A/N: Sorry this took so long to get up. Started school on the 22nd and Nursing School is crazy. But crazy good. If there were such a thing. Anyway, thank you to all those who read and reviewed and etc. I'm glad you are enjoying this story.
Chapter Four
"Brooke?" Tony asked, looking at the piece of paper that was currently in his hands.
"It's…the kids, Pete and my parents got together and wanted…we wanted to surprise you honey," Brooke said quietly. She watched as Tony adjusted his hold on their daughter so that he could use two hands to open the brochure that she had just given him.
"But, I don't," Tony scowled and looked at the paper again. He didn't understand. This sort of thing cost thousands of dollars and Brooke didn't-
"We held a fundraiser. It was a secret, we wanted it to be a surprise."
"But…I-I don't understand."
It is quiet for the longest moments, the air settling on them so heavily that Tony wonders if the weight will break his still fragile back.
"His name is Jack," Brooke finally replied, "And I would really like it if you met him."
"Okay," is all Tony's mouth said as he looked at the piece of paper again, "Okay."
Out of everyone, Pete was the only one who brought up the subject. Of course, he had known Tony when Tony hadn't been a Hudson so Tony didn't fault him for it. But he was also the one who came up with the weirdest of ideas.
"What if you were a Secret Agent and got your memory wiped? That would explain…well, almost everything," Pete said one day as he drove Tony to PT.
Tony scowled before answering, "Have you been watching that Bourne Identity movie with Nate again?"
Pete chewed on his piece of gum, Nate was trying to get him to stop chewing tobacco, and accidentally spit it into his spit cup out of habit.
"Dangit," Pete grumbled before unwrapping another piece of gum and throwing it in his mouth.
"Pete?" Tony asked again, knowing the older man was trying his hardest to ignore him.
"Well it's not my fault you and Brooke decided to go on a date last week," was the only thing Pete said in response, still refusing to come right out and tell Tony he liked the Bourne movies.
Tony, who despite the situation and the mysteries surrounding him, smiled at his friend.
No matter how he had ended up here, he was glad he had.
Despite the similar coloring, Tony look could see the differences immediately.
Jack was a mix as well, Brooke had mentioned a Great Dane and Labrador Retriever, but despite his larger size, he had the face and coat of Lee. And the ears. The ears were almost exactly the same.
Jack sat calmly by the chair, his tongue rolling out the side of his mouth and his lips pulled back in a doggie smile as they showed his white teeth.
"Hi Jack," Tony said, looking at the dog in front of him. Hearing his name, the dog's ears lifted and he closed his mouth. Despite his want to investigate the newcomer, Tony was glad to see that the dog was well trained and did not move from his spot on the floor.
"You must be Tony," a lady who had been talking to Brooke smiled at him. Tony was using his forearm crutches today, as his back and legs were cooperating with him this morning.
"Yes," Tony nodded, shifting his weight so that he could extend his hand for a handshake, "And you must be Irvine O'Brien?"
"That's me," Irvine smiled at Tony before gesturing for him to take a seat, "And this, as I'm sure you've guessed, is Jackson, or Jack for short. Jack come."
The big dog rose to his feet, letting out a brief yawn, before he walked over and heeled at Irvine's feet.
"Hi Jack," Tony said for the second time and wondered if he was making the right decision.
Jackson, or Jack as Tony came to call him, was a very smart dog. He was trained as a mobility assistant service dog by Texas Hearing and Service Dogs. He was trained to provide assistance not only when Tony walked but also when Tony needed to use his wheelchair to get around.
After meeting Jack, Tony agreed to begin the training to take on a service dog.
The training lasted a few weeks.
By the end of the three weeks, Tony was so exhausted he came home and sleep for half a day. He was so tired that he when his back started to spasm, he wasn't even able to go get his medicine, and since he was home alone, no one could hear his cries.
But that was okay, because Tony had Jack, who grabbed his bag and helped Tony take his medicine.
And three weeks after Tony had been nervous about his decision, he was glad he had taken the chance on the three year old dog.
Tony stood carefully, using the forearm crutches to get to the Kubota that he used to makes his way around the farm. The snow had melted, it was the middle of March finally, and Tony wanted to check on all the fences, make sure everything was in order.
Even though he handled most of the paperwork now, Tony still felt a bit useless at times because he could no longer help with any of the manual labor.
Tony made sure he was all set before whistling, "Come on Jack."
The big black dog walked around to the other side of the ATV vehicle before hopping in. Tony grabbed the leash that was fasted to the bottom of the seat and buckled it against Jack's harness. They had done this a few times since Tony had gotten Jack a few weeks ago and now Jack didn't even bat an eye while riding the ATV.
"Pops," Nate said, walking out of the house, an apple in his mouth, "Can I come?"
"Don't eat with your mouth full," Tony scolded lightly, a smile on his face, "You'd think you were the same age as the Jake."
Nate smiled at the compliment before finishing off the rest of the apple.
"So Pop," Nate buckled in, and adjusting his Lettermen's jacket. A jacket, Tony knew, that had a State Champion's patch on it from this year for basketball. Nate had gotten the jacket last year but he had hurried to put on the patch after they won State, wanting to show off his badge of honor while it was still cold enough. And it was still cold out but it was no longer freezing. Which was good in Tony's opinion. The cold always hurt his lungs when he breathed.
"What's on your mind Nate?" Tony put the Kubota into gear and headed out on their property.
"I was thinking," Nate finally continued, once they were headed to the far end of the grazing pasture, "That seeing as it's my birthday soon…"
"In two months," Tony looked at his eldest, "You're birthday's in the middle of June Nathaniel. Now spit it out. What do you want?"
"Well," Nate smiled, "I mean, I'm going to turn what seventeen? I'm a junior already and I think, that, you now, I've come a long way since that little scrawny kid-"
"You were never scrawny Nate," Tony chuckled as they entered one of the pastures.
"Pops, are you even listening?" Nate laughed, not the least bit upset that Tony was not paying attention to him.
"I am now," Tony stretched his bad leg before using his arm to adjust his seat slightly, "What do you want Nate? A car?" Tony smiled at Nate, lifting an eyebrow.
Nate raised his eyebrows before laughing, "Now why would I want something like that?"
Tony laughed, totally not expecting that answer before rolling his shoulders, "What is it then? A raise in your allowance?"
"I don't have an allowance," Nate scowled, "Which brings up another point. Don't you think-"
"Back to the original question Nate," Tony said, avoiding a mud puddle and a boulder, "What do you want?"
"I want your blessing."
"My blessing?" Tony asked, looking at his oldest son.
"I've been thinking about this for a long time," Nate said, looking out into the fields, "And I know that I won't be a Senior for almost a couple months and that I won't be graduating for another year but the counselors at school are really pushing us to go to college and stuff and well I," Nate paused and took a deep breath, "I don't want to go to college."
While Tony's impulse reaction was to slap his kid silly, he paused, petted Jack's ears before opening his mouth, "Why not?"
"I want to join the Marines," Nate said quietly, "I want to, and I would really like it if I had your blessing Pops."
Tony stopped the ATV vehicle and gingerly turned to look at his son. Nate was broad and had finally started to really fill out. He would be a big kid, probably big enough, and good enough, to be scouted for college football. But the fact that he wanted to serve, wanted to do something good with his life, touched something deep inside Tony, something that reminded Tony of before.
"Why the Marines?" Tony asked quietly, still processing everything that his son was telling him.
"It just," Nate shrugged, "It's the right thing to do Pops. I want to serve my country. I want to do something other than play college football or any other sport. And it's the right thing Pops, I can feel it, in my gut."
It was quiet then, for the longest time. Then, Tony spoke.
"Well, who am I to argue with someone's gut?" Tony smiled before pulling Nate into a hug. Man, he loved this kid.