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1 - one hour and six minutes old ; 1994
Gwyneth Strand was sitting on her hospital bed, her eyes closed and trying to relax despite all the noises coming from the hallway and the stress she felt at not having her son in her arms and away from her. Owen had gone outside the hospital at her request to try to find some actual good food for both of them. Turns out giving birth to a baby took a lot of energy and left you hungry.
The door opened and Gwyn opened her eyes right away, starting to smile when she saw a nurse coming in, her arms holding her son wrapped in a blanket.
"Here you go, Mrs Strand." The nurse said, giving her back her son. "Everything looks good, you have a perfectly healthy boy."
"Thank you." Gwyn replied, focusing back all her attention on the boy in her arms.
The nurse left and Gwyn found herself alone with her son for the first time since she gave birth. She raised one finger and caressed the cheek of her son before touching his little nose. He scrunched it in response and she leaned down to kiss his now-clean forehead.
She observed him for a minute or so and after a moment, he opened his eyes. His green eyes met hers and while she knew they could very well change colours over time, she hoped they would stay the same colour as hers.
"Hello sweet boy." Gwyn whispered, softly caressing his chin, then cheeks.
He made a little noise before pouting his pink lips and letting his head fall on the side.
"You're probably going to fight us about the choice we made for your name but when you're older, we'll tell you the stories of Tyler Strand and Kennedy Morgan and you'll know why we gave you those names." She told him, leaning down to kiss his left cheek.
He made another noise before closing his eyes and seemingly starting to fall asleep again.
"I'm always going to be there for you, my love. No matter what happens." Gwyn said, readjusting her grip on him.
She kissed his forehead one more time and looked up when she heard the door opening, seeing her husband coming in, his arms full of takeout bags.
"I didn't know what you were hungry for so I got a bit of everything." Owen said, walking up to her and putting the bags on the tablet before sitting on the side of her bed.
He grabbed his son's feet and tickled it a bit before leaning down and kissing his forehead too.
"Did you get Chinese takeout?"
"Of course, I did. I know who I'm married to." Owen replied, smiling.
"Good. We can start a little tradition that way then." Gwyn said. "Chinese takeouts for every important moment of our lives." She added, smiling down at her boy before looking up, catching Owen while he was looking softly at them.
2 - five years old ; 1999
Gwyn winced when the sand met her wet feet but she held onto TK who was shivering in her arms.
Once they were both at a safe distance from the ocean, she kneeled on the sand, not caring whether sand was getting on her wet beige dress or not. She looked over TK, trying to see if he had any apparent injuries but he seemed fine, just drenched and shivering from the cold water of the ocean. He looked up at her with his eyes, biting his lower lip.
"Mum.. I'm so sorry I ruined your dress."
Gwyn smiled at him and caressed his cheek.
"Honey, this dress was ruined before it even landed on the rack." She replied, kissing his forehead.
He nodded and let out a small cough.
"Baby, how do you feel? Do you feel like something's wrong?" She asked, caressing his arms repeatedly through his suit to try warming him up.
TK shook his head but walked to her and leaned against his mother's chest, needing warmth and a hug.
Gwyn pressed a kiss to his wet hair and picked him up quickly before going back to the room where the party was happening. TK put his head in her neck and once she was inside the room, she called out for Lizzy - one of the bridesmaids - who immediately came running, horrified at the sight of both Strands being completely drenched.
"God, what happened?!" She asked, terrified.
"TK fell from the pier into the ocean and he looks fine but can you get Michael so he can check him out?" Gwyn asked her friend who nodded and left to find Michael, a doctor and the groom.
Someone from the attendance who had seen them arrived joined them and gave them both a big towel to dry themselves and get warmer. Gwyn wrapped it around herself, securing it quickly before picking up TK and going to the bathroom to get rid of his wet clothes to avoid hypothermia. She helped him out of his suit, tie and white shirt before letting him take off his pants, socks and shoes. Once his clothes were put away, she wrapped him in the towel and used a bit of hers to dry his dark hair as much as she could.
She heard a knock on the door and told the person to come in, Michael revealing himself once he passed the door, holding a bag.
"So I heard we got a little swimmer." He said, smiling a bit.
Gwyn smiled back at him and let him kneel in front of TK.
"How long did he stay in the water?" Michael asked Gwyn.
"Not more than five minutes, I went after him the second I saw he was in the water. I don't think he swallowed any water."
"Alright." Michael took his stethoscope from his bag and pressed it to TK's chest.
He stayed silent for a couple minutes before taking it off his ears and looking at Gwyn.
"His heart and lungs sound good so that's a great sign. I think you're right and he didn't swallow any water or he would've spat some once you got him back. Keep drying and warming him up and I'll check if anyone has clothes for you and for a..?"
"Five years old." Gwyn finished. "Thank you so much, Michael." She added, squeezing his arm.
"My pleasure. I'm glad he's alright. We'll get you the biggest piece of cake, buddy." Michael told TK who smiled at him.
Michael ruffled TK's hair and left the bathroom, letting Gwyn dry TK's hair with her own towel while she left TK to hold his with his little hands.
"I'm gonna have to keep you in my arms the next time we're close to water or you'll fall in it again." Gwyn said, squinting at her son.
"I'm sorry for worrying you, mommy." TK said, looking down.
"It's alright, sweetheart. Worrying is what mothers do." Gwyn told him before letting the towel rest on the bathroom counter and picking TK up to hold him tightly against her.
They left the bathroom and were about to reach the ballroom when TK spoke up.
"Can I have ice cream with my cake?" He asked.
"I think today you can have anything you want, my sweet boy." Gwyn replied, kissing his cheek.
He kissed hers and let his head rest in the crook of her neck.
3 - ten years old ; 2004
As soon as she got the phone call from the hospital, she left her case wide open on her desk, left her office and got into her car before driving directly to the ER. Gwyn barely remembered what the nurse told her on the phone, but from the bits she got, she knew that something had happened to her son and that was enough to make her leave work and go be with him straight away.
Thankfully, at 3pm, the roads of New York were mostly empty and she managed to drive to the hospital in less than 40 minutes.
Gwyn ran to the front desk, startling the nurse sitting behind it.
"I'm sorry. I'm Gwyneth Morgan. I was called here by you or-or one of your colleagues and they told me that my son was there?"
The nurse nodded and looked up to her, her fingers ready to start typing on her computer.
"What's your son's name, ma'am?"
"Tyler Kennedy Strand but he could've been admitted here by TK Strand, he usually goes by that name." Gwyn replied, tapping her fingers on the counter.
After a few seconds, the nurse - Johnson - according to her badge looked up and smiled at her.
"We got a TK Strand earlier this afternoon, I'll lead you to him right away."
"Do you know how he is?" Gwyn asked, following the nurse who had just stood up.
"He's doing fine. According to his file, he broke his wrist during a skating accident. His friends brought him here and he gave us your number so we could call you. You got a brave kid."
Gwyn smiled.
"Trust me I know."
She followed nurse Johnson to the examination room number two and found TK sitting on the bed, his injured arm resting against his right arm.
"Oh my sweet boy." Gwyn whispered when she saw the look on her son's face.
She walked up to him and kissed his head, careful to not touch his arm before pressing kisses in his messy hair.
"Are you okay, sweetheart?"
"I'm alright." TK said with a little voice. "My arm hurts a bit but less than before."
Gwyn nodded and sat beside him on the hospital bed, wrapping one arm around him and caressing his shoulder. They stayed quiet for a minute before TK spoke up.
"Mum?"
"Yes?" She turned to look at him and he stared at her with his big bright green eyes.
"Can we get Chinese tonight?" He asked, slightly pouting.
Gwyn smiled at him and leaned down to press a long kiss on his forehead.
"Of course we can." She answered once she leaned back.
TK smiled at her softly and let his head rest against her chest, holding his arm against his chest.
They waited ten minutes before the doctor arrived and Gwyn stood up from the bed to shake his hand.
"Doctor Parker, nice to meet you."
"Gwyneth Morgan. Nice to meet you too."
She stood on the side of the bed while Dr Parker examined TK's arm, she looked attentively at him when she noticed TK wincing but she quickly figured that he did so just because of the pain in his arm.
"As I thought, your son won't need surgery, Mrs Morgan." He told her before taking off his gloves.
"So just a cast?"
"Exactly, just a cast for two months and he'll be good to go." The doctor confirmed while checking TK's radio.
"Alright. Thank you, doctor." Gwyn nodded, thanking the doctor before turning her attention back to TK.
"You're welcome. A nurse will be coming by soon to do his cast and then you'll just have to check out with the nurse at the front desk." He told Gwyn before leaving the room with a smile.
Gwyn watched as the door closed behind him and looked at TK when he caught her sleeve and pulled.
"Mum?"
"Yes, sweetheart?"
"Could I get a rainbow cast?"
Gwyn smiled softly at him.
"Of course you can, TK."
He smiled at her and Gwyn pressed a kiss to his head, feeling more relaxed now that she knew for sure her son was going to be okay.
4 - fifteen years old ; 2009
Gwyn reached the ER quickly after getting out of her cab and walked quickly to the front desk.
"Excuse me?" She told the nurse. "I'm Gwyneth Morgan, my partner called me to come meet him here, apparently my son, TK Strand, got injured while playing softball with him."
The nurse looked up and smiled at her.
"Ah yes, TK Strand. He's currently getting a CT scan but you can go wait in his examination room. It's the number 2." He told her.
She thanked him and left to find the room, she frowned when she heard voices inside the room. She pushed the door open and rolled her eyes when she noticed that the voices belonged to Enzo and Owen and both men were arguing, yet again. They stopped when they heard the door open and they both noticed Gwyn.
"Hey Gwyn." Owen nodded, crossing his arms.
"Hey, my love." Enzo said, smiling at her before leaning the wall.
"Hi." She answered to both of them before going to Enzo's side. "What happened?"
Enzo lost his smile and shuffled his foot.
"Yeah, tell us what happened, Abrams." Owen added, sitting on the hospital bed.
Gwyn glared at her ex-husband before focusing back on her current partner.
"We were at the park, playing some baseball and when I threw the ball.. I threw it too high and it hit TK in the head. He fell on the ground and he might have lost consciousness for a few seconds, I don't know, he was awake when I got to him but I preferred going to the ER. Then, they called Owen because he's TK's emergency contact on his phone and I called you and here we are." Enzo explained.
"You missed out on the important part about why my son didn't have a helmet on?" Owen said, glaring at the other man.
"We forgot it at home, I told you that already. We only realised that when we were at the park but it would've taken too much time to go back to the apartment and then go back to the park. TK thought it was going to be fine and I agreed with him." Enzo continued, crossing his arms on his chest.
"You agreed with a fifteen years old who has a tendency to land himself in the hospital every two months?" Owen asked, raising his eyebrow.
Enzo rolled his eyes and just shook his head before looking at Gwyn.
"I'm really sorry, Gwyn. If I thought it would've happened I would've never let him play."
Gwyn heard Owen scoff but she knew Enzo better than Owen did after spending years together and she knew Enzo loved TK like he was his son and would never do anything to put his life at risk.
"I know, Enzo. Don't worry, we'll see how TK is doing before panicking."
Enzo nodded and Gwyn took his hand, squeezing it before holding her hand and squeezing Owen's arm quickly.
They waited together for a moment before a nurse wheeled TK in and Gwyn smiled when she saw her son on a wheelchair, looking alright.
"Hey sweetheart." Gwyn said, helping her son out of the wheelchair and on the bed.
"Hey mum." TK replied, smiling when she kissed the back of his head.
"How are you feeling?" Enzo asked, coming to him.
"Good, I have a tough head."
"You sure do, kiddo." Enzo replied, squeezing the teenager's arm.
"Don't blame yourself, Enzo. I'm okay."
Enzo nodded and softly ruffled the boy's hair, before letting Owen check on his son.
They let the two of them talk while Gwyn joined Enzo at the back of the room, taking his hand in hers. She squeezed it again and he looked at her.
"Stop blaming yourself, my love. I know worrying is a parent's job but it's a little accident and he's going to be fine." Gwyn told him, taking his hand to her lips before pressing a kiss to the back of it.
Enzo nodded and leaned down to kiss her cheek. They waited until the doctor came in and when he did, they stood up from their chairs in the back of the room. The doctor nodded at all of them before turning his attention back solely to Owen and Gwyn.
"We got the results of the CT scan and like I thought, TK doesn't have a concussion, the hit wasn't strong enough to cause one."
"What about the fact that he fell on the ground?" Owen asked.
"The hit wasn't strong enough to cause a concussion, but it could've been strong enough to make him lose his footing and fall down. He will most likely have a bruise or lump on his head at the point of impact and if it was anywhere near his eye, there's a possibility that TK will have a black eye." The doctor continued before turning to TK. "So I would ice that eye right when you get home, bud."
TK nodded at him and Gwyn stood right next to her son, caressing his back while trying to examine the back of his head.
"Do you have any questions?"
"I have one, if he had been wearing a helmet would it have avoided him getting injured?" Owen asked, sneaking a glance at Enzo who rolled his eyes.
"I mean, he could've been hit on the forehead but according to where he got hit this time, the front top of his head, yes it could've been avoided." The doctor replied before looking at the three adults and leaving the room.
"See I told you, a helmet would have avoided all of this." Owen told Enzo.
"We forgot! And I already told you I was sorry." Enzo said back, walking closer to Owen.
They continued arguing for a moment before Gwyn rolled her eyes and loudly asked them to be quiet.
"Owen, Enzo, this is a hospital. People need calm and TK is this close to having a headache and so do I, so both of you be quiet."
They stopped immediately and stepped away from the other.
"Good. Now, Owen, go pick some Chinese food at Dim Sum before meeting us at our apartment. And Enzo, please go pick your car and meet us outside the hospital while I get TK discharged."
They both nodded and quickly went to what Gwyn had ordered them to do, not before Enzo placed a kiss on her cheek.
Gwyn turned back to TK who, by this point, had let himself fall on the hospital, his head resting against the comfortable pillow.
"How are you feeling?"
"Ready to go home." TK replied honestly. "And I'm thankful it's the holidays because I'm not in any state to go study anything right now."
"That's fair, sweetheart. Let's go get you discharged and then we'll eat some Chinese food while watching your favorite movie. How does that sound?"
"Very good, can Dad stay to eat and watch the movie with us?" TK asked.
"Of course. Although, we'll have to sit between him and Enzo." Gwyn added with a smile.
"Like we always do." TK chuckled, sitting up. "Do you think they'll get along one day?"
"I'm not sure, TK. But what I know is that when it'll come to you or me? They'll always be able to put their grudges aside to take care of us."
TK nodded and stood up from the bed while Gwyn grabbed his softball bat and they both left the examination room.
5 - nineteen years old ; 2014
Gwyn wasn't expecting to start her day of November 2014 by being at her son's side at the hospital after he overdosed and yet, here she was.
She scratched her forehead, feeling the migraine setting itself in and she rested her eyes on her son's figure. TK was lying in the hospital bed, dead to the world, one IV was stuck in his arm to get him some fluids after they managed to clean his stomach from all the pills. After the three hours she had been sitting there, she watched as TK winced and wet his lips with his tongue before opening his eyes.
"Mum..?" He asked with a small and rough voice.
"Tyler Kennedy."
He winced one more time at the use of his name and closed his eyes.
"You know why you're here, don't you?" Gwyn asked, still staring at him.
"Yeah, I think I can figure it out, mum."
"Don't use that tone with me, TK. Why did you do that?" She asked, leaning so she could be closer to him.
Tk sighed and opened his eyes, turning his head toward her.
"I didn't do it on purpose, mum. I just wanted to stop feeling like that."
"Like what?" She asked, taking his hand in hers.
"Numb."
She sucked in her breath and gave a squeeze to his hand.
"Since when are you feeling like this?"
"Ever since Jacob broke up with me."
Gwyn did a mental calcul and got closer to him when she realised.
"For five months?"
TK nodded and Gwyn sighed, letting go of his hand to rest it into his hair and caress it softly.
"Where did you get the pills?"
"They're the ones I got after I broke my leg in that building fire." TK explained, staring at her with tears in his green eyes. "I used to take one or two at first but then, I just- I just wanted to stop feeling like this and they helped with that and before I could even think about stopping, I was already too deep in." He confessed, looking down on his hand that was pulling at his blanket.
She nodded and cupped his cheek.
"We're gonna get you help, sweetheart. Someone told me about a rehab center upstate and we'll get you in as soon as we can, alright?"
TK knew he would not have any other choice so he just nodded and let Gwyn kiss his forehead before she stood up.
"I'll call your dad and Enzo so they know you're awake and then I'll come back."
TK nodded once again and turned his head to look by the window. Gwyn took a last look at her son before leaving the room and promised herself to never let it go this far again.
1 - twenty-eight years old ; 2022
Watching her son awake, holding hands with Carlos was a sight Gwyn was happy to see after learning that TK had been in a coma and on the verge of death a week ago. She adjusted her grip on Jonah and knocked on the door to make herself known and both men looked up at that.
"Hey mum." TK said with a wide smile, a huge difference compared to the last time she saw him on Facetime when he had looked sad with dark circles under his eyes.
"Hey Gwyn." Carlos said too, smiling at her softly and keeping his hold on TK's hand.
"Hey boys." She smiled and came inside the room.
She dropped her bag onto the chair next to Carlos and when Jonah made grabby hands towards TK, she turned her youngest son towards herself.
"Baby, no, your brother isn't strong enough to hold you right now." She told him while he looked at her with big green eyes, very much like TK had once done.
"I could hold him if you want?" Carlos offered, exchanging a look with TK.
"Of course. He missed you too." Gwyn replied, holding out her son so Carlos could take him in his arms before standing up and starting to pace inside the room.
Gwyn smiled at the pair and sat on the side of the bed to be close to her eldest son.
"How are you feeling, sweetheart?"
"Better now. Though, I'm still kind of cold but the warming blankets are helping with that and I still get tremors sometimes. They're more worried about my heart, lungs and kidneys right now." TK said, grabbing his mum's hand. "We should get some results back soon."
Gwyn nodded and squeezed his hand.
"I feel like I should be used to seeing you in a hospital bed but I never am."
"I'm sorry, mum."
Gwyn shook her head and sighed before looking up at her son.
"Don't be. Carlos and your partner, Nancy I think? They both told me you got injured while saving a boy's life so I'm not going to blame you for doing your job and saving a life, TK. That's one of the many reasons why I'm proud that you're my son."
TK smiled at her and looked above her head to - she supposed - Carlos and once he looked back at her, she raised an eyebrow at him.
"I suppose this situation also got fixed."
"We still have some talking to do but I think we're going to be really good now."
"I really hope you will, TK. I really love that one." She said.
"I really love him too." TK replied, smiling at both her and Carlos.
They stayed there talking for a while until Gwyn heard Jonah getting fussy and she stood up to take him in her arms again. Carlos took back her place and sat on the side of TK's bed. He grabbed TK's hand and pressed a kiss to the back of it.
"I have to give him some food but I trust that you'll be in good company." Gwyn said, winking at Carlos.
"He will, I promise." Carlos replied, smiling at her.
She nodded at them and left the room in quest for some food. She knew that whenever she couldn't be there for TK, Carlos would be and would always be and she was glad her son had someone that kind and attentive to love and care for TK.