Standing Still 19/?
Title: Standing Still (19/?)
Author: CSIGeekFan
Rating: R (Language)
Genre: Drama/Angst
Summary: It's been five years since that fateful day that he walked away from Oakdale. Five years since he had his heart ripped to shreds. Five years since the ultimate betrayal.
A/N: So, I've got the next chapter ready to go… Luke's first interaction with Chris. I hope you enjoy. I really went back and forth on this one.
PREVIOUSLY
Pushing open the door into the kitchen, Ash limped in, grumbling to himself about the cold ache running up and down his leg. His cane thumped as he found Lanie and asked, "Did they come back?"
It took a moment for him to realize Lanie wasn't alone. First, he caught sight of Katie, holding the hand of a dark haired little boy. Jacob.
Then he saw Chris.
X X X
He looks different.
That thought flashed through Ash's mind, and his gut clenched in anticipation. He waited for something to happen. He waited for that always-present cynicism to surge up and overwhelm his senses with a numbing adrenaline rush. More than anything, though, he waited for bitter anger to rise like acid in his throat and spew out in venomous words.
And surprisingly, none of this happened. Emptiness stood in place of any possible emotion - a dispassionate nothingness.
"Hello, Luke," Chris said, stepping forward. Obvious nerves showed in the way the other man flexed his hands and moved with rigid hesitation. Each step, a cautionary one, brought him closer to Ash.
Yet Ash didn't feel much. Chris might be a complete stranger for all he cared. Funny, though, he couldn't take his eyes off the other man's chest. Five years ago he hadn't waited around to watch the end result.
Even that precious heart looked absolutely ordinary.
Ash almost snorted a laugh. What had he expected - a cartoon heart beating so hard it showed through the other man's shirt? The analogy would've made Reid cringe; instead, his would-be lover would've made some snarky comment. The thought of a pounding heart would've induced an eye-roll and a comical, remark, like, "What a sappy waste of time - hearts aren't shaped like that."
That cinemagraphic snobbery had been a surprisingly acute attraction.
Chris looked thoroughly ordinary, though, and Ash frowned. He purposely shook the mood away, and frowned. He really felt very little toward the man who'd played a part in his disillusionment. And he hated feeling this awkward, so Ash looked around the room and focused on the task at hand. Glancing to Lanie, he quietly asked, "Have the boys come back? They're not in the barn."
That got his friend's attention, and she strode in his direction. The expression on her face turned his attention completely to the boys in an instant. His gut churned at the look in her eyes and he headed back out the door. Something began to feel off. Within seconds, his stomach tightened, and the very air around him felt wrong. All of it felt… wrong.
They heard the scream as they stepped off the back porch.
Natalie ran towards them, waving her arms and yelling, "Daddy! Daddy!"
Ash didn't hesitate, but dropped his cane. A jolt of shocking pain rose up through his thigh, coated in a slick layer of adrenaline. Every move hurt. And he didn't give a damn, because the tone of her voice propelled him to run full-tilt toward the pond and Natalie.
Vaguely he heard others trailing behind, with Natalie sobbing, "They fell."
His heart rose in his throat as he rushed on. When he finally broke through the trees, it was to see Ethan kneeling over Jason on the edge of the ice, pulling on the other boy. The broken tree limb nearby gave proof to what had happened.
"We were just climbing, and the branch broke, and we fell, and Jason keeps moaning, and his head hit hard on the ground," Ethan rambled. He continued to talk as Ash bent down, looked at how pale Jason had turned, and took in the soft gray tint to the young boy's lips.
The sharp contortion of pain on the boy's face let Ash breathe a little. The moan of agony made that breath a bit easier. The soft, "It hurts," out of the boy's mouth broke the man's heart.
He slid his hand across his surrogate son's forehead, and then underneath to hold him still. Ash might not be a doctor, but he knew movement might not be good until the child could be checked out at the hospital. The hand on his shoulder got his attention, and he looked up into Chris's eyes.
"Please," Chris murmured, "let me look."
Hesitation paralyzed Ash. Only Lanie's gasp made him move, and he grudgingly shifted to let the doctor look at the boy. With his hand still holding Jason's head immobile, he watched Chris with an eagle eye, and laid his free hand on Lanie's back as she knelt and softly crooned to the whimpering child.
Most days, the kid ate like a horse, was loud as an army, and could out-curse a sailor. But when he whispered, "It hurts, Mommy," he reminded Ash that he was still just a little boy. Their little boy - his and Lanie's.
"I've called an ambulance," Aaron said as he jogged into the clearing.
"He needs some x-rays, particularly on his right leg and arm," Chris stated. "I think his neck is all right, but he'll need an x-ray to confirm that as well." The physician looked at Ash and said, "Keep holding him still until the paramedics get here with the back board."
While he felt terrible his boy hurt so bad, the silence coming from Lanie worried him just as much. The only time she went quiet was when something scared her into shock.
"Hey Lanie," he murmured, reaching out the lay his free hand on hers. "Jason's tough."
It helped when the boy whispered, "Damn straight, Skippy."
X X X
John Dixon, who'd been scheduled to work the holiday, met them in the Emergency Room as the ambulance rolled into the bay. Within minutes, Lanie escorted her baby down the hall to a cubicle where a team of doctors awaited.
Right behind Lanie, Carl and Ash strode after them. Holden took a moment to park the car; and Ash had little doubt the others would be arriving soon. Ash had heard Lucinda making plans on transporting all but the youngsters. Ethan had taken it the hardest, though, and Ash figured his baby brother would be escorting Lily eventually.
"I think he may have a broken clavicle," Chris announced as John listened to the child's chest through a stethoscope. "His arm is definitely broken. His leg may be fractured, but I felt no break. I also thinks there's a potential for concussion."
"Did he lose consciousness?" John asked, as he lifted the lid of a groaning child.
"Yeah," Ash answered. "For a minute, but not for long."
"Well, you might as well settle in for awhile," John announced, looking at Lanie in particular. As if he just realized how many people stood in the small area, he added, "There's a waiting room for the rest of you. Jason needs to rest."
Ash made a mental note to thank John - he'd easily recognized that not only did Jason need the quiet. So did Lanie.
Leaning down, he whispered, "Be brave, little man," in Jason's ear; and he escorted everyone out of the room. A little stillness would do them all good.
Previous Chapters:
Chapter 18
Chapter 17
Chapter 16
Chapter 15
Chapter 14
Chapter 13
Chapter 12
Chapter 11
Chapter 10
Chapter 9
Chapter 8
Chapter 7
Chapter 6
Chapter 5
Chapter 4
Chapter 3
Chapter 2
Chapter 1