A Tragic Hero

Chapter 2

   Thankfully, Sky's run down car turned on on the first try.
​   She gripped her pealing steering wheel and tried her best to focus on the road instead of her own, racing thoughts. But of course, that was impossible. Why she was so unnerved, she didn't know. But she was.
   ​"I'm hungry, momma."
​   Sky paused her thoughts at her son's announcement. She glanced at him in the rear view mirror and smiled.
   ​"Wanna go to uncle Tim's?"
   ​"Yah! I can show Lucas my new car!"
   ​"Alrighty then. Tim's it is."
​   Ten minutes later, Sky pulled into the parking lot of Simply Cooked. It was a small diner, worn and old, but still in good enough conditions to work. It was well know around these parts and had been now for about four years. Timothy Rakes, the owner of the diner, was a good friend of Sky. He had been good friends with Noah too. The day that Noah had died, Timothy had been one of the few people who had stuck around to help her. 
   Jake hopped out of the car and started for the entrance of the diner in a rush.
​  "Whoa there, cowboy. Slow down."
​   Sky walked over to him and took her son's hand in hers.
  ​"Sorry," Jake smiled shyly back at her.
​  The smell of freshly brewed coffee and sizzling bacon was the first thing that filled Sky's nostrils as she stepped into the diner. The diner wasn't massive, but was still a decent size. A couple booths here and a couple booths there. Simple.
   ​Sky released Jake's hand as she made her way over to the ordering station.
   Timothy Rakes was a tall man, making her feel like a midget every time he was around. He turned to face her and grinned. His auburn hair was combed back and spiked around his collar. His emerald eyes were always bright and his glowing smile, always genuine. He wore a thick green hoodie that was a perfect fit on his well muscled build, looking quite good on him. His grey sweats fit crisp around his one good leg and loose around his mechanical one.
   A really bad accident. At least, that was what Noah had told her. She had only seen it once and that had been the day that he had gotten it put on. He never said anything about it now and days, but still, it was there.
   ​"Sky! What a pleasant surprise,"Timothy proclaimed. "How's it been?"
   She took a seat on one of the stools in front of the register and sighed.      
   Clanking and scraping from the kitchen drifted to her ears, but suddenly, she just felt flat out exhausted.
     ​"What's wrong?"Timothy asked her as he watched her with a look of concern.
    ​She shook her head, smiling tiredly up at Timothy.
      ​"Nothing,"she answered. "Feels like forever since I've been here. It's just good to see a friend."
     ​Timothy leaned against the counter top and nodded his head slightly.
      ​"Yah, I get you,"he said. "It's been a rough week for me too. Lucas just went in yesterday for another treatment. They say...nothing's changed."
   Timothy's smile fell flat, his gaze shifting from her to the floor.
​   Lucas, Timothy's 6 year old son, had been diagnosed with Myeloma two years ago at the age of four. It had been a terrible and dark time for Timothy. He had told her that the worst part about it was that he felt like he had failed his deceased wife, Lia, when Lucas had been diagnosed. Lia had died after child birth. Hours before she had died, she had asked Timothy that if anything were to ever happen to her, that he would always care for their son. He had stuck with his promise since then.
   But every time he took Lucas to an appointment, he felt just a bit more like a screw up.
   ​Sky reached over the counter and placed her hand on Timothy's shoulder. He put on his bravest smile, but cracked when he met her eyes.
  ​"You're not a failure, Tim."
  ​Timothy covered his face with his hands and began to sob quietly. Sky got up from her seat and walked behind the counter to his side. She wrapped her arms around him in a soft embrace.
   ​"You're a great father who loves his son desperately. You haven't betrayed Lia in any way, shape, or form. She would be so proud of you, you know that? So, so proud of you."
   ​They stood there in each other's embrace for a while. When they did finally brake apart, they found that Jake and Lucas where standing behind the counter near her seat, watching them.
      ​"Daddy?"
    ​Lucas had just recently turned six, just one year older than Jake, and was the spitting image of his father as well. Except, where his father was strong, Lucas was weak. In a physical perspective of course. They were both strong in the spirit, always fighting, always attentive. God bless them both.
       ​"Hey, bud," Timothy stood up straight, wiping his face of tears and sadness. "What's up?"
      ​Lucas smiled. He knew his father's state, and was still proud of him. He was missing his two front teeth, standing there completely adorable.
      ​"Jake has a really cool car!"
      ​"Oh really? Can I see?"
   ​Jake pulled out his tiny silver mustang from his coat pocket and shined with pride as he handed it to Timothy.
      ​"It a classic. Momma says it's maybe even a collectible!"
     ​Timothy examined the toy car in his hand, smirking to himself.
       ​"It's pretty nice, Jake, pretty nice. Who knows, maybe your momma is right."
      ​Jake's smile grew larger and a spark lit in his eyes.
       ​"Really?"
   ​Sky and Timothy laughed aloud, both loving Jake's excitement at the revelation.
       ​"Well," Lucas stepped in front of Jake and whipped out a toy car of his own.
​       "Your car still wouldn't be able to beat my convertible."
     ​Jake's game face came on, making Sky and Timothy laugh even more.
      ​"Oh yah? Says who?"
      ​"Well duh, the rules of ultimate cars."
    ​They stood together, taunting back and forth about who's car was better for the next minute. Sky bent down and put a hand on each of their shoulders.
      ​"Hey, I have an idea."
  ​They both turned to her at the same time, eagerness spilling from them.
      ​"What?"they asked her in unison.
      ​"How about this. Both of you get all your cars together and have a giant race around the world! Who ever wins is the fastest car of them all. Sounds good?"
       ​"Yah!"
    ​The two buddies stuck their prize cars back into their pockets and ran towards the back storage room where they usually went to play.
​   Timothy chuckled behind her as she stood up again.
    "Well, that's one way to settle a dispute. Kids, you gotta love 'em."
     ​Timothy's last statement made her freeze. Not cause he had said it, but because Ryder Clinton, Mister clad in black and strikingly handsome, had said the exact same thing. She recalled how he had smiled softly as he had watched Jake play, that smile obviously doing things to her that shouldn't even be happening. She had only what, spoken 2 minutes with the man? A complete stranger was messing with her mind, even after she ran away from him! Not a good thing, not at all.
    ​"Sky?"
  ​She half broke from her trance and gazed back up at Timothy. She felt her face turn a shade brighter from his obvious worried look. Had she really just done that? Froze in public for no reason?
    ​"Sky."
  ​Well, that wasn't true. She had froze at the thought of Ryder Clinton.
    ​"Sky!"
   ​Sky jumped at Timothy's loud voice.
    ​"What!? What's wrong?"
   ​His face held a look of concern and confusion.
     ​"What's wrong? You just froze, like for no reason. Not once, not twice, ​but three times. Are you okay? Do you need to sit?"
     ​"No, I'm fine."
​    Even as she said it, she found herself a seat and settled onto it. Really, what was wrong with her? She was a grown woman!
     ​"Get a grip girl,"she mumbled to herself.
     ​"What was that?"Timothy paused to look at her again.
     ​"Nothing. I'm fine now."
     ​"Well...okay."
   ​  Timothy eventually headed back to the kitchen. That is, after giving her a once over. Twice. Lord help her.
  ​   Sky got up from her seat after the kitchen door closed and headed over to the storage room to check up on the kids. She could hear the boy's laughter as she approached their playroom and had to smile too. She peeked in the room, not wanting to be detected by the racers. They ran around the room, driving their cars here, there, and everywhere.
     ​"Here comes the finish line!" Jake shouted, a grin splitting onto his face.
     ​"Three!" Lucas shouted along with him.
     ​"Two!"
     ​"One!"
     ​They jumped together and landed at the same time.
      ​"And the winner is...both of us!"
     ​They laughed till they were rolling on the ground. Sky backed away from the door after lightly shutting it closed. She began to laugh as she made her way back to the front. Those rascals, always smiling. They could melt anyone's heart in a half second. Truly, children were a gift from God.
     "I know you didn't just come here to see my ugly mug," Timothy began as she sat back on her stool by the main counter. "What will it be then?"
      ​She smirked at his comment about himself.
      "Who said you were ugly? You're not that bad looking, mister. If I were you, I'd watch my back. Never know who might be crushing on you."
      ​Timothy threw back his head in laughter.
       ​"That's real sweet, but my days of charm are over. I may still be young but I'm just not interested. Thanks for the complement though."
       ​"That's what friends are for."
   Sky ordered a small breakfast meal for her and Jake to share then watched as Timothy once again made his way over to the kitchen to prepare it. He really was a good man.
    The front door chimed behind her but she didn't bother turning around to see who was there. A cool breeze swept over her as the front door shut. It really was a wonderful day. She sighed and leaned over the counter on her elbows. Maybe, just for a moment, she could close her eyes and sit in peace, no worries, no problems.
    Oh Lord. Keep me.
​   A blanket of peace settled onto her.
​Sky grinned. Now, if she only had her breakfast.
                    🤓🤓🤓🤓🤓


   Ryder Clinton sat in his red pick up truck outside Simply Cooked, holding a purse that belonged to Sky Evergreen.    
   After she had bolted from him after her son's disturbing comment, he had stood for a minute at the park, not really knowing what to do about it. About her.
  ​ That's when he had noticed that in her retreat, she had left her purse on the bench she had been sitting on. So, he had scooped it up and hurried to his truck before he could lose her Honda in the distance. It seemed like a good enough reason to follow her.
​   Truth be told, he couldn't get her son's unusual comment out of his head.   
   Sky looked like a young, tough, respectable, and loving mother. But, if she was in some sort of trouble, Ryder wanted to help her. Her smile as she had held her son had sent chills down his spine. It had enlightened her entire face by far.
   ​She was shorter than the average woman. She looked to be younger than him, around her early twenties. Her soft, caramel-toned eyes had immediately brought a smile to his face. They had just looked so...genuine. She was thin but tough in her own way. Her coat had hung loose on her small frame. But above all, her glance at him after her son's remark had been of pure fear. Of him? Of someone else? He didn't know, but he was about to find out.
    Taking in a deep breath, Ryder swung open his door and stepped down from his truck. He plucked up Sky's purse from his seat and tossed it over his muscular shoulder. He smiled to himself. What would someone think of him if they saw him getting out of his manly, torn up truck holding a purse? Laughing, he quickly crossed the parking lot to the front door. They would probably think he was some kind of revolutionary.
   ​What a day this had turn out to be for him.
​   Finally, the hospital he worked at had allowed him to take a vacation. A full month vacation that is. He never took vacations so that, when his superiors finally did make him take time off, he would have at least a month of relaxation to kick back and not have to worry about his fast paced occupation. Today was his first day off work. Now, when he should be at home relaxing, he was returning a hand bag to a pretty brunette who had ran from him. What a day indeed.
   "Is this your idea of a joke, Lord?" Ryder whispered happily under his breath as he reached for the door handle into the diner.
​   A whiff of freshly made eggs filled his nose as he stepped into the diner. He scanned around the building. It was a small place, usually had a couple people here and there just relaxing and eating their meals. The walls were a tan color with the seating areas being a light blue. His tough boots clumped on the floor as he entered in.
   ​On a stool next to the register sat Sky Evergreen. She was propping up her head with her arms, exhaustion written all over her face. Her eyes were closed.   
   Ryder stared at her for a second, thinking if he really should bother this poor, lovely lady.
    ​Building up his macho, he cleared his throat. Still no sign that she knew he was next to her.
  ​"Sky?"
    Her eyes shot open instantly at the sound of his voice. She accidentally slipped off her stool as she spun to face him, catching herself before she could completely collapse onto the floor. Sideways and disoriented, Ryder couldn't help but grin at her state.
   ​"R-Ryder? Ryder!"
   ​"That's my name."
​   He continued to smirk at Sky, having fun with the situation at hand. A look of sudden annoyance entered into her sweet caramel eyes. She stood straight with a small huff, placing a hand on her hip, tilting slightly to the left.
    ​"What are you doing here? Can't you take a hint?"
  ​   He began to speak but she cut him off. Covering her face with both hands, she slumped back down onto her stool.
    ​"Look, I know what my son said was shocking and completely random, and I really don't know where he got that crazy idea from, but really, I'm fine. There's no need to follow me. No bad man is coming for me or anything like that. I'm completely, 100%, O.K."
   "Well," taking a seat on the next stool over from her, Ryder slowly spun around in his seat to face her.
​   "To be honest, I did get your 'hint'. My reason for following you though was more than just seeing if you were really okay."
     ​He held her purse up with two fingers then in front of her face. Her eyes widened with recognition.
    ​"Oh! Wow, how did I... I totally...Wow."
   She dropped her gaze away from his. He watched as her face turned slightly red, the cold air outside having nothing to do with it.
   "I saw it on the bench you were sitting at. I know you wanted to just be left alone but, I couldn't have just left it there so...yah."
   She hesitantly glanced back up at him. He smile brightly, curious to see her reaction. She stilled for a half second, then ever so slightly, grinned sheepishly back at him.
   ​"Now I feel like a total dunce."
   "Don't we all?"
   Ryder felt a spark ignite inside of him from her shy smile, feeling every bit of happiness radiating from Sky now.
  "Thank you, Ryder."
   Once again, his heart surged a little quiver from the simple sound of her voice. What was it with this woman? He barely knew her, but he had to admit, he did feel drawn to her for some strange reason. Maybe it was a God thing, as his mother would say when ever something strange and mysterious happened out of the blue.
   "You're welcome, Sky."
   For a second more, they simply gazed into each other's eyes, searching each for their own answers to their own unique questions.
   Sky was the first to brake out of their strong trance. Clearing her throat, she began to dig through her purse.
   "Here, I can buy you something to eat. Payment enough?"
    "No," Ryder sat straight and sent her a stern look. "You don't need to get me anything. You don't owe me a thing and I won't accept anything from you that's bought out of the need to pay a debt to me."
   Sky stopped rummaging through her bag. Glancing up at him, her pretty eyebrows quirked in quiet surprise.
   "You heard me. And I'm not changing my mind."
   "Well...um," she placed her purse on the counter and folded her hands together tightly.
​   "Okay."
   "I thought for sure you would try to reason me out of my stubbornness."
     She turned back to face him and laughed softly. He liked her laugh immediately.
    "Nope. You sounded pretty set so, why bother?"
    "Huh," He raised a hand to his chin and grazed his 2 day old stubble in thought,"that's actually a pretty good answer. I like your thinking, Mrs. Evergreen."
   ​Her smile vanished completely. He watched as her gaze fell to the floor, her body slouching into her seat.
     ​"Not Mrs."
  ​She turned her head and rested an arm stiffly onto the counter top, now totally facing away from him.
     ​"Not anymore."