[
on_thecouch] 22.4 Family
22.4. How well do you get along with your family?
David shoved his hands into the pockets of his jacket and bounced restlessly on the balls of his feet. The fallen autumn leaves crunched under his weight when he caught his dad shoot him a hesitant smile from his wheelchair a few paces away. It took a moment for David to awkwardly return the gesture, but it didn’t feel so wrong this time. It was getting easier on some level, but twenty years of tension couldn’t be resolved in simply a few well-meaning visits. It didn’t matter that he felt obligated because his father’s disability was his fault. The time had come to try to make amends. After all, his father was the only family he had. There was never going to be a chance with his mother again. She may as well be dead to him… he was to her, if she had her way.
He knew that look, though. His father was waiting for him to evaporate into thin air; to Jump and escape the awkward situation. And maybe on any other occasion, he would have done just that. He was ansty and he was restless. He’d been here nearly a week now and trying to control the yearn to move on was hard. He needed to keep his freedom and Jumping soothed that. Still, he’d promised his Dad he’d stay longer than an afternoon this time, and he was proud of himself for staying this long.
Of course, it helped that there was now a buffer, so to speak. David watched as Leah enthusiastically snapped random pictures of the park. It had been her idea that the three of them come for a walk here and she’d even pushed the wheelchair to their destination, assuring both David and his father that she was fine. David appreciated her kindness and effort with this. She knew how hard it was for him to be here, let alone stay here for any length of time. It took the pressure off him to force anything and she’d managed to stop the barrage of brooding he’d been getting himself into.
Leah meeting Mr Rice had been pleasant enough. David had almost made himself sick with worry leading up to it. It was the first person – friend or romantic interest – he’d ever brought home to meet his father and he’d been dreading it. Mr Rice knew about Leah. David had reluctantly revealed that he was dating someone in New York but wasn’t forthcoming with much more information. Still, despite knowing his son’s abilities, he was awed when David left to collect Leah in New York and was back less than two minutes later. He knew he’d been an awful father to his only son over the years, but now he just couldn’t understand why anyone would want to harm David purely for his abilities. It was barbaric and he held a bitter hatred for the woman who was supposed to be David’s mother.
Still, David wasn’t content and his father knew it. Mr Rice was constantly expecting David to leave at any moment and it could be like that for the rest of their lives. But the thing was, David ran from everyone; it wasn’t just his father. Like Griffin had suggested, that was the life of a Jumper, because the Paladins would want to kill anyone who got close to a Jumper just to take them down. It was this that was David’s biggest cross to bear. His father had already ended up disabled because of what he was and now Leah was just as much in the firing line. Life seemed easier and safer without relationships… he just never expected to fall so hard for Leah.
Keeping her at arms length seemed like the best option, but he knew there was only so much she would take. She said she understood, but he couldn’t expect her to keep up that façade when he just continued to keep walking away, over and over again. But how else was he supposed to protect her? Was this really the life of a Jumper? To fall in love but have to walk away from it because to love them was to risk them? Nothing even eventuated with Millie, yet he still nearly got her killed. What would they do to Leah if they knew he loved her? David put his hand up to rub it over his face, unable to stop the heavy exhalation that coupled the gesture.
“Are you alright, son?” Mr Rice asked quietly. “If you want to go…”
David looked down to meet his father’s gaze. “I’m fine, Dad. It’s fine.”
“No, it’s not,” his father returned.
“No…” David murmured, watching Leah snap some shots of the ducks walking across the small bridge. He dropped his gaze down to his feet and drew his lip in between his teeth. “It’s not.”
Leah Reynolds [
morethanleah] referenced with permission
Word Count | 809
David shoved his hands into the pockets of his jacket and bounced restlessly on the balls of his feet. The fallen autumn leaves crunched under his weight when he caught his dad shoot him a hesitant smile from his wheelchair a few paces away. It took a moment for David to awkwardly return the gesture, but it didn’t feel so wrong this time. It was getting easier on some level, but twenty years of tension couldn’t be resolved in simply a few well-meaning visits. It didn’t matter that he felt obligated because his father’s disability was his fault. The time had come to try to make amends. After all, his father was the only family he had. There was never going to be a chance with his mother again. She may as well be dead to him… he was to her, if she had her way.
He knew that look, though. His father was waiting for him to evaporate into thin air; to Jump and escape the awkward situation. And maybe on any other occasion, he would have done just that. He was ansty and he was restless. He’d been here nearly a week now and trying to control the yearn to move on was hard. He needed to keep his freedom and Jumping soothed that. Still, he’d promised his Dad he’d stay longer than an afternoon this time, and he was proud of himself for staying this long.
Of course, it helped that there was now a buffer, so to speak. David watched as Leah enthusiastically snapped random pictures of the park. It had been her idea that the three of them come for a walk here and she’d even pushed the wheelchair to their destination, assuring both David and his father that she was fine. David appreciated her kindness and effort with this. She knew how hard it was for him to be here, let alone stay here for any length of time. It took the pressure off him to force anything and she’d managed to stop the barrage of brooding he’d been getting himself into.
Leah meeting Mr Rice had been pleasant enough. David had almost made himself sick with worry leading up to it. It was the first person – friend or romantic interest – he’d ever brought home to meet his father and he’d been dreading it. Mr Rice knew about Leah. David had reluctantly revealed that he was dating someone in New York but wasn’t forthcoming with much more information. Still, despite knowing his son’s abilities, he was awed when David left to collect Leah in New York and was back less than two minutes later. He knew he’d been an awful father to his only son over the years, but now he just couldn’t understand why anyone would want to harm David purely for his abilities. It was barbaric and he held a bitter hatred for the woman who was supposed to be David’s mother.
Still, David wasn’t content and his father knew it. Mr Rice was constantly expecting David to leave at any moment and it could be like that for the rest of their lives. But the thing was, David ran from everyone; it wasn’t just his father. Like Griffin had suggested, that was the life of a Jumper, because the Paladins would want to kill anyone who got close to a Jumper just to take them down. It was this that was David’s biggest cross to bear. His father had already ended up disabled because of what he was and now Leah was just as much in the firing line. Life seemed easier and safer without relationships… he just never expected to fall so hard for Leah.
Keeping her at arms length seemed like the best option, but he knew there was only so much she would take. She said she understood, but he couldn’t expect her to keep up that façade when he just continued to keep walking away, over and over again. But how else was he supposed to protect her? Was this really the life of a Jumper? To fall in love but have to walk away from it because to love them was to risk them? Nothing even eventuated with Millie, yet he still nearly got her killed. What would they do to Leah if they knew he loved her? David put his hand up to rub it over his face, unable to stop the heavy exhalation that coupled the gesture.
“Are you alright, son?” Mr Rice asked quietly. “If you want to go…”
David looked down to meet his father’s gaze. “I’m fine, Dad. It’s fine.”
“No, it’s not,” his father returned.
“No…” David murmured, watching Leah snap some shots of the ducks walking across the small bridge. He dropped his gaze down to his feet and drew his lip in between his teeth. “It’s not.”
Leah Reynolds [
morethanleah] referenced with permissionWord Count | 809