Disclaimer - I don't own any of these characters, including Tim Speedle,
but hey a girl can dream, can't she?
Pairings - Since I personally can't picture Speed with any of the women on the show, I had to create one just for him.
Rating - PG-13, for earlier chapters.
Summary - Sometimes, what starts out as a simple day can change your life dramatically. I never intended for Ben's dad to die, the story just kind of wound it's way here all by itself. I didn't think four-year-olds could truly understand death until my nephew asked me the other day if PawPaw (my dad) could see him from heaven.
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Ben knocked again and pushed the door open. "What's wrong?" he said, his eyes wide with fear.
Jennifer turned her face away from him and wiped her tears quickly. Tim stared at the ceiling, unable to speak.
She walked over to Ben and scooped him up, sitting down on the bed next to Tim. "Um, Ben, Tim and I have something we need to tell you, sweetheart."
"You're not getting married?"
She almost laughed, "No baby, we are definitely getting married. This is something else. Something very serious."
Tim stood and walked over to the bedroom window, crossing his arms over his chest and rested his head on the glass.
"Last night," she started slowly, taking a deep breath to stop the sobs threatening to overtake her, "your daddy had an accident."
"Like my mommy?" he asked, playing with the ring on Jennifer's finger.
"Sort of," she nodded. "Do you remember when we talked yesterday about your Mommy going to heaven?"
"Yes," he said quietly.
"And you remember I told you that even though you couldn't see your Mommy anymore, she'd still be with you in your heart?"
Ben nodded and leaned into Jennifer, tucking his head beneath her chin. "Well, the same thing happened to your Daddy. He's gone to heaven too, to take care of your Mommy."
"Who's going to take care of me?" he cried.
"We are, Ben." Tim said from the window. Jennifer looked up at him surprised. He crossed and knelt beside them. He took Ben's hand and said gently, "You're going to live with me and Jennifer from now on, if that's okay with you."
Ben nodded and fell into Tim's arms. Tim picked them both up and sat down on the bed next to Jennifer. He kissed the top of Ben's head as the little boy cried quietly, and looked at Jennifer. She nodded at him through her tears, and he took her hand, squeezing it gently.
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They sat that way for what seemed like hours, Tim gently rocking a sobbing Ben. When his tears finally wore him out, Ben drifted off into a peaceful sleep. He laid Ben in the center of the bed, and curled up next to him. Jennifer lay down on the other side, her face turned toward Tim's.
"Did you mean that?" she whispered.
"Yeah," he said, absent-mindedly stroking Ben's hair. "I want him."
"Okay." Jennifer had made up her mind about Ben the minute Tim had told her the news. She just wanted to make sure Tim was as sure as she was. "It's a lot to take on."
Tim closed his eyes and sighed, "We can do it. If we can make it through this, Jen, we make it."
Jennifer shut her eyes also and was just drifting into sleep when she heard Tim say, "We'll need a bigger house."
Her eyes fluttered open and she looked over at Tim, whose eyes were closed, his breathing regular. She realized be must be dreaming, talking in his sleep, making a mental to-do list.
"I'm not getting rid of Duke, though," he mumbled as he rolled over toward the wall. Jennifer stifled a laugh and smiled, knowing hell would literally have to freeze over before Tim sold his beloved motorcycle.
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"Oh, Tim, I'm so sorry," Calleigh said breathlessly into the phone as she pressed a palm to her forehead.
"Thanks, Cal. I've already called Horatio, told him that Jen and I are taking some time off to be with Ben." Tim shoved his free hand into his pocket as he paced the living room. "I just wanted you and Eric to hear it from me."
"God, Tim, thinking of us when you're in the middle of a nightmare. Does Jennifer know how lucky she is?"
"I think she does," he said as he glanced at the couch where Jennifer sat with Ben reading a book. "That reminds me, I forgot to tell you something. I proposed to Jennifer last night and she said yes."
"Well, I'll be." Calleigh drawled. "At least something good has come out of this."
"I gotta go, I'll call you later, okay?"
"Okay, tell Jen that I love her, and Tim, anything you guys need, you just call me."
"Thanks, Cal."
Tim disconnected with Calleigh and dialed Eric's number, going through the conversation again with his best friend. When the two men said their goodbyes, Tim placed the phone back in the cradle and plopped down on the couch next to Ben and Jennifer.
"Calleigh sends her love, Eric says anything we need to call, and Horatio says take all the time we need," he said, relaying the important details.
Jennifer offered him a tired smile, "We've got good friends, babe."
"You know it," he said, stretching his arm behind Ben to rub Jennifer's neck.
TBC...
Pairings - Since I personally can't picture Speed with any of the women on the show, I had to create one just for him.
Rating - PG-13, for earlier chapters.
Summary - Sometimes, what starts out as a simple day can change your life dramatically. I never intended for Ben's dad to die, the story just kind of wound it's way here all by itself. I didn't think four-year-olds could truly understand death until my nephew asked me the other day if PawPaw (my dad) could see him from heaven.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Ben knocked again and pushed the door open. "What's wrong?" he said, his eyes wide with fear.
Jennifer turned her face away from him and wiped her tears quickly. Tim stared at the ceiling, unable to speak.
She walked over to Ben and scooped him up, sitting down on the bed next to Tim. "Um, Ben, Tim and I have something we need to tell you, sweetheart."
"You're not getting married?"
She almost laughed, "No baby, we are definitely getting married. This is something else. Something very serious."
Tim stood and walked over to the bedroom window, crossing his arms over his chest and rested his head on the glass.
"Last night," she started slowly, taking a deep breath to stop the sobs threatening to overtake her, "your daddy had an accident."
"Like my mommy?" he asked, playing with the ring on Jennifer's finger.
"Sort of," she nodded. "Do you remember when we talked yesterday about your Mommy going to heaven?"
"Yes," he said quietly.
"And you remember I told you that even though you couldn't see your Mommy anymore, she'd still be with you in your heart?"
Ben nodded and leaned into Jennifer, tucking his head beneath her chin. "Well, the same thing happened to your Daddy. He's gone to heaven too, to take care of your Mommy."
"Who's going to take care of me?" he cried.
"We are, Ben." Tim said from the window. Jennifer looked up at him surprised. He crossed and knelt beside them. He took Ben's hand and said gently, "You're going to live with me and Jennifer from now on, if that's okay with you."
Ben nodded and fell into Tim's arms. Tim picked them both up and sat down on the bed next to Jennifer. He kissed the top of Ben's head as the little boy cried quietly, and looked at Jennifer. She nodded at him through her tears, and he took her hand, squeezing it gently.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
They sat that way for what seemed like hours, Tim gently rocking a sobbing Ben. When his tears finally wore him out, Ben drifted off into a peaceful sleep. He laid Ben in the center of the bed, and curled up next to him. Jennifer lay down on the other side, her face turned toward Tim's.
"Did you mean that?" she whispered.
"Yeah," he said, absent-mindedly stroking Ben's hair. "I want him."
"Okay." Jennifer had made up her mind about Ben the minute Tim had told her the news. She just wanted to make sure Tim was as sure as she was. "It's a lot to take on."
Tim closed his eyes and sighed, "We can do it. If we can make it through this, Jen, we make it."
Jennifer shut her eyes also and was just drifting into sleep when she heard Tim say, "We'll need a bigger house."
Her eyes fluttered open and she looked over at Tim, whose eyes were closed, his breathing regular. She realized be must be dreaming, talking in his sleep, making a mental to-do list.
"I'm not getting rid of Duke, though," he mumbled as he rolled over toward the wall. Jennifer stifled a laugh and smiled, knowing hell would literally have to freeze over before Tim sold his beloved motorcycle.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
"Oh, Tim, I'm so sorry," Calleigh said breathlessly into the phone as she pressed a palm to her forehead.
"Thanks, Cal. I've already called Horatio, told him that Jen and I are taking some time off to be with Ben." Tim shoved his free hand into his pocket as he paced the living room. "I just wanted you and Eric to hear it from me."
"God, Tim, thinking of us when you're in the middle of a nightmare. Does Jennifer know how lucky she is?"
"I think she does," he said as he glanced at the couch where Jennifer sat with Ben reading a book. "That reminds me, I forgot to tell you something. I proposed to Jennifer last night and she said yes."
"Well, I'll be." Calleigh drawled. "At least something good has come out of this."
"I gotta go, I'll call you later, okay?"
"Okay, tell Jen that I love her, and Tim, anything you guys need, you just call me."
"Thanks, Cal."
Tim disconnected with Calleigh and dialed Eric's number, going through the conversation again with his best friend. When the two men said their goodbyes, Tim placed the phone back in the cradle and plopped down on the couch next to Ben and Jennifer.
"Calleigh sends her love, Eric says anything we need to call, and Horatio says take all the time we need," he said, relaying the important details.
Jennifer offered him a tired smile, "We've got good friends, babe."
"You know it," he said, stretching his arm behind Ben to rub Jennifer's neck.
TBC...