The Long And Winding Road
Note: The usual disclaimers apply.
Chapter 57 - Homeward Bound
Saturday morning at the Nelson-Simpson home found Snake and his best friend Joey sitting in the kitchen eating doughnuts.
"I'm telling you, Snake, days like this come few and far between."
"Saturdays? And all this time I thought we got one of them each week."
"I mean days of complete and total freedom," Joey clarified. "I don't have to be at the lot today. Angie's spending the weekend with her grandmother. Caitlin's working overtime at the station on a special segment for next week's show. I've actually got a whole day all to myself."
"So you came over here, where the most exciting thing going on this morning is seeing how many loads of laundry I can get done during Spike's half-day down at her salon."
"Well…yes. But I brought breakfast. Regular doughnuts AND filled."
"The excitement never ends with you, Jeremiah," Snake joked.
"It's always been that way," Joey answered proudly. "Always will be."
"Joey, one of these days you're finally going to admit just how much you love domestic life, and how bored you get when you're left by yourself."
"Such an outrageous accusation," Joey responded, pretending to sound offended. "Okay, and a completely true accusation, but still… By the way, did I tell you I'm shooting another commercial next weekend?"
"You're not going to ride that elephant around the car lot again in this one, are you?" Snake questioned.
"No. This time we'll have scantily-clad young models draped over the cars as I describe all the wonderful deals."
"But draped over the cars in only the most tasteful of ways, right?" Snaked asked, rolling his eyes.
"I know it sounds clichéd," Joey admitted. "But it draws in the customers like you wouldn't believe."
"Oh, the sacrifices one must make for customer satisfaction," Snake said sarcastically.
Moments later they heard Jack calling for his father from upstairs.
"I'll be right back," Snake said as he stood up from his chair. "And hands off the chocolate filled. That one's mine."
Joey continued eating while Snake was gone. After about a minute, there was a knock at the front door. Leaving the kitchen, Joey walked into the living room and toward the door."
"I got it," Joey shouted upstairs.
He then opened the door to find a middle-aged man with dark brown hair standing outside and looking impatient.
"Can I help you?" Joey asked.
"Perhaps," the man responded. "Is this still the home of the teacher, the hair cutter and the overly talkative blonde girl?"
"Uh…just a moment," Joey answered.
Puzzled, Joey turned around to face the stairway.
"Snake, I think you'll want to come down for this!"
"Be right there," Snake's voice could be heard saying.
Soon he started back down the stairs.
"Jack just needed some new batteries for his…"
Snake stopped talking once he was on the bottom step and noticed the man next to Joey at the door.
"Mr. Yorke," he said, sounding surprised. "You're back in town."
"Brilliant deduction," Nathaniel Yorke said dryly. "It's so comforting to know that you're an educator."
Meanwhile at Memorial Hospital, JT was fully dressed and sitting on the edge of his bed with Emma sitting beside him to his left.
"Hard to believe I'm finally getting out of here," JT commented. "That is, if they ever finish getting all my release paperwork together."
"Probably just a few more minutes," Emma responded. "I'm sure they're still taking care of all the insurance matters. Don't worry. It won't be much longer, and then at long last I can take you home."
"Worry? Me? You know better than that. I'm cool as a cucumber."
Regardless of what he'd just said and how confident he tried to sound, JT felt like a bundle of nerves.
"Hey, that reminds me…" JT then said, putting a smile on his face, "Emma, you're the veggie expert. How did it ever get to be 'cool as a cucumber' anyway? What's so special about a cucumber that it gets to be part of a famous expression? Why not 'cool as a carrot' or even 'cool as a cantaloupe?' Now that one has a nice ring to it."
Emma smiled as she looked into his eyes. Without looking away, she then took his left hand in her right one.
"Do me a favor, Jamie, and relax," she said gently.
"I'm not relaxed? Me? You know better that that. I'm as…um, well…"
"James Tiberius Yorke…need I remind you that you can't fool me?" Emma asked.
JT looked confused.
"Sure, you're unpredictable and often full of surprises," she continued, "but you also can't fool me. I know you, and I know your moods. All morning you've been trying just a little too hard with the joking. You've been ready to get out of here since Wednesday night, but now it's time and…I know you're nervous. Uncertain."
"I never could fool you, Emma," he said, starting to sound less anxious. "You DO know me…backwards and forwards and probably sideways. Always have."
"Trust me," Emma remarked, "it's a mutual thing."
"It's just that I feel ready one minute, but the next… That was MY place, Emma. My business. My office. My…"
JT placed his right hand lightly on the part of his shirt covering his stomach.
"And he…"
Emma waited until she realized that JT wasn't going to finish his sentence.
"Jay's gone now," she said. "He's not going to show up around the corner or at the house or at work. I think it's safe to say he's not going anywhere except a prison cell.
"I know that doesn't eliminate all the anxiety. Still, you've got a week of resting and mending ahead of you and then you'll be back doing all the things you normally do. Everything's going to work out."
"Emma, there's still one thing that's not right. Something that's been missing for days. And you're the only one who can help me out with it."
"What is it?" Emma asked curiously.
JT, removing his hand from hers, held his arms open. Emma immediately understood and wanted to comply, but she was hesitant.
"Is it safe to hug you?" she questioned.
JT laughed.
"After all this time, if you're still not sure about that, you're more mixed up than I am."
"I'm serious, JT. I don't want to hug too tight and hurt you."
"Do me a favor, angel, and relax," he said gently.
"Turning my own words back on me? You ARE getting better."
"Enough talk. Hug me to your arms' content. Trust me, Emma, I'll let you know if it's too much."
Still seated, they slowly moved even closer together, and soon they had their arms around one another for the first time since he was hurt. Emma was pleased to notice that JT's body, which was initially tensed up, relaxed soon after they were in contact. She still wondered if she was pressing too tight, but decided to trust that JT would indeed let her know if there was a problem. If there was any pain, though, JT didn't notice. He was sure that this was the most comfortable he had felt in days. They remained like this for several minutes, neither one in any hurry to let go.
Back at Emma's house, Snake invited his unexpected guest in and shut the door.
"It's been awhile," Snake said as the three men stood just inside the doorway. "I'm guessing that you must have somehow heard about what happened to…"
"I'm back in town on business," Yorke interrupted.
"Oh."
"You see, I heard about this new case. Seems that a few days ago, one young man felt he needed to stab another young man. Supposedly it was self-defense, yet he's now being brought up on charges. While criminal law isn't my specialty, I was intrigued and decided to volunteer my services to the accused."
Snake and Joey looked at one another in disbelief at the notion that this man would choose to defend his son's attacker.
"But I kid," Yorke then added, starting to smile. "Had you going there for a moment, didn't I?"
Snake was unimpressed but decided against commenting on the elder Yorke's choice of humorous material.
"Maybe I should have contacted you personally, Mr. Yorke. I had thought of calling you about JT, but…"
"Don't worry about it. I still have some friends on the police force in this area. One of them knew about the case and called me, wondering if the James Yorke involved was the same one that is my…the same one that's related."
Yorke's change in wording didn't escape Snake's notice, but the teacher still thought it best to focus on what he considered a positive move on the attorney's part.
"I think it's good that you've decided to put aside whatever differences exist between you and JT, and that you've come back to check on him. We're expecting that he'll get to leave the hospital today, but I'm sure there's still time for you to go over there right now and see him."
"I don't think so," Yorke said decisively.
"If you're concerned about JT's reaction…"
"I've been in town since yesterday," Yorke explained. "If I'd wanted to see him, I would have."
"Hey, if you're not planning to go to the hospital," Joey interjected, "then why did you bother to come back?"
Yorke then looked over at the man who had greeted him at the door.
"Who are you supposed to be?" Yorke asked in a dismissive tone. "The butler?"
"This is my friend, Joey Jeremiah," Snake interceded. "Joey, this is Nathaniel Yorke, JT's father."
"But don't hold that against me," the man joked.
"We actually met once, briefly, a few years ago," Joey remarked. "It was that night when…"
"Please," Yorke interrupted, "meeting me may have been a high point in your life, but let's not waste time on your reminiscences right now."
"Joey's question is a valid one," Snake said, trying to bring the discussion back on topic. "Since you're here, why wouldn't you go to the hospital, even for a moment?"
"Such a visit would serve no purpose," Yorke answered. "On the other hand, I DID drive over to check on my house yesterday. Remarkably, it still appears to be in good condition. Although as I arrived, I could see your step-daughter leaving with various items in hand. Normally, I'd worry about theft, but considering that I no longer have any personal belongings inside, there's no point in me being concerned about what she's taking."
"Emma was getting some clothes together for JT," Snake clarified, struggling to remain civil.
"Ah. Still together. I wouldn't have given that relationship six months. Then again, I was already surprised to discover that James has owned that little business for several months now yet so far he hasn't found some way to ruin it. Will wonders never cease?"
"Maybe we should all go to the kitchen and sit down," Joey suggested, hoping to prevent the increasingly heated conversation from getting uglier. "There's food. Coffee. Neutral corners."
"Okay, Mr. Yorke," Snake spoke up, ignoring Joey's efforts. "It's clear that I was wrong to think that this terrible circumstance might give you some sort of positive interest in your son and his well-being. I had hoped you would realize that no matter what's happened in the past, you are still JT's father."
"Merely in a legal sense. He made it quite clear during my last visit that I wasn't the kind of father he wanted."
"Your interpretation of things doesn't seem to fit with the reality that, to you, fatherhood was never more than an unwelcome intrusion," Snake countered. "A role to be avoided at all costs."
"While it IS true that I was never cut out for day-to-day father-son interaction, there was still a connection between us. In the end, though, he chose the girl over me and family loyalty."
"Yeah, I know all about that choice. That was a choice JT never should have been put in a position to have to make. By the way, consider yourself lucky I'm being so civil. I haven't forgotten how you tried to discredit my daughter during all of that."
"Step-daughter," Yorke corrected.
"Excuse me?"
"As I recall, your only connection to the Nelson girl is that you married her mother."
"Just stop right there," Snake warned, growing angry.
"Now don't get offended. I'm not criticizing. Simply keeping to the facts."
"Well as long as we're striving for accuracy, Mr. Yorke, you should know that, for me, Emma is my daughter in every way that matters."
"I'm happy for you," Yorke said sarcastically. "Unimpressed. But happy for you."
"I also happen to care a great deal about JT and what happens to him," Snake continued without hesitation. "And big-time attorney or not, I strongly advise you to watch what you say from here on out, because I won't put up with you disrespecting either of them while you're in my home."
Joey watched as the other two men looked at one another in silence. He could easily feel the tension and wondered who would make the next move – as well as what that move would be.
"All of this…" Yorke finally spoke up, refusing to back down, but now with slightly less harshness in his voice, "it's beside the point. I am indeed interested – at least somewhat – or I wouldn't have returned. But rather than waste time on unproductive hospital visits, I chose to do something constructive. I came back to see how strong the case was against the man who put him in the hospital."
"And?" Joey asked.
"I wanted to make sure that the police are doing everything possible to clear the case. It turns out, I didn't have much to be concerned about. The situation is far from complicated. I'm told that detectives have spent a fair amount of time talking to this Hogart person since taking him into custody. Whether it's ego or outright stupidity, this simpleton has shown little ability in being able to disguise the fact that he was responsible. The police even have statements from two people saying this guy was basically bragging to them about his actions within minutes of the attack."
"That would be Sean Cameron and Manny Santos, two of JT's friends," Snake explained.
"There's also the fact that James survived the encounter and was able to give a statement the day after the incident. Now if you put James and Hogart side by side in a courtroom, even the most slow-witted judge wouldn't have difficulty deciding which one is more believable. So the police have been impressing upon Hogart the idea that he should make an official confession of his actions in order to have any hope of making a deal."
"A deal?" Snake asked in surprise. "Tell me Jay Hogart's not going to get off with some lousy slap on the wrist."
"No, I've no doubt he'll do some jail time. Hopefully quite a bit. But if he's willing to cooperate and write up what he did, there could be a relatively short hearing and sentencing – as opposed to a big trial that wastes everyone's time and doesn't do him any favors."
"That would also benefit JT," Snake reasoned. "Because just the thought of him having to sit for days in a courtroom trying to convince a judge that his attacker is truly his attacker…"
"Now as for why I came to this…house …such as it is," Yorke continued, "I decided it was likely that someone here would be able to tell me if James is receiving adequate treatment. It would certainly save me from my having to call the hospital, wasting time finding the right person to speak to and then wading through medical jargon to get basic information. You said earlier that he's probably going to leave there today. Is he honestly ready to leave?"
Snake was tempted to say nothing, not wanting to help this man in any way. However, he decided that kind of attitude would only push him closer to Yorke's level.
"JT's making a fine recovery," Snake replied. "He'll have to take it easy for a few days, but there's no reason for him to remain in the hospital."
"That's good to hear. And I suppose he still has all the money he needs. Unless of course that theater has already proven to be the bottomless money pit that I'd expect only a fool to want."
"I doubt JT would discuss his finances with you, so I certainly won't," Snake responded brusquely.
There was then an incredibly awkward silence as none of them could think of something more to say.
"Well," Yorke finally spoke up, "I suppose I've found out what I wanted, so I should leave. There are some old friends I want to visit while I'm in town, then I'll return to Winnipeg tomorrow."
"You still have no intention of seeing JT?" Snake again asked, growing angrier. "Letting him at least know you cared enough to come back and look into things?"
"What would be the point?" the attorney calmly questioned.
"You're the true fool, Yorke. JT was a good kid, and he's turned into a remarkable young man. A real man would see the value of having such a son as an ongoing part of his life. But now we've reached the point where I don't see any sense in continuing this conversation. I will never tell JT that he's better off without you in his life, but if he were to ever say it, I couldn't deny that it's absolutely true."
Yorke was ready with a comeback, but he wasn't sure he wanted to test what might happen if he pushed things further. Instead, he started to turn back around to face the door.
"As I said, my business here is complete. Good day, Cobra. Or Boa. Or whatever thing it is you call yourself."
Without another word, he opened the door and walked out, closing the door behind him.
"How do you like that guy?" Snake asked his friend as they both continued staring at the closed door. "Didn't even give me the opportunity to shut my own door. And I could have really slammed it on him, too."
"I'm surprised you didn't end up hitting him," Joey said while turning to face his friend. "There were a couple of times where it looked like you wanted to deck him."
"Yeah, and then I'd spend the next 20 years giving up my paychecks to pay for his next summer home. It was tempting, I've got to admit. But there's been more than enough violence this week. He's not worth it."
They then started walking back to the kitchen.
"Spike was right," Snake admitted. "It would have been a mistake for me to call him the other night. Sure, he's made of show of concern. Maybe he even means it. But it's not enough to get him to actually spend time in the same room with his son. Not even for a few minutes. I don't understand that mentality, and I don't think I want to."
"But you knew what the guy was like," Joey mentioned as they entered the kitchen and sat back down. "You really thought you could have created some happily ever after reunion between the two of them if you'd called him yourself?"
"I just thought it would be the right thing to do, that's all. Wouldn't you have done the same thing? Assuming that Albert Manning were still living… If there was a situation where Craig almost died, wouldn't you have tried to contact his natural father?"
"No," Joey said simply but firmly.
"But no matter how awful the man had been in the past, wouldn't…"
"No," Joey repeated. "It's like you said about Emma a few minutes ago, Snake… Craig isn't my son biologically, but he is in all the other important ways. There's no reason I'd have ever given Manning another chance to be anywhere near my son. I hated that he DID come back into Craig's life briefly. And even though I've never said this to Craig, I'm glad that the man died. That he will never have the chance to even consider disrupting my son's life again."
Snake had to let that last statement sink in for a moment. He knew Joey's feelings were entirely justified, but he wasn't accustomed to hearing his friend speak with such harshness about anyone.
"Even though Yorke showed up anyway," Snake eventually said, "I'm glad I wasn't the one responsible for his return. Joey, I've never asked you this before… When was it that you first really saw Craig as one of your own?"
"The morning after I found him in the cemetery and brought him home. No spectacular trumpets-blowing-in-the-background moment of realization. It was just obvious when he was sitting down to breakfast with me and Angie that first morning that he fit right in, as though he'd been there all along. Family."
"I'm sure it IS for the best that Yorke doesn't care enough to visit JT," Snake remarked. "That's the kind of visit that I'm guessing wouldn't fit into any doctor's idea of proper rest and relaxation."
"Snake, maybe you'd like to answer your own question."
"Which question is that?"
"How long has JT felt like one of your own?"
Early in the evening at the Yorke house, JT was lying in bed when Emma entered the bedroom to look in on him. Seeing his eyes still shut, Emma turned to leave.
"I'm not sleeping," JT called to her, having heard her footsteps.
"You should be," Emma said, turning back around. "The doctor may have let you leave this morning, but he also told you that you'd need plenty of rest."
"What I SHOULD have been doing this afternoon was sitting beside you at TMD watching an old comedy or two, like I've done every Saturday afternoon for years. Not staying here trying to take a nap like I'm an old man."
"JT…"
"I know, I know," he said as he opened his eyes and started to sit up in bed. "Don't worry. I think I slept for a little while. But how can I possibly rest when I'm in here and you're all the way out there in the livingroom?"
"If I'd been in here," she countered, "you'd just ask how you could possibly rest when I'm here in your bedroom with you."
"Uh-oh. You're on to me."
His comment made them both laugh.
"Are you getting hungry?" Emma then asked. "I can heat up some of the food Mom brought over this afternoon."
"A little later. Just come sit with me."
JT moved from the center of the bed over toward the right half as Emma entered the room, giving her room to sit down next to him.
"Emma, did I lock the door when we got in the house?" he asked her once she was sitting stretched out beside him.
"You did," she answered. "First thing."
"Good. Just making sure."
Emma simply nodded. He had asked her the same question that afternoon before going to bed, and earlier she had noticed him going to the front door on two occasions and checking to make sure it was secure. Though it was unusual for him to be so conscious about the door being locked, she felt it was an understandable reaction.
"Manny called while you were sleeping," she then revealed. "She and Sean wanted to make sure you made it out of the hospital okay, especially since you had talked them out of canceling their plans for the day in order to stay close by."
"I had to," JT responded. "They've been great, but they needed to have some time to themselves. They had plans before all this. I didn't want them putting anything off because of me."
"She said they've had a lot of fun taking the motorcycle out," Emma explained, "and they were checking in with me for an update about how things were going around here. By the way, they're still coming over tomorrow night."
"Good. It'll definitely be better than how Wednesday turned out. That wasn't exactly the kind of night the four of us had planned on."
"True. That sort of unpredictability is something I never want us to have to go through again."
"You know what's been the biggest disappointment in all of this?" JT then asked her.
"This whole situation has been like something out of a nightmare," she answered. "Your recovery's been the only bright spot. But I can't begin to imagine what you're singling out right now."
"The docs said I was unconscious for awhile that night. That they even had to use those defitricator paddles to get me breathing again."
"Defibrillator," Emma corrected. "But close enough. Thankfully the jolt did the trick."
"The thing is, I went through all that, but I didn't even get to have an out of body experience. At least not one I can remember."
"Oookay," Emma responded, not quite sure what to say.
"I'm not complaining about getting revived really fast," he quickly added. "I just think it would have been interesting. You've heard those stories where people have a few minutes to…I don't know…float around. See stuff. Find out something important that they never knew. Then when they're back in their bodies and awake, they still remember what happened. Nothing like that happened to me.
"At first I thought it was going to happen, because for awhile I remember it being real dark. I couldn't make out anything. I wasn't even sure where I was. Then I started to see this white light in the distance. It started getting closer and closer. Then I started to hear this voice from above calling my name. Real faint at first, but then it got louder and clearer as the light got closer.
"But it turned out to be one of the doctors shining a light in my eyes. I was starting to wake up and he was seeing if I could answer to the sound of my name."
"Can't say I'm too sorry you missed out on your exploration," Emma said. "Who knows? Maybe you would have enjoyed being out of your body and then not want to come back."
"And leave you behind? Not a chance."
Emma smiled and rested her head on his shoulder.
"That's also how I know I wouldn't have died," JT continued. "You think God would've wanted to hear me complaining every day about how bored I am up there without you?"
"You are so silly sometimes," she said, laughing. "What am I going to do with you?"
"Just keep loving me," he answered. "And don't worry. I'd never float away from you."
Later on that night, Nathaniel Yorke was driving his rental car back to his hotel following dinner with old acquaintances. He hated the thought of spending the remainder of the night alone and was sorry that his latest "friend" had been unable to accompany him on this trip to Toronto. While he wasn't paying much attention when she mentioned specific details, he did recall her saying something about it being her five-year high school reunion that weekend.
Yorke was also somewhat angry with himself for letting Archie Simpson slightly unnerve him that morning. He prided himself on being the one to fluster others during heated conversations – both those of a business and a personal nature. But without shouting, the tone and general demeanor of Emma's stepfather gave him the sense that it was indeed important to be cautious with his words for the duration of their exchange.
Lost in thought, Yorke soon discovered that he was now driving down his old street. In time, he was once more in front of his house. He parked along the curb across the street, exactly where he had the previous day when he'd arrived in time to find Emma departing.
Within the car, he pulled out his wallet. Buried behind money, credit cards and business cards was a small photo of his late wife Jillian. As he studied it, the photo brought a smile to his face. In it, she was holding their newborn son, James. This was the one photo he had kept that included his son. He'd always believed that his wife had never looked more beautiful than she did in that picture. She'd wanted a child so much and here she'd finally had one. The excitement in her face was plain to see.
Even though she understood that her husband was only going along with having a child for her sake, she was positive that, given enough time, he would come around and be glad he was a father. At times, he felt guilty that happiness about their son was the one thing he couldn't give his wife. But while such events as their child's first steps and first words brought him little enthusiasm, he could still appreciate their significance because of the pleasure these things brought to her.
Also, though he preferred not to admit it, there were occasional moments through the years when he thought having a son turned out to be a good thing. The feeling, however, always passed before a substantial relationship could develop. The one thing they shared was a woman who was now forever gone to both of them, and he hadn't seen any likelihood of them finding new common bonds. He knew that their personalities and priorities were too far apart. And if there was any remaining doubt, their last encounter assured him that he had made the right decision in distancing himself from his son.
But he strongly believed that none of this meant anyone had the right to assault the young man. He would never have said this to the teacher, to the hair cutter and certainly not to the overly talkative blonde girl, but he was surprised by his own reaction when he was first told the news about the attack. Regardless of words or past feelings, this was never something he would have wanted to happen.
That's why he had to talk to the police about the case in person when a simple phone call might have gotten him the same information. That's why he chose to go as far as to visit Emma's home and converse with people he considered beneath him but who would give an honest impression of the situation. That's why he twice found himself parked in front of his old homestead.
James had survived. Sarcastic comments to others notwithstanding, perhaps there was still the time and opportunity now to try and change things between the two of them. To find a way to interact that might make Jillian proud.
The elder Yorke opened his door and slowly got out of the car. Standing beside the vehicle, he spent a minute staring over at the house. As he did, other thoughts entered his mind.
If he did reach out, how long would it be before this recent life-threatening scare was a memory, and interaction once again became a chore rather than a blessing? How long before the feelings of indifference returned?
Within moments, he'd had his fill of questions and self-doubt. This experience, as terrible as it was, would change nothing. Of this he was certain.
As much as he still missed his wife and the passion they shared, he was mostly happy with the new life he'd made for himself in Winnipeg. As much as he felt a sense of concern for his son – and would never feel sorry for making this trip to look into the situation – that's as far as it could go. As far as it SHOULD go. To him, James would still never be the kind of son he could have a relationship with, and James had already made it clear that Nathaniel Yorke was not the kind of father he wanted. This man was sure that the best thing for them both was to continue moving forward with their lives rather than struggling over something that would never change.
So, despite a nagging feeling that he should go into the house and – if nothing else – tell his son how good it is to see him alive and well – Yorke got back into his car. He'd now looked into the incident, consulted with those in-the-know about the various legal aspects, and would be leaving town the following day without his son ever knowing he'd even been in the area. He was sure those were the three best things he could do for the young man.
As he started the car to drive away, Nathaniel Yorke looked once more over at the house across the street. He wished the best for his son. He still had low expectations and wished that the boy had better taste in women, but he nevertheless wished him well. As his father, he knew that was the best he could offer.