Prologue...
"...life is but an endless series of little details, actions, and thoughts. The consequences, whether good or bad, of even the least of them are far-reaching." - Sivananda
News of a cull sends Jack and Amy to Pike River to help out Will Vernon. Tim sees this as an opportunity to get Ty and Amy together again so he tricks Ty into coming with him to Pike River. Amy had already made mention of moving on and prior to leaving for Pike River she removed her engagement ring. Upon learning of Ty's presence, Amy is none to happy. She complains about it being awkward and asks Jack to help her keep a distance from him. Ty isn't very happy that he was fooled by Tim and rather than staying in the cabin with everyone else he opts to sleep in Tim's truck. Tim goes out to fetch some wood for the fireplace and Jack follows using it as an opportunity, away from Amy, to chew out Tim for bringing Ty along. The story begins early the next morning...
Chapter 1
While warming himself in front of the fireplace, Jack notices Amy as she walks into the room. "How'd ya sleep?"
Amy walks over to the fireplace to warm herself as well. "Okay, I guess. It isn't nearly as cold as I thought it would be."
"Thank your dad or Ty for that. I guess one of them got up pretty early and put wood on the fire."
"So, dad's not here?"
"No, he's probably over at the diner already. You know him...he can't wait for anyone. Everything has to be on his schedule."
"How about Ty...have you seen him yet this morning?"
"No, he's likely with Tim warming himself up while they're having breakfast. I can't see how he spent the night in that truck. It had to be pretty cold in there last night."
"Well, that was his choice."
"Yeah...but you could have said something to convince him to stay here in the cabin."
"You could have as well...it didn't have to be me."
"You know you're gonna have to talk to him at some point and last evening would have been a pretty good start...an opportunity."
"You're beginning to sound like dad. Can you just let it go...I don't want to have this conversation."
"Fine then...let's get ready and head over for breakfast."
...
With Amy at his side, Jack walks into the diner and sees Tim alone at a table drinking a cup of coffee. Looking around the room but not seeing Ty he pulls out a chair and joins Tim at the table. "Couldn't wait for us...Where's Ty?" He asks in his usual, annoyed at Tim, peeved tone.
Amy quickly glances around the room as well as she joins them at the table. She tries not to reveal any interest in their conversation as Tim replies. "Good question...I went by the truck to wake him up but he wasn't there. I asked around and no one's seen him."
Jack, still peeved, "Well, he's got to be around here somewhere. Have you asked Joanne?"
"Yeah and she said the last time she saw him was yesterday evening."
Joanne walks over to refill Tim's cup and asks if anyone wants anything more than just coffee. Amy orders tea and Jack request coffee before asking, "So, Joanne...Tim says you saw Ty last evening...about what time was that?"
"I'm not exactly sure but it was when you and Tim were carrying firewood into the cabin. I had gone out back and saw Ty walking towards Tim's truck. He was just around the corner, behind the cabin, as you two walked inside."
Chad walks in and as he makes his way to the counter he stops at the table. "I heard you're looking for Ty."
Jack immediately responds, "Yes, we are...You you know where he is?"
"Well, sorta. I gave him a ride into town last night."
The response draws Amy's attention.
"Into town?" Jack responds with surprise.
"Yeah, I saw him hitchhiking up on the highway so I stopped and gave him a ride. He said he was going to catch a bus and head back to Hudson. I wasn't sure there would be one until this morning so I suggested he wait."
"Did he say why he was leaving?" Jack asks with a slight look of concern.
"No, he didn't."
Before Jack could continue, Tim asks, "Did he say anything at all?"
"He was pretty quiet...he did say he had waited long enough when I suggested he wait and then he mumbled something."
Jack looks over at Amy who avoids eye contact while Tim continues. "Any Idea what it was he said?"
"It sounded a little strange."
"How so?"
"I didn't catch all of it but it sounded like like he said he needed something."
Jack thanks Chad who then excuses himself and heads to the counter. Amy finally displays the interest she was trying to conceal by asking, "Why would he leave suddenly without saying something to one of us?"
...
"So, mind telling me why I'm picking you up at the bus station at this ungodly hour?"
"I don't want to talk about it." Ty exclaims as he throws his bag in the bed of Caleb's truck.
Leaning over the side of the truck bed, Caleb complains, "Listen, when someone wakes me up at 5 in the morning to come and give them a ride home...I want answers."
"Like I said, I don't..."
Glaring at Ty from the opposite side of the truck bed, Caleb stops him in mid sentence, "You know if you start walking right now you might make it to the trailer by noon."
Reluctant to talk about it, Ty sighs, "It's a long story."
"I'll drive slow."
Too tired to argue and resigned to the fact that he owes something of an explanation he gets into the truck as Caleb starts it up. During the ride home, Ty explains how he came to be at Pike River. He continues in much more detail and beyond that which he had originally intended.
"...I'm done. Like I said, I should have walked away a long time ago."
Caleb cautions him, "Before you make any rash decisions you should call her. Hear it from her yourself."
"There's nothing more I need to hear. She's been pretty clear about how she feels."
"Really? You think so?"
"Yes...I do. All this time...all she had to do was ask me if we could talk. She never did and then she began avoiding me. It was like she was waiting for me to apologize. Apologize for what? You know she has yet to say she's sorry? She knows what I need to hear but she never said it or anything close."
"Your being stubborn and reading too much into..."
Ty interrupts, "Caleb...when she picked us up from the police station, remember she dropped us off at your truck. If she wanted to talk she had an opportunity right then and there. All she had to do was drop you off and then offer to drive me back to the trailer, but she didn't. When she did drop us off she pretty much order us out of the truck."
"You do remember that she was pretty mad at us, right? And she was still wearing her ring. Call her."
"No!"
"As a favor to me for all the times I bailed you out of trouble."
"Your kidding right?"
"No, I'm not."
Ty pauses in thought for a moment and realizes that, when it comes to women, this might be one if the few times Caleb might be right.
"You're not going to let this go are you?"
"Not a chance."
"Okay...so, if I call, what do you suggest I say?"
"We need to talk...that might a good start. After all, that was your plan wasn't it...to talk?"
Ty let's out a sigh, removes his phone from his jacket pocket, and after a brief moment staring at the screen he calls Amy.
...
Jack, having finished his coffee, begins fumbling with his cup. "Something on your mind?" Amy asks.
"Jack stops fumbling with the cup and slides it forward. "No, not really. I guess you're done with your tea. If you're ready then let's head over to Will's place."
"I'm ready." Amy states as she stands up.
"Tim, you're joining us, right?" Jack asks as he stands up from the table as well.
"I think I'll stick around here for a bit. I'll join you later."
"You're not thinking about doing something stupid are you, because you already crossed that bridge."
"Not a thought in my mind."
Jack mumbles to himself, "You can say that again", as he and Amy leave.
Walking alongside his granddaughter as they head for his truck, Jack suggests to her, "Maybe you should call Ty to see if he made it home okay."
"Why should I? He decided to leave and didn't bother to tell anyone. I'm sure he made it home just fine."
"Remember that talk we had when I told you about taking too long?"
"I think we're pass that, grandpa."
"Maybe...Maybe not..."
Jack is interrupted before he can finish when Amy's phone rings. She sees that it's Ty calling.
...
Ty moves his phone away from his ear, momentarily looks down at the screen, then puts the phone back in his pocket.
"So, I guess she didn't answer. Maybe she doesn't have her phone with her or she's busy. Why didn't you leave a message?"
"That's not it Caleb. It went to voice mail after only 2 rings."
"Yeah...so?"
"2 rings...that means she purposely declined the call."
"Are you sure...maybe..."
Ty raises his hand motioning for him to stop talking. "I know what it means Caleb, she's done it before...you know that. I told you about it after the last time you convince me to call her. Remember when we bought Charger? Don't waste your breath making anymore excuses for her...just take me home!"
...
Noticing that Amy had declined Ty's call, Jack asks, "Why did you do that?"
"I didn't feel like talking to him right now, besides I don't know what I would say."
"Did he leave a message?"
She looks down at her phone. "No".
Jack points in the direction of the river. "Let's go for a walk."
"You mean talk don't you?"
"Yeah, that too."
"Shouldn't we be getting over to Will's place."
"It can wait a bit...this is more important. It's something I should have mentioned in that talk we had earlier. The one about waiting too long, but I didn't think it was necessary at the time."
"Grandpa, I really don't want to talk about Ty right now."
"You don't have to talk...just listen for a bit. There's something you should think about."
Amy sighs. "Do we need to do this right now?"
"If you have any thoughts about getting back with Ty then yes, you need to hear it."
Jack pauses before continuing.
"One problem with waiting too long...and I know this from personal experience, is the imagination can start to run rampant. Ty might, if he hasn't already, try to figure out how it got to this...everything that's happened between you two. Remember, there's been a few times over the years when the two of you have had a rocky history. He might wonder if their were signs, something he may have missed that should have been a warning."
A sudden expression of worry crosses Amy's face.
"If he does, well, one possibility is he's going to allow his imagination to look back over the past...what happens then is everything, no matter how insignificant at the time, is going to have new meaning. A meaning created by that imagination. It'll form a picture in his mind and right or wrong, fair or not, it's possible you won't come out of it looking too good."
Trying not to show any emotion, but listening closely, Amy looks out at the mountain across the river as Jack continues.
"It's not the intention but it can very well end up that way. The longer you wait, the more time for him to piece things together and declining his call is just one more thing. Ty isn't stupid so I'm sure he realized what you did. Once his imagination has pieced together a complete picture it may add up to be more than you can recover from."
She turns her attention to her grandfather. "Is that what happened...what went through your mind when you thought Lisa had gotten back with her Ex?"
"Sorry to say yes...pretty much. It's not a place you want to go. You just find yourself there...and pulling yourself out of it might take a long time and have a lasting effect on the relationship. You're left with questions that need answers and issues that need to be resolved. Even now, after all this time, there's still a thing or two that sometimes crops up."
Defensively, Amy claims, "The same thing can be said of me, grandpa. All this time I've thought about Ty and how we got to where we are and you know..."
Jack interrupts, "Amy, It's not a contest to see who feels they have been treated more unfairly! And I don't want it to look like I'm taking sides, but you two are just too damn stubborn for your own good."
Irritated for a moment by his interruption, Amy barks back, "Well, I learned from the best!" She pauses and immediately feels regret, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean that about being stubborn."
"Yes you did and you're right. I'm done offering advice. From here on I'll stay out of it."
"Sure you will. I know how much Ty means to you and in a way how much you two are alike."
Feeling the need to get in a dig like she had about his stubbornness, Jack replies, "And in a way you're like your father."
"What does that mean?"
"Nothing really. Never should have brought it up. Let's get over to Will's."
As they stroll slowly back towards the truck, Amy breaks the silence with a compromise in hopes of avoiding any further discussion. "Grandpa?"
"Yeah?"
"I won't promise I will, but I'll think about talking to Ty once were back home."
...
Later that evening, Jack leaves Amy in the diner talking with Joanna while he searches for Tim. Seeing him walk out of the cabin, Jack calls out, "Hold up a minute Tim!"
"What now?" Tim asks as Jack hurriedly walks towards him.
"Too busy today to swing by Will's place?"
"And spend my time listening to two guys who are older than dirt reminisce about the good old days and telling lies? Hell yes I was busy! Why? What's chewing at you now?"
"Ty...that's what's chewing at me! You heard Joanna this morning. Don't you think it's too much of a coincidence, right after we were talking about Amy, Ty up and leaves. He had to have heard us."
"Heard us? If he heard anyone it was you! You're the one who was making an issue out of me bringing him up here! Anyway, I don't think he heard us. And besides, once he saw Amy, he didn't want to be here. He was ticked off too that I had tricked him into coming and I think sleeping in the truck was probably the final straw. It was a coincidence that he left...that's all."
"He didn't sleep in the truck...he left and my impression doesn't jive with yours. He didn't seem angry at all...it seemed more like he was accepting the situation for what it was and in a way trying to make it work."
Giving it some thought, Tim wonders if Jack may be right. "Okay, so let's assume he heard us talking. What can we do about it? Shouldn't Amy know?"
"I'm not sure there's anything we can do. The damage is done and I told Amy I would stay out of it. At this point I'm worried about making it worse; especially if there's even a remote chance he didn't hear us. Mentioning it just might open Pandora's Box."
"For once I agree with you. What's a Pandora's Box?"
...
The remaining nights at Pike River were restless ones for Amy. She couldn't help thinking about what Jack had told her, including the comment about being like her father. Every night, while lying in bed, she looked back over her relationship with Ty like she had on so many nights before. Now, though, she looked back a little further in more detail or as much as she could remember. It was an arduous task which exposed an obstacle, one difficult to overcome.
It's the last night before returning home and Amy's exhausted. The horses had been saved and it turned out to be an 11th hour emotional plea by Will to Matt Pincher that finally made the difference. As happy as she was about the horses, there was still a sadness in the pit of her stomach that she tried to keep from tugging at the strings to her heart. It haunted her but this night the exhaustion lent itself finally to a long full night's sleep.
Once home, news of the effort by Georgie's aunt Crystal to extort money from Peter and Lou temporarily overshadowed the issue with Ty. As disturbing as it was to hear all the details, it served as a distraction from the drama of deciding whether or not to talk to Ty.
It's several days after Jack and Amy returned home to Heartland. Jack is in the kitchen wondering why Amy hasn't yet returned with his truck. In the midst of reaching for the house phone to call her, he's momentarily startled by the ring alerting of an incoming call. Jack answers and hears a familiar voice, it's trembling and barely audible while struggling to string words into a sentence that makes sense...
To be continued...