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Fic: Not Worth the Risk
Title: Not Worth the Risk
Author: Erin (erinm_4600)
Characters, Pairing: Jack Connor and some random OCs (mention of Stephen and Lisa)
Rating: G
Summary: Jack watched his parents fall apart and decided he'd never do that to himself.
Warning: mostly-post-series, with some mention of the series *Written for Round 24 of prompt-in-a-box. Prompt: #6 "The Only Exception - Paramore"
Disclaimer: The original characters of Medical Investigation belong to NBC and their respective actors. The OCs are mine.
When I was younger, I saw my daddy cry and curse at the wind.
He broke his own heart and I watched as he tried to reassemble it.
And my momma swore that she would never let herself forget.
And that was the day that I promised I'd never sing of love if it does not exist.
But, darling, you are the only exception
[The Only Exception - Paramore]
Jack Connor had a pretty normal childhood. He had a nice home, two parents who loved him, friends at school and even a spot on the baseball team.
Jack never really gave much thought to his father being at work more than he was at home. As far as Jack knew, that was what happened when you got a job. Sure, there were times that Jack would have liked his father's help with homework, or to go to baseball games or the movies or fishing - things his friends did with their fathers - but he also understood that his father had a job to do.
And spending time with his mother wasn't that bad. She was pretty smart when it came to his homework, and she would at least pretend to like the music he listened to.
But she wasn't his father.
As he got older, though, Jack began to realize that his "perfect" childhood wasn't so great.
He noticed that his parents actually talked less when his father was home, and she was always angry when he would call to let her know he’d be late, or he had to leave town. His father always apologized to both of them for having to leave, and he always said he loved them and would be home as soon as he could.
Jack wasn't stupid. He had enough friends with parents who'd split up to know that his were getting a divorce. It was odd for him, though, because Jack got the feeling his father wasn’t happy about it. Mom wouldn’t talk about it, though. She always seemed to have her 'I'm right and that's it'-face whenever Jack asked her.
She tried to hide it when his father would come by to see him, but Jack knew she wasn't happy. He never understood, either, when people getting a divorce would say that they still loved each other, but couldn't stay together. The times he did see his parents together, they didn't look like they even liked each other, let alone loved each other.
But Jack still got to spend time with his dad, and that was all that mattered to him. His friend Billy never saw his dad, and Christy and Dylan always left for the summer to go stay with their mom. Jack was okay with his parents being apart, as long as he didn’t have to go very far away from the other one.
As the first year went along, though, Jack started to see less and less of his father. Sure, he called from some town, somewhere in the United States, and would tell him about the people and the stores and whether or not there was a decent slice of pizza, but talking on the phone and being in the same room just weren’t the same.
After the third postponed movie, and the second missed baseball game, Jack started to get mad. He didn't know why, really. Maybe it was because Mom was mad, and that was making him mad. He didn't like his mother to be mad or sad.
Years later, Jack would wonder if she realized that she was saying such mean things about his father, usually in passing. But it was those things that started to turn Jack's opinion of his father around. Suddenly, it wasn't that his father was just at work, but that he was choosing strangers over his own son. Sometimes, Jack realized that he was just being selfish, but he never asked for anything, never complained.
As Jack continued through school, he didn't really have a place to channel the anger, other than the baseball diamond. It was what he loved and where he wanted to be. His pitches became faster, his hits became harder and, soon, he was the star of the team. Everyone cared what he thought, what he did, who he hung out with. He tried to ignore it, because he didn't want the attention from them. He just wanted to finish school and get out. He wasn't interested in going on dates or hanging out.
Jack stopped looking for his father in the stands after a while. The feeling in his stomach when Dad wasn't there just made him more upset and hurt Jack's game. They'd still win, of course, but it was always close because Jack's pitching would slip. No one ever seemed to notice but him, of course. Especially when he was given a full scholarship to play baseball at a state school in the Midwest.
Mom didn't want him to go so far away, but Jack wanted out. He wanted to get away from the awkward visits and the people who only liked him for his pitching arm. He'd be just another nobody, no attention and no distractions. He just had to play baseball and that sounded great to him. He accepted the offer - which upset his mother, but he didn’t really care - and reported to orientation.
Once school started, Jack found that classes were a bit harder - he probably should have paid a bit more attention in high school - and he struggled. But, if he wanted to play baseball, he had to pass his classes. The first few months had Jack wondering if he'd made the wrong decision, but then everything started to fall into place and classes were fine. Even practice had started, and Jack realized that it was waiting to get back on the diamond that had been bothering him.
He was definitely not the best player on the team, which was fine with him. He was on the team, he was playing ball and he was happy. That was all that mattered. The shortstop came into practice one afternoon, crying because his girlfriend had dumped him for a basketball player and Jack just shook his head.
The first day of his second semester, Jack was sitting in the lecture hall, reading the first chapter of his geology textbook as he waited for the class to start. He glanced up to the front of the room when someone called his name and waved to a kid he recognized from the history class they'd taken the semester before.
He noticed the room had filled up and there were only a few open seats left as folks were starting to settle. Glancing back down to the page, Jack was in the middle of a paragraph about continental shift when he heard: "Is this seat taken?"
"Uh, no," he mumbled, shaking his head and reaching blindly for his backpack, which was sitting on the chair next to him. As soon as he finished reading the paragraph, Jack turned to look up and found himself staring at the lightest pair of green eyes he'd ever seen.
"No, it's-" he stuttered, fumbling for his backpack, which had become caught on the armrest. He stood up, partly because of him manners and partly to unhook the bag. "Sorry," he half-laughed as the bag slipped free.
"It's okay. Just glad I found the place on the first try," the blonde said with a slight blush. "First day of college and I've already gone to the wrong building three times this morning," she added with a smile.
"It's a big place," Jack offered a shrug before forcing himself to look away as the man who was most likely the professor moved down the steps of the lecture hall. Jack was thankful when the man called the class to attention at their row, because he'd most definitely been staring at her. Jack twisted around slightly and moved back to sit in his chair as the mumblings of the crowd stopped.
As the professor began his introduction, Jack chanced another look at his neighbor and gave her a smile and a nod.
"I'm Charlotte," she offered, trying to not stare, herself.
"Jack. Connor," he added quickly. "Nice to meet you."
Author: Erin (erinm_4600)
Characters, Pairing: Jack Connor and some random OCs (mention of Stephen and Lisa)
Rating: G
Summary: Jack watched his parents fall apart and decided he'd never do that to himself.
Warning: mostly-post-series, with some mention of the series *Written for Round 24 of prompt-in-a-box. Prompt: #6 "The Only Exception - Paramore"
Disclaimer: The original characters of Medical Investigation belong to NBC and their respective actors. The OCs are mine.
When I was younger, I saw my daddy cry and curse at the wind.
He broke his own heart and I watched as he tried to reassemble it.
And my momma swore that she would never let herself forget.
And that was the day that I promised I'd never sing of love if it does not exist.
But, darling, you are the only exception
[The Only Exception - Paramore]
Jack Connor had a pretty normal childhood. He had a nice home, two parents who loved him, friends at school and even a spot on the baseball team.
Jack never really gave much thought to his father being at work more than he was at home. As far as Jack knew, that was what happened when you got a job. Sure, there were times that Jack would have liked his father's help with homework, or to go to baseball games or the movies or fishing - things his friends did with their fathers - but he also understood that his father had a job to do.
And spending time with his mother wasn't that bad. She was pretty smart when it came to his homework, and she would at least pretend to like the music he listened to.
But she wasn't his father.
As he got older, though, Jack began to realize that his "perfect" childhood wasn't so great.
He noticed that his parents actually talked less when his father was home, and she was always angry when he would call to let her know he’d be late, or he had to leave town. His father always apologized to both of them for having to leave, and he always said he loved them and would be home as soon as he could.
Jack wasn't stupid. He had enough friends with parents who'd split up to know that his were getting a divorce. It was odd for him, though, because Jack got the feeling his father wasn’t happy about it. Mom wouldn’t talk about it, though. She always seemed to have her 'I'm right and that's it'-face whenever Jack asked her.
She tried to hide it when his father would come by to see him, but Jack knew she wasn't happy. He never understood, either, when people getting a divorce would say that they still loved each other, but couldn't stay together. The times he did see his parents together, they didn't look like they even liked each other, let alone loved each other.
But Jack still got to spend time with his dad, and that was all that mattered to him. His friend Billy never saw his dad, and Christy and Dylan always left for the summer to go stay with their mom. Jack was okay with his parents being apart, as long as he didn’t have to go very far away from the other one.
As the first year went along, though, Jack started to see less and less of his father. Sure, he called from some town, somewhere in the United States, and would tell him about the people and the stores and whether or not there was a decent slice of pizza, but talking on the phone and being in the same room just weren’t the same.
After the third postponed movie, and the second missed baseball game, Jack started to get mad. He didn't know why, really. Maybe it was because Mom was mad, and that was making him mad. He didn't like his mother to be mad or sad.
Years later, Jack would wonder if she realized that she was saying such mean things about his father, usually in passing. But it was those things that started to turn Jack's opinion of his father around. Suddenly, it wasn't that his father was just at work, but that he was choosing strangers over his own son. Sometimes, Jack realized that he was just being selfish, but he never asked for anything, never complained.
As Jack continued through school, he didn't really have a place to channel the anger, other than the baseball diamond. It was what he loved and where he wanted to be. His pitches became faster, his hits became harder and, soon, he was the star of the team. Everyone cared what he thought, what he did, who he hung out with. He tried to ignore it, because he didn't want the attention from them. He just wanted to finish school and get out. He wasn't interested in going on dates or hanging out.
Jack stopped looking for his father in the stands after a while. The feeling in his stomach when Dad wasn't there just made him more upset and hurt Jack's game. They'd still win, of course, but it was always close because Jack's pitching would slip. No one ever seemed to notice but him, of course. Especially when he was given a full scholarship to play baseball at a state school in the Midwest.
Mom didn't want him to go so far away, but Jack wanted out. He wanted to get away from the awkward visits and the people who only liked him for his pitching arm. He'd be just another nobody, no attention and no distractions. He just had to play baseball and that sounded great to him. He accepted the offer - which upset his mother, but he didn’t really care - and reported to orientation.
Once school started, Jack found that classes were a bit harder - he probably should have paid a bit more attention in high school - and he struggled. But, if he wanted to play baseball, he had to pass his classes. The first few months had Jack wondering if he'd made the wrong decision, but then everything started to fall into place and classes were fine. Even practice had started, and Jack realized that it was waiting to get back on the diamond that had been bothering him.
He was definitely not the best player on the team, which was fine with him. He was on the team, he was playing ball and he was happy. That was all that mattered. The shortstop came into practice one afternoon, crying because his girlfriend had dumped him for a basketball player and Jack just shook his head.
The first day of his second semester, Jack was sitting in the lecture hall, reading the first chapter of his geology textbook as he waited for the class to start. He glanced up to the front of the room when someone called his name and waved to a kid he recognized from the history class they'd taken the semester before.
He noticed the room had filled up and there were only a few open seats left as folks were starting to settle. Glancing back down to the page, Jack was in the middle of a paragraph about continental shift when he heard: "Is this seat taken?"
"Uh, no," he mumbled, shaking his head and reaching blindly for his backpack, which was sitting on the chair next to him. As soon as he finished reading the paragraph, Jack turned to look up and found himself staring at the lightest pair of green eyes he'd ever seen.
"No, it's-" he stuttered, fumbling for his backpack, which had become caught on the armrest. He stood up, partly because of him manners and partly to unhook the bag. "Sorry," he half-laughed as the bag slipped free.
"It's okay. Just glad I found the place on the first try," the blonde said with a slight blush. "First day of college and I've already gone to the wrong building three times this morning," she added with a smile.
"It's a big place," Jack offered a shrug before forcing himself to look away as the man who was most likely the professor moved down the steps of the lecture hall. Jack was thankful when the man called the class to attention at their row, because he'd most definitely been staring at her. Jack twisted around slightly and moved back to sit in his chair as the mumblings of the crowd stopped.
As the professor began his introduction, Jack chanced another look at his neighbor and gave her a smile and a nod.
"I'm Charlotte," she offered, trying to not stare, herself.
"Jack. Connor," he added quickly. "Nice to meet you."