Echoes of Tomorrow Season One: Episode Two (Echoes of Tomorrow: Season One Book 2) (3 page)

The edges of her lips curled slightly. "Thanks." She rubbed her hand through Tyler's thick brown hair, stopping to look in at his eyes. "Is that normal?"

As the nurse leaned in to take a closer look, his world faded to black.

Chapter 3

July 7, 2012

Flagstaff, Arizona

Tyler waited for the kids to get off to school before packing his bags. He was scheduled to catch a flight to Memphis, Tennessee later that afternoon for another long stretch away from home. As he gathered his clothes, laptop, and personal hygiene items, all he could think about was wanting to stay home.

It had taken a miracle for him to be home for the holiday weekend as it was. When he took the job back in 2010, the company promised him he'd be off every holiday. That, combined with the high salary, travel budget, and the ability to write of most his personal expenses while away swayed him away from his last job as a foreman for a local construction company. What Centracorp had failed to mention to him was that while he would be off for the holidays travel back home would be on his own time. For the most part, he'd been able to time things so the projects would be done with days to spare. The one exception was a local job around the Memorial Day holiday in 2012.

The last job had been a nightmare from the start. Shoddy building practices by the local workers combined with an unusually strict inspector had made things difficult. If he hadn't stepped in to do most of the electrical work on his own after his shift ended, he'd still be there now.

He packed his bags, rolled them to the garage, and placed them in the trunk of the car then walked back inside. He grabbed another cup of coffee and went into the living room and sat down next to his wife, who was engrossed in a book.

"At the good parts yet?" Tyler asked, leaning over to kiss Carrie on the head.

"I am now." She folded the corner of her page and placed the book on the coffee table.

Carrie was a better wife than Tyler ever felt he deserved. How many other women would take the torch of raising two teenage kids alone while her husband was always out of town for work. He was sure the ability to do whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted to do it played into her reasons for sticking around, but he still felt bad for her.

"They couldn't give you another week, eh?" She kissed him on the cheek and rested her head on his shoulder.

Tyler didn't want to get into the conversation about work. In fact, he didn't want it to be on his mind a moment earlier than normal. But he couldn't just ignore his wife, so he forced an answer. "The job in Memphis is close to running over budget. They need someone who can keep a close eye on things."

"I thought they sent Randy. Can't he handle it?"

"They did," he said, taking a sip of his coffee. "I think he's about had enough. Someone told me he is trying to get fired."

She shook her head in disbelief. "So they send in the one guy with kids at home who's supposed to be on vacation."

"I'm not happy with it either." Not happy was as big of an understatement as it got. Today was supposed to be the first day of his vacation. Two full weeks away from the stress and bullshit of the job. He emailed the form to HR back in March as is required by company protocol. Two days later they'd sent back the approval.

He'd gotten the email revoking the vacation before he fired up the grill on the fourth.

Tyler was as thrilled with the notice as Carrie was, but he didn't show it. Instead, he'd spent what little time alone had applying for spots at other companies. While he didn't mind the hours, he wanted a job where he could stay closer to home. At least close enough to drive home from. The problem he faced was a lack of jobs in the area.

Or any area for that matter.

The housing bust and subsequent recession had thrown the construction industry into shambles. Those with decent, or less than desirable jobs, held onto them waiting for something better. That led to a chain reaction that lead to people holding onto jobs for fear of not finding another while someone in their dream position or company did the same. It was a vicious cycle that didn't show signs of stopping soon.

"I'm looking for another job," Tyler said, wanting to break the unspoken tension that had formed.

Carrie sighed. "You know, I can always find a job to help pay the bills. You don't have to carry this family on your shoulders all the time."

"It's not that," Tyler said. He didn't think about supporting the family financially as carrying them on his shoulders. It was how he had been brought up. He spent his childhood living on a farm in Nebraska where Dad spent all day out on the farm tending whatever needed tending while his mother stayed at home to raise him, his three brothers, and both his sisters. Dad was out of the house well before daylight and rarely home before dark. The only time that changed was in the winter, where he'd stay out on the farm until seven or eight doing who knows what.

When Tyler and his brothers were old enough to work, they'd spend the summers out in the field, baling hay, feeding the livestock, or helping the other workers make repairs. But while his father had expected the boys to be up and out early, he never kept them out late. He instilled the need for his boys to do hard work while still living their lives.

As they got older, each of his brothers and ended up like their father. Jake, the oldest, took over the farm after Father died. He'd spent the most time out in the fields and had the best idea of how to run things. Andy and Price both ended up in the Marines, enlisting a year apart. Over the years they'd both won countless medals and honors for their bravery in combat in the Middle east, having fought in both Iraq wars. Tyler was no different. Instead of staying behind on the farm, or joining the military, he took his building and repair skills to construction.

"Then what is it, Ty? I know you hate your job. I can see it in your face every time you come home." She placed her back against the armrest and took his hands. "I'll go put in applications in the area schools. They're always looking for teachers." She leaned in and gave him a kiss. "Besides, I think the kids are old enough to take care of themselves a few hours each day."

"I don't know, honey."

"Think about it." She stood up and kissed him on the cheek one more time. "You don't have to do this alone."

Tyler smiled as he watched his wife walk down the hall and into the bathroom to take a shower. He hated putting her in this position, but she was right. It would be much easier if she got a job, to help with the bills. While he knew he wouldn't find a job that paid half as well as Centracorp, with her added income they'd be able to pay off the credit cards and the cars. At worst, after a few years they could have enough of a nest egg put away to make up for the money they'd lose.

He gazed around the house he spent a good portion of his paycheck on each month. A house he rarely spent time in yet still called it home. He knew the house would be a casualty of any potential job switch unless he got lucky and found something that paid the same. As much as he didn't want to sell it, he could deal with it if it meant spending more time with his family.

Tyler spent the rest of the morning with his wife, going over finances like they did every time he came back home. He didn't like putting the conversation off until the last minute, but he didn't like the thought of wasting what little time he had with the kids on it either. In the grand scheme of life, it was part of the small stuff in life that didn't matter. Bills had to be paid and money had to be put away for the occasional emergencies that always seemed to happen.

After noon they got in the car to make the trip to the airport. Other than the instrumental music on the stereo, they sat in silence on the trip. Tyler wanted to promise his wife that things would get better. That the last few years wouldn't be the norm. But the closer he got to the airport the more he realized he was trapped in a life he couldn't escape. He didn't grow up wanting to be an absentee father who only came home for special events, yet he turned into his father just the same.

"Turn around," Carrie said, breaking the silence. "Forget your job. Let's just go home and start all over. We have enough put away to live on for a few months."

"Don't," Tyler urged. "Not now."

"Then when, Tyler? Is it going to take an accident, or the end of the world to realize the job doesn't matter?"

"I can't walk away. Not like this."

"Yes you can. What makes this job so special? Money doesn't mean everything." When Tyler didn't reply, she continued. "What are you afraid of?"

"I'm not afraid," he said without hesitation. He didn't like being called out like that, not even in the privacy of the car. He knew she waited to have the conversation when he couldn't escape and he resented her for it. She had a habit of saving talks for trips like this. Ones where he had no choice but to hear her out unless he spent cash on a cab.

"I'm sorry," she said, sitting back in her seat.

"No, you are right," he conceded, looking over at his wife in time to see the first tears roll down her cheek. "While I'm in Memphis I'll make a few calls. See if I can find another job around town."

"We don't need to live here."

"I thought you liked it here."

She rubbed her eyes. "I do, but if we have to move to make it work I'd rather move."

He took a hand off the steering wheel and placed it on Carrie's lap. "I'll call Jake on the flight. He might know someone hiring near Omaha."

"Or maybe you could help him on the farm? He's always looking for help."

Tyler smiled. "I thought you wanted to see me more?"

"I'll settle for sleeping next to you each night."

He still wasn't sure about quitting his job just yet, but knowing she was willing to move would make things easier. The only attachment he had to Flagstaff was the company and even that was superficial. Except for the annual Christmas party, that he had yet to attend, he rarely spent time in the office. Often just to go over the files of the next job site before he flew out of town again. Over the last year he'd been in the habit of having them send the files over email so he could spend more time at home.

"Tell you what. While I'm out, talk to Andrea. Ask her how hard she thinks it would be to sell the house."

"Are you seriously thinking about it?" She leaned her back against the door, staring at her with a guarded expression; one that upset Tyler to see. It was his fault though, and he knew it. If his conviction was half as strong as his ability to work hard, he would've been out of the job years ago.

"Yes." He rubbed his arm on her leg. "For real this time."

She squealed in excitement, removed her seatbelt, and planted a juicy kiss on his cheek. Tyler let a hint of a smile form on his lips while holding an otherwise stoic expression. The seeds of doubt were sown too deep in his psyche for that promise, and he knew it. He knew if she was honest with herself, she knew it too. There were other reasons he couldn't leave this job he didn't dare tell her about. Reasons that made it damn near impossible to run away, even though he wanted nothing more.

Chapter Four

September 15, 2013

Mobile, Alabama

"Well, look who's awake," Marcy said when Tyler's eyes opened.

Tyler felt like he'd been hit by a truck. His head pounded ferociously under the bandage wrapped around his right temple. He still didn't know how he'd gotten the lump, but he remembered it was over his truck.

Tyler was in one of four beds jammed into the room. None of the usual medical equipment he expected to see in the room were there. He glanced down at his arms noticing a plastic ID tag around his wrist, but the usual tubes and wires weren't there. Then he remembered the scene outside of the hospital when they showed up. Other than his pounding head, the lack of tubes meant he had to be OK. That or they expected him to die. Him being awake had to be a sign of the former.

"Hospital?" he asked, still trying to make sense of his surroundings. He remembered pulling into the parking lot with the woman from the pharmacy, but everything after they got out of the car was a blur.

"Yep. They said you have a severe concussion. Wanted to keep you here for a while to make sure you'll be OK."

Tyler tried to sit up, but gave up when the pain in his head intensified. "How long have I been here?"

Marcy closed the magazine she'd been reading and placed it on the counter next to the sink. "Three days so far."

"Three days?" he said, voice loud enough to wake the person in the bed next to him. "I need to call my wife. Let her know I'm OK."

Marcy pursed her lips. "Bad news on that front. Phone service has been wonky since yesterday." She pulled out her cell phone and handed it to him. "You're welcome to try calling on my phone. Land lines are shot."

"Thanks." He took the phone and held it in front of his face and dialed the number. He got through the zip code and first three numbers before hitting a mental wall. Living in a digital age with every phone number you could ever need at your fingertips, he struggled to recall the ones for his home. After a minute of trying and failing to spur his memory he sighed and handed back the phone. "Can't remember the number."

"I can try to look it up, if it will help," she offered.

"Unlisted number." Tyler leaned back in the bed and placed his hands on his head. He felt stupid for not knowing something as basic as his phone number. Once he was out of the hospital and in a place where he had access to his contact list, he vowed to memorize every number important to him; the house phone, Carrie's cell, even the kid's phones if they had one.

He was worried about them. Not just concerned with how they were doing, but wondering what they thought about him. It was not like Tyler to go more than a day or two between phone calls to check in and he knew they had to be worried sick. Not even when things got hectic on one of his job sites. There were always places to disappear to make a personal call, not that he ever needed to. Unless there was an emergency, most of the workers knew Tyler was working away from home and gave him privacy when he was on the phone.