By Codename Emi   ©

This bit fits in the third installment of Ty’s epic, which has not been completed.  The date I have on it is 9.28.00.

For those of you who don’t know, Kate is Ty’s wife.  Read on, and if you still have questions, please don’t hesitate to ask.

 

Hello, once again, it’s me, Ty. Life hasn’t changed much since I last wrote. I’ve gotten older; all of us have gotten older. Kate, Allen, Amanda, Sara, Luke, Princess, King, we’re all older. Well maybe not that older, it’s only been six years, although it seems like forever. Luke still hasn’t shown any sign of giving up on Amanda, even after a year or so of separation while Luke went to school. I’m going to have to talk to Allen about that.

Then suddenly I heard my wife, Kate, calling, “Ty, honey! Are you all right? You almost ran over a cat!”

 “Oh, I’m sorry, dearest,” I said realizing what was going on. “I was thinking about Luke.”

“Oh,” was all she said as we pulled up into my brother’s yard. Sara, my sister-in-law, ran out to us as soon as I got down from the carriage. She leaned over on me and buried her face into my shoulder.

“What’s wrong?” I asked her. Kate had climbed down from the carriage and had come over to us.

“Allen’s taken ill,” she told us. I slipped my hand into Kate’s.

“Oh, it’s not that bad,” I reassured Sara, even though I was screaming inside.

“Yes,” she said and led us into their house. She brought us into a room where Allen was laying on a cot. A doctor was giving him some medicine.

“Is he going to be alright?” I asked the doctor.

“Who are you to ask?” he replied rudely.

“I’m his brother,” I snapped back.

He ignored me, handed Sara a bottle, and said, “Give him one of these each night. He should be getting better soon, but if he doesn’t give me a call.”

“Thank you for coming Dr. Maine,” Sara said and showed him to the door.

“What kind of doctor was that?” I asked Sara after he had gone.

“For your information, Ty,” she explained, “that was the best doctor in town, known for curing all kinds of diseases.”

“Oh,” I said, “Did this ‘best doctor in town’ of yours tell you what was wrong with Allen?”

“He’s not sure yet, but he said that he would come tomorrow,” she replied.

“Ty,” Allen’s scratchy voice stopped the argument, “Ty is that you? Come here, Ty-boy, come here.”

I ran to my brother’s side and took his hand. “What is it?”

“I love you Ty. You are my best friend in the whole world,” he said and gave my hand a squeeze.

“Why are you telling me this? Are you alright?” I was scared.

“My chest, Ty, my chest,” he gave a cough, “I love you, my Ty-boy.”

This was scaring me. My brother, my wise, truthful, caring older brother, was telling me that he loved me. It must have been the fever.

“I love you too, Allen, but why are you talking like this?” I asked.

He coughed again and said, “Where’s my Amanda, Ty? Where is she?”

“I’m not sure,” I replied, “I think she went out with Luke this morning.”

“Luke? Luke?” he sounded disgusted, “Ty Gordon, you tell that thief-boy to get away from my daughter. You hear me--get away!”  Luke, whom I brought home about six years ago, was a former thief. He doesn’t steal anymore, for I had sent him to my friend Jo’s school. She had taught him well.

“Settle down, please, you’re scaring me,” I whispered.

“I’m sorry, Ty,” he whispered back.

“It’s fine, I’m, well, it’s just horrible to see you laying here like this.”

I thought I saw a small twitch on the side of his face, a smile, maybe. He gave my hand another squeeze. “No, really, I’m sorry for anything I ever did to you, little Ty Gordon,” he said, “and don’t ever forget that I love you.”

“It’s okay, really, Allen, you’re going to be fine,” I said, “you can trust me remember, I’m your brother.”

“My brother,” he coughed and covered my hand with his own.

Suddenly we heard a door slam and laughing in the hall. Sara jumped up and ran out of the room. The laughing stopped and we heard hushed whisperings. Then Sara reappeared with Luke and Amanda at her side.

“Is he still sick?” Amanda asked.

“Yes, honey, he is,” Sara replied.

“How long has he been sick?” I questioned, just now realizing that I didn’t know.

“For a few days now,” Sara answered.

“Did the doctor come?” Amanda asked.

“Yes,” Sara said, “He’s coming back tomorrow to tell us a remedy.”

“You mean he doesn’t know why Daddy’s sick yet?” Amanda gasped.

Before Sara could reply, Allen called out, “Mandy? Amanda, my sweet little song-bird.”

“What is it, Daddy?” Amanda said as she came over to the opposite side of the cot.

“I love you, Amanda,” he began, but I didn’t hear the rest because I was thinking. Why, I asked myself, why was my brother talking like this. He never talked like this before, never ever. I was supposed to be the sentimental one, not him. Me, not Allen. Allen, Allen, well, Allen was the one to make jokes about everything, including both deaths of our parents. But now, why now? I didn’t understand a thing.

“Allen,” I asked abruptly, interrupting the others conversation, “Are you alright?” I still hadn’t let go of his hand.

He turned his head to stare up at me, but he didn’t answer. “Are you alright?” I asked again.

He continued to stare, but no answer. I was scared. I leaned over my brother and grabbed the front of his shirt. “Allen you tell me how you feel right now or I’ll-!”

Kate came over to me and touched my arm, “Ty, Ty, please, he’s sick.”

“No, no, no,” I mumbled and let go of Allen’s shirt.

“I’m really, really, going to miss you, my poor little brother,” Allen whispered as I moved away with Kate in my arms.

I went to the dinning room with her and sat down where I could still see Allen lying on the cot.

            “Kate,” was all I said.

            “Yes, dear?” she replied and put her usually gloved, white hand over mine on the chair.

            “Kate,” I mumbled again.

            “Ty,” she replied, “everything’s going to be alright. The doctor will take care of him.”

            I looked at her with my normally bright blue eyes, took her hand, and put it against my cheek. “I trust you, dearest.”

            “I know you do.”

            “Oh, Kate,” I sighed as she stroked my cheek with her palm, “Allen is five years older than I.”

            “I know,” she said giving my hand another pat, “don’t fret about it any more, Ty. Let’s see what Sara has fixed for supper.”

           

            I’m sure that what Sara fixed for us would have been a wonderful dinner it had not all tasted like chalk to me. I always worried too much about sicknesses and such, maybe because I…

 

…

Then I couldn’t take it any more. I just couldn’t take this! My brother wasn’t dead, he couldn’t be! I needed him! He had to be here to see our baby; he had to be here to see his daughter get married. He just couldn’t leave now!  I felt hot tears of anger and fear run down my cheeks as I began to sob wildly.

            “Ty, honey, dearest, come here,” I heard Kate say, and I leaned into her arms. She brushed my hair away from my face and held me just as I had held Sara the night before.

            I felt Sara’s hand rubbing my arm and I began to calm a bit. I cried silently and openly in my beloved’s arms.  The others got up and left as the service ended, but I didn’t want to leave yet.  Me, Sara, and my dearest Kate stayed there for a long time, waiting for something to break our sorrow.  Finally, Sara stood and walked up to the coffin.

            “He always said he wouldn’t mind dying, if it weren’t for the people he had to leave behind,” she said, very softly.

 

…

I was running through a field with Kate chasing me.  Suddenly I was sitting on a large boulder.  Kate ran around the boulder with her back facing me.  She turned around to face me and I saw that it was not Kate, but a strange woman.  She looked as if I should know her but I couldn’t recall her name. 

She crawled up onto the rock with me and ran her finger down my chest.  Then she began unbuttoning my shirt, and I was sitting there, shirtless, with this strange woman crawling over me. 

“Who are you?” I shouted, but it was as if my voice was carried away with the strong, violent wind that was blowing. 

The woman giggled and said, “Hmm, you don’t like me, sweet-ums?” 

I began to pull away from her but she pulled me back and tickled my bare chest with her long fingernails.  Then she leaned over me and kissed me.  I began to scream under her touch.

I sat straight up in bed, breathing hard.  I looked over to Kate’s side of the bed. 

I gasped and rolled over.  Kate wasn’t there.  Where could she be! 

I crawled out of bed and crept around the corner.  I didn’t see her.  I crept around another corner, still no Kate.  I could smell something cooking in the kitchen. 

I walked into the room and about screamed, for it was not Kate standing in the kitchen, but the woman in my dream. 

“You finally awake, sweet-ums?” she asked. 

I ran out of the kitchen and back into the bedroom, slamming the door behind me.  I threw myself down on the bed and hid my head under the pillow, and then, like the big baby that I am, began to cry. 

“Ty,” I heard Kate say as she walked in, “What’s the matter, sweetheart?” 

“Oh, Kate!” I gasped and sat up. 

“Yes, dear?” 

“Kate, Kate, oh Kate!  I’m so sorry!” I cried. 

“What’s wrong, Ty?” Kate asked again.  I just continued to cry. 

She put her arms around me and I put my head up against her shoulder, hugging her close. 

“Kate, I just had a horrible nightmare!” I gasped. 

“Oh, Ty, again?  You’ve been having so many since your bother died,” she said, “I’m getting a bit worried.” 

“No, Kate, no, this one was worse than the others.” 

“Worse?  How, Ty?” 

So I told her about the dream until I got to the part about the woman kissing me.  Here I broke down again. 

She held me again until I stopped sobbing. 

Then I told her about getting out of bed and seeing the woman from my dream standing in the kitchen. 

She was quiet for a minute before she said, “She called you sweet-ums?” 

I nodded. 

She was quiet again and then she held my rough hand against her soft cheek.  “Oh, Ty!  How could you ever dream up something so horrible?” 

“I don’t know, dearest, I just don’t know.” 

She hesitated before asking, “You aren’t having an affair with someone else are you?” 

I about jumped out of the bed.  “Kate!  How could you think that of me?”  I was fully offended. 

“Oh, Ty, I don’t know!  It’s just you’re having so many nightmares and you’re crying all the time, it seems.  It’s almost as if when your brother died, part of you died too.  Like you don’t care what happens to you.” 

“No, Kate, no, no, no,” I said, my voice faltered and I started to sob again. 

”But I should never have doubted you, you’re so devoted.” 

I smiled at her weakly.  She smiled back.  “Good thing we got that cleared up, huh sweet-ums?”  

I pushed away from her and pulled my knees up to my chin. 

She laughed and said, “Oh, I'm sorry, that was mean.  Come here.” 

So I stretched myself out over the bed and laid my head in her lap. 

“Kate, you’re beautiful.” 

She flushed up to her forehead, and started to say, “Ty, about the woman in the kitchen—“

I put my finger up to her lips and mumbled, “Please, don’t ruin it, baby.”  Then I kissed her.  She laughed and put her arms around me.  We lay back on the bed with me on top of her.  I suddenly moved my head to rest my ear on her belly.  “Baby coming soon,” I crooned. 

“In a few months, Ty,” she said.  I laughed and kissed her again.  We kissed for a while until we lay back laughing. 

“Kate, baby, don’t ever leave.” 

“I won’t Ty, I won’t.”  She lay her head on my chest and I stroked her hair.  We stayed like this for a while until I heard a few barks and whines outside. 

“Dearest,” I said, “who put my dogs outside?” 

I stood and she followed me, still holding my hand, saying, “It’s wasn’t me, Ty, I know how you care about them.” 

I whirled around and kissed her, “But I don’t love anybody more than you, Kate.”  I put my one hand around her and with the other, I slowly opened the door.  My dogs came running into the house, barking and jumping, all seven of them:  Princess, King, Martha, Tommy, Allen, Cat, and Baby. 

“Excuse me!” a voice said, causing me to push away from Kate suddenly and slam the door shut.  “Why are you letting those mangy mutts back into this house when I just got them all out!” 

The woman!  From my dream.  I felt beads of sweat pop up on my forehead. 

“Ty,” Kate said, hanging on my shoulder and stroking my chest, “This is my sister Bonnie, she’s here to stay until the baby comes.” 

“Well,” Bonnie said decidedly, “once you put the dogs outside again, you can come have breakfast.” 

I started to protest at the thought of having my dogs put outside, but instead Kate put a finger up to my lips and kissed me once more saying, “Please put the dogs outside, Ty, I’ll talk to my sister about them.”  She started to walk after the woman named Bonnie and I held on to her wrist. 

“Kate, dearest, why?”

“Because I need another woman in the house to help me, don’t you see?” 

I sighed, still trembling, and let her go.