Chapter 29

Tradition

"Sideways"- Citizen Cope

Kyle (POV)

It had been a few weeks since I had discovered my new ability. Since then Foss and I had spent most of my already minimal free time studying Adam's notes and journals. We had also started to train a little in the mornings.

Lori and Declan had been in town for a few days and I had promised Declan that after my shift I would meet him at the park for a pick up game of basketball. It was our little tradition that we had kept since we went off to college. Whenever we were both in town we would try to play at least one game.

I just had to check in on my patients before my 19 hour shift was over.

"Hey Collin, how are you doing?" I asked as I entered his room.

Collin was my favorite patient. He was nine years old and he was fighting leukemia. Not even that would get him down, though. That's what I loved about him: he was a fighter.

"I'm alright, Dr. Kyle." He smiled.

I glanced at his mom for conformation, Collin never would admit if anything was bothering him.

"He's just been a little tired," she elaborated standing up from her seat to stand next to Collin. "Thanks for being with him this morning for his chemo treatment."

His mom Julia worked two jobs in order to keep up with the medical bills. Whenever she couldn't be here for his treatments I would sit with him to keep him company.

"It's not a problem, we had fun playing cards didn't we Collin?"

"I beat Dr. Kyle four times," he said with a laugh in his tone.

"Only because I let you win," I joked, even though I had actually let him win. I moved over to his bedside so I could check his breathing.

I placed the medallion of the stethoscope on his back. I had done the same thing with tons of patients before and not once had I actually needed the stethoscope.

"Your lungs sound good," I informed, helping Collin lean back down. The chemo left him pretty weak.

"Is there anything you guys need?" I asked, recording his vitals in his chart.

"No, I think we're fine," Julia answered.

"Okay, well I'll be back tomorrow night," I said before leaving the room.

When I finally got out of the hospital and over to the park to meet Declan it was the late afternoon. Lori and Declan had been watching Brice all day while I was at work. When I met up with them Declan was helping Brice shoot a basket.

"Hey!" I called jogging the last few yards to the court.

"There's your dad," I heard Declan mutter to Brice, who immediately ran as fast as his little legs would carry him over to me.

"Hey buddy!" I scooped him up in my arms. Lori had been sitting on the bench and had made her way over to us.

"How was apartment shopping?" They were planning on moving back to Seattle after their wedding. Declan had transferred to University of Washington for his last few years of med school.

"It was good." Lori said.

"We found one in your building actually." Declan smirked.

"Really? What floor?" I could hear the excitement in my own voice.

"Right. Across. The. Hall." Declan was now grinning.

"Tell me you guys are taking it!" My grin matched Declan's.

"Yes!" Declan cheered

"Declan was whining worse that a child," Lori sighed.

"Wait, you don't want to live right across the hall from your own brother? That hurts Lori." I pretended to be offended the same way Josh would.

"No, it's not that, it's that Amanda and I will never be able to separate you two," she complained.

Declan and I exchanged glances. "And that's a bad thing?" We laughed.

She huffed and took Brice from me. "Just play your game," she said pretending to be flustered. She walked off taking Brice over to the playground.

"You're going down," Declan taunted before checking the ball to me.

"You always say that but it never happens," I retorted, checking the ball back.

"First one to twenty-one, and no half court shots," he explained, like always dribbling the ball between his legs.

We were playing for only 20 minutes and I was up by four and only had to make another four shots before I won.

Declan had just made a basket and was checking it in to me.

"Doesn't look good," I mocked.

"Just remember that when I win," he shot back.

"Really?" I teased dribbling past his block for a lay up.

We continued like that for another 15 minutes or so before I won. We found Lori and Brice by the monkey bars. Brice was swinging from bar to bar.

"How bad did you beat him this time Kyle?" Lori asked.

"Thanks babe! Thought my fiancé would have some faith in me," Declan sulked.

"Awww, I do sweetie...But I also know that you can't beat Kyle." She smiled.

"Daddy: shoulders," Brice said to me swinging his way over to me across the bars.

"Okay buddy." He swung both legs over my shoulders and held on to my head.

"Are we ready to go?" I asked holding onto his legs.

"I think so," Lori said and Declan put his arm around her and we began to walk home.

I watched them walk off for a minute and I couldn't help but wish that Amanda were here. As we walked all I could think about was her. In the past few weeks since I had discovered my ability I had been giving her a few memories here and there. I was lucky that those were triggering the memories I couldn't give her. I had been careful not to give her memories that were about my past or about Brice. The only time I could give her memories was when she slept that way I could keep my abilities a secret. I didn't want to overwhelm her so I kept them simple. Our first 'date', first kiss, and the night she spent in my room instead of going back to New York were just a few.

I lifted Brice off my shoulders before we went through the front door so he wouldn't hit his head.

Nicole had planned a barbecue and everyone had gathered on the back porch for dinner.

"The steaks are done!" Stephen announced placing them on the table as everyone took their seats.

It was the first meal we had all had together in a long time.

"Lori will you pass me the broccoli?" Josh asked.

"Wow you're eating something healthy? I'm shocked," Lori teased, passing him the plate of broccoli.

"You're so funny Lori."

"Okay kids knock it off," Stephen stepped in.

There was a casual conversation going and I was helping Brice cut up his meat.

"This is nice," Nicole commented.

"What do you mean?" I asked. She was sitting at the other end of the table from me and across from Stephen.

"Having everyone here for dinner," she explained.

It was nice to be able to sit down for a meal with the family. I hadn't had time to do that in a very long time. But I couldn't help but feel like Amanda was missing.

Once dinner finished and we had cleaned everything up. Declan, Josh, Brice and I were out in the back yard. Brice and Josh were playing with a football while Declan and I got a chance to talk.

"So how's New York been?" I asked.

"To be honest I can't wait to come back." He chuckled "Seattle will always be my home."

"I know what you mean." I nodded.

"What about you, things have been kind of hectic," he inquired.

"That's a little bit of an understatement." I sighed. "I just wish Amanda could have her memory back and things could go back to normal."

"Well isn't that what you're doing? Helping her remember?"

"Yeah, but it can't happen over night, besides there's things that I don't know about that she experienced. I don't know every detail of what happened when she went to New York, I only know what she told me but even then I never went through it."

"So you're only giving her memories you were apart of," he stated.

"Right. I have to hope that those memories trigger other ones."

"Well you've just got to be patient man, eventually she'll remember everything and you're lives will go back to normal. You'll be living together again, then you'll get married and it will be as if she never forgot anything." He chuckled.

I felt my phone vibrate and I quickly checked the message:

Will you come over? We need to talk.

Amanda

"Do you mind watching Brice? Amanda needs to talk," I asked. Her message seemed important.
"Sure, take all the time you need."

"Thanks Declan," I said.

"Hey Bri," I called making my way over to him. "Daddy has to go back to work, but you're going to stay here with Uncle Declan, and everyone," I told him, knelling down to him. I knew it was a lie but if I told him the truth I knew he would want to come with.

"But I want you here, Daddy." It broke my heart; I constantly had to choose between him and Amanda.

"I know you do Buddy, but I also need to work." Another lie. "How about tomorrow you and I spend the day together, you can come with your uncles and I while we get fitted for our tuxes. Then after that, just you and me for the whole day. Okay?"

He looked up at me and smiled but I knew he was still sad. "Okay Daddy."

"I love you Bri," I told him holding my arms out for a hug.

"Love you too," he mumbled falling into my arms.

Declan and Josh took Brice inside and I walked next door to Amanda's. I felt terrible for leaving him. I hopped up the porch steps and knocked on the door.

After a moment I could hear David's heavier footsteps near the door.

"Hello Kyle," he greeted, gesturing for me to come in.

"Hi David. Is Amanda upstairs?"

He nodded and I was about to head up before he stopped me.

"Kyle, I should warn you that she found a picture of you, Brice, and her. I think she's put together that you're his father and I'm pretty sure she knows that she's his mom." So that was what was so important.

"Okay," I sighed. "Thank you David."

I turned and continued my way to her room.

"Amanda," I called pushing her open door open further.

"Hey," I almost whispered. She was sitting on the window seat holding the picture.

"Please tell me what this means," she said, standing up meeting me half way across the room holding out the picture.

"Where did you find that?" I asked.

"It doesn't matter where I found it, what matters is you didn't tell me!" She defiantly knew. "How could you not tell me we have a son?!"

"Amanda I'm sorry...I've been dealing with a lot."

"What could have been so important that you couldn't have told me about him? I don't even know his name Kyle!" Her voice shook a little at the end.

"What did you want me to say 'oh by the way I adopted a baby boy when I was 18 and you signed the adoption papers six months ago.' I didn't want to overwhelm you, I wanted to protect you and I was trying to protect our son." I could feel my voice raise a little. There were a few tears in her eyes but she stayed quiet.

"Amanda he asks about you everyday. I didn't tell you because I didn't want to force you into anything." My voice softened

"Force me into anything?" she snapped.

"You've been given a clean sleight here. You can choose to leave and I'll understand Amanda."

"Why would I do that?" she seemed to calm down a little.

"Not many twenty-one year-old women would choose to be a mom," I explained

"Kyle, I know that I love you and I may not even remember our son's name, but if he is our son and I choose to be his mother I know that I love him too," she said. I reached out to wipe away the few tears that had fallen.

"What's his name?" she asked, my hand still holding her cheek.

I smiled "His name is Brice Kyle Trager, he's three but he'll be four September 2nd. I adopted him when I was 18. His biological mother felt that she couldn't give him what he deserved and she also wanted to get him away from his biological father who was abusive. When we were living together at Dartmouth you became close to him. Six months ago you signed the adoption papers to become his legal mother." I told her everything then held her as she absorbed it all.

I knew it would be overwhelming for her but she needed to know. She cried on my shoulder frustrated with herself for not being able to remember. After a while of just standing there holding her not saying a word she asked 'when she could see him?'.

AN: Hey everyone I know it's been a while… But I finally updated. I hope everyone likes this. I'm really looking forward to writing the next chapter hopefully in the next couple weeks it should be up, maybe sooner if I have the time.

Anyway I was thinking about a couple things the other day and I wanted to see what you guys thought about them, so here are some questions to ponder for everyone.

1.) We all know that the reason Kyle is extremely intelligent because he was in the pod for so long. My question is would his abilities/intelligence be genetic?

2.) Foss. We all know that he was the drunk driver that caused the death of his family. But why was he drinking in the first place? Was he an alcoholic?

I'm not sure if I'll end up using these ideas in my story but I was just curious to see your thoughts. And if you have read this far than THANK YOU! I hope that means you'll reply.