The Long And Winding Road
Note: Thanks to PsYcHoJo, cutiepye06655, YellyBelly & Kristine for the Ch. 29 reviews and to all who enjoyed that three-chapter Christmas arc.
Chapter 30 – Hit The Road
It was 11 a.m. on the day after Christmas. Emma and JT were at his house, the task of hanging his gift on the wall nearly complete. Emma was moving the framed poster around on the nail while JT stood back several feet so they could determine if it was properly balanced.
"What about now?" Emma asked.
"It still looks like it's leaning a little toward the right," JT responded.
"That's because you've got your head tilted to the right," Emma said, rolling her eyes.
"Oh." JT straightened his head and looked again. "Perfect."
Emma made sure the wall hanging was secure, then walked toward JT.
"There you go."
"Thanks Emma." JT then pointed toward her neck. "And how's the necklace holding up?"
Emma looked down at her heart necklace then back up at JT.
"Well, I've had it for almost 24 hours and it hasn't turned my neck green, so I guess it's going to be okay."
"Funny, Emma."
"Just kidding," Emma said, hugging him.
"It's getting near lunchtime. Want to head over to Ryan's and grab something?"
"In a little while, JT. I want to ask you something first."
"Okay."
They sat down together on the couch.
"What's on your mind?" JT asked.
"I was wondering if you'd…well, you're still free this Friday, right?"
"As a bird."
"Do you feel like getting out of town for the day?"
"All right! Road trip!" JT shouted excitedly. "We should have done this long before now. Wait until you sample some of those great roadside diners. I hear that at some of them, the Special of the Day is whatever roadkill the cook discovers splattered along the highway on his way to work."
"JT…"
"Sorry Emma, but if you just order a salad at one of these places, those great big truck drivers will laugh you right out of there."
"JT…"
"Any particular destination in mind, or are we just going to hit the road and see what we can find?"
"Well…I was thinking we could go to Stouffville."
The excitement quickly faded from JT's face.
"So…I think I'm going to get a hamburger at Ryan's. What about you, Emma?"
"I want to know what you're thinking."
"You going to get a veggie burger? One of these days I'm planning to ask Mrs. Ryan if you're the only one who ever orders those things."
"What's wrong with going to Stouffville?"
"What's RIGHT with going to Stouffville?"
"Come on, JT."
"That's not a road trip, Emma. It's less than a half-hour drive. Okay, yeah, it always seems to take YOU half a day by train, but that's what happens when you use a form of transportation that makes a horse and buggy look like a competitive racer."
"You do this every year, JT."
"What? Mock the train system? No, I think this was the first time."
"I mean, I usually go for a visit once a year and you never want to go with me."
"Do we really have to get into all of this now?"
"I know what it is. You're still mad because I didn't ask you to go with me that first time. Is that it?"
"Emma…"
"No, JT. I know what I'm talking about. The only time you've ever truly gotten mad at me was when you found out that I went and found Shane and hadn't asked you to go along with me."
"And here we go…" JT remarked, getting frustrated.
"Again, I would have asked you. I wanted to, but I couldn't even consider it. So when Sean wouldn't go, I asked Craig."
"It never bothered me that you asked Craig. And now that I'm friends with the guy, I think it's great that he was able to help you out back then. But you never even gave me the choice, and that's what made me mad at the time."
"I couldn't give you the choice because you would have said 'Yes,' and I didn't want to be the one responsible for you skipping out on classes. Having your father annoyed with me was one thing, but I wasn't going to chance your mom turning against me."
"She wouldn't have. She would have understood what we were doing."
"Maybe," Emma replied, still uncertain.
"I know that Toby liked to say she was a battleaxe, but that's only because she always thought Toby was, in her words, 'a very peculiar little person'. And she didn't mind saying it to his face. Anyway, with the way she felt about you, I know she would have been okay about me and you taking off on an important mission.
"But, that's all ancient history, Emma. Yeah, I got mad when I heard about what happened – how you took off on this big life-changing adventure and it seemed like you didn't want me there – but I got over it."
"I know. Two days later you confronted me before homeroom, and by the end of the same day we were okay again."
"What can I say?" JT smiled. "I'm just not as vicious as a certain someone who would give a best friend the silent treatment for a week the following year when you got mad at me."
"Okay, so I'm better at staying mad than you are," Emma laughed. "That, and you can never keep quiet long enough to give someone the silent treatment."
"You got me there."
"So we're agreed about going to Stouffville?"
"I don't think it's a good idea, Emma."
"Give me reasons, JT."
"Okay, here's two reasons. What about your folks?"
"They know I try to go see Shane at least once a year. I've been back to visit him twice since that first time. They're fine with it."
"Good. I'm happy you were able to work it all out. But that doesn't mean they'd be thrilled with me going with you."
"What?"
"They might think I'm taking sides against them."
"That's ridiculous."
"No it isn't. I already lost one set of parents this year. I don't want to lose access to your folks, too."
"JT, there ARE no sides. Anyway, you know they wouldn't get mad at you for letting me introduce you to Shane. In fact, they were more surprised that I could never convince you to go with me either of the last two times."
"Well what about you?"
"Me?"
"Those last two times you went to visit, you came back all sad. That can't be any good."
"Yeah, I get a little down thinking of Shane stuck there, but I'm still glad he's there where people can take proper care of him."
"Last time you saw him, you came back suddenly open to the idea of eating chicken."
"That's what they were serving for lunch at the institution that day. Needless to say, I wasn't thrilled, but since I was there and he liked it, I went ahead and ate a sandwich with him. I felt a little guilty because it was actually kind of good, but it was even better because we got to share something he enjoyed. So now sometimes I'll eat chicken. Okay, I had to stop calling myself a vegetarian, but it's been about a year and no hordes of militant vegetarians have come after me for making the one exception to my eating habits."
"Yeah well, the good thing to remember about vegetarians is that they may kill you, but at least they won't eat you."
"It may seem silly, JT, but I think it helps give me and him some kind of real world connection to one another apart from the official 'biological father' thing."
"Next time," JT said coldly, "maybe you'll come back wanting to wear a jacket that ties around in the back, to give yourself another father-daughter feel-good memory."
"Shane doesn't wear a straightjacket."
"Not the point.
"I know."
"You shouldn't let people who aren't quite right in the head have an influence on you."
"I wouldn't say that, JT. After all, YOU influence me in many ways."
"Cute, Emma."
"You were supposed to laugh."
"I just don't like to see you hurt. No. Make that, I can't stand to see you hurt. And that's what always happens when you go there. You get these high hopes that you're going to walk in and Shane McKay will take one look at you and magically get all better. I'm telling you, Emma, getting involved with stuff like this…"
Emma then laid her head on JT's shoulder.
"…Is all the more reason for you to come along. Listen JT, I love you for worrying about me the way you do. But I AM going to visit him, and I want you there with me."
"He's not your father. Not in the real way. Trust me when I say that when it comes to fathers, just because something's official, that doesn't mean it's real."
"I know. And it's not like I even think of him as my father. Not really. But he IS a part of me. And it's important that I spend some time with him, even if it's only once a year."
JT let out a heavy sigh.
"Okay, Emma. We'll go together this Friday."
"Great!" Emma shouted, before sitting up and kissing JT. "I've already called the facility and told them to expect us to visit that day."
JT wanted to be annoyed, but one look at the excitement on Emma's face and he couldn't help but laugh about how confident she was that she could change his mind.
"You were awfully sure I'd agree."
"I knew you wouldn't turn me down a third time," Emma smiled.
"But if we're really going to do this, Emma, we're using the buddy system."
"And that is…?"
"We stick together at all times. No splitting up. Once you're alone, they have you right where they want you."
"Okay, now I have no idea what you're talking about."
"These places…Don't you know?"
"Know what, JT?"
"That whenever people go together to visit someone or conduct business…if one of the people in the group gets separated or goes off on his own, he gets captured by one of the people that works there. He gets locked away in one of the back rooms and is never heard from again."
"And you know this how?"
"Emma, you're the expert on animals and greenery. But I think in this area I know a lot more."
"When did you suddenly become an expert on mental institutions?"
"I've seen all sorts of movies and TV shows that take place in asylums. This one we're going to may treat Shane nice, but the doctors are just waiting for outsiders like us to walk in unprepared so they can grab us up and use us for experiments."
"How come I haven't had any trouble when I've been there?"
"Frankly, I'm surprised you made it out in one piece the two times when you went on your own. Maybe the doctors were all in conference. Or on the golf course. Or in conference on the golf course. But you don't want to turn your back on anyone official around there. They might be carrying a big net or something. Trust me, you can't trust what goes on at insane asylums."
"This isn't some horrible asylum like the kind in the old movies, JT. It's a rather upscale sanitarium."
"Maybe. But I still bet we could find a big orderly named Igor lurking around corners waiting to pounce if he spots a potential inmate."
"You're right, JT," Emma replied, grinning. "I think you'd better stay close to me just in case they figure out how great you'd fit in around there. Don't worry. I'll be there to protect you."
"Just so we agree to stick together. Remember, the doctors are called head-shrinkers for a reason."
"How scary is it that right now I can't tell if you're joking with me about all this or not? Okay, here's the deal: We will take your car and drive to Stouffville on Friday morning. We will stay together at all times, even though I can promise you that nothing strange is going to happen. Okay, strike that. Nothing strange will happen apart from the strange things that always seem to happen when you're involved. And, nothing is going to happen that will make me really sad, but even if it does I know you'll be there looking out for me. Are we agreed?"
"We're agreed."
"Oh, and one more thing…"
"I knew there had to be a catch."
"No, silly. Not a catch. A promise. Sometime soon, we WILL take one of those road trips you were hoping for, JT. Just you, me, a car and no map."
"Good."
"But I refuse to eat any roadkill specials. And I'll take on any truck driver who dares to laugh at me."
"And I have no doubt you'll be able to take him. Of course later on that guy will kill me in the parking lot…"
"All victories come with a price," Emma joked.
"Don't get mad, Emma, but I've got to ask one last time…Are you sure? About Friday, I mean."
"I know you still don't think it's a good idea, but it is. It's going to be great. You'll see. But whatever happens, I'm glad you're going to be there with me."
JT smiled for her benefit, but he still had major doubts about their upcoming trip.
"I'm sure you're right, Emma," he said, trying to sound positive. "After all, what could go wrong?"