First and Last - Chapter 6
Chapter six of the fic written for love_is_epic's birthday, after THIS little comment.
Thanks to my partner-in-crime and fabulous betaceltic_flicka, as well as to birthday girl love_is_epic (sorry this is late) and wily_one24 for jump-starting my muse.
First and Last
2016
It was unseasonably cold, and Casey turned up the collar on his jacket in an attempt to block out the cool breeze that swept across the open cemetery. He knelt down next to his grandmother’s headstone, wiping it free of grass clippings with a gloved hand.
“Brought something for you Grandma,” Casey murmured softly. Peeling his gloves off, he reached into his inside pocket to pull out a book.
“It’s an advanced reader’s copy, even,” he wiggled his eyebrows conspiratorially. “I don’t give these out to just anyone, you know.” Sighing he sat down, leaning back against the monument as he flipped absently through the pages. “I hope you’re not too disappointed that I decided to pursue writing instead of publishing. You never know, though; I might want to become more active in the business later on.”
“For now I’m enjoying the benefits of working from home,” he grinned, pulling a photo from between the pages of the book. Casey studied the boy in the picture, who smiled up at him with his mother’s blue eyes, his father’s thick dark hair, and a gap-toothed smile that was all his own. “You remember Jayson…your grandson.”
“Who you talkin’ to?”
Startled, Casey looked up at his son. “I thought you were waiting in the car?” Automatically he reached out to zip the boy’s coat up, pulling the zipper all the way up to his chin. He looked over towards the limo, waving the chauffeur back.
“I got bored,” Jayson squirmed under his father’s attentions, “so I came out here wif you. Who’re you talkin’ to?”
“Your great-grandmother,” Casey pulled his son down onto his lap, shielding him from the wind.
“But she’s dead.”
Casey nodded, wincing slightly at his son’s bluntness. The boy’s eyebrows drew together as he thought this over. Finally he looked up. “Can she hear you?”
Casey shrugged. “I don’t know, Sport.”
“Then what are you talkin’ to her for?” Jayson wiggled out of his father’s arms, going over to pick the book up from where it lay on the ground.
“Because I miss her,” Casey answered honestly, “and it makes me feel better.”
The boy nodded, apparently satisfied with the answer. He held up the novel and the photo. “Are these for Great Gramma?”
Casey nodded again, patiently.
“What’s she gonna do wif ‘em if she’s dead?”
Casey chuckled, getting to his feet and brushing the grass from his pants. “You know what, Sport? You sure ask a lot of questions.” He took the book and the photo from his son’s hands, slipping the picture back between the pages, and set them both down in front of the grave. “Say goodbye to your great grandma.”
“G’bye, Gramma.”
Jayson tucked his hand into his father’s, filling Casey with a warm, fuzzy feeling. They were headed back towards the limo when Casey spied a familiar figure. With a slight tug, he changed their course, heading towards his old friend.
“Veronica?”
She turned to face them, her face streaked with tears. “Casey?” She shivered as the breeze picked up, whipping her hair about. “What are you doing here?”
“I was just paying my respects to my grandmother.” He moved closer to block the wind and his actions brought him closer to the grave marker. His eyes widened in shock as he read the name engraved there. “Logan?”
Her quiet sob had him cringing inwardly at his callousness. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know. When? How? I…” Casey trailed off helplessly.
Veronica smiled sadly. “A year ago today, actually. It was all very sudden…” Her voice trailed off as the tears began again, and she scrambled for her pockets, searching for a tissue.
Casey beat her to it, taking one from his own pocket and holding it out to her. She took it with a grateful smile.
“Who’s that, Daddy?” During their exchange, Jayson had fallen back behind Casey to peer shyly around his legs.
Grateful for the distraction, Casey drew his son in front of him, a hand resting on each of his shoulders. “This is my friend Veronica.” He smiled at her surprised expression. “Veronica, this is my son, Jayson.”
“Nice to meet you, Jayson.” She tucked the tissue into her pocket before offering her hand to the boy.
Jayson looked up at his father questioningly. At his nod he stepped forward to take her hand cautiously. “Hi.”
Veronica looked up at Casey, squinting slightly in the sunlight. “He looks just like you.”
“Yeah,” he agreed, as Jayson moved off to inspect the nearby monuments, “except for the eyes. He’s got his mother’s eyes.”
“Where is his mother?” Veronica glanced around as if she might find her hiding among the gravestones.
“Not here.” Casey shook his head, drawing her attention back to him. “Haven’t actually heard from her since she checked out of rehab. I’m sure she’ll be showing up soon, though. She’s got to be running low on funds.”
“Oh,” Veronica mumbled, at an uncharacteristic loss of words.
“Don’t worry about it Veronica,” he said stepping closer to lay a hand on her shoulder. “We’re doing just fine without her. But how about you? Are you doing okay?”
“Yes.” Her smile crumbled slightly. “No. I don’t know…”
Casey drew her in for a hug as her tears started anew. He held her until she stopped shaking.
“I’m so sorry,” she mumbled taking the new tissue he offered. “I thought I was doing better. I guess it’s just with the anniversary of…” She sniffled slightly.
“Don’t worry about it,” Casey smiled down at her, taking a step back to give her some space.
“What’sa matter with her?” The whispered question was accompanied by a tug on Casey’s sleeve.
“She’s sad,” Casey explained with an apologetic look at Veronica, “because she misses her husband.”
“Is he dead too?” Casey’s eyes widened in horror at his son’s forthright question, but Veronica seemed to take it in stride.
She knelt down, putting herself at Jayson’s level. “Yes,” she said solemnly. “His name was Logan, and he died last year. And I miss him very, very much.”
Casey watched as his son nodded, processing this information. Then Jayson surprised his father by wrapping his small arms around Veronica in a brief hug. The boy stepped back, staring down at his shoes. Veronica stared at him, her lip caught between her teeth and a stunned look on her face.
“Veronica,” Casey said, attempting to alleviate the awkward silence, “Jayson and I were going to head home for some hot cocoa. We’d love it if you could join us.”
She was going to say no; he could almost hear the excuses as they ran through her head. “Come on,” he coaxed, breaking out his most charming smile.
She opened her mouth to refuse but was interrupted by Jayson’s earnest plea. “Please? Our cook makes the best hot chocolate!”
Veronica remained silent for a moment, looking back and forth between them. “Well, crap,” she sighed, earning a delighted grin from Jayson for her choice of words. “How am I supposed to refuse two of those smiles?” She smiled back crookedly. “I guess you better give me directions to your house then.”
*****
Casey sipped at his cocoa, watching Veronica over the rim of the mug. A quiet had fallen over them after Jayson had finished his treat and left the table. He felt like he should say something but, truthfully, he was just enjoying the companionship. Words weren’t necessary. It had a very familiar feel to it.
“He’s adorable.” Veronica spoke finally. Her attention was focused on Jayson, who was splayed on the living room carpet, assembling an impressive wooden railway system. “I didn’t even know…how old is he?”
“Four and a half,” Casey smiled affectionately. They had been diligently avoiding the topic of Logan and his untimely death, but here was a subject he felt comfortable talking about. “Kim showed up on my doorstep about two weeks after Jayson was born. She informed me I was his father and demanded I start paying her child support.” He frowned, remembering the moment. “She was in rough shape, not fit to raise a child, and I was looking to do something more with my life. I made her an alternative offer. In exchange for a generous sum, she gave me full custody of Jayson, and a promise to check into rehab.”
“She never bothered to contact you before that?” Veronica frowned suspiciously.
“We never really had that close of a relationship,” Casey explained sheepishly, turning to watch his son so he wouldn’t have to meet his friend’s eyes. “She probably wasn’t sure who the father was; just took one look at all that dark hair and decided I was her best option.”
“You did have a paternity test done, right?” Veronica sounded skeptical.
Casey sighed, tiredly. “The truth is, Veronica, I wasn’t just Kim’s best option. I was pretty much her only option. She didn’t hang with a nice crowd. The way I saw it, I was the only chance Jayson had for a decent life, so I took a gamble.”
Both pairs of eyes were drawn to the little boy as he pushed the cars around the track, making a chug-chugging noise.
Veronica smiled. “With that hair and those eyebrows, I think your gamble paid off.”
Casey returned her smile with a shrug. “As far as I’m concerned I became a winner the moment he dropped in to my life.” He shook his head, standing up abruptly to rinse their empty mugs in the sink. “Enough about the Gant family, though. We’re supposed to be cheering you up.”
Veronica’s smile was sad, but genuine. “That’s a pretty big task to take on,” she admitted, “but you guys are off to a great start.” She stood up, her coat in her hands. “I should be heading back. My dad is coming over later.” She stared at Casey, uncertain what to say next.
He came to her rescue, holding his arms out for a hug. She stepped into them gratefully, squeezing him a little tighter than he’d expected.
“This was nice.” He let her go reluctantly, stepping back to help her into her coat. “We should get together again soon.”
“Can she go to the zoo with us?” Casey looked up to find Jayson watching them.
Casey turned to her with an apologetic look. “I don’t know. What do you say, Veronica?”
“Please?” Jayson had abandoned his train yard to come peer up at her with big blue eyes. Casey was very familiar with the power of those eyes; Veronica’s answer didn’t surprise him.
“Sounds like fun,” she said ruffling the boy’s hair. “I guess it’s a date.” She bit down on her lip as she realized what she had said.
“Don’t worry about it, Veronica,” Casey told her gently. “I’m pretty busy with the whole fatherhood thing. I’m not asking for anything more than your friendship. I hope that’s not too much to ask?”
Veronica relaxed visibly, glancing down at Jayson before meeting Casey’s eyes. “That sounds wonderful.” She gave them each a quick hug before she left, promising to call to set up a date for the zoo.
Jayson watched her as she made her way down the drive, waving until she turned on to the street. “I like her, Dad.”
“Me too, Sport.” Casey scooped his son up in a bear hug. “Me too.”
All Chapters Here
*****
Thanks to my partner-in-crime and fabulous betaceltic_flicka, as well as to birthday girl love_is_epic (sorry this is late) and wily_one24 for jump-starting my muse.
First and Last
2016
It was unseasonably cold, and Casey turned up the collar on his jacket in an attempt to block out the cool breeze that swept across the open cemetery. He knelt down next to his grandmother’s headstone, wiping it free of grass clippings with a gloved hand.
“Brought something for you Grandma,” Casey murmured softly. Peeling his gloves off, he reached into his inside pocket to pull out a book.
“It’s an advanced reader’s copy, even,” he wiggled his eyebrows conspiratorially. “I don’t give these out to just anyone, you know.” Sighing he sat down, leaning back against the monument as he flipped absently through the pages. “I hope you’re not too disappointed that I decided to pursue writing instead of publishing. You never know, though; I might want to become more active in the business later on.”
“For now I’m enjoying the benefits of working from home,” he grinned, pulling a photo from between the pages of the book. Casey studied the boy in the picture, who smiled up at him with his mother’s blue eyes, his father’s thick dark hair, and a gap-toothed smile that was all his own. “You remember Jayson…your grandson.”
“Who you talkin’ to?”
Startled, Casey looked up at his son. “I thought you were waiting in the car?” Automatically he reached out to zip the boy’s coat up, pulling the zipper all the way up to his chin. He looked over towards the limo, waving the chauffeur back.
“I got bored,” Jayson squirmed under his father’s attentions, “so I came out here wif you. Who’re you talkin’ to?”
“Your great-grandmother,” Casey pulled his son down onto his lap, shielding him from the wind.
“But she’s dead.”
Casey nodded, wincing slightly at his son’s bluntness. The boy’s eyebrows drew together as he thought this over. Finally he looked up. “Can she hear you?”
Casey shrugged. “I don’t know, Sport.”
“Then what are you talkin’ to her for?” Jayson wiggled out of his father’s arms, going over to pick the book up from where it lay on the ground.
“Because I miss her,” Casey answered honestly, “and it makes me feel better.”
The boy nodded, apparently satisfied with the answer. He held up the novel and the photo. “Are these for Great Gramma?”
Casey nodded again, patiently.
“What’s she gonna do wif ‘em if she’s dead?”
Casey chuckled, getting to his feet and brushing the grass from his pants. “You know what, Sport? You sure ask a lot of questions.” He took the book and the photo from his son’s hands, slipping the picture back between the pages, and set them both down in front of the grave. “Say goodbye to your great grandma.”
“G’bye, Gramma.”
Jayson tucked his hand into his father’s, filling Casey with a warm, fuzzy feeling. They were headed back towards the limo when Casey spied a familiar figure. With a slight tug, he changed their course, heading towards his old friend.
“Veronica?”
She turned to face them, her face streaked with tears. “Casey?” She shivered as the breeze picked up, whipping her hair about. “What are you doing here?”
“I was just paying my respects to my grandmother.” He moved closer to block the wind and his actions brought him closer to the grave marker. His eyes widened in shock as he read the name engraved there. “Logan?”
Her quiet sob had him cringing inwardly at his callousness. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know. When? How? I…” Casey trailed off helplessly.
Veronica smiled sadly. “A year ago today, actually. It was all very sudden…” Her voice trailed off as the tears began again, and she scrambled for her pockets, searching for a tissue.
Casey beat her to it, taking one from his own pocket and holding it out to her. She took it with a grateful smile.
“Who’s that, Daddy?” During their exchange, Jayson had fallen back behind Casey to peer shyly around his legs.
Grateful for the distraction, Casey drew his son in front of him, a hand resting on each of his shoulders. “This is my friend Veronica.” He smiled at her surprised expression. “Veronica, this is my son, Jayson.”
“Nice to meet you, Jayson.” She tucked the tissue into her pocket before offering her hand to the boy.
Jayson looked up at his father questioningly. At his nod he stepped forward to take her hand cautiously. “Hi.”
Veronica looked up at Casey, squinting slightly in the sunlight. “He looks just like you.”
“Yeah,” he agreed, as Jayson moved off to inspect the nearby monuments, “except for the eyes. He’s got his mother’s eyes.”
“Where is his mother?” Veronica glanced around as if she might find her hiding among the gravestones.
“Not here.” Casey shook his head, drawing her attention back to him. “Haven’t actually heard from her since she checked out of rehab. I’m sure she’ll be showing up soon, though. She’s got to be running low on funds.”
“Oh,” Veronica mumbled, at an uncharacteristic loss of words.
“Don’t worry about it Veronica,” he said stepping closer to lay a hand on her shoulder. “We’re doing just fine without her. But how about you? Are you doing okay?”
“Yes.” Her smile crumbled slightly. “No. I don’t know…”
Casey drew her in for a hug as her tears started anew. He held her until she stopped shaking.
“I’m so sorry,” she mumbled taking the new tissue he offered. “I thought I was doing better. I guess it’s just with the anniversary of…” She sniffled slightly.
“Don’t worry about it,” Casey smiled down at her, taking a step back to give her some space.
“What’sa matter with her?” The whispered question was accompanied by a tug on Casey’s sleeve.
“She’s sad,” Casey explained with an apologetic look at Veronica, “because she misses her husband.”
“Is he dead too?” Casey’s eyes widened in horror at his son’s forthright question, but Veronica seemed to take it in stride.
She knelt down, putting herself at Jayson’s level. “Yes,” she said solemnly. “His name was Logan, and he died last year. And I miss him very, very much.”
Casey watched as his son nodded, processing this information. Then Jayson surprised his father by wrapping his small arms around Veronica in a brief hug. The boy stepped back, staring down at his shoes. Veronica stared at him, her lip caught between her teeth and a stunned look on her face.
“Veronica,” Casey said, attempting to alleviate the awkward silence, “Jayson and I were going to head home for some hot cocoa. We’d love it if you could join us.”
She was going to say no; he could almost hear the excuses as they ran through her head. “Come on,” he coaxed, breaking out his most charming smile.
She opened her mouth to refuse but was interrupted by Jayson’s earnest plea. “Please? Our cook makes the best hot chocolate!”
Veronica remained silent for a moment, looking back and forth between them. “Well, crap,” she sighed, earning a delighted grin from Jayson for her choice of words. “How am I supposed to refuse two of those smiles?” She smiled back crookedly. “I guess you better give me directions to your house then.”
*****
Casey sipped at his cocoa, watching Veronica over the rim of the mug. A quiet had fallen over them after Jayson had finished his treat and left the table. He felt like he should say something but, truthfully, he was just enjoying the companionship. Words weren’t necessary. It had a very familiar feel to it.
“He’s adorable.” Veronica spoke finally. Her attention was focused on Jayson, who was splayed on the living room carpet, assembling an impressive wooden railway system. “I didn’t even know…how old is he?”
“Four and a half,” Casey smiled affectionately. They had been diligently avoiding the topic of Logan and his untimely death, but here was a subject he felt comfortable talking about. “Kim showed up on my doorstep about two weeks after Jayson was born. She informed me I was his father and demanded I start paying her child support.” He frowned, remembering the moment. “She was in rough shape, not fit to raise a child, and I was looking to do something more with my life. I made her an alternative offer. In exchange for a generous sum, she gave me full custody of Jayson, and a promise to check into rehab.”
“She never bothered to contact you before that?” Veronica frowned suspiciously.
“We never really had that close of a relationship,” Casey explained sheepishly, turning to watch his son so he wouldn’t have to meet his friend’s eyes. “She probably wasn’t sure who the father was; just took one look at all that dark hair and decided I was her best option.”
“You did have a paternity test done, right?” Veronica sounded skeptical.
Casey sighed, tiredly. “The truth is, Veronica, I wasn’t just Kim’s best option. I was pretty much her only option. She didn’t hang with a nice crowd. The way I saw it, I was the only chance Jayson had for a decent life, so I took a gamble.”
Both pairs of eyes were drawn to the little boy as he pushed the cars around the track, making a chug-chugging noise.
Veronica smiled. “With that hair and those eyebrows, I think your gamble paid off.”
Casey returned her smile with a shrug. “As far as I’m concerned I became a winner the moment he dropped in to my life.” He shook his head, standing up abruptly to rinse their empty mugs in the sink. “Enough about the Gant family, though. We’re supposed to be cheering you up.”
Veronica’s smile was sad, but genuine. “That’s a pretty big task to take on,” she admitted, “but you guys are off to a great start.” She stood up, her coat in her hands. “I should be heading back. My dad is coming over later.” She stared at Casey, uncertain what to say next.
He came to her rescue, holding his arms out for a hug. She stepped into them gratefully, squeezing him a little tighter than he’d expected.
“This was nice.” He let her go reluctantly, stepping back to help her into her coat. “We should get together again soon.”
“Can she go to the zoo with us?” Casey looked up to find Jayson watching them.
Casey turned to her with an apologetic look. “I don’t know. What do you say, Veronica?”
“Please?” Jayson had abandoned his train yard to come peer up at her with big blue eyes. Casey was very familiar with the power of those eyes; Veronica’s answer didn’t surprise him.
“Sounds like fun,” she said ruffling the boy’s hair. “I guess it’s a date.” She bit down on her lip as she realized what she had said.
“Don’t worry about it, Veronica,” Casey told her gently. “I’m pretty busy with the whole fatherhood thing. I’m not asking for anything more than your friendship. I hope that’s not too much to ask?”
Veronica relaxed visibly, glancing down at Jayson before meeting Casey’s eyes. “That sounds wonderful.” She gave them each a quick hug before she left, promising to call to set up a date for the zoo.
Jayson watched her as she made her way down the drive, waving until she turned on to the street. “I like her, Dad.”
“Me too, Sport.” Casey scooped his son up in a bear hug. “Me too.”
All Chapters Here
*****