Chapter Text
TK surveyed the truck bed. It was crammed to the brim with cardboard boxes and suitcases. There were more inside in the backseat. Buttercup sniffed something interesting at the wheel and woofed quietly.
His dad piled the last box on top and came to stand by TK. “That’s the last one,” he said.
He sniffed and wiped his eyes and laughed at himself when TK hugged him. “I’m being silly,” he said, smiling through his tears. “It’s not like you’re going far. I mean, I’ll see you this weekend.”
“Every weekend,” TK promised. “All my off days. And you’ll come to Austin to visit us too, right?”
“Of course I will.” His dad patted him on the back. “And if you change your mind, or need a break, you can always come back here, okay? This will always be your home.”
It was TK’s turn to tear up. “Thanks, dad,” he said, voice thick.
“No, thank you, TK. You saved this place. And more importantly, you saved yourself. I’m so proud of you.”
TK wanted to wear his dad’s pride like a standard but maybe he’d had it all along. Judd, Marjan and Carlos emerged from where they’d been chatting inside the house and milled around him.
“You’re going to be a great paramedic,” his dad continued. “It’s perfect for you, I can’t believe it never occurred to me before.”
“And Tommy Vega is a great captain,” Judd added. “You’ll be in good hands with her and Nancy. And you tell me if anyone gives you trouble.”
Marjan hugged him tight. “I’m gonna miss you.”
“We’re gonna be back here all the time, Marj.”
“I know. And I’m still your photographer for the wedding, right?”
“Of course you are.”
If they stood there any longer, TK was going to change his mind and end up staying. But he knew this was the right path for him. Though unfamiliar, he could see the years stretch on before them. It hadn’t been easy to get there. Carlos would set up the Austin branch of Strands of Sunshine. They had secured a perfect spot on the corner of a street in Downtown Austin, close to their new home, a loft that TK had fallen in love with the first time he’d seen it in the pictures. He could already see their framed photos on the walls and Carlos’ little wooden creatures on the windowsill. When they agreed on a date for the wedding, they’d come back there and get married in the south orchard, with his mom’s tree. He knew Carlos expected him to change his mind and suddenly demand a bigger wedding but he wouldn’t. Ever since Carlos had pointed it out to him, in the moonlight, he’d loved the idea. He was looking forward to the job too. They’d probably spend half their time in Austin and half here. Home would be many places, just as it had always been.
Yes. It would be a good life. Unfamiliar, but he was ready to meet it. He had come here broken and terrified and it had healed him. He had repaid the debt he owed to this place.
So he said, “I’ll see you guys soon,” and tore himself away to go sit in the truck.
Buttercup tried to follow him but was restrained by Marjan.
In the rearview mirror, he could see Carlos give Judd and Marjan a hug first and then his dad. His dad said something in Carlos’ ear but he couldn’t hear what it was. With a final pat for Buttercup, Carlos slid into the driver’s seat and wiped his eyes, breathing deeply for a moment.
TK took his hand. “Last chance to back out,” he said lightly.
Carlos chuckled and shook his head. It was a little cracked but his eyes crinkled at the corners when he smiled. It was a big change for both of them, but more so for Carlos. He was leaving the place he’d lived in for years, the place that had been his home. TK knew how hard that was, better than anyone.
“.. but I don’t want it if you don’t want to leave,” TK finished, sneaking a glance at Carlos’ thoughtful face. “I can be a paramedic in town, or I can work with Grace, if they have an opening in the dispatch office. I feel like I need to do something in emergency services. I feel like I was meant to be a first responder. But more than that I want to be where you are. I want to be with you.”
Carlos had thought about it and had agreed. They’d made a plan for a second location of Strands of Sunshine on Carlos’ old laptop, complete with mockups from Marjan, and presented it to his dad. After his dad had stopped beaming at TK with that proud parent face, he had agreed too.
“Alright,” Carlos said presently. He started the truck and keyed in the navigation system. “I want to get to Austin before nightfall. Ready to go?”
“Yep.” TK leaned against him. “What did dad say to you?”
“That’s for me to know,” Carlos said primly and they both laughed.
His dad, Judd, Marjan and Buttercup grew smaller and smaller in the rearview mirror. TK watched them, the orchard and the cheerful sign for as long as he could and then the truck turned around a bend and they were gone.