Date: Fri, 11 Nov 2022 02:36:35 +0000 (UTC) From: JH Subject: A Stepbrother's Desire - Josh and Tyson 65 This is a work of fiction - names and places are elements of fiction. Please donate to Nifty.org at http://donate.nifty.org/donate.html. Your donation will allow stories such as this to be published. Other stories: Nifty/Beginnings/Cards in the Deck - Adam and Ben Nifty/Incest/My Cousin's Son A Stepbrother's Desire - Josh and Tyson 65 Per Dr. Perrow's advice, we checked Ty into Memorial. Going through the Emergency Room got us to the Psychological Support Division. Mom, Dad, and I sat in the doctor's office until he came storming in with Ty's folder in hand. "I know you're all in a panic so let me offer some thoughts," Dr. Wills said. He looked friendly enough but I was waiting to hear something awful from him. "I have seen this before and I think we know how to proceed. First, I don't need lengthy details but let me confirm some things. First, is there a history of alcohol abuse?" Wills asked. "No," I said. "We sneak some here and there but it's infrequent." Mom and Dad looked at me disappointedly. But they know. This is not the time for their parental judgment. He checked the form. "Drug abuse?" he asked. "No," I said again. "Pot once or twice but it's not our thing." The doctor made a note. "Sexual activity?" and I froze. "Can I take this one alone?" I asked. "Absolutely not!" barked Dad. "Mr. Breck, perhaps Josh should talk to me confidentially here," said Wills. They gave me the look of the devil as they left the office. My stomach turned twice. "Josh, what can you tell me here?" he asked in a quiet tone. "Ty and I, well, we're...you know," I stammered. "You are intimate. Is that correct?" and I nodded. "As step brothers has that caused a tremendous level of stress?" he asked. "Well not as much as you would think. Our friends are positively supportive of us. Our parents worry about reputations and all but other than normal teenager stuff, we haven't had too many problems." "Ok, good. Now, and please be frank with me. Sexual activities?" he said again. "Ty and I are pretty advanced in what we like to do. We don't like kinky stuff. It's just boyfriend kind of stuff. Lately, though, we have both had some encounters on our own, like, with other people. One person, at the beach, well he caused a lot of stress. But the one Ty was with, well, I was upset by it and we had some words. No yelling or anything. I was just disappointed and my thing, well I kept it a secret from him but he knew about it all along. I don't know.." I said, feeling flustered. I let out a sigh. "It's ok, Josh. There is a lot going on amongst your peers. I reserve judgment." "You going to tell mom and dad what I said?" "No. This is for reference only." A nurse tapped at the door and he excused himself, leaving me there alone. Thoughts were about to start racing through my head, like pounding my head, rather. Then he and the parents all entered. "So, the nurse has had some communication with Ty. I'm about to go right in. Let me tell you what I think. I think Ty is lost in a psychological event and his mind is a little jumbled up. We are going to give him something that will calm the mind and let his body rest for a day or two. Then, we are going to wake him up slowly and gently." "Ok, and how will we know when to be here?" asked mom. "Well, honestly, you won't be. He will wake up in a stress-free environment. This won't be like the kid who comes out of surgery on his leg. We need to measure his vitals along with his brain activity when we wake him so no stress. None. You all will be home tending to your normal activities elsewhere. You won't see him this weekend more than likely. That's ok. We have a high success rate with this plan..." We left the hospital. The parents and the doctor spent some time together and I heard him tell them to squash any notion of taking me home and berating me or hanging this over my head. I don't know if he was telling them the truth or trying to keep me from being checked into the ward but they agreed. On the ride home, Bill did ask what our last exchange was like and mom said it was ok if I was honest and that they were intelligent enough to know, and they agreed with the doctor, that as an individual teen boy, I didn't have enough power or authority over Ty to cause him a breakdown. When they said this to me, my vision became blurry and I dropped my head into my hands. My chest started heaving and yes, I was crying. And I mean like a baby. Mom reached back into my seat and put her hand on my knee. "Josh honey, so many kids develop issues. Ty is under a lot of stress. Between school and this thing with you going to college, I suspect his nerves are a mess." I heaved some more. "In fact," said Bill, "Ty and I had the most wonderful conversation on the beach. I referenced his mother and it was very powerful. It seemed to mean a lot to him but I could sense his emotions to the point I was unsure if I should have gone there. We all have a hand in Ty's life, Josh," said Bill. "I will tell you and none of you better bring it up to him." Mom looked at me seriously. "I had a one time fling with someone who has been, well, important to me." I knew she knew who it was but she didn't say anything. "Then, Ty did the same. Yesterday. I don't think it was planned but he and Jordan, so, they had a very "intimate" experience. I suspected it would happen one day but I didn't know it would be yesterday." "Jordan?" mom said with surprise. "Really?" asked Bill. "I was so fucking mad," I said. "Oh I'm so sorry for saying that!" I added. Mom continued to look over her shoulder at me. "But I was angry with him. I went to bed that night and I got myself together to tell him I didn't blame him. They have had a very special friendship over the years." "That they have," said Bill. "Long before there was you, Ty believed Jordan Rose hung the moon and Jordan was so good to him. We liked that Jordan treated him so well. It kept the bullies at bay. And I have to add, Jordan was there for you too, Josh." "Well, yeah," I said. "So I was going to tell him that since we closed the loop on these people, he and I should live out our summer days together, with no interference, and just enjoy our time togeth-th-er," I stuttered. Tears were still falling down my face. Mom looked straight ahead and we turned onto Park Avenue and Bill turned into the drive. He pulled mom's car into the garage and we went into the house. I was about to go upstairs and mom tapped the barstool. "Hang out with us, Josh," she said. We spent the better part of the evening talking about things. A lot of things that Ty and I had gone through. They listened patiently and there were only one or two instances that seemed to cause Bill to ruffle, such as playing the trick on the guy at the pier and letting the hotel owner, Kyon Li, take us around. I certainly did not tell them about our sexual romp with him. They would have been furious despite what the doctor told them. Finally, that evening, I had to respond to texts. I talked to Bryce and Tristan. Jordan called Ty's phone to check in on him and I answered. "Hello," I said flatly. "Oh hey Josh, I was looking for Ty." My stomach turned again and I became very angry all at once. How dare he call here! "Ty isn't here," I said. "Just to let you know, Jordan, we checked Ty into the hospital today." "You what? What's wrong with him?" demanded Jordan. "We're not sure except to say he had a nervous breakdown after your encounter yesterday!" I barked. "What the fuck did you say?" he screamed. "There was nothing wrong with him when he..." "Save it Jordan. The doctors will tell us what's wrong when they bring him to!" I snapped. "This shit better not be sticking to you!" I said. "Oh my God!" he squealed and I disconnected the line. Oh my fuck, did I feel miserable about this. Here I am hoping they don't blame me and I shoved the shit onto Jordan's back. What a fucking rotten thing to do. I hit Jordan's name on the screen and it rang. "What" he asked quietly. "I'm sorry, Jordan. What I did wasn't fair. It's not your fault. He was heading that way. They said his mind is jumbled and they are going to unjumble it," I said quietly. "I'm sorry for saying that to you. I am the first to understand what you two did." "Did he tell you?" he asked. "No, I discovered it," I replied. "Oh yeah, I see. Oh Josh, is he going to be ok? I feel like I'm gonna vomit!" Jordan said. "Yeah, the doctors won't let us see him for a few days but they think they can overcome it. He just wouldn't wake up but his vitals were good. I'm sorry, Jordan." I heard a loud groan and then some banging around. "Jordan!" I screamed. "Josh, is that you?" asked a lady I recognized to be Jordan's mother. "Yes ma'am. What happened?" I asked with alarm. "Jordan has fallen and crashed into a table. I need to tend to him. Take care son!" she said and she disconnected the line. "Oh fuck," I thought. Now I've caused Jordan a breakdown. This is a fucking shit show!. Tristan had finally read the text and was pinging me back and forth. "What happened?" "How did it happen?" "What were they going to do?" "Can I see him?" I answered in short sentences, finally telling him I would catch him in person or something. I really could not handle this texting crap! I turned my phone off. I knew word was going around. I went upstairs and the scent in Ty's room lured me in. I looked around his room. Everything was as we had left it. I gathered up some shorts, underwear, socks, and t-shirts. They advised that they would want some comfortable clothes for later. I folded everything nicely, like Ty would like it. I felt my nose start to burn again. "Oh fuck this crying shit!" I yelled. "Josh," said my mom. I turned and she was standing in Ty's doorway. "I got him some fresh clothes we can take over there," I said. She came to me and put her arms around me. "Josh, this isn't the end of the world and we're not going to let it consume us. Ty is going to be fine. Sit down," she said and I sat on the edge of his bed. "People, including us, have been having breakdowns for years. Most do NOT come out crazy and incapable. For most, they come back strong and unless there is something abusive occurring, it's more than likely a one time event. I had a slip when you were a baby. Depression zapped me like a bolt of lightning. Your dad, well, he jumped in a car and drove away. You, yourself, had to be pulled out of a gully after experiencing a "mental crash" so to speak." She touched my cheek and patted down my hair. "Ty is having a thing and he is going to come back shiny and glowing like he is and we are going to support him every step and every day. Got it?" she asked. "What about Bill?" I asked. "He's ok. He's a worried father but he internalizes his emotions." "I mean, where was his breakdown?" I asked. "There were probably several mini-breakdowns, son. He watched his wife..." "Nevermind!" I snapped, realizing what she was going to say. "That was rude of me," I said quietly. "No, it's just something you haven't experienced. I wonder if Ty ever properly grieved for his mother. A boy and his mother. I'm not sure which is harder to lose," and she really hugged me tight this time. "That weekend you took off, Josh, I never thought I would regain a normal state of mind. I was crazy with fear." "I'm sorry mom," I said. "No, don't worry. I'm just saying...these things don't last forever. Ty is coming home. You hear me?" I nodded. "Thank you for getting these clothes together. Why don't you take a hot shower and we'll watch something on tv." I agreed to that. I looked out the window and saw Ty's car sitting there on the curb. I was infuriated for some reason. I didn't want passers-by driving by and gawking at his car. This was a time for privacy and respect! I took Ty's keys off his desk and did a car shuffle. I moved Bill's car out of the garage and put Ty's in. "There," I said out loud. If Ty is away, so will his car be!" I walked back into the house. Bill was standing there watching out of the window. "You put Ty's car away in the garage?" he asked. I thought he was going to fuss about me taking his garage spot. I nodded but didn't say anything. "Thank you," he said. "That was very thoughtful," and he walked out and over to his study. I didn't follow him. I didn't know what to say. Besides, mom had just given me all she had. No need looking for more. The weekend had it's ups and downs. Ty was sleeping comfortably, mostly. He fought them a bit in his sleep but he calmed down. I moped around with nothing to do. There were no cars to wash. No new shipments and the city had applied water restrictions due to little rain and everyone watering their lawns. Bill and I did a bit of clean up in the yard. He talked casually but we didn't dwell on Ty. He kept me moving mostly. I was just about to head in when Tristan pulled up to the curb. I was glad to see him but I quickly found out he wasn't happy. "What the fuck did you do, Josh?" he barked at me, stomping in my freshly mowed grass. "Well hey to you too and stop tracking in my grass. I just mowed it!" I said. "Really? All you care about it are the fucking swim lanes in your grass while Ty is laying unconscious in the hospital?" he barked. "You're being too loud," I yelled at him. "First, he is not unconscious. He is sleeping. Second, he is not in the hospital. He is in the Williams Pscychiatric Support Center!" I said, needing to take a breath. "Doesn't matter. I can only imagine how hard YOU had to push him to get him there. What in the fuck happened at the beach? He definitely wasn't himself when he got home!" "You are going to stop blaming me for this. You don't know shit about what all happened!" "Just using your past as a reference, I think it's pretty safe to say. Don't you?" "Fuck you, Tristan!" I snapped. "Take your ass home and leave me alone!" I whipped and started for the house. "What happened Josh?" he asked quietly, following me briskly to the door. "I'm not sure I should tell all Ty's secrets but it seems he didn't tell you about the Emporer of Japan and his big dick, big ass, and big head, did he?" Tristan shook his head. "He didn't tell you about the jock turned Romeo and their afternoon love affair, did he?" Ty's eyes got wide and he shook his head again. "We let things get out of hand. I did my share but he pushed a lot of boundaries in a short amount of time. He got jumbled up and now he's having to sleep it off," I said, falling down on the brick porch step. Tristan rushed to my side and sat down beside me. "I'm sorry Josh. I didn't mean those things. I was an asshole," Tristan said. "You've always had it in you," I replied. He looked pissed for a second then started to laugh. "Takes one to know one," he said. "Is he gonna be ok? Will he be scarred or anything?" Tristan asked. "Noone seems to think so but you never know. Just keep it positive, Tristan. I will let you know what they tell us, when they tell us. They said we could see him about mid week or so." I put my arm around him and he leaned into me. We stayed like that for a long time, watching cars drive by, watching walkers pass by. "Boys!" shouted Bill from the drive. "Let's go!" he said. Tristan and I were shaken from our trance. "Where?" I asked. "To get dinner. Your mom doesn't want to cook." It felt a whole lot like one of our "boys night dinners" from the past. We got pizzas, breadsticks, wings, and drinks. We brought it back and spread it over the kitchen island and ate. *** Karen Breck It's Monday and I'm supposed to know how to go to work and pretend like none of this is happening? I'm supposed to know how to be a mother and a wife on top of running the Mayor's office for the City? Well, I guess there are women who have been called to do more. As soon as I get these damn heels on, I'm going to take some action and get Josh from underneath my nerves today. He has moped around the house all weekend. Tristan's little visit was fresh but he's struggling too. They are all struggling. I peaked in on Josh who was laying in his bed, scrolling through pages on his iPad. He didn't pay me any attention. I presume he would do nothing more than this all day. I prodded down the stairs and picked up my cell. I called Julie Chatley. "Hey lady!" Julie snapped on the first ring. "Was just thinking about you." "Well, I haven't talked to anyone this weekend. I wanted..." "Karen, honey, you have been there for all of us. Now what do you need? How is Ty?" she asked. "Well, Ty is going to be just fine. They are going to try to rouse him this afternoon and get some conversation out of him. That's all they know at this point." "Karen, you know how we all feel about your boys. I am so sorry. These kids just push and push and well, we push them just as hard. I know he will be ok. He is one strong boy," she offered. "I agree. Listen, this job of mine, well, I'm trying to get going and I'm worried about leaving Josh here alone. He is in the trash right now. Can you take him today? Are you in the mood for some teen sitting?" I asked. I had to laugh even though I wanted to cry. "I am SO glad you called, Karen. You won't believe what has happened. We rented our river house out to a family. Well, the family wasn't there. It was their rotten kids. They had a party! Oh yeah, and it was a big party. Hon, they trashed the place. Beer bottles and cans are everywhere. The inside is a hot mess. I could not believe my eyes when I drove out there yesterday." "Wow, Julie, I'm sorry to hear that." "So I'm sending Bryce out there to clean it up. It is going to be one hell of an undertaking. I'm just thinking if you sent Josh this way, Bryce would certainly appreciate his help. There'll be a little money in it too!" she said. "Oh Julie, that is so perfect. Why didn't you tell us sooner?" "I wouldn't presume to come crying about my problems given the state of yours!" she quipped. "It's perfect. Julie, I know he will want to help Bryce, and well, Bryce has a calming effect on Josh. We adore him, you know. Both of your children, Julie,,," "Karen, you seem to have forgotten how we spent most of the past year with Julia. I have been there and look at her now!' "She is amazing and so beautiful. The turnaround has been..." "Conspicuous? Believe me sister it has! You get Josh up, tell him to put on some old clothes and head over here, as soon as possible!" "Consider it done," I said, looking to the sky and giving our Lord a brief but sincere "thank you." "And tell him to pick up Tristan and bring him too! Talked to Melody last night and he's in the dumps too!" "Julie, thank you. I really couldn't leave him..." "It's alright dear. Let's talk again later. There is plenty we can help you with where Ty is concerned." "Thanks, Josh will be on his way." *** Josh Well, apparently I have gotten sucked into cleaning up Bryce's riverhouse yard. How bad could it be? I wondered. I pulled up outside Tristan's house. He was wearing some clothes, so I don't know where he got them. Old and worn. He wore a baseball cap backwards and wore big dark sunglasses. Climbing in, he said, "I'm going nuts, Josh. I need to see Ty soon." "I hear you. It's coming," I said. I pulled back into the street. "So this jock turned Romeo, is that who I think it is?" Tristan asked. "I'm not sure if I should be telling," I said. "It probably is but I'm not gonna confirm." "Oh you're not judging? You're peachy keen with it? Huh?" Tristan jabbed. "Don't start with me this early in the morning. Maybe I am but I'm not in a position to throw stones. What's done is done. My goal is getting things back on track, not derailing them." "Yeah, you're probably right about that. We shouldn't bring up any of this when we see him." "You got that right brother," I said. We pulled into Bryce's drive and pulled into the guest parking. He had his dad's SUV loaded and ready to go. "Damn guys am I glad to see you. I was dreading doing this alone," Bryce said. "Thank your mom, not me," I jibed. "Fuck you Warner! What's going on with Ty?" he asked. "You seen him?" he asked, opening the back door for Tristan. Tristan crawled in and we got in the front. "I haven't seen him. We're not allowed to." "It was the same with Julia. They want to keep the stress down. No drama and all that," said Bryce. I walked them through the event that had occurred Friday morning. Everyone was quiet. "He's in a good place, Josh. They will take care of him. I know it!" Bryce said. The traffic leading out of the city was annoying. Once we got onto the river road, it was quiet. When we pulled into the driveway, I know my mouth dropped open. "Holy shit!" barked Tristan from the backseat. "What a damn mess!" I cracked up. "I know," said Bryce. He parked in an area not littered with beer cans. We could see the trail of litter through the side yard, into the front yard, or backyard, whichever that is and junk along the river bank. "What a load of crap!" I said. "No respect for the environment at all" "None," said Tristan. He pulled out a pair of latex gloves which caused me to crack up. "I've got some for you and me as well," said Bryce. "Wait til I show you the inside!" "Oh lord," replied Tristan. We walked into the house where there must have been one heck of a party. The furniture was pushed aside. Pizza boxes, cans, bottles, napkins and paper towels were everywhere. Tristan wandered upstairs and shortly thereafter yelled, "Oh dear God!" I ran up the stairs and walked into Bryce's room hoping there wasn't a body or something there. Tristan held his hand over his mouth as we gazed on what must have been a mother of a cumshot. It stretched a good two feet across the sheet. It was dry and crumply. "Ah, and then there's that!" said Bryce. "I was able to keep my mom out of here yesterday when she did the inspection. "That was the last thing I needed her to see." Bryce put his arm around Tristan. "We're gonna ask you to handle the interior, Tristan. There is plenty for us to do outside. When we finish, we'll help in here. You ok with that?" "Yeah, it has to be done." "There's some pay coming your way. Mom has charged their credit card a huge fee. She took pictures and sent them to the parents. They were pissed from what I gathered." "Who did this? Why didn't we know about this?" I asked. "They are not local. They came from out in the county. Bunch of rich kids acting like fuck-ups," said Bryce. "I wish I had known. I would've so busted this up!" Bryce and I went back downstairs. Slipping on the latex gloves we went outside and opened some extra large trash bags. "I would suggest pushing into piles rather than trying to pick it up piece by piece," I said. "Good idea," said Bryce. He went to the storage shed and brought out two rakes. We began the miserable task of swiping the debris into piles. I did the yard while Bryce raked the river edge. There were cigarette butts and used ends of joints. There were some places where people had thrown up. It was terrible and in the heat, made my stomach turn. The work partly helped take my mind off Ty but then during quiet times when it was just me and the rake, I thought about things. Ty and his smell. Ty and his clothes. Ty and his hair. Ty's breath on my neck when he slept on my shoulder. I dropped the rake and walked down to the river and sat on a rock. "Dude, I know suffering. You don't have to say anything," said Bryce. "Struggling is more like it. I just don't know how he got to that place." "The mind is a force of its own, man. But it can be brought back. Julia..." "I know and I keep that in my mind. She is really amazing. I know he'll be back. I just hate that he got there to start with." "Could be any one of us. We all do crazy shit. We all have stuff that drives us crazy. Imagine how that boy felt when he got a cooler full of cold water thrown on him. Might not take much more than that then some people have it long time like that Winters guy." "I hadn't remembered him," I said. "I hear he's in much better shape." "My mom said his parents were very pleased. He is on meds now to calm his bi-polar condition." Bryce looked at me for a minute then suggested I get back to my piles. We still had to help Tristan and every surface would be due a disinfectant wipe-down. "A water hose!" I replied. After pushing the piles into the extra large trash bags, counting a total of twelve large trash bags in all, we took a breather and Tristan, needing one, came out onto the porch. He wiped the sweat from his forehead. "How are you coming?" asked Bryce. "It's better. I need another trash bag. The sheets are all in the washing machine." "Oh wow, that's great!" said Bryce. "Dang you cleaned up a lot out here!" said Tristan. "I'm hungry," he barked. "I know I am too. We worked straight through lunch and it's almost 2 pm!" "Y'all hang out here. I'm running up to the C-Store and get us some burgers." We nodded in agreement. Bryce jumped in the vehicle and pulled out. Tristan and I walked back inside. It looked good. He too had pushed junk into a pile. I helped him move the furniture back to where it belonged. We gathered the last pile of trash into the trash bag. He had three bags full just from the interior. The washing machine buzzer rang out alerting us it was time to switch to the dryer. I found a can of Glade spray in the pantry and lit the place up. It soon began to smell like an orange orchard. I aimed it at Tristan who charged at me, knocking me down into the floor. He got the can away from me and tossed it back to the kitchen. We laid there on the floor. "You ok?" I asked. "Yeah, are you? I felt like shit after saying those things to you Saturday," he said quietly. "No worse than I already felt but it's all good. You know that we know how much we both love Ty," I said. "And I love you too," I added. "I love you, too, Josh. I can't stand when any of us get into a mess like this." "I know," I said, wiping a bead of sweat from his cheek. How's Jack?" I asked. "He's good but he's working now so we see each other evenings." "Where is he working?" "Costco Warehouse," he said. "Did he tell you?" "No he did not. Well good for him. That should be some good money." "Yeah it is." We talked for a bit about Jack. Things were going well all in all. The rumor mongering has settled down after the guy posted the retraction. Bryce burst into the door carrying bags of food. "Can someone get the drinks from the car?" he ordered. Tristan skipped out and came back with cold sodas and water. We couldn't get those burgers unwrapped fast enough. Damn they were good. They were the greasy kind, cooked on a griddle, with toasted buns and mayo and tomatoes and lettuce. We finished them off quickly like we hadn't eaten in days. We all did a thorough wipe down of the counters in the kitchen and bathrooms. By 4 pm, the place was in amazing shape. We loaded the trash bags into the back of the SUV. We went back in and Bryce sat on the floor and leaned against the back of the couch. Tristan went to him and dropped beside him. Bryce put his arm around him and Tristan nestled into his shoulder. It looked so warm and cozy. I did the same, settling on the other side of Bryce. "Y'all need to stop worrying. Ty is on a little vacation. He will be back soon," Bryce said quietly. "What you did here today was nothing short of amazing. My mom's gonna be so happy." "The least we can do," I said, pressing into Bryce's shoulder. "What did you say that time, Josh? Bryce is always exactly where he's needed?" said Tristan. "Exactly," I said and we laid like that for some time, almost falling asleep. Sometime after 5 pm, we picked up a bit more trash and Bryce locked the place up. We took the bags to the trash dump and let them fly into the industrial bins set up for county use. That being done, we headed back to the city. Bryce walked his mom through the pictures of the clean up. She handed Tristan and I each $100. "You don't have to," said Tristan. "Oh yes I do, Shug," she said. "You saved Bryce three days worth of work and I collected an enormous fee from the renters." We both thanked her. We agreed to catch up with Bryce again later and I took Tristan home. When I pulled into the drive, he looked at me very seriously. "As many times as we've played around and whatever, and as much as I would want you again, Josh, I never thought of the emotional consequences that might come. Why does it have to be so complicated?" he asked. "That's pretty deep, Tristan. Yeah, it is complicated and I guess that's life. It's because we care. It's the psychopaths who get away with it because they don't care." "Wow, that's deep too but you're right. Caring is the problem!" he said with a chuckle. "I'll text you as soon as we hear more about Ty." Tristan kissed my cheek and exited the car. I drove home. Mom and Bill were eating sandwiches. I filled her in and showed her the before and after pics. "Good job," said Bill. "Heavens," mom said, studying the pictures. "I'm glad you all were not at a party like that!" "And better not get caught at one, either," Bill remarked. "How was work?" I asked, looking at my mom. "I got quite a lot done today, thank you." She paused then sprung the news on us. "So, the doctor says we should expect to see Ty up and around on Thursday. They had a great conversation with him today. He's bright and restless, screaming for his iPad. They're going to continue with some therapy sessions but feel the worst is over!" She gasped for breath just once. My chest swelled and deflated. I was bobbing in my seat. I could feel an excitement. I just hoped I was worthy to feel such excitement. Bill looked down at his plate and I heard him whisper, "I'm sorry Ty we let you fall down. We won't let it happen again." Mom and I were both very still and very quiet, I think out of respect but also because he had expressed our exact thoughts.