In the Wind - Part 1
Title: In the Wind - Part 1
Author: rachel_wilder and shelbecat
Rating: T (aka PG-13)
Disclaimer: All characters who appear in these stories belong to their respective creators, including Imagine Entertainment, NBC Universal Television Studio and Film 44.
Summary: Written for fnl_laundrylist for challenge #14, prompt #4 Mitch and Joanne notice Jason's gone. Alternately they discuss what to do with their clearly desperate son. with a touch of #15 What's Billy doing or thinking during Tim and Jason's week in Mexico?
In the Wind - Part 1
She knew he wasn't telling the truth when he left, but what was she going to do…throw herself down in front of his wheelchair?
"I'm going to Austin-to see Coach," he said as he threw things in his bag.
But when they got to church on Sunday, Coach Taylor was there with his family.
"Jason isn't visiting you?" she asked, a small part of her still wanting to tamp down all the warning signals that were going off in her head.
"No…I haven't talked to Jason since the ring ceremony," Eric Taylor replied. "Is everything alright?"
She'd nodded and walked away, chewing the cuticle on her finger. He wasn't in Austin.
Where had Jason gone?
"I haven't seen him, Mrs. Street," Lyla sang over the phone. "Honestly, we don't really talk any more."
"If he calls you, Lyla-if you hear anything at school, anything at all."
"Uh…sure, Mrs. Street," Lyla replied, her voice now serious. "I'm sure he's alright."
"Thank you, Lyla," she answered, then hung up on the girl her son had loved with all his body and mind.
He'd been quiet when he came home from the game. She wasn't sure what the coach had said to him on the field, but she could sense Jason's frustration. She could always read him better than anyone else.
He'd lost so much in the past year. She wasn't sure what he would do if he lost coaching as well. Mitch had pushed Jason to apply to colleges, but he wanted to stay home one more year-be on the football team with Tim for one more year.
Joanne dialed Tim's house again.
"Yeah," a voice answered on the fourth ring.
Finally. "Tim!" she cried. "Have you talked to Jason?"
There was a pause. He'd tell her, wouldn't he?
"Mrs. Street?" the voice asked. "This is, uh, Billy, ma'am."
"Oh."
"Tim isn't here, but I can have him call you as soon as he gets back," Billy offered. "Is something the matter?"
Of course it was. Jason had been gone for four days and she had no idea where he was.
"Please have him call me," she replied and then hung up. She turned to her husband. "We're calling the police."
"Evening, Mitch."
She looked over at the front door where Chad Clarke was standing in his uniform, half inside the doorway.
"Thanks for coming over, Chad," Mitch said as he invited the police officer into the house. He crossed the room and then joined her on the couch.
"What's going on?" the officer asked.
"Jason's missing," she blurted out. She couldn't stop herself.
Clarke reached into his pocket and pulled out a pad of paper. "How long has he been gone?"
"Four days," Mitch replied. "We thought he'd gone over to Austin-that's what he told us."
"How old is he?" the cop asked.
"He'll be eighteen at the end of the month," she replied. She watched while he took a couple more notes. "You can do something, can't you?"
"Does he have credit cards?" Clarke asked.
"Just a debit card," Mitch answered. "And I gave him a gas card."
"If you can get that account information for me, I can run them and see if there's been any activity. What about his friends? Does anyone know anything?"
"I talked to Lyla and I spoke to Tim's brother, but no one knew anything. He has a friend, someone he met in rehab, but I don't have a number for him," she replied.
"Do you have a name?" Clarke asked, writing down more notes. "And you haven't actually talked to Tim Riggins?"
"No," she answered.
"He hasn't been at practice all week," the officer replied. "Any chance he could be with Jason?"
She shrugged. Who knew any longer?
"The friend from rehab, what is his name?"
"Vincent Gossler. He goes by Herc," Mitch answered.
She watched while her husband shook hands with the officer and then walked him to the front door. Tim was with Jason. That was good.
Or was it?
"That was Chad Clarke on the phone."
She looked up at her husband across the kitchen.
"He used the gas card in San Angelo. And he took some money out of his account at the bank branch there."
"How much?" she asked, a cold shiver running through her body.
"Ten thousand dollars."
They never should have put the money in an account where Jason had access to that money. It was for college and for a vehicle and for adaptations to an apartment or house-it was his safety net and she and Mitch should have controlled it.
"He's going to be eighteen, Joanne. We couldn't keep protecting him."
Her head snapped up at the realization that he knew exactly what she was thinking. But how could she not keep protecting him? She had failed him again and again and he was her son and she loved him and wanted him happy and safe…
"Officer Clarke also talked to Herc at the rugby scrimmage last night. Herc said that Jason had heard about some doctor in Mexico. Something about stem cells."
Joanne closed her eyes. Of course. She knew Jason would try something foolish if it meant being able to walk again. "Where?" she asked, her voice shaking.
"He didn't know."
She stood up and took her plate over to the sink and rinsed it off, then turned to her husband.
"Let's go."
"Where are we going, Joanne?" he asked her.
She shrugged. "I don't know. I just know I'm not waiting here to figure out what my son can do in Mexico with ten thousand dollars and some back street clinic."
The phone interrupted her.
"Yes?" Mitch asked as he answered the phone. "What? Where is she?"
"What?" she asked. "What's happened?"
Mitch held his hand over the phone. "It's Pam Garrity. Lyla is missing. She wasn't at home when Pam got up this morning and her car is gone."
"Tell her to call Buddy and we'll call Billy Riggins. They're children, Mitch and this is ridiculous. We're going down there to get them."
/tbc/
Part 2
Author: rachel_wilder and shelbecat
Rating: T (aka PG-13)
Disclaimer: All characters who appear in these stories belong to their respective creators, including Imagine Entertainment, NBC Universal Television Studio and Film 44.
Summary: Written for fnl_laundrylist for challenge #14, prompt #4 Mitch and Joanne notice Jason's gone. Alternately they discuss what to do with their clearly desperate son. with a touch of #15 What's Billy doing or thinking during Tim and Jason's week in Mexico?
In the Wind - Part 1
She knew he wasn't telling the truth when he left, but what was she going to do…throw herself down in front of his wheelchair?
"I'm going to Austin-to see Coach," he said as he threw things in his bag.
But when they got to church on Sunday, Coach Taylor was there with his family.
"Jason isn't visiting you?" she asked, a small part of her still wanting to tamp down all the warning signals that were going off in her head.
"No…I haven't talked to Jason since the ring ceremony," Eric Taylor replied. "Is everything alright?"
She'd nodded and walked away, chewing the cuticle on her finger. He wasn't in Austin.
Where had Jason gone?
"I haven't seen him, Mrs. Street," Lyla sang over the phone. "Honestly, we don't really talk any more."
"If he calls you, Lyla-if you hear anything at school, anything at all."
"Uh…sure, Mrs. Street," Lyla replied, her voice now serious. "I'm sure he's alright."
"Thank you, Lyla," she answered, then hung up on the girl her son had loved with all his body and mind.
He'd been quiet when he came home from the game. She wasn't sure what the coach had said to him on the field, but she could sense Jason's frustration. She could always read him better than anyone else.
He'd lost so much in the past year. She wasn't sure what he would do if he lost coaching as well. Mitch had pushed Jason to apply to colleges, but he wanted to stay home one more year-be on the football team with Tim for one more year.
Joanne dialed Tim's house again.
"Yeah," a voice answered on the fourth ring.
Finally. "Tim!" she cried. "Have you talked to Jason?"
There was a pause. He'd tell her, wouldn't he?
"Mrs. Street?" the voice asked. "This is, uh, Billy, ma'am."
"Oh."
"Tim isn't here, but I can have him call you as soon as he gets back," Billy offered. "Is something the matter?"
Of course it was. Jason had been gone for four days and she had no idea where he was.
"Please have him call me," she replied and then hung up. She turned to her husband. "We're calling the police."
"Evening, Mitch."
She looked over at the front door where Chad Clarke was standing in his uniform, half inside the doorway.
"Thanks for coming over, Chad," Mitch said as he invited the police officer into the house. He crossed the room and then joined her on the couch.
"What's going on?" the officer asked.
"Jason's missing," she blurted out. She couldn't stop herself.
Clarke reached into his pocket and pulled out a pad of paper. "How long has he been gone?"
"Four days," Mitch replied. "We thought he'd gone over to Austin-that's what he told us."
"How old is he?" the cop asked.
"He'll be eighteen at the end of the month," she replied. She watched while he took a couple more notes. "You can do something, can't you?"
"Does he have credit cards?" Clarke asked.
"Just a debit card," Mitch answered. "And I gave him a gas card."
"If you can get that account information for me, I can run them and see if there's been any activity. What about his friends? Does anyone know anything?"
"I talked to Lyla and I spoke to Tim's brother, but no one knew anything. He has a friend, someone he met in rehab, but I don't have a number for him," she replied.
"Do you have a name?" Clarke asked, writing down more notes. "And you haven't actually talked to Tim Riggins?"
"No," she answered.
"He hasn't been at practice all week," the officer replied. "Any chance he could be with Jason?"
She shrugged. Who knew any longer?
"The friend from rehab, what is his name?"
"Vincent Gossler. He goes by Herc," Mitch answered.
She watched while her husband shook hands with the officer and then walked him to the front door. Tim was with Jason. That was good.
Or was it?
"That was Chad Clarke on the phone."
She looked up at her husband across the kitchen.
"He used the gas card in San Angelo. And he took some money out of his account at the bank branch there."
"How much?" she asked, a cold shiver running through her body.
"Ten thousand dollars."
They never should have put the money in an account where Jason had access to that money. It was for college and for a vehicle and for adaptations to an apartment or house-it was his safety net and she and Mitch should have controlled it.
"He's going to be eighteen, Joanne. We couldn't keep protecting him."
Her head snapped up at the realization that he knew exactly what she was thinking. But how could she not keep protecting him? She had failed him again and again and he was her son and she loved him and wanted him happy and safe…
"Officer Clarke also talked to Herc at the rugby scrimmage last night. Herc said that Jason had heard about some doctor in Mexico. Something about stem cells."
Joanne closed her eyes. Of course. She knew Jason would try something foolish if it meant being able to walk again. "Where?" she asked, her voice shaking.
"He didn't know."
She stood up and took her plate over to the sink and rinsed it off, then turned to her husband.
"Let's go."
"Where are we going, Joanne?" he asked her.
She shrugged. "I don't know. I just know I'm not waiting here to figure out what my son can do in Mexico with ten thousand dollars and some back street clinic."
The phone interrupted her.
"Yes?" Mitch asked as he answered the phone. "What? Where is she?"
"What?" she asked. "What's happened?"
Mitch held his hand over the phone. "It's Pam Garrity. Lyla is missing. She wasn't at home when Pam got up this morning and her car is gone."
"Tell her to call Buddy and we'll call Billy Riggins. They're children, Mitch and this is ridiculous. We're going down there to get them."
/tbc/
Part 2