Title: So It Goes
Author: ZombieJazz
Fandom: Chicago PD
Disclaimer: I don't own them. Chicago PD and its characters belong to Dick Wolf. The character of Ethan has been created and developed for the sake of this AU series.
Summary: Hank Voight and his family try to cope with their struggles at home and work — and the dynamics those conflicting circumstances creat for their blended family in a time of transition. The series focuses on Voight, his sick and disabled son — and what's left of his family and their strained relationships, particularly that with Erin Lindsay and Jay Halstead as they work at establishing their own lives as a young couple.
This is a collection of one-shots/scenes using the characters as represented in the AU established in Interesting Dynamics. The chapters currently represent scenes happening in approximately S04 of the series or early 2017.
As I continue to update, they'll just provide one-shot snap shots into the characters' lives and likely some recasts of scenes from the show.
This is not a linear narrative with a beginning-middle-end. It's just scenes. It is generally set so it begins around the mid-point of Season 4 (or about January/February 2017) and may occasionally draw reference to (and have SPOILERS) from the series.
A notification is provided at the beginning of each chapter about where it happens in relation to the other chapters, if they are out of sequence. Chapters will be re-ordered semi-regularly (i.e. if you're reading this weeks or months after the chapter was originally posted, it's likely now in the right place, so just ignore the notification).
SPOILER ALERT: There are MAJOR spoilers in this collection from Interesting Dynamics, So This is Christmas, Scenes and Aftermath. This series also contains SPOILERS related to the finale of Season 3 of Chicago PD and will have occasionally spoilers from Season 4 of the show.
PLEASE NOTE:
This is Part 3 of the same "scene" all from Jay's POV. Part 1 and Part 2 were posted yesterday — Jurassic Moment and Turning Blue. Please make sure you had the opportunity to see them both.
Going to the Discovery Center had been a decent way to get their day back on track. But it'd also been a decent way to eat up basically their day – or at least the extent of the day that him and Erin had intended to have Eth there. At least until the evening – because by about 11 a.m., it was getting hot, humidity and really fucking crowded in the park. Not that you could really tell in the Discovery Center, since it didn't seem like a high traffic site. Because who the fuck goes to Universal Studios to spend time in some sort of educational, interactive exhibit? Ethan. That was who.
Jay would admit that he'd again had the awe moment like he was about 10 years old again and seeing Jurassic Park for the first time. Right when they walked into that welcome center – the literal Discovery Center – in the movie. Because they'd entirely reconstructed it. It looked exactly like what he remembered. And, Eth had been sure to point out just how incredibly accurate it was. And he'd know. Jay didn't even want to imagine how many times that kid had watched those four movies. Over and over. On repeat. But, he knew that the kid took a lot of comfort out of repetition. He liked that he knew what was going to happen. He didn't have to give it his full concentration or strain to focus. Just like how in daily life Eth liked his little routines and traditions over and over. It was actually a fucking miracle he was doing so well so out of his element. His little bubble. But it was likely because for that moment he was in one of his fantasy bubbles – the real, live Jurassic Park that he'd really wanted to exist about as long as his fractured little mind could remember.
Unfortunately for them the "look for fossils" in that building hadn't been a sandbox (further unfortunately for them, the attendant near the fossil display had advised them that "Camp Jurassic" just outside the building did have "an active dig site" available. It was a horrifying thought. Jay knew if they let Ethan get into that pit, there was likely no way they would be pulling him out until the park was looking up for the night without a brain-damaged tween meltdown.). As it was, the fucking interactive fossil display inside had held Eth's attention for ages. Because it had a mock-up of the SONAR photography technology set up "like the movie" (as Eth felt the need to point out to the at pretty much every part of the exhibit) against a wall – letting the kids track it around and take readings in different areas in search for fossils. Eth got absolutely lost in it. The only thing that had pulled him away was the announcement about the You Bet Jurassic that he'd so openly mocked outside. Inside – different story. He'd wanted to go. Straight away.
And it'd been ridiculous. They got sat in front of a little panel thing – that they were supposedly supposed to share as a family. Ethan definitely was not sharing. The couple times him or Erin had tried to plug in an answer, he'd batted their hands away. "You're going to get it wrong!" they'd gotten informed more than once. Erin had actually managed to beat him to keying in one answer and had gotten it wrong. That did not go over well.
It'd gone over even worse when they'd "lost" the fucking game show by one point. And even worse when Eth saw that the kids in the family that won got to go up and given little dinosaur eggs from the host of the thing. And that was it – they had to hang around the fucking exhibit area for another twenty minutes waiting to get let into the next show thing. At the fucking front of the line.
They'd just let him have at it that time. Because they knew if he didn't "win" they were never going to get out of there. And when he did win the big prize and crack open that egg, what was inside? About five jellybeans that they'd promptly confiscated from him, a dinosaur temporary tattoo, a sticker and a little plastic dinosaur that had JP stamped on its hind-quarters. But it'd been enough to tweak Eth's little obsessive compulsive disorder when it came to things that clearly had the opportunity to collect. It didn't matter that it was all pretty much crap – he needed to collect them all.
It'd been another negotiation – that they could come back into the exhibit area after they went on the tour. But they weren't going to fucking hang around for another 20 minutes – more like 40 by the time they actually played the game – to do the stupid trivia thing again. And they just crossed their fingers that he'd find something else to get obsessed about or stuck on between down and then. Or that with all the stimulation going on that day that his damaged brain would be having trouble filing shit away and his short-term memory wouldn't be at its best and he'd just forget that they'd said they could go back. That might be hoping for a little much.
He'd still been a little nervous heading over to the "ride" in the building. But again, the holding area had been done up so well, it distracted him. It actually was so dead in there, they probably could've just about walked right through. But Eth wanted to do the DNA test thing – which "merged" their human DNA with a dinosaur's and then displayed their head on beast. It was pretty fucking retarded. But Ethan thought it was hilarious. He'd made all three of them do it.
Jay got his head stuck on the top of a brachiosaurus. Which Erin thought was nearly as funny as Eth and promptly was fishing out her phone to take a picture of it on the screen before it disappeared – because apparently that was something they needed to keep for prosperity. She just better not go fucking showing that to anyone. Ever.
"It likely just made you it because you're the tallest of us," Eth offered as some consolation between his snickering.
"You do have a nice neck," Erin had provided, and arched her eyebrow at him in that fucking teasing way that was nearly foreplay with them.
And even worse because he knew by neck, she meant throat. He knew she was talking about that spot she put her mouth and her tongue and … they just weren't going to go there. Because they still had to survive the rest of the day. And even if they did survive the rest of the day, they weren't exactly impressed with their hotel's definition of a "family suite". Or clearly couples with kids didn't have sex on holiday? Piss off. But at least the set-up was an improvement over what they'd actually had booked. There were doors. Unfortunately they just ALL opened into their sleeping area. But at least Eth wasn't in the same room as them. At least their only option wasn't going to be the bathroom – not that they hadn't already discussed the feasibility of the bathroom. Because it had locking doors. And they were pretty expert at getting messy in the bathroom.
"Don't start," he warned her. Because if she did – he would fucking start antagonizing her too. And then things would just get really messy.
Eth had been pleased that Erin got her head planted on a T-Rex. Or a "tyrannosaur" as Eth had taken to calling it lately.
"I think it sorted you better than the Sorting Hat," he'd informed her.
She'd swatted Eth at that but then quickly swatted Jay too when she realized he was taking a picture of her mutation, just like she had his.
"Don't do that," she demanded.
"Done," he said and flashed her the screen. "And getting printed out and taped to your desk."
"Don't you fucking dare," she crossed her arms and glared at him.
He just raised his eyebrow at her and kept keying into his screen. "And sent to Voight," he added. She gaped at him and grabbed the phone, but it'd already gone through. He let out an amused noise.
"You're such an asshole," she muttered at him.
"What?" Jay put to her. "Hank will like it."
"Oh, I'm sure he will …" she muttered.
"I GOT SPINOSAURUS!" Ethan had shrieked.
He'd become fucking obsessed with the monster since some University of Chicago paleontologist who specialized in research of the beast had been in to talk to the Museum Club kids. Now most dinosaur conversations with Eth (which were at least fifty per cent of conversations with Eth) included reference to the Spinosaurus, to the geology and paleontology program at U of C, this paleontologist buddy and the dig sites he was working at in Wyoming and how if he was still in the Museum Club and a volunteer at Field when he was a Junior "I MIGHT GET TO GO! … But it costs a lot. Like a fortune."
And, somehow the fucking little quiz and fingerprint scan thing they did had randomly deduced that Eth should be combined with that particular dinosaur. A pleasure that he'd express with such enthusiasm that one of the attendants in that area had felt the need to come over and let them know "the park has an spinosaurus". Apparently at the opposite exit to where they came in. Some photo-op with the Sinposaurus and/or a T-Rex and a Jurassic Park Jeep. And now they were going to have to get another picture of Ethan with one of his spirit animals. But at least it might be a decent way to herd him toward the exit.
Though, Eth still expressed that he wasn't sure he trusted them on how tame this "ride" was going to be, he'd calmed a bit when they did get into the moving theater that again was "just like the movie". And they'd done a little spiel along with Mr. DNA until they rotated into the hatchery and nursery area and were off-loaded.
Though, they had to look at it through glass, Eth had again pointed out it looked just like the movie. And had apparently decided he was ready to suspend his disbelief and had his face pressed right up against the glass when one of the technicians came over and gave them the news that they were there "just in time!" to see an egg hatch. Surprise. Though, it was some more pretty impressive animatronics they had going on in there and Eth had spazzed out, casting his eyes back over his shoulder to find them – keeping back, letting the kids on the tour take up the front spots at the glass.
"It's a raptor!" he'd called at them and then looked at his sister. "ARE YOU FILMING THIS? ERIN! FILM THIS!" he chastised.
She rolled her eyes but did oblige. Partly. She took out her phone and took a few photos. They weren't great with the glass and with Ethan's back to them. But Eth also likely didn't care. What he did care was that the technician picked him to get to name the baby raptor and he'd gotten handed a birth certificate as they finished up at the nursery too – which Jay had been instructed to put into the backpack "very carefully! Don't let it get all squished up!" He'd picked the name Foxtrot. Informing them that, "It'd be the next raptor. If there wasn't a next one already. After Blue, Charlie, Delta and Echo." That'd gotten another eye roll out of Erin but also a smile. And she'd given Jay that look. The one that said Eth was fucking ridiculous but clearly asked, "How can you not love this kid?" And Jay was kinda with her on that. He got with her on that bandwagon more and more as he spent time with Eth.
The amusement had kept coming as they walked along the Discovery Trail, which included little in dinosaur sightings but a lot in piles of dinosaur dung.
"Is that reflective of most people's experience here?" Erin had quipped at him.
It was likely a good thing that the comment had either gone over Eth's head or he hadn't heard. Because at that point he'd clearly let himself transport into Jurassic Park. And he'd spotted the high fences and the gate they got to go through to "go into the paddock!" So he was on a beeline.
From there out, every little reference to the movie they passed, he pointed out. As they stood in the next holding area, he'd been leaning over the railings trying to see every last bit of information and props in the various control rooms, surveillance room and storage buildings they walked through. He was lollygagging. Looking at the night-vision goggles and the tranquilizer guns and the transport crates branded with InGen and Jurassic Park logos, the bags of dino food, test tubes and computer monitors and microscopes, and various posters done up to look like vet guides about various herbivores that were supposedly in the enclosure. Jay was pretty sure that Eth would've been happy to have spent another hour or more just wandering around that line area just taking in everything. As it was, they had to nudge him out of the way of families who just wanted to go see the triceratops and be done with it. Because not only was he looking at everything – whenever anything came on on the TV screens above them with fake "game keepers" giving them more little spiels about their work and the dinos at Jurassic Park, Eth wanted to stop and watch every one of them and it was pretty clear that they must've had about an hours or more worth of the things done up to project at guests caught in line. Only that day the wait time – if you actually weren't stopping to look at EVERYTHING was only supposed to be five minutes. So eventually they just urged him forward themselves – slowly – or else they never would've gotten off that trail.
Though, getting to the actual "veterinary presentation" hadn't helped with getting them out of there quick. Because Ethan was beyond gob smacked when he saw the triceratops – the breathing, wheezing, farting, pissing, snorting, MOVING triceratops.
"It looks so real," Erin had managed to admit for the first time that day – despite her preaching the suspension of disbelieve to Ethan, apparently she was just letting herself take her own advice. And the actor planning the vet had heard her.
"Well, this is Jurassic Park, ma'am," he'd said before going into his little presentation about the dinosaur, which was apparently sick and being put through the paces of being diagnosed and treated. His face and mouth and eyes and legs moving and twitching the whole time. Dilated pupils, flaring nostrils, white tongue. All of it.
Over the course of it, the thing had even taken a really giant leak. A lot of the people in the building had gone between letting out mildly appalled noises or giggling – depending on their age and gender or just their maturity level.
"At least she didn't poop," Ethan had provided. "That'd be a lot of poo."
The people who made the attraction must've expected that reaction out of some, because no sooner had Eth said it, had the thing farted and the space had filled up with quite the fucking stench.
"OK, that was unnecessary," Erin had said, scrunching up her nose.
But it was almost like the dinosaur had heard her say that – and she'd decided to stand way too close to its face with Ethan – and Cera the triceratops let out a snotty sneeze, blowing goobers and spittle all over her and Ethan.
"Gross," Ethan declared but he was all smiles. Erin on the other hand had been taken off-guard and she face was painted with disgust as she reached to wipe away the "snot" that thankfully looked and smelled like just water. Though, she still was examining her hand with each swipe like it must have some sort of texture or stickiness to it. To make it more authentic. She glanced at him – and his phone held up.
"You are not filming this," she put to him sternly. It was an order. Not a question.
But Jay shrugged. "Sure, for prosperity," he smiled. She rolled her eyes and shook her head. He knew he was getting into trouble. But he didn't entirely care. Erin was kind of cute covered in triceratops snot. "I started taking video before it sneezed on you. Eth wants to show his dad."
Erin made an annoyed sound but didn't argue that point. Because Eth was wanting them to document pretty much every step of their adventure to share with his dad. Jay wasn't sure if Hank would actually look or not. Maybe not until they got back.
The vet had made the mistake of opening the session up to questions and bringing in the little baby triceratops for everyone to see – and pet and goo-goo-gah-gah over. And apparently Erin rather quickly got over her annoyance and disgust at triceratops, because she was right over there with Ethan doing her own goo-goo-gah-gah at it, blocking teenagers who were showing some vague (dis)interest from their chance at getting to the thing, and petting at Samantha.
"Jay, come feel it," she ordered, as the thing cooed and whinnied with each stroke.
"It's a her," said the technician. "Samantha."
"Aww … hi, Samantha," Ethan said, staring at it in utter fascination. Jay was starting to have flashbacks to the two of them with Bear as a puppy. Thankfully this thing was fake – no matter how real it looked – and they couldn't drag it home. Because they were both looking like they wanted to.
But he humored them. "Oh, wow," he managed when he touched it. Because you could feel the thing breathing and its skin felt even more real than what Eth had on his Indominus toy – which, for the record, had been brought to Orlando with them. But had been left – ordered left – in the hotel room, despite Ethan thinking it would've been great to bring it along for all the pictures at Jurassic Park. But, it was like a kid with their favorite Binky. There was no way in hell they were going to risk that stupid toy getting lost, stolen or damaged. Though, he supposed, if that ever was going to happen, they were in the right place to actually find a replacement without too much of a headache. Though, he also imagined that would entail them spending WAAAAAY more than whatever Hank … sorry, Santa … had invested in that thing. Probably one of the better toy investments he'd ever made in Ethan's life. He'd said as much himself.
The two actors were trying to hurry them along – to let other people pet the thing – and to clear space for the next showing of Cera to the next group. But, the guy playing the vet had made the mistake of saying he would try to answer anyone's questions on their way out. You don't say that to Ethan. Because he had about sixty-billion – and he knew way more about triceratopses than that hack. He just kept asking things and then completely dropped his shy act he'd been playing with some of the various park attendants who'd been approaching them that day – and he went on a fucking monologue about that breed of dinosaurs, spewing off an encyclopedic amount of information until Erin had stepped in and rescued the man by reminding Eth they should go and get in line for the raptors. As it was, they were going to be at the back of the line – AGAIN – of the group, which had likely kind of become the group of people about two groups behind them with the speed and fascination Eth had had on the tour.
It had managed to get him to slow the motor, though. And they had dragged him away – somewhat reluctantly – because as they were leaving, he realized that there were two other sheds back there.
"Wait! Are there other triceratops to see?" he demanded, looking back.
Too slow to an attendant, who had advised, that yes, they had three triceratops in their study – Cera, Chris and Trooper. And that Trooper was the oldest of the three and the matriarch of the group.
"CAN WE SEE HER TOO?" Ethan had demanded.
"Umm …," the attendant had stumbled, like she hadn't expected that reaction. Or at least hadn't gotten quite that kind of enthusiastic reaction about it before. She cast them a look. "Well, you have to exit and come back through the trail," she offered apologetically. "But, the diagnostic tests being run on all are triceratops are the same."
Yea. No kidding. Jay wouldn't be surprised if they actually only had one of the bays even opened and operating that day – because clearly at least the Triceratops Encounter at the Discovery Center wasn't a big hit. It wasn't like they were packing in the crowds.
Ethan gazed at them hopefully. Erin let out a little sigh and did that thing where she looked skyward for a moment. A tell that Jay had caught her do a lot with Ethan. Her brief moment to calm and center herself – to remind herself that he was still a kid and he had his issues and she wasn't just his older sister that she was one of his caretakers and she needed to keep that all in perspective and be more patient than she would be with the rest of the world.
"We're going to finish the tour – see the raptors," she nodded at him. "Then, we can talk about if we want to spend more of our day doing the tour again."
There was clear tone to it – there was no way in hell that Erin was enduring that tour again. And Jay would completely stand by her on that front. Once was enough. Especially since it was pretty clear that most people – if they'd gone through every attraction in the Discovery Center and on the tour – it might've taken them maybe 45 minutes, if the lines where moving. Them? It was pushing two. That was long enough. There were other things to see at Universal. There were even other things to see just in the Jurassic Park section.
Meeting the raptors was proving enough of a lure to get Eth to start moving again, though. But as soon as they go to that section, they walked right into their first wall of people. Apparently you didn't have to go on the whole tour to meet the raptors. And unsurprisingly, there were a hell of a lot of people who wanted to see these beasts.
"Shit …," Jay had mumbled and cast Erin a look.
The area wasn't well shaded at all. They were pushing toward the time of the day when the sun was highest in the sky and the temperatures were supposed to reach up to 87 degrees that day. With the humidity it was supposed to feel more like 94 degrees. Right into territory that wasn't great for Eth – but that was Florida. And that was part of the reason they'd planned to spend time in doors and go back to the hotel and its air conditioning and pool.
The area was pretty ingeniously devised, though. You could kind of hear people reacting – presumably – to the raptors. And you could hear occasional voices on a microphone that was likely the "game keeper" intermingled with the telltale chirps, shrieks and roars of the raptors from the movies. But there was shrubby and a twisty queue done up so you couldn't see the beasts for a distance at all and you really couldn't have a real sense of how long the actual line was.
"Let's go ask …," Erin just put flatly. Because it was really the only choice they had and Eth was already headed right for the entrance display that declared Raptor Encounter anyway.
"Eth …," Jay called at him and gestured at the woman done up in her Jurassic Park safari outfit. "Just wait a sec."
"Hi," she greeted, way to friendlily for his liking. But everyone at the park seemed way to friendly. Especially considering they were in the Jurassic Park area, and technically, all these people should likely have been mauled to death already if they were actually emulating the movies in any way. It wasn't a happy place. "Welcome to the Velociraptor Encounter, here at Jurassic Park. Are you ready to meet our raptors?"
"Yea," Jay said flatly. "We're looking for the Express Pass entry."
"I'm sorry, sir," she put to him. "This isn't an Express Pass attraction."
Erin let out a little noise at that and gave Eth a glance, clearly gauging hi energy level and his ability to stand in wait for that photo op. Though, neither of them were really interested enough to wait more than maybe ten minutes for it, they knew that Eth would wait all day and then some. But that wasn't realistic. So it became a judgment on how he'd take them flashing his disability card.
"How long's the wait?" Erin asked.
The woman glanced at her clipboard. She'd been glancing passed them as people walked by to join the queue, clicking at her little counter, as a radio – likely from people inside and at the exit – crackled every so often giving her updates. "Likely about 60 minutes."
"An hour?" Erin spat and cast Ethan a look.
"Erin …," he whined in a way that only a little brother could manage. It was so practiced and so perfect. This manipulative finger nails on the chalkboard but pull at your heartstrings sound.
Jay looked at the attendant. "Is that to see all four? Or is there a shorter line for … different ones?"
"I want to see Blue," Ethan put pointedly and shifted his sight to the attendant.
"Blue is our most popular raptor," she gave him a little smile but then turned to them. "However, our raptors need breaks and so we rotate through."
"Which one is up there now?" Jay asked.
Another glance at her clipboard. "Right now, it's Echo."
Ethan let out a huff. "Elvis. She's my latest favorite."
The attendant gave him an apologetic look. "Well, they do need to take their breaks or they get a little too temperamental with our guests. So by the time you get up there, it will likely be someone else," she said and turned back to them. "They rotate every 20 minutes and it's about a five minute change over."
"So when's Blue out?" Eth demanded a little too forcibly.
Erin cast him a look. "Hey," she warned. "Manners."
He sunk a little bit. "Sorry …," he told the technician shyly, shifting his eyes away.
"It's OK," she smiled at him more broadly. Jay suspected she didn't see many parents order their kids to be politer to the staff nor did she get many apologies in her day that likely consisted mostly of this – telling people they had a long time to wait and that it'd be luck of the draw if they got to see Blue. "But I only get told which raptor is being brought out when they're headed into the holding area."
Erin cocked her head and looked at Ethan at that. Searching for his understanding of the situation and giving him the opportunity to have some input.
"They're all different, right …?" he asked the technician softly.
"Oh, yes," she nodded. "They're all very unique and they all have their own personalities. Each interaction is different."
"So … maybe we can … meet all of them?" Eth cast his sister hopefully eyes.
She shook her head. "Ethan, no," she said firmly but gently. "It's getting too hot. There's not enough shade. An hour is a really long time – especially if it might be your least favorite raptor up there."
"But … I want to see them," Ethan said in this quiet tone that had some clear heartbreak in it.
It only seemed to be at that point that the woman had noticed the bright canvas band around Eth's wrist. "Oh …," it was her who sounded apologetic at that point. "You have an Attractions Assistance Pass?" she gestured at Ethan, slumped on his crutches. "I can scan it and issue you a return time. Then you'll get to go right to the front of the line. It should likely be only a five or ten minute wait that way."
Erin gazed at Eth who fidgeted a bit under her gaze. He'd been so insistent that he didn't want to use the pass. And they'd decided they weren't going to push it. But they also weren't going to stand in a line where the heat, crowd or wait might do him over. They weren't sure if they'd get to that point since they had the Express Passes with their packages – but in situations, just like this, they'd decided that they'd let Eth make the decision himself. That they used the disability pass – came back to the ride at their assigned time. Or they moved on – because they weren't going to do something that would jeopardize his enjoyment of the rest of the day or the entire trip.
It was a concession that Eth was going to have to make. A decision. Weighing what was more important to him. His inability to accept a label and what stigma might be associated with it — or his want to see his dream creatures. It was something he'd have to likely battle with at certain points in his life. When to present his disability — and accept it as a label — and when to try to keep it hidden. With Eth, it wasn't entirely invisible. Though, the extent of it — or the more tangible challenges of it — might not be as visible as some people thought. Eth was going to have to learn when and how to take advantage of the labels society wanted to place on him. How to use it to his benefit. And the when and why he should do that. And to learn how to battle with and cope with the complex emotions associated with that too.
It was something that made Jay wish Mouse was still around for. Because it was something that Mouse would be able to talk to him about better. To explain to him. To help him deal with it. To guide him through it. To understand the challenges and the rewards and the benefits and payoffs and the concessions and sacrifices involved in that.
Jay knew that other people would try to do that for him. That he'd have other kids at RIC who'd be dealing with similar things. That there'd be programming and coaching and therapy over there that would help him through that. That him and Erin and his dad would talk to him about it. That his doctors would. But it'd be different than having someone like Mouse talk to him. Someone … like him. Someone he looked up to. Someone who was a grown-up and had survived it and found his way.
Jay wanted to think he could sort of try. But he might not be the best person to talk to because he had his own stigmas and labels that he didn't like acknowledging or accepting or publicizing. Ones that he didn't share or use to his advantage. Ones that he just didn't want people to know or see. Even that label — war vet — was something he hadn't particularly wanted to flaunt. Nothing he wanted to publicize or a label to have.
He had a job. He did it. There were sacrifices within that. But he'd known that when he signed up. Though, maybe he hadn't quite been old enough or smart enough to fully understand exactly what those sacrifices would be at the time. But he hadn't gone into it blind. And he'd never expected much acknowledgement out of it. He never felt like he deserved that or needed it. The ones who deserved that respect or honor — they were the ones who hadn't come back. It was their families, their children, who deserved special privileges and acknowledgement for the sacrifices not just their loved one had made but for the long-term implications that had for their family.
Jay had never asked for anything. Never wanted anything. He didn't think he deserved it. And he'd been fundamentally hard for him to even look into the various discounts and packages that might be available to him — to them — as an veteran. Taking the discount, booking the package — that'd been even harder. And he felt strange doing it. He still wasn't sure he deserved it. He could still think of other deserving families that did. He could think of guys — friends — who'd died who had a wife or girlfriend and babies or toddlers at home back then who likely would've loved this opportunity to be here. That their dads would've loved that opportunity to come home and take them on a family trip. To have that time together. To just fucking be together, period.
But even if Jay felt like he didn't entirely deserve the generous package discount that had been given by Universal — he did know that Ethan deserved the trip. That he'd been promised the trip. That he'd been working hard to earn the trip. And that the kid had been through years of hell. That he had lots of challenges ahead of him. That he wasn't in for an easy ride in life. So, he'd made the calls and he'd taken the discount. He'd swallowed his pride and adjusted his perspective and priorities — and he'd taken the label and dealt with the confused emotions that came with that.
And he'd done that for Eth.
So now Eth could do that for himself. For a simpler matter — but probably not simple enough for a thirteen-year-old self-conscious, disabled kid. He could decide if he was willing to take the label or take the stigma. If he was going to use it to his advantage or if he was going to let himself — and society's narrow view — get in the way of an opportunity.
Eth let out a slow breath but nodded. "OK …," he allowed quietly and crutched forward to the woman, holding out his wrist for her to scan.
She gave him a little smile as she did, giving them both a quick once-over. "It doesn't look like you've gone on the River Adventure yet," she propositioned, casting them a look as the machine beeped and she raised it to look at the screen.
"I don't really think I like rides," Ethan admitted.
She allowed him a thin smile at that and pushed at some buttons on the machine. "I think you might like it. It's nice and long, about twelve minutes. And it will cool you off in this heat," she said darting her eyes at Jay and Erin and then reaching to retrieve three little tickets as they printed out of the machine. "And it's an Express Pass attraction," she added, handing the tickets off to Jay. "Just bring those back here during the specified time window," she said. Jay glanced at them to see that they had about 90 minutes to kill before Eth could meet his raptor. "Make sure not to loose them or not to get them too wet," she smiled at Ethan but gave a little gesture to the lanyards containing their various tickets and passes hanging around their necks.
"Thanks," Jay nodded at her and gestured with his head for Eth to come along. But he held out the tickets to Erin.
"Oh, I get to be the ticket keeper, do I?" she said, taking them and working on getting them into the little plastic thing they'd been given to hold all their cards.
"Hell yeah …," Jay muttered. "I'm not going to be responsible for carrying that precious cargo."
No way in hell.
AUTHOR NOTE:
For anyone that didn't notice the note at the top. This is Part 3 of the same "scene" all from Jay's POV. Part 1 and Part 2 were posted yesterday — Jurassic Moment and Turning Blue. Please make sure you had the opportunity to see them both.
Now. There's going to be a Part 4. And really, Part 4 is probably going to be what I had originally planned this chapter/scene as a whole to be before it took on a life of its own. I know some of you hate it. Hopefully some of you are enjoying it.
However, since this has turned so long I'm really not sure if I'll do any chapters or scenes from Star Wars or Harry Potter. I had an idea for a very short little exchange when they first go into the Harry Potter area from Jay's POV — but focused on Erin. And a Star Wars reflection chapter (or at least what I hope would just be a single chapter) from Erin's POV that would sort of be about Jay while talking a bit about the day/attractions/rides, etc.
I'll need to think about it. I had some ideas for both. But I'm afraid they'd take on a life of their own too and not sure I want that to happen with all of them. So we'll see.
Part 4 will wrap up Jurassic Park, though.
I do hear people on wanting a hotel/pool scene between Jay and Erin and some interest in a beach day scene. I'll keep thinking about it. I do have ideas on how to approach that. But, since this "scene" turned out to be much longer than I imagined or planned, I'm not sure how much longer I'll drag out Florida. I suppose part of it will depend on how I feel about the writing and how easy it happens and partly about the level of interest and enjoyment from the readers and partly about if anything comes up in upcoming episodes that sends my mind in other directions.
This week's ep did give me an idea for a Hank/Al scene but I haven't started playing with that yet.
Thanks again for your readership, feedback, reviews and comments.