Authors Note: Not much to this chapter, just keeping it simple for a chapter or two before we hit the good stuff! As always please review, thanks to everyone who already has!
~*~ loud noise disturbs me from my rest and I sit up in bed abruptly. I look around into the pitch black room. I immediately think of Bryce, a million thoughts run through my head. Is he okay? Is someone in his room trying to take him? Did he fall out of bed? Is he running away? I get out of bed quickly walking out of my room to see my whole living room lit up like a Christmas tree. Bryce sitting on the floor in his sweat pants and a t shirt. His hair messy, legs crossed and concentrating very hard on building what seems to be a model car, the last present his father bought for him. It must have been 3 and a half years ago now. He sits, his tongue slightly out of his mouth, he seems to be in deep concentration, not even noticing my presence. I look to the ground to see the box fallen over. That must have been what fell. "Bryce." I say hoarsely. He looks up startled.
"Oh hey mom." He says after settling down. I walk towards him a bit more, just more then a little curious as to what my 'thug' son was doing building model cars. "What yah doing?" I say moving the box to sit down beside him.
"Building."
"Bryce, it's three o'clock in the morning."
"I know. I work better in the night, when there is nothing around to distract me. Yah know?" He says turning to look at me with a pleasant smile.
"Yeah, I do." I smile back. I have no clue what has gotten into him. I couldn't find him after my shift, I looked frantically all over the hospital finding him on the roof with Dr. Carter, they were laughing about something and seemed to be getting along quite well.
This new habit must have something to do with Carter. "So... What did Dr. Carter say to you on the roof tonight?" I push.
"Stuff." Is his reply. This does not surprise me. It seems to be a typical Bryce reply.
"Oh."
"Yeah, he's really cool. I don't understand why you don't like him."
"He was rude to me Bryce, and besides its not that I don't like him its..." I start but Bryce cuts me off before I can finish. "He's just an ass." He says exasperated.
"Bryce..." I say compassionately placing my hand on his arm. He shrugs it off. "I will try to get along with him if it makes you happy." I say forcing a tight smile.
"You don't have to like anyone you don't want." He says dryly. "He doesn't like you either." It didn't take a genius to figure that out.
"I know. Why model cars?" I raise my eye brow.
"Carter says that, I should do something that interests me to take my mind off my problems." he explains.
"I never knew model cars interested you."
"Yeah, neither did I. But I've always liked cars, so maybe I can learn a bit more about them." I nod and agree with this. Maybe he could.
"So what else did Carter say to you?" I push.
"Mom, just guy stuff."
Maybe Carter would be a good influence on Bryce, or at least a male influence. I don't like Carter but maybe he and Bryce could hang out for a bit. Who am I kidding? I just am desperate to find someone for Bryce, one talk doesn't make them best friends. I sigh deeply and make my way back to bed. I lean down placing a kiss on Bryce's forehead, he touches my arm and smiles up at me. "Night mom!"
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"Hello?" I hear Bryce say into the phone,
"Oh hey Alex." Alex's Sam's son?
"Yeah, she works today, yeah she's forcing me to come with her." He sighs.
"Yeah, okay bye." Alex's mom must be working today too. It's been a week since the incident, and the boys have gotten rather close, which at first bothered me a bit, but now is okay with me. They seemed to have rubbed off on each other. Alex now wears his pants a bit lower, but Bryce does his homework, and is now pretty interested in the equipment used at the hospital, he also is reading many car magazines. "Okay, Bryce get your coat and backpack and lets go to the hospital." I instruct picking up my purse. He walks into his bedroom, and comes out dressed in his coat and his sweat suit. He hates it when I call it that, but the sweater matches the sweat pants so its a sweat suit to me.
"Can Alex and I maybe go get lunch or something at that diner today?" Bryce asks biting into a cookie as we ride the EL. "I don't know, let me think about it."
"Okay," he replies simply. I smile, at his new easy going attitude.
"I wonder if Dr. Carter is working today? Or Dr. Kovac, they're both kind of cool." He shrugs. "Yeah I like Dr. Kovac." I respond.
"Yeah, I know. He's dating Alex's mom."
"I know." The train comes to a stop and we get off. It's a Saturday so not that many people are on the train. I walk looking straight ahead as Bryce scans the premises.
"Hey, mom look." He says pointing to a man about 15 feet away, and then I see who it is. Oh great. "Dr. Carter." Bryce shouts waving. He sees us and smiles walking over, holding his hand out and Bryce takes it shaking it. "Hey Bryce." He says smiling at him. His smile fades when he sees me. Well who else would he be here with. "Dr. Lockhart." He nods. business like. "Hi." I say very uninterested.
"So, you coming into the hospital today?" He asks Bryce.
"Yeah, my mom works. 12 hours."
"Oh really... I work 8, maybe you and Alex can come out for dinner with me." He invites.
"Can I mom?" Bryce begs.
"I'll see." I say bored.
"That means no." Bryce shakes his head.
"When I said that this morning it seemed to be good enough for you." I say angered.
"Okay." Bryce, replies. I don't know what he means by that, but I don't want to fight, not here, not in front of Carter. The three of us walk towards the hospital in an eerie silence.
~*~ loud noise disturbs me from my rest and I sit up in bed abruptly. I look around into the pitch black room. I immediately think of Bryce, a million thoughts run through my head. Is he okay? Is someone in his room trying to take him? Did he fall out of bed? Is he running away? I get out of bed quickly walking out of my room to see my whole living room lit up like a Christmas tree. Bryce sitting on the floor in his sweat pants and a t shirt. His hair messy, legs crossed and concentrating very hard on building what seems to be a model car, the last present his father bought for him. It must have been 3 and a half years ago now. He sits, his tongue slightly out of his mouth, he seems to be in deep concentration, not even noticing my presence. I look to the ground to see the box fallen over. That must have been what fell. "Bryce." I say hoarsely. He looks up startled.
"Oh hey mom." He says after settling down. I walk towards him a bit more, just more then a little curious as to what my 'thug' son was doing building model cars. "What yah doing?" I say moving the box to sit down beside him.
"Building."
"Bryce, it's three o'clock in the morning."
"I know. I work better in the night, when there is nothing around to distract me. Yah know?" He says turning to look at me with a pleasant smile.
"Yeah, I do." I smile back. I have no clue what has gotten into him. I couldn't find him after my shift, I looked frantically all over the hospital finding him on the roof with Dr. Carter, they were laughing about something and seemed to be getting along quite well.
This new habit must have something to do with Carter. "So... What did Dr. Carter say to you on the roof tonight?" I push.
"Stuff." Is his reply. This does not surprise me. It seems to be a typical Bryce reply.
"Oh."
"Yeah, he's really cool. I don't understand why you don't like him."
"He was rude to me Bryce, and besides its not that I don't like him its..." I start but Bryce cuts me off before I can finish. "He's just an ass." He says exasperated.
"Bryce..." I say compassionately placing my hand on his arm. He shrugs it off. "I will try to get along with him if it makes you happy." I say forcing a tight smile.
"You don't have to like anyone you don't want." He says dryly. "He doesn't like you either." It didn't take a genius to figure that out.
"I know. Why model cars?" I raise my eye brow.
"Carter says that, I should do something that interests me to take my mind off my problems." he explains.
"I never knew model cars interested you."
"Yeah, neither did I. But I've always liked cars, so maybe I can learn a bit more about them." I nod and agree with this. Maybe he could.
"So what else did Carter say to you?" I push.
"Mom, just guy stuff."
Maybe Carter would be a good influence on Bryce, or at least a male influence. I don't like Carter but maybe he and Bryce could hang out for a bit. Who am I kidding? I just am desperate to find someone for Bryce, one talk doesn't make them best friends. I sigh deeply and make my way back to bed. I lean down placing a kiss on Bryce's forehead, he touches my arm and smiles up at me. "Night mom!"
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"Hello?" I hear Bryce say into the phone,
"Oh hey Alex." Alex's Sam's son?
"Yeah, she works today, yeah she's forcing me to come with her." He sighs.
"Yeah, okay bye." Alex's mom must be working today too. It's been a week since the incident, and the boys have gotten rather close, which at first bothered me a bit, but now is okay with me. They seemed to have rubbed off on each other. Alex now wears his pants a bit lower, but Bryce does his homework, and is now pretty interested in the equipment used at the hospital, he also is reading many car magazines. "Okay, Bryce get your coat and backpack and lets go to the hospital." I instruct picking up my purse. He walks into his bedroom, and comes out dressed in his coat and his sweat suit. He hates it when I call it that, but the sweater matches the sweat pants so its a sweat suit to me.
"Can Alex and I maybe go get lunch or something at that diner today?" Bryce asks biting into a cookie as we ride the EL. "I don't know, let me think about it."
"Okay," he replies simply. I smile, at his new easy going attitude.
"I wonder if Dr. Carter is working today? Or Dr. Kovac, they're both kind of cool." He shrugs. "Yeah I like Dr. Kovac." I respond.
"Yeah, I know. He's dating Alex's mom."
"I know." The train comes to a stop and we get off. It's a Saturday so not that many people are on the train. I walk looking straight ahead as Bryce scans the premises.
"Hey, mom look." He says pointing to a man about 15 feet away, and then I see who it is. Oh great. "Dr. Carter." Bryce shouts waving. He sees us and smiles walking over, holding his hand out and Bryce takes it shaking it. "Hey Bryce." He says smiling at him. His smile fades when he sees me. Well who else would he be here with. "Dr. Lockhart." He nods. business like. "Hi." I say very uninterested.
"So, you coming into the hospital today?" He asks Bryce.
"Yeah, my mom works. 12 hours."
"Oh really... I work 8, maybe you and Alex can come out for dinner with me." He invites.
"Can I mom?" Bryce begs.
"I'll see." I say bored.
"That means no." Bryce shakes his head.
"When I said that this morning it seemed to be good enough for you." I say angered.
"Okay." Bryce, replies. I don't know what he means by that, but I don't want to fight, not here, not in front of Carter. The three of us walk towards the hospital in an eerie silence.