After Story: Compassion

Chapter Twenty-Eight: A Brief History Lesson

"I know I've told you a little bit about myself," Pastor Ashton grunted as he settled into his seat behind the desk. "But before I explain...how's everyone doing?"

No one else spoke, so I took the initiative. "Tired. I probably spent half the night awake, worrying about...about...my friends."

"I appreciate that, Tomoya," he said warmly. "Thank you."

"Yeah, thanks Tomoya," I heard Kyou echo, and I looked over to see her giving me a small smile.

Overcome by a sudden bout of shyness, I averted my gaze to the floor.

"How about you, Ryou?"

She smiled self-consciously and gave her sister's hand a squeeze. "Same as O-Okazaki-kun; worried about Onee-chan and about you."

"Thank you very much," he said warmly once again, then directed an awkward gaze toward Kyou. "How about-"

"Can I pass on this?" she interrupted.

He snapped his mouth shut, then quickly nodded. "Sure. Sorry."

"So what did you want to talk about?" I asked, trying to give him a push.

"Story. Right." He ran his fingers through his hair, stopping to scratch a particular spot. "To be honest, everything I'm about to tell you Tomoya already knows 'cause I told him at the park yesterday."

"That's why I stopped by this morning, Kyou," I said in response to her look of surprise. "So I could tell you his side of things, and so you could ask questions."

"But now she has the source before her," Jeff said, leaning forward on his desk.

"So..." I prompted again.

"Right. The fact of the matter is; I'm...well...I'm a widower."

Ryou gasped as her older sister's eyes grew wide. "You...what...?" Kyou asked.

"I was married before, but, um...my wife died," he said with a heavy sigh that almost made my chest ache. "Her name was Jessica, which was why I mistakenly referred to you as her," he directed to Kyou. "She would massage my back after particularly rough sessions, so when you...you know..."

"I got it," Kyou said quietly. "I'm sorry if I made you remember something sad."

"It's not like that," he objected. "It actually brought back good memories, which was why it was shocking, in a way."

"I'm sorry for your loss," Ryou offered sympathetically. "I can't imagine what it must have been like."

"Like-" He cut himself off with a tight smile. "Well, let's just say that I sincerely hope that none of you have to go through anything similar."

I groaned as I felt a throbbing in my head, and I saw Nagisa lying on a futon with a baby next to her, and she looked so tired...

"Okazaki-kun, are you all right?" Ryou's worried voice penetrated the fog in my head. "Should we call a doctor?"

I reached out, and I felt her take my hand. "No...I'm okay...I'm just..." The pain subsided as the fog lifted. "That was weird; I saw Furukawa with a baby."

"She's a little too young to be having a baby, isn't she?" Jeff asked.

I shook my head. "The legal age for marriage for girls is sixteen, but...she looked older...not like 'old' older, but older than she is now."

"More mature?" Ryou suggested as she released my hand, much to my disappointment.

"Yeah."

"It might be a vision," Pastor Ashton suggested. "It might be showing you a possibility of...something."