Here's the next to last chapter in this story. A Labor Day cookout in the parent's backyard. Auggie learns something unexpected about one of his sisters-in-law. He liked her before, but he is really happy to have her in the family now.

Disclaimer: Don't own. Just playing. I do have to give credit to my good friend Mumfer for Olivia. Without Mumfer, there might not have been an Olivia.

Chapter Sixteen – An Unlikely Ally

Monday, September 8, 2008 – 5:30 AM

Auggie groggily groped around on the nightstand for his watch. When he finally located it, he pushed the button that opened the crystal. Sensitive fingertips read the time. 5:35 or there about. Somewhere outside a dog barked in the early morning quiet. He groaned quietly into the pillow and rolled onto his back. The dream he'd just had had left him with a feeling of helplessness. He hadn't felt that way so strongly in a while. It was not a feeling that he liked, even when he had been relatively helpless in his new and frightening world. He thought that he had outgrown that feeling. But, maybe, he hadn't.

He lay on his back; eyes wide open, staring up toward the ceiling. Even though he did not wish to do so, his mind went back over the essence of the bad dream. He was in a dark place. A soundless place. He was disoriented and then silently objects – hands it had seemed – were pummeling him. Then taunting laughter as he tried, and failed, to find a way out. Was this a premonition? Or was it just his mind's sick way of defusing the disorientation and panic he had felt the day before.

Monday, September 8, 2008 – 12:45 PM

"Auggie, it's Olivia. May I sit with you?"

"I guess," he said with a shoulder shrug. "Where's Adam?" Auggie shifted to his right slightly to give Olivia plenty of room on the swing. Once she had settled onto the seat beside him, she set the swing in gentle motion.

"He's over with your dad by the grill. Alexis and Cody are watching their sister and younger cousins play tag." She lightly touched Auggie's left arm. "How's it going? I know that you graduated from rehab with flying colors, but how are you really managing in this new world you've been thrust into?"

"I'm doing fine, Livie. Just fine."

"Don't be giving me that line, buster. Adam told me about what happened at the ballgame. I gave him hell over his part in it. I'd give Tony a piece of my mind, too, if I thought that it would do any good. He may be Adam's and your brother, but he's still a jerk in my book."

"Yeah, Tony can be an ass sometimes. His words didn't bother me as much as Adam's comment that I needed to be here, were I'd be 'safe'. Meaning someone other than my brothers and father to watch over me like I was helpless."

"And you just had to show them that you weren't didn't you?"

"Yeah. I wanted to," Auggie stated with conviction. He had very much wanted to prove to his brothers that he wasn't fragile and helpless. All that he had done was prove to himself that maybe they were right – he wasn't as independent as he liked to think. The Sox weren't the only ones that had lost that day.

"You got to the Customer Relations Booth on sheer dumb luck didn't you?"

"No. I got there by using my new found skills," Auggie stated evenly. Olivia was going somewhere with this conversation. He just wasn't sure he wanted to go there with her.

"August David Anderson, don't lie to me," Olivia said with her best 'don't BS momma' tone. "You can tell me, Auggie. I understand, more than you may think, just how difficult all of this is for you."

"How could you possibly know what I'm going through?" Auggie said with resentment. How dare she presume to understand what life was like for him now.

"Sit back, Auggie. Let me tell you a little story," Olivia said gently. "Back in Little Rock, when I was in my early teens, my best friend was a bright, vivacious girl named Emily. One fall, just after school had started back, her parents took us to the high school football game. On the way home, a drunk driver smashed into us. We were all pretty badly hurt, but Emily was injured the worst; the other car crashed into our vehicle right where she was sitting. She had a very bad head injury and was in a coma for a while. When she finally came out of it she was blind. She had some other problems, but the biggest – and the one that wouldn't get better with therapy – was her sight.

"I've kept in touch with her all these years. We don't see each other in person as often as we'd like, but we talk on the phone, even E-mail each other, and she's on Facebook and Twitter, too.

"Even though we weren't adults when she was blinded, I remember her struggles. You don't know how little girls are, but they love to talk and share deep, dark secrets. She told me everything – how scared she was, how worthless she sometimes felt, about the little things that she would accomplish that would bolster her confidence, and the things that could leave her in a total panic. It took her years to really become comfortable with being blind. I doubt that in the short amount of time that you've been without your sight, you've truly become adept in and adapted to this world you now find yourself in."

Auggie nodded his head at her last statement. Even though almost five months felt like an eternity to him at times, it really wasn't long enough for him to become truly adapted to his darkness. He'd often wondered if he would ever be really comfortable with his perpetual moonless night.

"As soon as I heard what had happened to my favorite brother-in-law, I called Emily. We relived our friendship, and her early struggles. Even if you confide in them Auggie, none of your brothers will ever understand just how hard some things are for you now, but I understand better than even Austin and Alan. I've already been through this with someone else that I love. I'm just sorry that you chose not to let us in on your struggle earlier."

Auggie searched for her hand on the swing's seat and when he found it, with her subtle help he thought, he firmly squeezed it. He wanted to give her a peck on the cheek, but thought better of it. Even with her story fresh in his mind, Auggie hesitated and considered his next words carefully. Finally he spoke, "Yeah, you're right. I did arrive at the booth by pure dumb luck. If one of the people behind the counter hadn't spoken to me, I was just about ready to panic. I had no idea where I was.

"Every day, it seems, there is something that comes along to shake my carefully constructed facade. Yesterday it was – well you know what it was yesterday – this morning it was a bad dream. It left me feeling helpless. And now, with all of the kids running around, and all of the conversations, I'm feeling just a bit overwhelmed. I'm afraid that I'm going to run into one of the kid's toys, one of the littler kids, or trip over someone's feet." The admission of his perceived inadequacy did not come easily.

"Stick with me, Auggie. I'll take care of you this afternoon."

"You know how to be a sighted guide?"

"Oh, yeah. I'm a very good sighted guide. I know about canes, and how to tell you where things are by the clock face method. I know a lot of things about – how did Marissa put it that day? Oh yeah – the care and feeding of a blind person."

"Then why …? Auggie was confused; if she knew all these things then why hadn't she been the one to take charge of him when they'd come to visit him at the rehab center. He'd only begun to question her when she cut him short.

"Adam was feeling so helpless about what had just happened to his baby brother, I just stood back and let him take control. It wasn't until later that it dawned on him that of the four of us, I was probably the one best to have assisted you that day." She gave him a quick jab in the side with her elbow, "And I didn't know if a big macho man like yourself would take too kindly to being led by little ol' me."

"You're a very pretty lady, Livie. I wouldn't have minded at all. But Adam did a good job of it. He didn't let me run into anything, or trip over something, so it was good."

"Speaking of canes, why aren't you using yours today? It might help with not running into a misplaced toy."

"It never crossed my mind to be truthful. I'm so familiar with the house and yard it just didn't seem to be necessary." He lowered his voice to just above a whisper, "It upsets Mom to see me with it, too."

"That's a stupid reason not to use it. Yeah, she is having a hard time wrapping her mind around the fact that you'll never see again."

"I thought so. When I got here Friday, I wanted to take a walk around the neighborhood after supper. When I came down the stairs with my cane, she started to cry. She tried to cover it up, but I could tell. And the same thing happened last evening when I needed to walk off some of the frustration I felt about the incident at the game."

Olivia touched his hand. "You know, when she first learned about what had happened she wanted to yank you out of the rehab center and bring you back here. Your dad wouldn't allow it. He had confidence in your ability to adapt."

"He did?" Auggie was surprised at that. As the youngest he'd often felt as if his parents had sheltered him, didn't have confidence in his judgment. He had wondered at his parent's actions that weekend. He had expected more protectiveness from his mother and when she had only expressed hope for his future he had been confused. Pleased, but confused. This tidbit of information clarified many things in his thoughts.

"Yes, he did. Does," she said reassuringly. "Looks like the food is ready. Shall we head that way?" Olivia said as she rose from her seat. As Auggie rose beside her, she brushed the back of his hand with hers.

Auggie paused for a moment, considering his options, then lightly grasped Olivia's arm. "Who brought what for the potluck today?" he whispered conspiratorially.

"Let's see. I brought the potato salad and baked beans; Jenna brought a vegetable and relish tray; Jessica made some sort of layered taco dip for the chips, and you know that Alan did his deviled eggs. My Alexis made some chocolate chip cookies, and Tony's Katie did a melon medley with three different kinds of melon and some grapes. You know what the meats are?"

"Yeah. Dad's grilling some steaks, hamburgers, hot dogs, and brats that mom boiled in my beer this morning." The house had smelled like a brewery for a while as the brats boiled for a bit while he'd shown his mother his kitchen skills by slicing the green peppers and onions without taking off a finger. He'd even sautéed them up in olive oil.

"What would you like on your plate?" Olivia asked as she placed Auggie's hand on the back of one of the wrought aluminum patio chairs. If anyone other than Olivia had asked what he wanted to eat he might have taken offense. Or even if she'd asked before he knew about her friend Emily. But, now, it was okay that she'd asked. She was just being Olivia. She wasn't trying to 'baby' him. And he figured that she never would.

"Oh, decisions, decisions," Auggie playfully lamented. "A bit of potato salad, baked beans, a deviled egg, and a brat with the sautéed peppers and onions, with a squirt of mustard. Regular yellow mustard, not that Dijon stuff."

Olivia left his side as he sat and pulled himself up to the table. A few minutes later she was back and he heard the sound of one of his mother's Corel plates being set down on the glass tabletop of the patio table. Olivia whispered the location of the items on it to Auggie before she left again. Momentarily he heard the sound of a glass bottle being set before him and then the clatter of flatware on the table, too. The voice of Adam's first born, Cody, whispered that there was a bottle of Miller Lite at his one o'clock, and napkin and flatware to the right side of his plate.

"Thanks, Cody. Has your mom been coaching you?" Auggie asked, puzzled at the fourteen-year-old's knowledge.

"In a way. Alexis and I went with her and dad to Hines a few times to meet with the people there so that we'd know how to behave around you when you were here this weekend. I'm sorry that the bomb took your sight, Uncle Auggie. But I'm glad that it didn't take you away." The young man wrapped his arms around his uncle's shoulders and gave a quick squeeze. "I'm going to go get me something to eat now."

"I'm back, Auggie," Olivia said as she settled into the seat to his right a few minutes after her son had left.

"I'm here, too," Adam said as he sat on his other side.

"Don't expect me to talk to you, Adam. I'm not sure that I've gotten over your comment at the ballgame yet," Auggie said after he'd swallowed a bit of potato salad.

"How many times to I have to apologize for that open mouth insert foot comment?"

"I don't know," Auggie said while trying to stifle a chuckle. His big brother sounded so pathetic. Auggie enjoyed making his brother squirm a bit. He'd forgiven his brother before they'd even left the ballgame. But he wasn't about to let him off the hook quite yet.

"Auggie, I'm not going to grovel, but …"

"It's okay, Adam. I know that you just wanted to protect me. I just don't want or need to be protected from the rest of the world; just from myself sometimes. By thinking that you needed to protect me, you inadvertently drove me into the very thing that you wanted to protect me from. I think that seeing me disoriented and somewhat," he took a swig of his beer before he could force the next word from his mouth, "helpless was punishment enough. Consider the incident behind us."

"Thanks, Auggie."

A few more minutes into his meal Auggie leaned toward Olivia, "I'm being watched aren't I?" There was more sadness in his voice than bitterness.

"Yup. How did you know?" Olivia replied.

"Just a feeling I get sometimes. Who's the worst offender today? Jessica? Or one of the kids? Kids I don't mind, but adults should know better," his tone exuded resignation.

"How did you know that it was Jessica?" Adam asked curiously.

"She's the only one that I haven't spent any time around since I got back here to Glencoe. You and Livie have spent time with me and Livie has her friend Emily; Alan's seen me at my worst and Austin's spent extensive time with me. That leaves Tony and Jessica. Tony could care less about the way I manage things now, so, by process of elimination, that leaves Jessica."

"Ah, you've still got it upstairs," Adam said as he poked Auggie on the side of his head.

"Yeah, the computer geek is still in there," Auggie said as he turned his attention back to his meal. He didn't like being watched, but he knew that it was now part of the territory in which he resided. If he'd known where Jessica was seated he thought about raising 'the finger' towards her, but resisted the urge.

After he'd eaten his fill of the things on his plate and finish his beer, Alexis brought him a bowl of the melon medley and a couple of her cookies. As he was munching on his last cookie, Auggie was aware of someone occupying the seat that Olivia had vacated moments before.

"Hello, Jessica," Auggie said without turning his head toward her.

"How did you know who I was?" Jessica asked with surprise.

"My spidey senses told me," he replied evenly. He wasn't about to tell her that the overpowering scent of her perfume gave her away. Her signature perfume might have cost a small fortune, but it had never appealed to Auggie.

"Just wanted to let you know how sorry I am about what happened to you. You seem to be handling it well." For the one of the few times since he'd been blinded Auggie heard pity in a voice.

"Thank you, Jess, but I don't want your pity. I had two choices in dealing with becoming blind. I could have crawled off into a corner and hid, or I could learn to live with the hand that I got dealt. I'm not hiding. You should know how well I'm handling things, since you've been watching my every move since you got here." Insolence laced his tone, and he didn't care if he offended her. She never had been one of his favorite people. Olivia had called her an 'Ice Queen' soon after Tony had brought her home to meet the family for the first time. She was beautiful by anyone's standards and she knew it. Her parents were in the upper level of the Glencoe social circle and she seemed to think that she was so much better than most people. Truth be told, and he never advertised it, Alfred Anderson was wealthier than Jessica's family by a good bit. Alfred had always told his children that it was more important for them to make their way in the world than in the world making a way for them.

"How do you know that I've been observing you? Did Olivia or Adam tell you?"

"No, they only confirmed what I'd already surmised. I hope that I didn't disappoint you too much by not blundering into things and spilling most of my meal on my lap."

"Yes, Auggie, I expected to see you being led around by the hand and being fed like you were helpless." This time Jessica's tone was dripping with sarcasm. Without missing a beat she continued in a normal tone, "I admire your ability to bounce back from what happened to you. I'm not sure I could deal with becoming blind like you have. I've tried, and so has Tony, walking through the house with the lights out, and trying to eat a meal with our eyes closed. We did not do well; I had a couple of big bruises on my legs and Tony almost fell down the stairs. He was impressed with the way that you took off on your own yesterday."

"Wasn't trying to impress anyone. Just wanted to get away from people who didn't want me to be where I was." The knowledge that his irresponsible action yesterday had impressed his brother surprised him. He didn't think he could do anything that would ever make an impact on his older brother. Tony certainly hadn't behaved any differently towards him when he'd returned to his seat.

"Mom says that you're going to go back to work next week?"

"Yeah, I was sort of surprised when they wanted me back. It'll feel good to be back at work."

We've met the last two adults in Auggie's family. What do you think of Olivia aka Livie and Jessica?