Chapter 2
A/N: Hehe, sorry to keep you in suspense. I really hope you don't all hate me for this.
Disclaimer: I only own the ones I make up myself.
Nearly One Year Later....
"Did you see him today?" Ava asked quietly, wiping the plate Johnny had just handed her with the dishrag. Her eyes flicked back quickly over her shoulder at the young man still seated at the table. Johnny nodded. "How was he?"
"He's the same Ava, the same as he is every day," the brunette answered.
Ava rubbed the plate more vigorously. "Because you know, it'll be a year next week and well..." she ground down on the inside of her lip.
"I know Ava. So does Jay." he turned off the water and gently grasped Ava's wrists. "Ava I think it's dry."
She flushed, laughing nervously. "Of course." Johnny let go. She swiped at a loose strand of hair with one trembling hand while she set the plate down with the other. "I just know how hard it's going to be, for both of them. I don't want him to be alone. Damn it Johnny I just wish I could make this better." Tears pooled in her eyes.
Her voice wavered. Johnny wrapped one arm around her slender shoulders. He pulled her close to him as he had so many times before in the past year. He rested his chin atop her head, drawing in the sweet scent of his hair and wishing, just like she did, that he could make the pain go away. But he couldn't, no one could, and the sooner they all accepted that fact the better off they'd be.
Johnny's eyes wandered over the faces before him, mostly down trodden, all quiet. The house, which he could remember being so warm and open felt now half empty and cold. The kids were different, not that that was completely unexpected. The accident had come on the heels of losing their parents.
Nikki generally avoided the house as much as possible. She'd buried herself in school and clubs for the school year, and spent the rest of her free time with Cameron. At the beach, on the pier, watching movies at his father's, didn't seem to matter as long as she could stay away. This accident had not brought out the girl's mothering side, to say the least.
Derrick, always quick to smile and quicker to please had grown quiet. Some of the innocence had fled his eyes, and it hurt all their hearts to know that someone so young had already experienced so much loss. He seemed to want to draw away from everyone, as if getting and getting hurt went hand in hand. Ava had him seeing a child psychologist once a week. It seemed to help, a little. But Johnny knew Ava just wished she could convince Bradin to go as well.
Ava pulled away after a moment, muttering apologies and turning her attention back to the dishes. Johnny was well aware of three sets of eyes watching the somewhat awkward moment. Johnny took the matter into his own hands. "So guys, you guys all set for school starting tomorrow? Bags packed, no last minute supplies needed?" The mere mention of school sent the kids to far corners of the house.
Bradin pushed back from the table, unruly hair falling down to partially hide lifeless blue eyes. Dark circles marred the skin beneath, and his whole face seemed hollow and pale. Johnny couldn't remember the last time he'd gone outside. Bradin was supposed to start school with Nikki and Derrick tomorrow, repeating the year he'd missed because of the accident. Johnny had to wonder if he was ready, but he kept that thought to himself, not wanting Ava to worry any more than she already had been.
It had been almost a year, and Johnny still felt a pull in his chest every time he looked at Bradin. He clenched his teeth, watching the young man wheel himself away from the table and back to his room. The wheels of the chair got snagged on a throw rug halfway to his room, and he resisted the urge to go help. He knew the attempt would do nothing but set off his short temper. It was as if asking for help was admitting defeat, that he wanted to hold onto the belief that nothing had changed, that the wheelchair to which he was now bound made no difference.
Bradin managed to remove himself from the rug with only a short struggle. Johnny sighed, running one hand over his mouth. The past year had been hard on them all, and he had the distinct sense that it was going to get worse before it got better. He turned his attention back to Ava.
"You ready for tomorrow? Big day."
She gave a short, bitter chuckle. "Shouldn't you be asking Bradin that?"
"I'm asking you."
"I'll make it through. But Johnny, I want you to know.........this year, the accident.........I couldn't have done it without you and Susannah. I just don't know that it's enough."
"Ava you've done everything humanly possible for those kids. You need to give yourself a break."
"I know, but I can't right now. I mean, the therapist says Derrick really needs support and a strong familial presence right now. And Nikki, I mean, she's starting high school this year and that's a lot of changes for a girl. And Bradin, I mean, I don't know what to do. His PT hasn't been going all that well."
"I thought the doctors were still hopeful?"
Ava squeezed her eyes shut, willing back the tears. "They are, were. His spinal column wasn't ruptured in the accident, but you know that. They were hoping that when his vertebrae healed, some of the pressure, swelling would go down, and he could regain at least some mobility. But lately, it's like he's given up. He's not doing his exercises outside of PT and all the progress he's made........."
"Ava........."
"Johnny I think I'm losing him." The tears spilled over then, and there was nothing Johnny could say. So he held her again, letting her cry into his chest.
--
The night came, a brilliant ebony blanket littered with tiny sparkling stars. There was not a single cloud to mar the sky. It was late, past midnight, though the air was still balmy and warm. Jay Robertson didn't notice any of the evenings perfection. He sat in the sand at the edge of the water, letting the tide come in and wash over his feet.
His hair clung to his head, beads of salt water running from the loose tendrils down his face. A dark stubble arrested his chin, evidence of three days gone by without a shave. His board lay beside him in the sand, and a half empty bottle sat in his hands. The whiskey didn't even make him flinch anymore, the hot liquid burning as it slid down his throat.
His friends worried of course. The young Australian had become nearly a recluse. He still paid rent on the house, but spent most nights on a cot in the back of his shop. The smile had died on his lips, the laughter had seeped from his eyes. In the last year, his gaze had not lingered on Bradin for more than the barest moment. He still surfed, but now he did it alone, at night. The joy he'd once found in it had fled, leaving him to chase the waves, a shadow and a memory.
Johnny had come by the shop that afternoon, asking if Jay wanted to join him 'working out'. Jay had turned down the offer, polite, but firm. It wasn't that he didn't appreciate the efforts of his friends, but very little held any appeal for him anymore. He kept the shop open and dealt with customers, but the average surf shop clientele never wanted him to 'talk.' For him, the hurt was still too raw to rationally analyze with the likes of Johnny, Ava or Susannah.
He rested his head on crossed forearms atop his knees. The moment he shut his eyes he saw her face, beautiful, happy, full of life. He choked back a sob. The next moment her face changed and his heart ached anew. He was back in the hospital, as the doctor pulled the sterile white sheet back. The face he saw was mangled almost beyond recognition, cold and empty. The thin string of control he'd been holding since Susannah and Johnny had told him the news snapped. He'd collapsed to his knees on the tile. Jay took a long pull from the bottle.
He contemplated going back into the water, maybe shooting the pier. He'd done it before. He'd cracked up his board and damn near killed himself doing it, but still. At least if he died he wouldn't feel pain gnawing away at him every moment of every day. The liquor was a momentary reprieve, dulling his senses enough for him to make it through the days, the nights. Finally he stood, throwing the empty bottle as hard as he could into the waves. He picked up his board and started tramping back toward his shop.
He was a little more than halfway back to the shop when he saw the dark form in front of him. He stopped, shaking his head to clear away the fuzzy, numb blanket on his brain. He squinted, peering at the dark shape in the moonlight. he realized then that the form was no piece of driftwood, no beached animal, but a girl, a girl with long raven hair. "Erika," he breathed, knowing all the while it wasn't possible.
Jay plunged his board into the beach. She lay half in, half out of the water, curled over on her side with her back to him. The water pulled at her, creeping up past the waistband of her pants. He approached, his steps tentative. He knelt beside her, barely breathing and slowly reached out a hand. He grasped the girl's shoulder. She didn't react. He rolled her onto her back, grimacing at the sight before him. It was like being shot back in time, to the hospital.
Not that Jay could tell if this girl really resembled Erika beyond the hair, or if it was his mind playing tricks on him. Her face was bruised and bloodied, the right side of her face a myriad of black and blue, swollen to the point where her features were unremarkable. Her lower lip was split and a trail of dried blood trickled down her chin. Her hair was matted to her head on the right side. His fingers came away sticky and warm.
He swore beneath his breath. He looked up into the sky. "Is this some sort of test?" The words ran together despite his best efforts at clarity. "Of course it is," he told himself sourly, "and you're fool enough to take it. Come on then, let's get you inside." He slung the girl's arm around his neck and stood, albeit unsteadily and started again to head for his store.
Chapter 1
Okay, I was gonna make this chapter a bit longer, but I wanted to see what kind of reaction I got on it first. Promise this will not be a Mary Sue, at least my best effort to NOT make her a Mary Sue. I think Jay's got too much emotional baggage at this point anyway. But anyway, hope you like it, please review.
A/N: Hehe, sorry to keep you in suspense. I really hope you don't all hate me for this.
Disclaimer: I only own the ones I make up myself.
Nearly One Year Later....
"Did you see him today?" Ava asked quietly, wiping the plate Johnny had just handed her with the dishrag. Her eyes flicked back quickly over her shoulder at the young man still seated at the table. Johnny nodded. "How was he?"
"He's the same Ava, the same as he is every day," the brunette answered.
Ava rubbed the plate more vigorously. "Because you know, it'll be a year next week and well..." she ground down on the inside of her lip.
"I know Ava. So does Jay." he turned off the water and gently grasped Ava's wrists. "Ava I think it's dry."
She flushed, laughing nervously. "Of course." Johnny let go. She swiped at a loose strand of hair with one trembling hand while she set the plate down with the other. "I just know how hard it's going to be, for both of them. I don't want him to be alone. Damn it Johnny I just wish I could make this better." Tears pooled in her eyes.
Her voice wavered. Johnny wrapped one arm around her slender shoulders. He pulled her close to him as he had so many times before in the past year. He rested his chin atop her head, drawing in the sweet scent of his hair and wishing, just like she did, that he could make the pain go away. But he couldn't, no one could, and the sooner they all accepted that fact the better off they'd be.
Johnny's eyes wandered over the faces before him, mostly down trodden, all quiet. The house, which he could remember being so warm and open felt now half empty and cold. The kids were different, not that that was completely unexpected. The accident had come on the heels of losing their parents.
Nikki generally avoided the house as much as possible. She'd buried herself in school and clubs for the school year, and spent the rest of her free time with Cameron. At the beach, on the pier, watching movies at his father's, didn't seem to matter as long as she could stay away. This accident had not brought out the girl's mothering side, to say the least.
Derrick, always quick to smile and quicker to please had grown quiet. Some of the innocence had fled his eyes, and it hurt all their hearts to know that someone so young had already experienced so much loss. He seemed to want to draw away from everyone, as if getting and getting hurt went hand in hand. Ava had him seeing a child psychologist once a week. It seemed to help, a little. But Johnny knew Ava just wished she could convince Bradin to go as well.
Ava pulled away after a moment, muttering apologies and turning her attention back to the dishes. Johnny was well aware of three sets of eyes watching the somewhat awkward moment. Johnny took the matter into his own hands. "So guys, you guys all set for school starting tomorrow? Bags packed, no last minute supplies needed?" The mere mention of school sent the kids to far corners of the house.
Bradin pushed back from the table, unruly hair falling down to partially hide lifeless blue eyes. Dark circles marred the skin beneath, and his whole face seemed hollow and pale. Johnny couldn't remember the last time he'd gone outside. Bradin was supposed to start school with Nikki and Derrick tomorrow, repeating the year he'd missed because of the accident. Johnny had to wonder if he was ready, but he kept that thought to himself, not wanting Ava to worry any more than she already had been.
It had been almost a year, and Johnny still felt a pull in his chest every time he looked at Bradin. He clenched his teeth, watching the young man wheel himself away from the table and back to his room. The wheels of the chair got snagged on a throw rug halfway to his room, and he resisted the urge to go help. He knew the attempt would do nothing but set off his short temper. It was as if asking for help was admitting defeat, that he wanted to hold onto the belief that nothing had changed, that the wheelchair to which he was now bound made no difference.
Bradin managed to remove himself from the rug with only a short struggle. Johnny sighed, running one hand over his mouth. The past year had been hard on them all, and he had the distinct sense that it was going to get worse before it got better. He turned his attention back to Ava.
"You ready for tomorrow? Big day."
She gave a short, bitter chuckle. "Shouldn't you be asking Bradin that?"
"I'm asking you."
"I'll make it through. But Johnny, I want you to know.........this year, the accident.........I couldn't have done it without you and Susannah. I just don't know that it's enough."
"Ava you've done everything humanly possible for those kids. You need to give yourself a break."
"I know, but I can't right now. I mean, the therapist says Derrick really needs support and a strong familial presence right now. And Nikki, I mean, she's starting high school this year and that's a lot of changes for a girl. And Bradin, I mean, I don't know what to do. His PT hasn't been going all that well."
"I thought the doctors were still hopeful?"
Ava squeezed her eyes shut, willing back the tears. "They are, were. His spinal column wasn't ruptured in the accident, but you know that. They were hoping that when his vertebrae healed, some of the pressure, swelling would go down, and he could regain at least some mobility. But lately, it's like he's given up. He's not doing his exercises outside of PT and all the progress he's made........."
"Ava........."
"Johnny I think I'm losing him." The tears spilled over then, and there was nothing Johnny could say. So he held her again, letting her cry into his chest.
--
The night came, a brilliant ebony blanket littered with tiny sparkling stars. There was not a single cloud to mar the sky. It was late, past midnight, though the air was still balmy and warm. Jay Robertson didn't notice any of the evenings perfection. He sat in the sand at the edge of the water, letting the tide come in and wash over his feet.
His hair clung to his head, beads of salt water running from the loose tendrils down his face. A dark stubble arrested his chin, evidence of three days gone by without a shave. His board lay beside him in the sand, and a half empty bottle sat in his hands. The whiskey didn't even make him flinch anymore, the hot liquid burning as it slid down his throat.
His friends worried of course. The young Australian had become nearly a recluse. He still paid rent on the house, but spent most nights on a cot in the back of his shop. The smile had died on his lips, the laughter had seeped from his eyes. In the last year, his gaze had not lingered on Bradin for more than the barest moment. He still surfed, but now he did it alone, at night. The joy he'd once found in it had fled, leaving him to chase the waves, a shadow and a memory.
Johnny had come by the shop that afternoon, asking if Jay wanted to join him 'working out'. Jay had turned down the offer, polite, but firm. It wasn't that he didn't appreciate the efforts of his friends, but very little held any appeal for him anymore. He kept the shop open and dealt with customers, but the average surf shop clientele never wanted him to 'talk.' For him, the hurt was still too raw to rationally analyze with the likes of Johnny, Ava or Susannah.
He rested his head on crossed forearms atop his knees. The moment he shut his eyes he saw her face, beautiful, happy, full of life. He choked back a sob. The next moment her face changed and his heart ached anew. He was back in the hospital, as the doctor pulled the sterile white sheet back. The face he saw was mangled almost beyond recognition, cold and empty. The thin string of control he'd been holding since Susannah and Johnny had told him the news snapped. He'd collapsed to his knees on the tile. Jay took a long pull from the bottle.
He contemplated going back into the water, maybe shooting the pier. He'd done it before. He'd cracked up his board and damn near killed himself doing it, but still. At least if he died he wouldn't feel pain gnawing away at him every moment of every day. The liquor was a momentary reprieve, dulling his senses enough for him to make it through the days, the nights. Finally he stood, throwing the empty bottle as hard as he could into the waves. He picked up his board and started tramping back toward his shop.
He was a little more than halfway back to the shop when he saw the dark form in front of him. He stopped, shaking his head to clear away the fuzzy, numb blanket on his brain. He squinted, peering at the dark shape in the moonlight. he realized then that the form was no piece of driftwood, no beached animal, but a girl, a girl with long raven hair. "Erika," he breathed, knowing all the while it wasn't possible.
Jay plunged his board into the beach. She lay half in, half out of the water, curled over on her side with her back to him. The water pulled at her, creeping up past the waistband of her pants. He approached, his steps tentative. He knelt beside her, barely breathing and slowly reached out a hand. He grasped the girl's shoulder. She didn't react. He rolled her onto her back, grimacing at the sight before him. It was like being shot back in time, to the hospital.
Not that Jay could tell if this girl really resembled Erika beyond the hair, or if it was his mind playing tricks on him. Her face was bruised and bloodied, the right side of her face a myriad of black and blue, swollen to the point where her features were unremarkable. Her lower lip was split and a trail of dried blood trickled down her chin. Her hair was matted to her head on the right side. His fingers came away sticky and warm.
He swore beneath his breath. He looked up into the sky. "Is this some sort of test?" The words ran together despite his best efforts at clarity. "Of course it is," he told himself sourly, "and you're fool enough to take it. Come on then, let's get you inside." He slung the girl's arm around his neck and stood, albeit unsteadily and started again to head for his store.
Chapter 1
Okay, I was gonna make this chapter a bit longer, but I wanted to see what kind of reaction I got on it first. Promise this will not be a Mary Sue, at least my best effort to NOT make her a Mary Sue. I think Jay's got too much emotional baggage at this point anyway. But anyway, hope you like it, please review.