Impact

Chapter Eighteen

Wendy arrived a little after six pm the same night after Nate had texted her from his mother's. Terri tried to console him but it was impossible. What had happened with Steve and Stacey was like the final nail in the coffin. 

Nate loved Tommy with every fiber of his being. When Tommy had kissed him in front of the school crowd and Steve, the last brick in his wall had been obliterated. And when he and Tommy had made love, they had shared a soul. Now, all of that had been ripped from him. And the worst part of it all was the person to blame still hadn't been found. 

Tommy's father had vanished. Authorities found his girlfriend only to find out she was an ex who hadn't spoken with him in nearly five months. He had never made it to Vegas and there was no evidence of his truck anywhere. 

Nate sat next to his mother, sniffling as he watched Wendy pacing. 

"And he actually let you go?" She asked him. 

She was sporting red in her jet black hair that was pulled up in a single ponytail. Her eyes were their natural chocolate brown and she was wearing pink fleece pajamas covered in black kittens that were reaching into a fishbowl, pawing at a rainbow colored fish. 

"Well, he doesn't remember anything after he....he was going to jump off of the roof." Nate answered.

"But you would think with all that you two have been through...." She stopped pacing and looked over at him. 

He simply shrugged his shoulders. 

"He doesn't remember, Wen. You can't feel emotion about something you don't remember." Nate said through tears and a puffy nose. 

"Yeah, but you said the connection was like nothing you had ever felt." Wendy stopped at looked at him. 

"Yeah it is....was." More tears. 

Nate still couldn't fathom it. It was almost worse than if Tommy had simply died. At least, in some cruel way, he would be able to move on. He would attend a funeral, grieve the love he lost but in time, the wound would have healed. Now, his soulmate was so close, but there was nothing between them. It was constant razors to the heart. 

"I knew he was going to hurt you." Wendy said, sitting next to him. 

"This wasn't his fault!" Nate all but shouted at her, suddenly enraged. Then dropped his eyes. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to shout. This wasn't his fault." He repeated. 

"I'm sorry, too." Wendy replied. "You're right. I shouldn't have said that."

Terri watched the exchange silently for a moment as Nate huddled into her more, laying his head on her shoulder once again. She brought a reassuring hand to the side of his face and kissed the top of his head. 

"Can I get you anything?" She asked him. 

"I just want Tommy."

"I know when I get the chance, Steve, Stacey and I are going to have a long conversation." Wendy said, thick malice in her voice. 

"It won't do any good, Wendy. Tommy doesn't remember. And if that's permanent, then it isn't going to matter anyway." 

"Well, it will at least give them a piece of my mind." She said, folding her arms. 

"I just can't believe its over." Nate said softly, crying. 

"You don't know that for sure, Darlin'." Terri replied. "Give it more time."

"I--I don't think I can. It hurts too much, Mom." 

"I understand, Baby. I really do. So, what are you going to do? You could transfer schools? Or take a hiatus for a while?" She asked him.