

"I'm great. Guess what! I got a job! You're talkin' to the new library assistant at my school. How appropriate, huh? Well, it's only for a few hours after school. All I do is put books back on the shelves but it's a job and it pays. So what do ya think?!"

"That's cool." Ephram refrained from saying too much. On the contrary, he had so much to tell her, but he just couldn't bring himself to doing it. His thoughts always circled back to the fact that he's in a wheelchair.

"I'm planning on saving my earnings though. By the time Christmas rolls around, I'll be rich. And you and I can go do something really fun when you get here." She chirped.

"Oh, great." Ephram said in a small voice.

"Brrrrr - I'm feeling the cold shoulder right now. OK, what's wrong? You sound - I dunno - sad. It's not like you to be so un-opinionated." Jewels said catching Ephram's disinterest.

"It's nothing at all."

"What's the matter? Not in a good mood today?"

"There's something I wanted to tell you." Ephram sighed. He decided to just get it over with. "It's about New York - I don't think we should hang out." Ephram continued. The truth was, Ephram couldn't let the only girl he ever had a common bond with see him like this. It would be too humiliating.

"What!! Why not?" Jewels exclaimed.

"It's hard to explain." Ephram felt his eyes starting to water.

"What's hard to explain? Why the sudden change of heart? Was it something I did? I can't think of anything I said that might have upset you."

"No, it's nothing like that. It's definitely not you. It's me." Ephram looked at his father for moral support.

"That's what they all say. You don't like me anymore." Her cheerful tone disappeared.

"No. I didn't mean it that way." Ephram bit his lip from bursting out into tears.

"Then what way do you mean? I don't understand you Ephram."

Pause.

"I think you're the coolest person I know." He began.

"Then why are you breaking our date?"

"It's complicated."

"So! Life is complicated." She blurted. "Something happened. Why don't you just tell me?" She decided.

"Nothing happened."

"Ephram, we both know that I wasn't born yesterday. How gullible do you think I am? I didn't want to mention this before but did it occur to you that we haven't talked in over 3 months? There's a reason you never returned any of my calls or emails. Something's up. Tell me the truth. What's going on?" She was loosing her patience.

"You really want to know? Fine. Then I'll tell you." Ephram's words shook angrily. "I wanted to save you the embarrassment of being seen roaming the streets of New York with a crippled. That's why we cannot hang out. People will stare at you and treat you like you're a freak because they'll see you with a pathetic, handicapped by your side. What will your friends think of you going out with a crippled? They'll point to you and laugh. You'll never hear the end of it. I don't want to do that to you. I know what it's like to be an outcast. I don't want to turn you into one. You don't want to be seen with me. I'm better off alone." He shouted.

"Ephram." Andy interjected as he heard his son blurt out such shrewd words.

"Crippled? What - what are you talking about?" Jewels gasped.

"That's right. I'm crippled. I have my ass in a fucking wheelchair - possibly for the remainder of my worthless life because my legs don't work. How's that for news??" Tears flowed out of his eyes but he held back the sobs.

"Did you say wheelchair?? Oh no!! What happened???" She cried.

"I fell on my back and had complications with the healing spinal contusion I got from the bus accident. The fall made things worse. They told me I could never walk again. Spent about a month in the hospital." Ephram had to pause because it was getting difficult to say whole words without his voice cracking.

"Oh my God! That's horrible!! Are you alright now?" She exhaled. Concern and seriousness was in her voice.

"I'm fine. My pride isn't." He quietly wiped his tears away.

"Geez, I can't believe you never told me." She let the bad news sink in.

"And if I had, then what?" Ephram retorted.

"Umm, I don't know - maybe sent you flowers." She snapped lightly at the cold comment made by Ephram.

"Jewels, I like you. I really like you a lot. You are the first person whom I can ever relate to. No one else has even come close. I don't want to make it an obligation for you to hang out with me now. Not when I'm like this. It wouldn't be right and it'll never work."

"I don't know why you are being so hard on yourself. You automatically assume that no one wants to have anything to do with you. You don't even give people a chance to sympathize."

"No one owes me a damn thing. I don't need sympathy, pity, or charity from anybody." He saw Andy give him a sign of disapproval by shaking his head from side to side.

"Maybe you do - at least in the beginning. You shouldn't shut yourself out like that."

Pause.

"Let me get this straight. You haven't called me because you were afraid if I found out about the wheelchair, you thought I wouldn't want to be your friend anymore. Is that right?" She started talking again after not hearing a word out of Ephram.

"Yea."

"And you're calling off our date because you think you'd be a public disgrace and embarrassment and tarnish my ever growing popularity having anything to do with you - all because of the fact that you're in a wheelchair?"

"Yep."

Pause. Then a loud burst of laughter erupted on the other end of the Ephram's phone.

"What's so funny?" Ephram said crossly to his friend.

"You, Ephram. You!" Jewels shot back humorously. "Did you ever think that I might actually understand what you're going through? I'm not ignorant."

"Wha - what are you saying?" Ephram was confused.

"I'm saying - the reason why I wanted to hang out with you in the first place wasn't because you could walk. There are plenty of other people I could choose from if I was only seeking that quality. I wanted to know you because I saw something fascinating in you. The way you think. The way you see things in a whole new eye. Hell, you could be missing an arm, leg, or nose - I'd still be your friend." She told him.

"Really?" Ephram sounded surprised. "You don't mind me being in a wheelchair?"

"Look, you don't know the true meaning of despair. You have it easy compared to other people. I could sit here all day and tell you stories, but I'll spare you the torture cause, Lord only knows, I hate being nagged too. All I want to say is, when life has dropped you at the bottom of the heap, what do you do? You pick yourself right up again." She spoke with a natural tone like it was coming from experience. "You can't just crawl under some rock and wait to die."

Silence as Ephram absorbed every word.

"Ephram, I think I know you a little more than you think I do. You probably blame yourself for a lot of things that happened to you these past few months. You feel like you have to depend on everyone around you to do simple tasks that you could've done yourself if you were normal. You turn into a hermit staying home all the time because you dissociate yourself from society. You cry a lot and feel like the whole world is caving in on you. I'm willing to bet that all of the above applied to you. Well, does it?" Jewels questioned.

"Yea -" Ephram stammered. He was baffled and astonished that someone whom he'd know in such a short period of time could identify with his affliction.

"Of course it does. And I'll tell you another thing. In the beginning, you refused to allow yourself to believe that you're lame. You nailed the thought in your head that once you got back on your feet, everything's gonna be ok. You didn't believe the doctors when they told you your legs were useless. You believed it was all just a temporary setback. And when you learn that it's practically impossible to fully recover, the rage and fury hits. You hate yourself and those around you - even your loved ones at one point. You become a ball of fire. Once that freezes over, you try making a pact with the higher authority that if you traded something precious you owned, like for example - your life, it would make all your problems go away. Hopelessness consumes you and your emotions take a dive. You're miserable and unhappy all the time. Is this making any sense?" Jewels continued.

"Yes. But - how did you - " Ephram gasped.

"It's called the stages of acceptance, Ephram. It starts with denial, then anger, then bargaining, then depression, and finally, acceptance. It's a hierarchy. You can't surpass one without getting thru the latter. Before you can accept your loss, you will go thru these stages. It's a normal process."

"Ok, who are you really and how did you get into my brain?" Ephram's first stab at humor - more like relief that someone didn't think he was a freak.

"Big Brother's watching." She chortled forcing a laugh out of Ephram. "No seriously, did you think you were the only one in the world going thru a loss?"

"What's that supposed to mean? Did something happen to you?"

"Uh-uh, don't turn the tables around. This is about you, not me. Let's just say I know a thing or two about hitting rock bottom and leave it at that."

"But - " Ephram softened. "It's just that you seem to know so much and the only way you can possible know is if you've been there."

"Experience is a virtue." Jewels replied. Ephram wasn't sure what that meant but he was going to find out one of these days. "Let's not talk about me."

"Look whose calling who intriguingly cryptic." He replied.

"So, are we still on for Christmas?" She asked hoping to change the direction of the conversation.

"That depends. Are we still friends?" Ephram smiled. Andy had been listening to Ephram's side of the conversation from the start and was eager to know if things were ok. Once he saw from the smile on his son's face, he knew it was going well. Andy tapped lightly on the table getting Ephram's attention. He then gave a thumbs-up with a questioning look on his face. Ephram smiled back at his father and returned a thumbs-up.

"Always have been." Jewels replied with confidence. "Well then, I guess rollerblading and indoor rock climbing is out of the question." Jewels sighed. "But don't worry, I have a plan B."

"Plan B?"

"Yea. How about we get highlights in our hair? It'll be fun - I can do your hair and you can do mine. I know the colorist who works at a salon in Chelsea and she'll let us work on each other's hair. I'm thinking purple, because I had red last time." She offered. Ephram laughed. "Then we can go to Lazarra's for lunch. Remember Lazarra's on Bleecker Street in the village? My God, they have the best pizza on earth."

"Sure, I remember Lazarra's. They're the best. I miss sinking my teeth into a slice of their Hawaiian pizza." Ephram reminisced. "People in Everwood don't know how to make pizza."

"I heard the Hayden Planetarium has a new dome IMAX theater that's supposed to be really cool. I've been meaning to go see it. Haven't gone there since the first grade. Maybe we can go check it out." Jewels suggested. "Oh, and we can go see Rent."

"Rent? Didn't you already see that show?"

"Yea twice, but not with you I haven't. Good company makes all the difference."

"Oh." He said calmly. It was a good thing Ephram had his phone to hide behind because a pink blush was developing on his temples and cheeks.

"My favorite part is when Collins does his solo 'A Thousand Sweet Kisses' in the scene right after Angel dies. It's so emotional. I cry all the time."

"Are you sure you don't mind me being in a wheelchair? I'm a big inconvenience - letting you know in advance." Ephram needed a self-esteem boost.

"Tsk, man! Are you worried that I'll be taller than you for a change and it'll look funny when the girl is taller than the guy?? I promise I won't wear heels, happy now?" She chuckled.

"Yea, I'll be four feet tall forever." He said lightly. "And add 50 pounds to my total weight every year. I think my wheelchair weighs about 50 pounds."

"Tell me how you ended up in a wheelchair." Her sensitive tone told Ephram that she really cared to know. "You've told me about the bus accident and all but there's got to be more to it than just an additional fall to make you end up in a wheelchair."

"It wasn't just the fall. I was stupid not to tell anyone that I was having other health problems until it was too late. I had something called a deep vein -" Ephram looked at his father for assistance. Andy mouthed and whispered the term 'Thrombosis'. "Uh - trombone-sis and a - " Ephram mispronounced the word and squinted at his father to get the next word. "Pul-pulmonary -" Ephram tried to read his father's lips of the word 'Embolism'. "Pulmonary embalm-mism." Ephram said. It came out sounding like a question than a fact.

Andy didn't know whether to laugh or correct his son's error in pronunciation. "Yea, if you're going to preserve a dead trombone." Andy said while slapping his forehead with the base of his hand.

"I dunno, whatever. It's a blood clot. I had one in the lungs and one in my left leg. My leg swelled up to twice its normal size. It was nasty!" Ephram said into his phone ignoring his father's comment.

"Must've been awful." Jewels cringed.

"They said the blood clot had something to do with the initial injuries I had. It was pretty intense. But the bad got worst when I fell. The pain was a bitch - I thought I was going to die. I'm just full of problems, you know."

"Where were you when you fell?" She asked with concern. "You weren't by yourself, were you?"

"We were at a town fair that day and Delia was with me when I fell. I think she was more scared than I was. But I was in so much pain that when I tried to open my mouth to speak, no sound came out." Ephram explained. "Oh!! Remember that shirt you got me - the one with Snafu on it? I was wearing that shirt that day and after the paramedics rolled me into the emergency room, they had to cut it up. I'm sorry they had to ruin your gift like that. Hope you're not mad." He continued.

"Mad? Why would I be mad? Geez Louise. Ephram, they cut up that shirt to save your life. The shirt means nothing when there's no you to wear it!! A shirt can be replaced, you can't." She lectured.

"Thanks." He said after a while.

"For what?"

"For understanding me."

"No sweat."

Andy left the dining room with the bag of Cocoa Puffs and empty salad bowl allowing Ephram to have some privacy on the phone. He disappeared into the kitchen so Ephram wouldn't think he was eavesdropping on the conversation. Andy couldn't help but be slightly curious on the dialogue between Ephram and his friend. Occasionally straining an ear to hear what Ephram was saying, Andy decided to make a fresh pot of coffee. He had no idea what he was going to do with another pot of coffee, but he had to preoccupy himself with something in the kitchen. He'll call Nina over later to help drink it.

Andy smiled to himself when he heard Ephram's voice grow with animation as he gushed about places and moments in New York. Andy took out two mugs from the cupboard above the sink and placed it on the kitchen island. He then took out napkins, a plate, and a pack of chocolate biscotti from another cabinet. He made as much noise as possible with closing the cabinet doors to deter any suspicion from Ephram that he was eavesdropping. Every now and then, Andy stood still to hear what subject Ephram was on. He was most attentive when he heard Ephram talk about the events that lead up to the wheelchair and rehab. The only parts Ephram skipped were the suicidal parts. He answered all the questions that were asked of him in detail. It broke Andy's heart to hear his son retell the pain and frustration he had to endure. But on the other hand, it was a positive thing that Ephram was talking to someone. He was finally reaching out.

It had been a long time since Ephram had real contact with the outside. Ever since his release from the hospital, his world only consisted of Andy, Nina, Delia, and Sam. He swore he didn't need anyone else. But he was wrong. He needed everyone. Ephram emerged out of the dark merciless waters of despair that had innocently swallowed him. Each time he poked his head through the freezing water to get a breath of air, he only got dragged down twice as hard. He was cold, frightened and drowning. He waited and waited for someone to throw him a lifeline and pull him out of the darkness and into warmth, peace and safety. Ephram's laughter echoed the walls of his dining room as he and his friend spoke on the phone for hours. Jewels was his life preserver.

* end of chapter 8 *

Author's Note: Thanks so much for reading!! The next and final chapter of this story is in the works.