FAMILY TIES
      By Spense
 

Chapter Seventeen

Jonny woke up slowly, in the cool dimness of night.  He could see a
figure standing silhouetted against the gray-black light from the
window, gazing out.  He must have made some kind of sound because the
figure immediately turned and moved towards him, revealing itself to
be his father.

As Jonny realized who it was, the enormity of everything that had
happened came crashing down on him yet again in a depressing wave.
He was in a hospital.  That was bad enough.  But his father had every
right to hate him, and his mother . . . Well, he really didn't want
to go there.  Jonny closed his eyes and moaned softly, hoping to
slide back into oblivion.

He felt his father's hand smoothing his hair, then gently pulling
another blanket up over him to ward off the chill of the night.
Jonny didn't think it would help much.  He was cold to the bone, and
seriously doubted he'd ever feel warm again.  He heard his father
pull a chair up next to the bed and sit down.  Benton laid his hand
on the back of his son's neck, kneading the tight muscles lightly,
sharing in Jonny's abject misery.

"I know, Son.  It's rotten,"  Benton's deep, calm voice came gently
out of the dark.  "I would do anything I could to undo what she did
to you, and I would do anything to truly bring your mother back.  She
loved you so much.  Just as I do, and always have, regardless of
whatever Andrea Lainer may have told you."

Jonny lay there in silence, not moving a muscle.  Frankly, it hurt to
bad.  Tears slid from under his closed eyelids, seeping into the
crisp cotton of the pillowcase under his cheek.  His whole body
ached, and it hurt so much just to breathe.  He wondered if it was
really worth the effort.  But that was nothing to the fact that his
mother, or the woman he thought was his mother, wasn't.  And
everything she'd said to him was a lie.  Well, almost everything.
But it was so hard to know which was which.  Jonny was so confused,
and it hurt to even think about it.  He was just so very tired.

The tears continued their slow momentum as Jonny thought of all the
things he had told her in turn.  His fears.  His worries.  All the
small and large hurts and doubts, the petty comments he'd made about
people and places.  Things he had meant, and other that he hadn't
really.  And she'd just been using him.  Jonny didn't want to trust
anyone, ever, ever again.  They just betrayed you.

But Benton's soothing voice wouldn't let Jonny go, just as Will's had
kept him anchored earlier.  And through his heartache and misery, he
could hear the abiding love in his fathers every tone, as Benton
continued talking softly to him.  "I love you son.  Nothing can take
that away.  I love you so much.  I love Will and Rae too, but no one
can ever take the place of you and Rachel.  We can add people in our
lives, but nothing ever replaces someone we love.  I'm not perfect,
and certainly not a perfect father, far from it, but I promise, I'm
here for you.  I'll never, ever leave you, or let you go.  I promise."

Jonny slid back to sleep, listening to this mantra, and feeling his
father's hand gently massaging his neck and shoulders, as though he
were loath to let the physical connection go.