Standing Still 23/25
Title: Standing Still (23/25)
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.
PREVIOUSLY
And as happy as he felt for his brother, Ash felt a slight twinge of jealousy. He remembered a conversation they'd once had, where he'd talked about wishing he could find someone to spend his life with. His fear of being alone had been palpable. Now he knew he could survive on his own - even thrive in his own way.
"I'm happy for you, Aaron," he murmured, and found he really was.
X X X
Ash walked through the lobby of the Lakeview, just as the lunch crowd began to arrive. Tourists staying at the five star hotel, businessmen, and the old biddies from the country club swarmed in with their fake smiles, ultra bright faces, and kissy-kissy noises. He knew some of these women. Lucinda sometimes joined them just so she could catch up on the gossip and put a few of the snottier ones in their place.
They paused, though, when they got a look at him.
In torn jeans, a well-worn t-shirt, and a pair of sunglasses that did little to hide any disfigurements, he limped in with false bravado and riotous nerves. He might've backed out of meeting his grandmother for lunch if it weren't for the challenge presented to a young receptionist on the warpath. By the looks of her, she disapproved of his low-class looks and stubbly face.
"Darling," Lucinda imperiously declared to the young employee, "I do believe you should go back behind your podium and do your job."
Always one for the dramatic, she paused and posed, and then added, "Right now."
Ash amusedly watched his grandmother control the entire atmosphere with a practiced hand and steel spine. Then her gaze fell upon him, and he actually felt her gaze rake over his attire with disdain.
She'd always been able to put him in his place with little effort. Her disapproval, a rare thing in his case, had always made him cower - mainly with guilt.
Some things never changed.
Silently, he followed as she pioneered their way to the table. It took him only a moment to realize she led him the long path, to give those patrons (and the old country club biddies at their respective tables) a good look. And a dare.
It came across very clearly. Mess with my grandson, and you mess with me.
X X X
The meal passed with relative ease, and Ash didn't press his luck.
Dessert came and went on a cart. He'd lost his taste for sweets long ago, but he smiled when Lucinda made sure to have a couple pieces of cake boxed for the boys. Everyone in the family knew that Ethan and Jason had been inseparable pretty much since the accident. They'd become fast friends - the kind that last. As much Ash found it disconcerting, he found it heartening. They were both good boys.
"I thought you might wish to know about your foundation," Lucinda said, reaching into a satchel to pull out a portfolio. "I appointed one of my employees to run it a few months after you left."
Reaching in, she withdrew another portfolio and slid it across the table. She said, "These are your current Grimaldi Shipping holdings. I've been siphoning your personal profits into a split between the neuro-wing, your stock portfolio, and the foundation."
Frowning, he picked up the first thick bundle of papers from the foundation and began to rifle through. In several places, he found where someone had done a piss-poor job of forging his signature. He glanced up and asked, "Who the hell did you get to sign these things?"
"Ethan," Lucinda sharply replied. Damned if that wasn't exactly what it looked like.
"Holy shit, was he signing these when he was six?" It sure looked so.
With a wicked grin, Lucinda replied, "No, seven. Hence the crayon on a few of them."
Shaking his head, Ash chuckled in amusement at how much crap his grandmother could get away with in this town. Finally, he asked, "Is there a reason you're showing me all of this?"
"Yes, dear grandson of mine," she replied. "I want to know what you intend to do with all of this. Because it seems to me that you should resume your responsibilities. You might have a more interesting face to look at, but I'm pretty sure your mind still works."
With those daring words, she leaned back in her chair and raised an eyebrow in challenge.
His month in Oakdale was almost up.
X X X
Later that night, Ash walked along the frozen banks of the pond, his cane leaving a dent in the hard earth as he fumbled his way along. How many years had he come here to think? How many times had this simple place brought home what mattered most?
"Hey, stranger, I thought I might find you here," Lanie softly said from where she leaned against an evergreen.
With the soft glow of the moon illuminating the beautiful blonde woman, he smiled and slowly sauntered over to her. For the first time, he really took in the way her smile tilted across her face, like she held a secret. And the way a genuine fondness shone clearly through her eyes. Some might see the day they met as the worst of times. He saw it as his saving grace. Apparently some higher power really did give a shit about him, or he'd still be alone.
"You've been busy lately," he said, reaching out and pulling her into a hug. Her sigh into his collarbone made him smile.
"I've been learning what Jason needs," she said. "I've been learning how to teach him when we go back home."
The last few words caused her to tense, and Ash felt every muscle in her go stiff. Lanie didn't know just how predictable she'd become - how comforting the ritual of their friendship had become. He heard her words before she ever spoke them.
"It'll be time to go home soon."
Long ago, Ash had to learned to be patient. His friend could never hold back the dam of words when they needed to be said, so he needed to wait. Let her find those syllables and sentences in her own time. Eventually, she did.
"You have an amazing family here," she said. Sadness seeped into her eyes and by the light of the moon, he read the unspoken words clearly. I'll miss you.
Previous Chapters:
Chapter 22
Chapter 21
Chapter 20
Chapter 19
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