Tyrone has been so focused on getting Tandy to his house that he forgot to actually come up with a plan. His parents are home which would be fine except he's wearing Billy's cloak and there's a bleeding, unconscious girl in his arms. Shit.
He doesn't stop, knowing all of this will become a hundred times worse if any of the neighbors see him. Once he makes it to the front yard, he wrangles off his cloak and toes it into a bush. It pains him to leave it there, but there's only so much he's going to be able to explain away to his parents. It takes some skill to open his front door with Tandy in his arms, but he manages. Without closing it behind him, he speeds into the living room where his mother sits with her back to him.
"Baby what are you doing home?" she says, putting down her book. "I thought you and – oh my God!"
Adina jolts off of the couch but doesn't approach them. Her mouth and eyes are wide in horror and Ty doesn't want to know what he looks like.
"Mom, I –"
"Di, what's going on?" His father says coming out of the kitchen. He freezes. "What the hell?"
"Mom, Dad, I know this looks really bad. This is Tandy. She's my friend. She was in a fight. She needs help."
Otis is still sputtering when Adina steels her face into something fierce.
"Set her on the couch, Tyrone. Keep her head elevated. I'll get towels."
"I'll get ice." His dad says, and they scatter, just like that.
Ty's stunned for a minute before he comes back to himself and hurries to the couch. He strains to get Tandy in a good position without touching her skin. Now that they're in better light, he can see how pale she is. The gash along her temple is monstrous and the fact that he can't do anything about it is killing him. Luckily Adina returns, gingerly easing a towel under Tandy's head and pressing the other against her cut.
Tyrone shifts awkwardly, knowing he's in the way but unable to make himself leave. He settles for sitting on the edge of the couch, holding onto Tandy's elbow while his mother looks her over.
"Oh God," she says, softer but no less aghast. "How did this happen?"
Ty swallows. What had Tandy said about lies? Something like the best lies have truth in them. He's stammering for an answer when his father comes back with a pack of ice wrapped in cloth. Adina takes it and replaces the towel against Tandy's head. She whimpers when it touches her and Ty thinks he may snap in half.
Otis is pacing the length of the living room, his movements jagged and on-edge. "You better start explaining yourself, boy. I thought you were on a date with Evita."
"I was. Tandy… called me." That wasn't a totally lie, was it? His powers always brought him to her when he needed it, whether he understood why or not. Maybe she'd done the same; called him when she needed him the most. Quickly, he adds, "She was in trouble."
His father's eyes turn dark. "What kind of trouble?"
Trying to reveal a major conspiracy that's responsible for the defamation of her father.
"These guys have been bothering her." Ty remembers the first night they'd spent in the church, when she'd told him about the man who almost… the thought gets his blood boiling. "I think she went out with one of them and now the prick feels like she owes him."
There is a grave silence that settles over the room. Otis looks between him and his mother, then sighs heavily.
"Are you alright?"
"Yeah," Ty says immediately, "Dad, I'm fine, really." When he turns, Adina's eyes are glimmering and he knows what she's thinking. "I promise, I'm fine."
She nods like they've come to an understanding and focusses back on Tandy. "This looks bad. We should take her to the hospital."
"No!" he says, too fast and too loud. His parents flinch. "Sorry, just… you can't. Tandy…" shit, shit, shit, shit, "Tandy's afraid of hospitals."
Nice one, choir boy, Tandy mocks in his head.
His mother raises a skeptical eyebrow. "Baby, she needs a doctor to look at this."
"Mom, please. She'll hate me if she wakes up in a hospital room." Totally true. "Please."
Adina presses her lips together, studying him carefully. She glances back at Otis whose expression says that it's her call. Exhaling through her nose, she straightens her spine and sets her shoulders.
"I have a friend. She's not on call tonight. I'll see if she can come over."
Tandy isn't sure how long she's been wandering around this field. The sun is so bright it's nearly white and the grass is lusher than she's ever seen. When she looks up again, there are two chairs sitting at the far end of the field.
As she draws closer she can make out two people, a man and a woman. They don't react as she stands before them and she knows they can't see her. Their hands are clasped, their smiles wide and bursting. Tandy feels drawn to the woman in a way she can't explain.
"Tyrone Johnson." A voice rings out.
Tandy whips around to see a stage, Tyrone at its far edge, grinning as he walks toward the podium in the center. He's wearing a cap and gown and his face looks… different. Older, with the barest hint of facial hair lining his jaw. He looks good.
The man at the podium gives him a diploma and shakes his hand. Tandy turns back toward the couple and sees nothing but joy on their faces. The woman lets tears flow freely down her face, pressing a hand to her heart as if this all may become too much. Tandy reaches out to touch her and is overwhelmed by light. She blinks rapidly until everything comes back into focus.
She's in a room, small but ornately decorated. There's a floor length mirror in the corner. The older version of Tyrone stands before it in a suit. The woman is beside him, wearing a beautiful dress and that same joyous smile.
Ty fidgets with his collar. "How do I look, Mom?"
"Like a prince." Ty rolls his eyes. "I'm serious. She's a lucky girl."
"I guess."
His mother busies herself smoothing an imaginary wrinkle on his jacket. Her expression turns down, briefly.
"Are you happy, baby?" she asks hesitantly.
Ty smiles wider than Tandy's ever seen him and it gets her heart racing. "Yeah, Mom. I'm really really happy."
"I love you."
"I love you, too." He wraps his arms around her, kissing the top of her head. "I'm gonna call you twice a week. No, three times!"
She chuckles. "Sure you are."
"I mean it!"
Their laughter fades as the light takes over again, and Tandy's left feeling more content than she has in years.
Tyrone can hear his mother in the kitchen, trying to convince her friend why she should abandon a romantic evening with her partner to stitch up a random teenager. He tries to focus on that – and on being gentle as he holds the icepack against Tandy's head – instead of the holes his father is burning into the back of his skull. .
"You know the guy that did this?"
"No."
"You know any of his buddies?"
"No, Dad."
"Where'd all of this go down?"
Tyrone sighs, mulling over another lie when Tandy moans and shifts her head. He has to avoid her hand as she blindly reaches out, but he grips her forearm to let her know he's there.
Her eyes open just a fraction and she croaks, "Ty?"
"Hey." He says, voice unexpectedly heavy. He clears his throat. "How you feeling?" She lets out a theatrical groan that tugs at the corner of his mouth. "Yeah, that's about as good as you look."
"Asshole." She mutters and gives him a small, bleary-eyed smile. Her gaze travels lazily around the room until she spots his dad.
"Tandy, this is my dad, Otis Johnson. Dad, this is Tandy Bowen."
She tucks her chin almost shyly against her chest. "Hi, Mr. Johnson."
"Miss Tandy." His father nods, eyes remaining stern. "You scared us quite a bit."
"Sorry."
Adina struts back into the room, shutting off the phone with an audible click. "Well, Candice said she'll do it, but we owe her dinner. Should be here in fifteen." She blinks at Tandy like she's just noticed her. "Oh, you're up. Good, that's a good sign. I'm Tyrone's mother, Adina."
Tandy stares at her for a moment longer than normal and says – a bit awed, "Nice to meet you."
The Johnsons look at one another, and that good sign from earlier is forgotten.
"You're going to have a decent bruise," Otis says. "and that cut's probably going to need stitches."
"I'll be fine." Tandy says quickly and tries to sit up. "Thank you for –"
She sways a bit and Ty catches her shoulders. "Hey, Tan, you've got to take it easy."
"I'm fine, Ty." She keeps pushing, legs struggling to help her stand. "It's just a scratch." But she's blinking slowly as she says it.
Tyrone opens his mouth to protest, but Adina beats him to it. "Sit down, young lady. You're not going anywhere until a doctor checks you out."
Tandy's expression sobers instantly, her wide eyes locking onto Ty.
"Don't worry." Otis chimes in. "Tyrone already told us about your fear of hospitals. We've called in a friend to come take a look at you."
Tyrone tries to communicate psychically, play along. Tandy narrows her eyes at him before turning back to his parents.
"You guys really don't have to –" but one mom-look from Adina shuts her down, "Thank you."
Satisfied, Adina says to Otis, "Will you grab some ibuprofen and a glass of water for Tandy, honey?"
"Sure."
He leaves and Ty takes the opportunity to move fully beside Tandy on the couch. He's still holding the icepack to her head, keeping his touch as gentle as possible. She gives him an appreciative smile before opening her hand and carefully taking the icepack from him.
"Do you remember what happened, Tandy?" Adina asks, hesitantly.
Ty says quickly, "I told her about those guys that have been bothering you."
Even with a concussion, Tandy doesn't miss a beat. "Right, yeah it was pretty scary. This guy's been bugging me for a while but he's never followed me before, especially not with all his frat buddies behind him."
Adina looks at the floor before she can meet Tandy's eyes. "Did any of them…?"
Ty watches her face closely. It's a "blink and you miss it" kind of thing. Her expression doesn't change, and yet he can sense something churning beneath the surface; something vulnerable.
"No, nothing like that, Mrs. Johnson." She says, voice hollow. "They just roughed me up and left me there. That's when I called Ty."
She turns to him and the look in her eyes is so intense Tyrone nearly shrinks away from it. He doesn't, though, and gives her arm a reassuring squeeze.
"Can you identify any of them? You could press charges –"
"They're rich white boys with mommies and daddies in high places. I don't see much of a point."
Otis returns with the medicine and water and they all silently agree to drop it. Instead, Adina tries to lighten the mood. Her smile would probably seem genuine to anyone that didn't know her, but Ty can tell she's uncomfortable.
"So, Tandy, do you go to school with Tyrone?"
"No, ma'am. We met through a mutual friend. You know Evita?"
"Fusilier?"
"Yeah, we met at a party at her place."
Otis interjects. "Why you scared of hospitals?"
Ty feels all of the blood leave his face. "Dad."
"It's a legitimate question, son." He says, even though Adina's shooting him a disapproving look.
"It's fine." Tandy puts her hand on Tyrone's thigh. They both seem to realize that at the same time and she quickly retracts it. "Um, anyway… my dad had cancer. He passed away when I was nine."
"Oh, sweetie," Adina gasps.
"It's okay. It happened a long time ago." Tandy swallows and looks down at her hands. "He was sick for a really long time. I think I remember him being in the hospital more than I do him being at home. When he died I just… I don't know, I just couldn't set foot in another hospital. Not again."
His dad's eyes have softened and his mother's are brimming with tears. Ty just gapes at her. How the hell is she this good at lying?
Honestly, Tandy's a little impressed with Tyrone. The "fear of hospitals" thing is good. By now he's probably put together her actual reasons for avoiding it: they'd contact her mother, she has zero insurance, and never mind the risk of someone identifying her. No, hospitals aren't an option.
She's unsure whether or not it's lucky that Mrs. Johnson called in her doctor friend. Tandy may not be afraid of hospitals, but doctors still make her uncomfortable. Mom had made her see at least a dozen – just after the ridge explosion but before Roxxon had swooped in and taken everything from them. It was weeks of the same "follow the light" and "how many fingers am I holding up," just like Dr. Burk is making her do right now.
"Alright, Tandy, your pupils are dilating correctly, which is a good sign. Now I'm going to test your memory."
What's the last thing your father said before the crash? How did you escape the car? How did you wind up on that beach?
"Sounds good." She says hollowly.
"What day is it?"
"Friday."
"What's your mother's name?"
"Melissa."
"Where do you live?"
Where does she live? Which answer is better: an abandoned church or the shit hole her mom calls a house?
"Ridgeway Estates." She says, thinking of a neighborhood that's upscale but not too affluent so they won't get suspicious.
Her answer must take too long, though, because Dr. Burk's eyebrows scrunch in a worried line. She must have mistook Tandy's delay as an effect of the concussion. She reaches into her bag and pulls out a pair of latex gloves.
"Let me take a look at that cut."
Tandy tries to stare at the floor as Dr. Burk disinfects the wound, but she can feel Tyrone's eyes on her. Eventually she caves and looks up. He's hovering at the other end of the coffee table like he's judging the doctor's work. It makes Tandy smile despite herself.
"I never thanked you, Ty." She says as if they're the only two people in the room.
Maybe her filters aren't as strong as they should be, but hey, she is concussed. Ty looks surprised to hear her voice and meets her gaze with wide eyes.
She shrugs one shoulder. "Sorry I ruined date night."
He shakes his head, just barely, and she can practically hear him drawl I can't even, with you.
Instead he says, "It's cool. You got me out of having to finish Death Blade IV."
"Seriously? You hate horror movies."
"I don't hate them, they just aren't my thing."
"But being a big ol' chicken is."
"Woman, I swear –"
"If I may interrupt." Dr. Burk says, clearing her throat. "Tandy, I'm going to put some lidocaine on your head to numb it and then apply these butterfly stitches, okay?"
"Definitely okay with the numbing part." She quips.
As Dr. Burk works, she explains, "The damage is mostly superficial, meaning while the wound was bleeding heavily, it seems that you haven't done any severe damage. Although I would still recommend an MRI, just to be safe."
Sure, you paying for one? Tandy thinks bitterly.
Dr. Burk continues, "Whatever got you into this mess – and I told Adina I don't want to know – you can't be doing that again. The cut isn't bad, but a concussion is no joke. You need to rest and take it easy for the next few weeks."
"Yes, ma'am." Tandy says, and she sees Ty narrow his eyes.
"Someone should definitely observe you through the night just to make sure nothing changes."
"No problem."
With a huff, Dr. Burk gathers her tools back into her bag and stands up. "Adina," she nods at Mrs. Johnson, "Otis. Always a pleasure. Good to see you again, Tyrone."
"You too, Doc." He says, but his eyes stay trained on Tandy. The attention is starting to make her itch.
"Well I'm off to try and salvage date night with my wife. Y'all stay out of trouble."
"Will do." Otis says as Adina sees Dr. Burk to the door.
Ty follows them, much to Tandy's dismay, and she's left alone in the living room with a very unhappy looking Mr. Johnson.
Tyrone can barely wait until the front door is shut before whispering to his mother. "Can Tandy spend the night?"
Adina stares like he's lost his mind. "What?"
"Her mom is out of town." He says quickly. These lies are coming faster and faster and he isn't sure how to feel about that. "You heard Dr. Burk. Someone needs to be watching her and that won't happen if she goes home by herself." He can see the reservation in her face when he all but begs, "Mom, please."
He holds his breath until Adina sighs and walks back into the living room, saving Tandy from what looks like a monstrous stare-down.
"Tandy, we'd like you to spend the night." She says, all professional.
Ty doesn't know who looks more shocked: Tandy or his dad.
"Look I really appreciate everything you've done for me," Tandy says, slowly rising from the couch, "but I'm not really comfortable with –"
"I understand that this must seem very sudden, dear, but Tyrone mentioned that your mother is out of town and there will be no one at home to check up on you."
Tandy shoots him a look of pure murder but Ty takes it in stride. He moves toward the couch, standing as close as he dares.
"Tandy, please?" his voice is painfully honest.
She stares at him for second before averting her eyes, grumbling under her breath, "Fine."
