lb_heartland | Fic: Quiet Sanctuary 4/14

Quiet Sanctuary
Chapter Four
Word Count: 3,005
Rating: PG-13
Pairings: Tim/Marion, eventually... Lou/Scott and Ty/Amy.
Warnings: Non-graphic discussion of child abuse.
Disclaimer: I'm never going to grow up. That means... I'm not legally responsible for anything, right?
Summary: AU. Heartland is a refuge, not just for abused and neglected horses, but for all.
Author's Note: I will give fair warning that after this chapter, time will start to skip ahead. It was never my intention to tell the whole story with Amy and Ty as young children, though I felt it was important to include a few scenes of Ty's early days at Heartland and in town, setting up for some of the later stuff. It was important not to tell the story from Amy or Ty's point of view in these earlier chapters, but scenes from their point of view are forthcoming. More characters will also feature later.

Time in Town

"I don't know why we're going," Amy muttered, still pouting as she sat in the back of the wagon, kicking the boards in anger. She'd been in a difficult mood all morning. Jack would have thought that Ty would have been the one with the strong reaction to going into town, but he had just nodded quietly when he was told they were going, and he'd presented himself dressed and ready without even one word of protest. Amy, on the other hand, had been arguing against this all morning and took forever to get her into her dress. Then, she'd gotten her breakfast on it, and she'd had to change. It was a near disaster of a morning, and they were going to be late. "The sermons are boring. He talks like he's asleep, and he just goes on and on and then I fall asleep."

Ty looked across the wagon at her. It was clear that he wasn't really sure how he felt about this, either. The bruises on his neck and face had started to fade, and so Marion felt comfortable enough with bringing him into town. It was past time he went, really, and Jack had been saying so for some time. Besides, they didn't leave Tim alone enough as it was. Someone was always seeing to his needs, and Jack had come to the conclusion that if his son-in-law was ever going to get off his pathetic rear, he was going to have to be forced to do it. Leaving him where he'd have to fend for himself might seem harsh to Marion or anyone else, but it was past time they did it in Jack's opinion.

He also didn't feel right leaving the boy behind when it was clear that Tim frightened him. It didn't matter that the man was bedridden. It had to be the damn shouting. He had a bell to ring if he needed something, but the mule-headed invalid still shouted when he wanted something. Jack kept the boy away from the house as much as he could, but that wasn't good enough. Nothing seemed to get through that thick skull of Tim's, and one of these days, Jack was going to dump him out of the bed and let him find his way back without any help—not from Jack and not from Marion.

She'd come back from the reservation with the idea that she had to let her husband do things at his own pace or some nonsense like that. Sometimes the ideas that she got there were helpful, and sometimes they frustrated the hell out of Jack. So Tim needed to walk his own path, even if it wasn't literal walking. Jack could agree with that, to a point, but he was more of the mind that Tim needed to see just what he was doing and what he'd become. He needed something to knock some sense into him, not any more coddling. It would do him a lot of good to spend the day alone.

Marion tried to explain, probably more for Ty's benefit than Amy's, since they'd never asked him to go before now. He must think this was strange, and Amy's behavior wasn't helping any. Jack had no way of knowing if the boy had ever gone to church before, though he thought Ty probably had. Still, it was one hell of an awkward morning. "We go because we—"

"Because we need a miracle," Amy finished grumpily. She looked back towards Heartland and shook her head, voicing what Jack already knew. Marion was the only one that believed that Tim was going to walk again. The only one. Amy had given up on her father. It wasn't all that surprising, given the way he treated her. "I don't think we're going to get one. It would have come by now if it was going to come."

Jack looked back at her. Marion didn't seem to realize what Tim was doing to their daughter. She was becoming bitter, losing her joy, even her hope. She was six years old. She should still believe in miracles and be convinced beyond reason that her father was going to walk again. She wasn't. Ty was the only thing keeping her from a deeper depression over the way her father was treating her and her mother. Given how strongly she seemed to feel about the boy, if Tim spooked him one more time, if she thought Tim had hurt him, she might never forgive her father. Jack wasn't sure he could forgive Tim for what he'd already done. He definitely wasn't going to be able to forget this.

He needed to send Marion somewhere so he could have a good, long talk with his son-in-law. Maybe a visit to Lou was in order. That might help. Anything to change the way things were. Ty's presence helped, and he was great to have around the farm, but Tim was still a problem and would be until he got out of that bed or got over himself. So he might not walk again. That didn't give him the right to punish the people who cared about him.

"Do you believe in miracles, Ty?" Amy asked, looking at him. He shook his head. Jack had known what the answer would be before the boy gave it. After what he'd been through, he would quickly have given up on miracles and quite possibly even God.

Amy sighed loudly, giving the wagon another kick. "I don't want to go sit there for hours. Can we just go home?"

Ty looked at her. Jack hoped that the boy realized that it was just Amy being a restless and energetic child who didn't want to sit still. He had nothing to worry about or fear while they were in town. Marion sighed in annoyance. "No, we are not going home. We will discuss this later, young lady."

Ty didn't seem to like being the center of everyone's attention. As a newcomer to town, he was instantly fascinating to everyone around, who had to know where he'd come from and why, if he was related to the Flemings or Bartletts, and how long he would be staying. The kids crowded around him, trying to figure out if he was worth playing with, and it looked like Matt was unhappy with the fact that Ty held Amy's attention, in particular. Scott would have thought his brother was too young to worry about girls, but then Matt had spent a lot of time with Amy when they were toddlers. Their mom didn't get out as much as she used to, spending most of her time at their father's office in town, keeping things organized there and acting as his nurse when she needed.

The Bartletts had helped them get a start in this town, and Scott knew his father felt that he'd failed Tim Fleming when he couldn't make him walk again. That increased the distance between the families, and now it seemed like they may as well be strangers.

The real stranger, though, was Ty, and when Matt finally managed to convince Amy to go look at what he'd found—Scott really wasn't sure what it was or if he wanted to know—the kid was left in the middle of everyone. He looked ready to panic and bolt. Scott had seen that look on horses before.

He crossed over, and the other kids moved away, wondering what he was going to do. He was so much bigger than Ty and he could have bullied him if he wanted to, but that wasn't what he was there for. "So, did you try that thing with Pegasus?"

Ty looked up at him, hesitating, but then he nodded. "He still won't let me in the stall, but he'll let me touch him."

"Hey, that's progress," Scott told him, and Ty shrugged a little. It didn't seem like it hurt him this time, and Scott was glad to see it. He also couldn't see the bruise that had darkened the boy's neck the last time he saw Ty. "What about the other one? The mare? I can't remember her name."

Ty looked at the other kids for a moment, but they started backing off. Playing with each other was more exciting than watching two older boys talk, Scott thought, amused. He didn't care. Let the other kids play. They could leave Ty alone, since he needed it. "She's sick. They shouldn't have used her to come into town."

"Really?" Scott asked, wondering how the boy knew. Had Mrs. Fleming missed it? She was supposed to be real good with horses. "What's wrong?"

Ty shrugged again. "I don't know. She's not herself."

"Show me?" Scott offered, and Ty nodded a little, walking over to where Jack had left the wagon and the horse. The little kids shrieked, and Ty jerked, startled. Scott almost reached over to comfort him, but he saw the boy pull away and stopped. They reached the mare, and Scott started to look her over. At first, there was no sign that anything was wrong, but when he looked in her eyes, he saw something as well. "I don't know what it is, but you're right. Did you tell Mrs. Fleming?"

"She was busy with Amy."

Scott looked over, and from the strained look on Mrs. Fleming's face as she spoke to Mrs. Grant, she would give anything for an interruption. "Come on, let's tell her now."

Ty shook his head. "No, I don't interrupt. Can't. Shouldn't. No."

Scott frowned, realizing the boy had almost flown into a panic over the idea of interrupting. There was polite, but that kid was scared. "I'll interrupt. All you have to do is stand there. It's not going to hurt, I promise."

Ty didn't seem to believe him, but he followed Scott anyway. Scott cleared his throat as he reached the ladies. "Excuse me, Mrs. Fleming? Ty thinks there's something wrong with your horse, and I think he's right. Maybe you should take a look at her?"

Ty shrank back behind Scott as Mrs. Grant glared at them. Scott didn't care what she thought of him. The Grants might have more land than most people around here, but that was because Ted's father had bullied everyone around him out of their homesteads. Val Grant came from money back east, and the two of them were well-matched but not well-liked.

Mrs. Fleming smiled at him. "Yes, of course. I would hate to have her become ill or have an accident on our way home. Please excuse me, Mrs. Grant."

"Of course," Mrs. Grant said, clearly annoyed.

Mrs. Fleming touched Ty's shoulder, smiling at him as she led him and Scott back to the horse. "I have to thank you for this, both of you. Not only was I too distracted to notice anything was off with Jasmine today, but you rescued me from another conversation with Mrs. Grant."

Ty glanced back at the woman, and Scott saw that she was still glaring, but not at Scott. At Ty. Surely she had no real reason to dislike the boy. He'd done nothing to her, and she didn't know him. Scott had been the one to interrupt. "I'm happy to have helped, Mrs. Fleming. But Ty was the one that spotted it. I didn't see it until I looked in her eyes. I'm not sure what it is."

"You know, Scott, I do believe that you have a talent for healing animals," Mrs. Fleming began as she started to look over the horse. She seemed particularly concerned with the area around the mare's stomach. He wondered if she was thinking colic. That could be very bad. He hoped it wasn't colic. "Have you ever given any thought to becoming a veterinarian?"

Scott blinked and looked at her. "You... think I should?"

"I think it's worth thinking about."

"How did you like town?" Marion asked, watching Ty at dinner. He had been quiet since they noticed something was wrong with Jasmine, and he seemed more withdrawn than usual. Amy ate with renewed enthusiasm—the trip into town had done her good, improved her spirits, and she showed little trace of the brat she'd been this morning on the way into town. Ty, though, he was doing worse. Perhaps they had been wrong to bring him in contact with so many people. He hadn't said a word since they'd left town, not when they put Jasmine in her stall, rubbed her down, or when they gave her some herbs to help with what Marion hoped would not end in colic. She would have to go back out to check on the horse later, as soon as they were finished with dinner.

They were fortunate that Ty had caught it when he did. They had been able to start working with her early. That would make a difference if it was colic. "Ty?"

He pushed his plate away. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Fleming. I'm not hungry. May I be excused?"

"Yes, you may, Ty," she agreed reluctantly. She wasn't going to force him to eat. The day had been hard on him. He got up slowly and started upstairs. She would have been thought that he would go to the barn, out with the horses, with Jasmine, but perhaps he was too tired.

"I'm done," Amy announced, pushing her plate away. It was a mess, and there was still food there, but Marion knew why she was doing it. She wanted to be up with Ty.

"Go get ready for bed, then," Marion told her, cleaning up the plates. Amy ran off, and Jack cleared his throat. She looked over at him. "You have something to say?"

"You don't need me to say it."

"You were the one that said he needed to go into town, remember?"

"I did. I stand by that. It's just that now that we've done it, it's clear we handled it the wrong way. Only the Trewins knew that Ty was staying with us. The rest of the town was gossiping about him, and he knew it. I'm not saying there wouldn't have been talk if we hadn't said something before, but at least they wouldn't have been as bad. They wouldn't have asked him so many questions. He was uncomfortable, and the only person who reached out to him was that Trewin boy. Scott is a good boy. I like him, but it should have been one of us."

Marion sighed. "I know. I thought that it would be fine if Amy was with him, and it almost was. I did mean to get back to him sooner, but I got cornered by Val Grant, and I couldn't get away. What's your excuse?"

"Ted Grant. He wants to buy Tim's homestead."

"What?" Marion demanded. She felt sick, and she had to sit down. "What do you mean, he wants to buy Tim's land? Why did he ask you? That's my husband's land. It's my land. Any decision regarding that land has to go through me."

Jack sighed. "Marion, you're a woman. Most people don't see you as having any right to that land. They expect me or Tim to make the decision for you. Since Tim's bedridden, they think it should be me. You know I don't agree. You're capable of making your own decisions. You know your own mind. You chose your own friends and listen to your instincts. You trust the gift you were born with, and I've always known better than to stand in your way. Used to be your husband knew that, too."

"Dad—"

"Don't Dad me. I've had my fill of him," Jack said, and Marion sighed. She knew her father wasn't going to accept it. She was trying to let Tim find his own way, but her father had lost patience. She barely had any of her own. "We do have to give this some consideration. I'm not saying sell. Not now, and not to the Grants. I don't want to give them one piece of this place. Heartland means too much to me and to your children and even to that fool husband of yours."

Marion nodded, feeling some of the tension she'd felt when she heard that the Grants wanted her land leave her. "I know that. Let's make a deal, Dad. We don't have to worry about money just yet, and we've got the crops planted. We'll wait until after harvest. Actually, I'd like to wait until next year. A year isn't too much time to ask, not too much time to see if Tim will walk again. Ty's here, he's been a big help so far, and if he wants to stay... I think we can make it work."

Jack was quiet for a moment. He took a slow, deep breath. "I'm willing to wait for next year for a decision on the land, willing to wait to see if Tim will walk again, and I'm willing to let that boy stay for much longer than a year. But one thing I am not willing to wait on is a change in how he treats you. It stops, or he leaves my house."

Marion wasn't surprised by her father's condition. She had tried to do something before, but then she changed her mind after speaking to Huten. It wasn't easy to let Tim walk his own path. He wasn't walking, for one thing, but leaving him alone, not taking care of him, she didn't know how to do that. It was hard enough being in town on Sunday.

"Yes, Dad. I agree. So next year, we'll talk again. Until then, we're waiting."