I am Still Here (ON Hold)

The Warning

Jim sighs as he tosses pebbles, and he watches them clang on the roof and roll off, he leans against one of the buildings window ledges and sighs, thunder rumbles above and he ignores it he listens to Delbert "I really do not know how you manage it Sarah, trying a run a business, while raising a felon like - felon... fellow! Fellow like Jim," Jim watches his mother sigh and rub her head.

"Manage it! I am at my end of my rope! If not for (Y/N) I am sure this place would be chaotic," Sarah sighs, "ever since his father left... Well... Jim's just never recovered, and you know how smart he is! He built his first solar surfer when he was 8!" Jim lightly smiles but frowns when the next sentence leaves her lips, "and yet he is falling school, he is constantly in trouble... when I talk to him.... He is like a stranger a me." 

"Sarah... Jim just needs some time," a voice interrupts and Jim looks through the window to seeing (Y/N) scrubbing a nearby table, "but he also needs you... He just does not want to burden you; I just hope I can help him to break out of his shell more..." She sighs and rubs her forehead, Jim smiled at (Y/N), placing on the glass.

You do help me... More than you know.

He sighs and runs a hand through his hair.

Maybe I should just tell her how I feel... Or... Maybe not. Why would she want a loser like me? She is smart... She is brave... Perfect... Everything I am not. 

Maybe she could like me back?

"Doubt it". he mumbles to himself, Jim buries his face into his hands, but joints when he hears something whizz past him spitting, he looks up and see an old-looking ship, engine dies, he leaps off of the roof, running to the person's aid, his heart hammered heavily as he ran across the dock, skidding to a stop and banging on the glass, it was too smoke filled to see inside.

"Hay! Mister? You are okay in there, right?" Jim shouts, pausing his knocking after a moment, he gasps and let out a startled yelp when a turtle hand with claws smacks the window and it pops open, revealing an old armadillo-turtle mutant alien, a chest falls out next to him as he collapses and wheezes.

The turtle-armadillo mutant grabs Jims shirt, yanking him close "he is a comin'!" The turtle manages out, coughing, "can ya hear him?" Jim pauses and looks around in discomfort as he continues, "those gears and gyros clickin' and whirrin'..." His neck stretches as he moves closer to Jim's face as Jim struggles to back away, his shirt still in his claws, "... Like the Devil himself!" 

The turtle lets go of Jim, making him sigh in relief, "uh..." Jim place 2 fingers on his forehead, "hit you head pretty hard, didn't ya?" He asks watching the turtle shuffle to the broken ship, the turtle turns while wheezing and grabbing his chest, "hi is after my chest..." he grabs it and holds it protectively, looking around paranoid, "that fiendish cyborg and his band of cutthroats," he strained to put the chest on his shoulder, "but they will have to pry it from Old Billy Bones' cold dead fingers afore I--" he gasps and grabs his throat, coughing and collapsing, a hand still on his chest as he coughs violently.

"Oh, my--" Jim sputters in worry, kneeling next to Billy Bones, "uh, come on, give me your arm," Jim encourages as they start up the path to the inn, "good lad," Billy thanks, swaying, Jim sighs and looks at the figures in the window, "Mom and (Y/N) are gonna love this," he growls to himself. 

.....

(Y/N0 POV 

I watch as Sarah flickers a switch, making the rainy scene morph into a tropical island setting, she switches it again to a lovely flower meadow and sighs, turning to me and Delbert, "thanks for listening, Delbert, (Y/N)," she sighs and sits down, burying her face in her hands, "it helps," Delbert and I glance sadly at each other and he walks over to her, gently patting her shoulder.