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James wakes up lying on his back on a cold table in what appears to be a cave. He groans and rubs his face with his hand. The lights being used to illuminate the cave are bright and his head is pounding.
The last thing he remembers is being attacked by some sort of red and yellow monster and running for his life.
He hears beeping and suddenly someone is staring down at him. He doesn't recognize them even though they look familiar. Strangely, they're smiling but they also have tears in their eyes.
James pushes himself up on his elbows, but before he can ask what's happened or where he is, the person asks, "Dad?"
James has a moment to ponder that in complete and total bewilderment and then the person -- who is too old to be Tyler -- is hugging him tightly.
*
James splashes water on his face and stares at his reflection in the bathroom mirror. He looks the same as he did yesterday -- like the thirty-five-year-old single father he knows himself to be.
He doesn't look like someone who's missed ten years of their life.
He didn't quite believe it when his son -- his somehow eighteen-year-old son -- told him that he was trapped inside a monster for a decade, and that he didn't age because he happened to have touched a magic stone before the monster caught him.
It all sounds so horrible. He doesn't want to believe it's true. He doesn't want to believe that his son was forced to grow up without him.
*
"I've wanted to return this to you for a long time," Tyler tells him and holds out a leather-bound book.
"My journal," James says, gently taking it from his hands. He's momentarily confused as to why Tyler has it, but then he remembers leaving it on his nightstand the day he was attacked, and that ten years have gone by since then.
"I've been writing in it," Tyler admits sheepishly.
Curious, James flips the journal open. He was never good at keeping his notes in order. In the field, he tended to record his findings on random pages. Now, interspersed with his own notes and sketches are pages covered in what he assumes is Tyler's adult handwriting.
He stops at a page close to the very front of the journal. The entry is not dated, but the writing is large and sloppy and it's the handwriting of Tyler's that was on the book report James proudly stuck to the fridge. The entry simply reads: I miss you, dad.
James' chest aches. If someone was to stab him through the heart right now, he's not sure he would feel it.
A drop of water hits the page. Then another. And another. He doesn't wipe his eyes.
"Dad?" Tyler asks, alarmed.
James looks up at Tyler and in Tyler's grown features he can see the child he remembers.
James takes a step forward and pulls his son into a hug, clinging to him. "I'm sorry," he says through his tears. He can barely comprehend it. His son -- his little boy -- suffered so much because of his disappearance. There's nothing he can say to make that better -- to make those years of hurting go away. Still, he says, "I'm so sorry."
Tyler hugs him back just as forcefully. "I'm happy to have you back, dad."
*
James reads the entries Tyler wrote in his journal.
*
August 21, 2009
It's been four years since you went missing, dad.
For my birthday, I got abuelo to take me to Patterson forest like he did last year and every year since you disappeared. He helped me dig up our memory box so I could keep our tradition alive. This year, I put a slingshot in it. It's super cool, dad! I made it myself. I even carved the wood. It shoots thirty feet!
I hope that next year we'll get to go camping together and I can show it to you.
*
James misses Daniela more than he has in years.
His misses her strength, her love, and her presence.
He wishes she was here. He wishes he could apologize.
Tyler was four when she died.
James keeps remembering a night he sat by her bedside at the hospital. He put his hand over hers, and when she looked into his eyes, they were full of tears.
"After I'm gone, Tyler will have you," she said to him, taking some small amount of comfort in the thought even as her voice broke. "And you'll have him. You'll both be alright because neither of you will be alone."
*
January 17, 2011
It's not just mom's side of the family that thinks you're dead, but now great uncle Raphael does too. He says you're gone, but he's wrong! They're all wrong! I know it!
I'm so angry at them. They keep telling me to let you go.
But I promise I won't give up on you, dad!
*
There are two other time-displaced people in Tyler's group of friends.
One is an eight-hundred-year-old Zandarian knight and the other, even more amazingly, was born almost a hundred thousand years ago.
James asks Ivan if his ever misses his old time.
"Of course," Ivan replies, frowning, but doesn't elaborate.
He thinks of asking Koda the same question, but when no one is looking, he sees a haunted expression cross Koda's face -- one that speaks of a loss that James can't even begin to comprehend -- and that more than answers his question.
*
June 6, 2011
I've started rock climbing.
Abuela drives me every Friday. I've only been going for three months, but I really like it. I know you wanted to teach me. Sometimes I feel bad that I'm doing it without you, but you told me it was a skill you wanted me to learn so I'm learning it.
It's really fun, dad! It was hard at first, but now I look forward to it every week. I reached the top of my first 5.8 wall last week. Abuela took pictures so I have proof!
I can't wait until we can go climbing together!
James stares down at the photo attached to the page with a paperclip. A fourteen-year-old lanky version of Tyler is some thirty feet off the ground holding on to a climbing wall and grinning proudly at the camera.
*
Ms. Morgan hands him a large manila envelope. Inside is an application to renew his state driver's license, and what look like medical forms.
"You need a cover story," she explains. "Keeper and I have come up with one for you."
He remembers that Keeper is the alien. Given everything he's going through, that he's in the company of an alien isn't even registering as shocking.
"What do you have in mind?" he asks.
Ms. Morgan sits him down at a workbench in her lab and goes through the medical forms with him. They're going to use them to falsify documents saying that he was in a coma for the past decade. Not only that, but Ms. Morgan has constructed a whole backstory explaining the coma.
"This is the cave where Fury found you," she says, pointing at a map. "There's an underground waterway inside it that links up to this lake. If anyone asks, tell them that the last thing you remember is tripping and falling into the cave's waterway, because your documentation is going to say that you were found unconscious and without identification on the shore of the lake. If this had actually happened, you would've been taken to Stone Canyon Emergency, which would've been outside the area the police searched for you."
She hands him a print-out with the image of a brick building on it. "To everyone else in the world, this is the medical facility where you spent the last ten years. And it happens to be a facility where Tyler recently left his name and number, just in case you were a patient there. The nurses contacted him after you woke up and asked for him by name. That's how he found you."
James looks at all the paperwork before him and is impressed by the thought and effort that went into this story. He never would've been able to come up with something like this on his own.
"What's this form for?" he asks, picking up one that Ms. Morgan hasn't explained.
"You were declared a missing person," she replies, a wry smile on her face. "That's the form that gives you your life back."
*
August 19, 2013
Abuela gave me your bracelet on my birthday this year. She said I was old enough to have it.
I wear it every day. I'm taking good care of it for you.
She said that you started wearing it when you were in university and that it was your good luck charm. She said you were wearing it the day you met mom.
Now it's my good luck charm. I feel like you're close when I'm wearing it.
But as much as I love it, I can't wait to return it to you.
*
"I called abuela and abuelo and told them the good news," Tyler tells him, grinning. "I don't think they believed me at first."
James stills.
He's been so caught up in what's happened to him and how that's impacted Tyler that he hasn't given much thought to his parents.
His parents who must've thought...
Tyler excitedly tells him about the dinner plans he's made for tonight. James loves the way he's smiling so he waits three minutes before he excuses himself to the bathroom where he promptly locks the door and fall to his knees.
His mom and dad.
His parents who, like their parents before them, worked hard for a better life for their family. His parents who did their best to be open, loving, gentle people, who poured their hearts into everything they did. His parents, who he never doubted for a moment loved him with their whole hearts.
They thought they lost their only child.
On the bathroom floor, James weeps for their unnecessary hurt and grief, his tears streaming down his face and soaking into his shirt.
*
It's not just his parents.
It's also his aunts and uncles.
His cousins.
His friends.
His disappearance has caused nothing but pain for all of his loved ones.
He wishes he could turn back time and make it so this nightmare never happened.
*
August 31, 2012
I got my learner's permit! I passed the test on the first try!
Abuela promised she'll teach me to drive using her Honda. I can't wait!
I wish you were here to teach me though.
*
Tyler unlocks and opens the door to his parents' house.
James' mom comes out of the living room into the front hall and the next thing he knows, she's pulling him down into her arms and sobbing into his shoulder.
James doesn't know his dad has entered the room until he feels him put his arms around them both, holding them close.
Then Tyler comes up on his other side and joins the hug.
James isn't sure how long they stay like that, every single one of them crying.
*
No one asks James why he looks so young. He supposes everyone's too busy appreciating that he's still alive to care.
*
November 27, 2013
Abuelo is sick so I'm staying with grandpa and grandma. I stayed with them in October, but I didn't think I'd be back so soon.
It's nice to be able to spend this much time with them, but it's also scary, dad. I hope abuelo gets better soon.
*
James stays with Tyler in his one bedroom apartment.
Tyler told him that he took some of the furnishings from their old house, but it's still a shock to walk into Tyler's living room and see their old couch -- the one Daniela picked out when they first moved in together -- pushed up against one of the walls.
There are other things in Tyler's apartment that catch his attention, like a cross that used to hang in his parent's kitchen that now hangs in Tyler's, and Daniela's favorite mug resting in the drying rack.
There's also a custom-made bookshelf along the wall of the living room, one he knew from the way it looked was made by Daniela's father even before Tyler mentioned it, and one night James finds Tyler sitting at his desk flipping through Daniela's old sketchbooks from when they were in college -- ones she kept at her parents' house.
They remind him that it wasn't just his parents who stepped in to raise his son after he vanished. Daniela's parents clearly did as well, and he owes them all a debt of gratitude so large he's not sure he'll ever be able to repay it.
*
James borrows Tyler's jeep for the two hour drive to Daniela's parents' house. Although Tyler called ahead to arrange this visit, James makes this trip alone.
If he's honest with himself, he's not sure how he expects his in-laws to react to his presence. They've always been welcoming of him, but that was before he disappeared and left their grandson alone.
He's convinced that they'll be upset with him for disappearing the same way he's upset at himself for what happened, so he doesn't expect it when Daniela's father grasps his hands warmly and tugs him into their home and he doesn't expect the way Daniela's mother smiles at him, her eyes shining bright with tears.
*
December 18, 2013
Everything just feels so hard right now.
I wish I could talk to you. I wish I could tell you about everything that's going on at school and at home. I could use your advice.
I'm going to talk to grandma, but... I'm forgetting what your voice sounds like and it scares me.
I miss you so much.
*
James watches Tyler, Koda, Ivan and Riley play some sort of game involving tennis balls and swords on the other side of the base. It's hard to miss how happy they all look as they play.
He thinks about the way Ms. Morgan put her hand on Tyler's shoulder, silently supporting him while James first got his bearings in this time. He also recalls Chase pulling Tyler aside whenever he looked worried and making him laugh.
And he remembers walking into their base, back when he was still feeling horribly disoriented, and seeing Shelby sitting with Tyler, talking to him in a quiet voice and squeezing his hand.
When Tyler was a kid, he didn't have trouble making friends. In fact, there were times that James was sure that Tyler was friends with everyone at school. But James doesn't remember Tyler ever having best friends -- people that he cared for more than others that cared for him the same way.
He's thankful for the good friends Tyler has now -- he's thankful that they're willing to support his son through thick and thin, and how they seem to genuinely adore him as much as he adores them.
*
He knew his son and his friends were power rangers, but with all that's been going on, he admits that he didn't fully comprehend what that meant.
Now that he's witnessed his son transform and rush into battled with a sixty-storey monster, he's terrified.
Tyler has been fighting monsters and risking his life in the process.
He says something about this to Ms. Morgan, but she only points at his chest and reminds him, "You, too, are bonded to an energem. When we locate it, you'll be a ranger too."
That doesn't make what Tyler's doing any less scary, though watching him and his friends save the city fills him with pride. Thanks to them, lives are saved.
James realizes with a start that his son is a hero.
When the rangers return, he pushes down his fear, and congratulates them on a job well done. "I'm proud of you."
Tyler beams at him. "Thanks, dad."
Maybe it's something about the way Tyler's eyes twinkle or the way his mouth twitches, but James gets the sense that those were words Tyler needed to hear from him.
He thinks that there are many words Tyler needs to hear from him, and he decides then that his apprehensions about his son's ranger duties aren't something Tyler should to be burdened with. After all, he has more important things to tell his son.
*
June 28, 2014
I did it, dad! I graduated high school!
Abuelo and abuela, and grandpa and grandma are coming to my graduation. I wish you were coming too.
I did really well in all my classes, including calculus! Remember when I couldn't figure out how to multiply and our dinner got burned because you got distracted helping me run through the multiplication table? You taught me the basic foundation. I can't wait to show you what I've built on top of it.
I know that when you find out, that you'll be proud of me.
*
Keeper asks James to search for the aqua energem on his own.
"You want me to leave Amber Beach?" he asks, nonplussed.
"I merely think your skills may be better utilized if put to use elsewhere."
James gets that Keeper is an alien who doesn't quite understand human relationships. He figures that's the reason why he could even ask such a thing of James, but knowing this doesn't temper the anger he instantly feels.
"No!" he yells. "I just came back into my son's life! There's no way I'm leaving him again!"
Keeper seems taken aback by James reaction, but nods in acquiescence and thankfully, never asks James again.
*
James visits his parents at least once a week, and he can tell they're always happy to see him.
He often stays for dinner, relishing his ability to enjoy his mother's cooking. He also likes hearing his parents discuss everything from grocery shopping, to news from their church community. He appreciates being able to talk to his parents about their lives and concerns, and he appreciates the way they're always willing to answer his questions patiently and without judgement.
This week, after dinner, James sits with his mother at the kitchen table as they go through photo albums. He finds the album they're currently looking at strange because at the beginning of the album, there are photos of him, and by the middle of it, he's entirely absent.
Still, he enjoys it as his mother shows him photos of Tyler throughout the years because it's like watching him grow -- like the journal entries, the photos are a small glimpse of what he's missed.
He also appreciates that his mother explains each photo -- what was happening in them and when and where they were taken. Sometimes she has stories to go along with them, and James listens with rapt attention.
As they flip through the album, he also watches his parents age -- the lines on their faces growing more and more pronounced and white taking over their hair.
He feels another spike of anger at Keeper for asking him to leave, and this time, it doesn't just stem from his commitment to Tyler.
There's no way he's not visiting his parents next week. Or any week after that.
*
February 16, 2015
I've been working since August and soon I'll have enough money saved up to buy a car. I'm thinking of buying something good for off-roading like a jeep.
I should have enough left over to travel over the summer. I'm going to visit all the places in this journal and look for clues.
I know you're still out there.
Abuelo and abuela… I think they've given up. They say it's been ten years and that they want to start properly mourning you.
I'm running out of time, but I have a good feeling about this summer.
I'm going to find you, dad. I'm going to bring you home.
*
Cell phones are sleeker and more complex than James could've ever imagined them being. They look like something out of Star Trek, can do more than the computer he remembers having, and everyone seems to have one.
Tyler has one too. He delights in using it to show James photos he's taken of himself in various places and with various people.
"They're called selfies," Tyler explains. "You take them like this." He puts his arm around James' shoulders and holds his phone at arm's length. James sees a real-time projection of both him and Tyler on the phone's screen.
"The camera's here," Tyler says, gesturing towards a small lens with his thumb. James looks towards it, puts his own arm around Tyler and smiles. He hears a clicking noise and then Tyler brings his phone in closer so they can both see the photo.
On the screen, he and Tyler are smiling. It's the first photo of them together when Tyler's an adult, and instead of trying to explain how that makes him feel, he asks Tyler if he can get a copy of it.
*
After Tyler e-mails him the photo, James gets an idea. He asks Riley, who happens to be around, "Can people still print photos?"
Riley surprises James when he not only answers James' question (yes, print photos still exist), but also accompanies him to a nearby camera store and helps him get it printed.
"Thank you," James says afterwards.
"I'm glad I could help," Riley says. He shrugs like helping James for an hour was no big deal and, not for the first time, James is glad that Tyler has found such kind friends.
*
The next entry is the longest one in the journal and fills six pages. The first two of these pages read:
May 19, 2015
You won't believe what just happened to me, dad!
I was exploring the Samson Caves. I didn't find any clues about your whereabouts, but I did find a glowing red stone.
I also found a monster. I managed to get away from it and get out of the cave, but then I saw it attack someone. I know you'd think it was dangerous, dad, and it was, but I jumped in a saved that person's life.
That person's name, I learned, is Shelby.
Shelby and I ended up fighting the monster together and trying to keep it from getting its claws on a pink stone Shelby had -- one that was exactly like the red stone I found.
The monster had freezing powers, and just as it was about to turn us into human popsicles, the stones started glowing. Shelby and I touched them and something amazing happened. Not only did the monster's attack not work on us, we transformed into power rangers!
We were able to beat the monster! It was scary, but it was also so cool! I wish you were there to see it!
Afterwards, I gave Shelby a ride back to Amber Beach, and I learned that she works at the Dinosaur Museum. I think she knows more about dinosaurs than anyone I've ever met.
On the trip back to Amber Beach, we saw someone at the side of the road who looked like they needed help, so naturally, we stopped to make sure they were alright and...
The rest of the entry tells James how his son met Riley, Chase, Koda, Ms. Morgan, and Keeper. He also learns that Tyler immediately took his new ranger duties seriously, and that he decided to stay in Amber Beach to honor them.
The entry ends with the words: I know it means I might have to put off my search for you, dad, but Amber Beach needs me. The world needs me. And if you were here, I know you'd understand.
*
Sometimes James runs his fingers over the words Tyler's left in his journal and thinks it's wonderful that his son has grown up to be one of the most thoughtful and caring people he's ever known.
*
Shelby figures out that the monster attacking the city has a weakness to certain bands of light and she decides to go out to get the parts she and Ms. Morgan need to build a device that can fight it.
Tyler volunteers to go with her before she's even announced what she plans to do.
"Are you sure? I mean, you don't have to come with me..." Shelby says, ducking her head, a small smile appearing on her face.
"Of course I'm sure," Tyler tells her, beaming back at her, and if James didn't already know from Tyler's journal entries about his crush on Shelby, this is the moment he would've figured it out on his own.
He doesn't know how Shelby feels about Tyler until they leave the base together. Shelby keeps her eyes on Tyler the whole way to the door and she looks like she's the happiest person on the planet just because he's coming with her.
His son is transparent with his affection, but apparently, so is Shelby with hers.
James glances over at Ms. Morgan, who's looking in the direction Tyler and Shelby just left, wearing a knowing smile. He glances around the base and notices similar expressions on the other rangers' faces.
"Are they always that obvious?" he asks and finds himself smiling too.
Chase laughs at that. "Oh, you have no idea," he says.
*
May 24, 2015
I fought a monster that looks just like the drawing in your journal -- the cat-like one with the claws. His name is Fury, and dad, if you saw him... I'm scared what he might've done to you.
Don't worry, dad. If Fury is behind your disappearance, I'll find a way to rescue you.
*
Someone donates a large rock collection to the museum and Ms. Morgan hires James to sort through it. He finds the work both relaxing and fulfilling, and he enjoys being able to put his geology degree to use.
When he discovers that he can't possibly catalogue the collection in the timeframe Ms. Morgan has given him, he asks for help.
The next day, Ms. Morgan sends him Shelby who, it turns out, has a keen interest in rocks and minerals.
"I learned about them while studying dinosaur fossils," she explains. "Uh, I mean, to understand why dinosaur fossils are normally found in sedimentary rocks, I needed to learn what sedimentary rocks were."
She's knowledgeable of and competent with the rocks and he's happy to have her assistance. Though she's noticeably awkward around him and she often stutters when she asks him questions. He knows from interacting with her in a group setting that she's not normally like this.
He remembers the first time he met Daniela's parents and suspects he knows the source of her nervousness.
He smiles at her in a way he hopes is kind and tells her a story about Tyler's childhood -- about how when Tyler was six, he noticed that there was a robin nesting under their eaves. One day, when James' back was turned for only an instant, Tyler managed to climb up a tress to get onto the roof to visit it, nearly giving James a heart attack in the process. He tells her how excited Tyler was to have discovered that there were eggs in the nest ("Blue! They're blue, dad!"), and how James used his climbing gear to create a safe way for himself and Tyler to visit the nest after that -- careful not to disturb the mother bird, of course.
Shelby chuckles at the story, saying that it sounds like something Tyler would do.
When she asks him for more stories, he can feel the tension between them begin to ease.
*
On their third day of sorting rocks together, Shelby tells him that Tyler took them all to visit the memory box in Patterson forest.
James frowns and tells her, "All those missing years... I'm going to make them up to him."
Shelby hesitates, like she wants to say something and isn't sure if she should.
"Shelby?" he asks.
"It's just. I know it's none of my business, but sometimes when you talk about Tyler, you sound... guilty."
"I left him for ten years," he reminds her, raising an eyebrow in her direction.
She meets his gaze, more confident than she has ever been in his presence. "But that's just it. It wasn't your fault that Fury captured you. If you want to blame anyone for what happened, you should blame Fury. I know Tyler does."
That surprises him. "He does?"
"Of course," Shelby says. "He's the one who fought Fury to free you. Why would he be upset at you for something entirely out of your control?"
*
June 10, 2015
I miss you so much, dad.
I still wear your bracelet. I'm keeping it safe until I finally find you.
Being a ranger is not easy, but we've got a great team.
Even though Chase gets distracted by girls sometimes, he definitely has our backs. Riley is always analyzing things and training. He makes me try harder too. Shelby's really smart and hey, I think she's cute. As for Koda, you would've believe how strong his instincts are.
I can't stop thinking that Fury had something to do with your disappearance.
Nothing's going to keep me from finding you, dad, especially not Fury.
*
The day before Tyler's birthday, James asks him if he'd like to go camping.
Tyler is so excited that within two hours, he's filled his jeep with everything they need for the trip. Some of the supplies -- like the tent -- James recognizes, and Tyler explains that he stored all their equipment in his grandparents' basement.
They're on their way to Patterson forest by mid-afternoon. Once there, James lets Tyler use an old map he drew in crayon to direct them to their old camping spot -- a spot James doesn't think he'll ever forget his way to.
After they set up their tent and their fire pit, he and Tyler dig up their memory box. Tyler remains enthusiastic until they unearth it completely, pulling the metal box from the ground. Then he starts crying.
"Tyler?" James asks, alarmed.
Tyler wipes at his eyes with the back of his hand, and when he looks up at James, his expression crumples. "It's just that I wanted to do this with you for so long..."
James puts the box down on the ground and hugs his son. He feels Tyler's hands dig into his shirt and feels tears in his own eyes.
"I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you," James tells him.
Tyler sniffles, and still clinging to him, says, "It's not your fault, dad."
Those words make James feel like he just put down a heavy weight, but he feels the need to add, "That doesn't mean I can't wish things could've gone differently."
Later, when they pull apart, eyes still wet, Tyler opens the box. "I've kept our tradition alive," he explains and shows James every new item he's added over the past ten years.
When he takes out a home-made slingshot, James remembers the entry about it and smiles. He's glad to hold it in his hands, and he notes the care that went into its construction. "This is really well done, Tyler. I can't believe you were twelve when you made this."
Tyler ducks his head at the compliment.
"You think it still works?" James asks and Tyler proudly uses it to fire a pebble all the way across the campsite.
When they finish going through the box and start putting everything back inside of it, Tyler looks panicked. "I didn't bring anything to add to the box."
"I've got it covered," James tells him, and conscious of Tyler's curious eyes on his back, he walks over to his backpack and pulls out the photo Riley helped him print.
Tyler's eyes begin to water again as together, they add their selfie to their box. Though James, too, wants to cry, it's the happiest he's felt since his revival.
*
That night, as they're sitting next to their campfire under the stars, Tyler tries to give him his bracelet back.
"Keep it," he tells Tyler, placing his hand over where the black leather cord sits snuggly around Tyler's wrist.
"But it's yours, dad. I've just been taking care of it for you."
"And I'm grateful for that." He gently squeezes Tyler's wrist. "But I want you to have it."
Tyler nods and says softly, almost reverently, "Thanks, dad."
*
June 16, 2015
For a while, I thought I found you. There was a gold being trapped inside Fury. It even saved my life when Fury tried to kill me.
I was so sure it was you.
But it turned it wasn't. It was an eight-hundred-year-old knight from Zandar!
I was disappointed at first, but Ivan is really cool. I'm happy he's free. Now we just have to help him adjust to the twenty-first century.
Also, Shelby kissed me on the cheek. We were pretending to be royalty... it's a long story, but she was dressed as a princess and I was her prince and she kissed me!
One day soon I'll find you, and introduce you to Ivan and Shelby. I think you'll like them.
*
Ms. Morgan locates the aqua energem at the bottom of the lake James was supposedly found near.
When she returns with it to their base, James feels it calling to him. It glows brighter and brighter as he gets closer to it, and the second he touches it with his fingertips, he's enveloped in a brilliant blue light.
When the light fades, he feels stronger than he ever has. He looks down at his armor-encased body in surprise.
He's a power ranger.
He was warned this would happen, but it's still a shock.
"Welcome to the team," Ms. Morgan tells him and the rangers -- his fellow rangers, he realizes -- jostle him playfully and cheer. Tyler pulls him into a hug.
In his wildest dreams, he couldn't have imagined anything like this.
*
June 19, 2015
I've never liked someone the way I like Shelby.
You used to tell me that when you met mom, you knew she was special. You told me that you could see the light in her and that it was like she was always glowing.
I didn't know what you meant until now.
A while ago when I was fighting Fury, he managed to cut your bracelet off my wrist. I didn't have a chance to look for it because the rangers needed me, but when I went back to where we fought, I couldn't find it no matter how hard I looked.
I was upset. After all, I was supposed to be keeping your bracelet safe for you.
The next day, Shelby surprised me when she handed me your bracelet. She didn't make a big deal out of it, but I know she had to have searched for hours to find it. And that's not all. When she returned it to me, the leather band was repaired. Not only did she go out of her way to find something she knew was important to me, she took the time to fix it.
She does things like this all the time, dad. And not just for me. She does them for everyone.
Whenever I'm in the same room as her, I can't help but smile.
She can be stubborn, and sometimes I think she gets frustrated easily, but I like those parts of her too.
She's such a beautiful person, dad. She glows.
*
"I'm taking my dad to get a cellphone," Tyler informs his friends.
"I hope you have a great time," Shelby says.
"We will," Tyler says, grinning back at her. Then he surprises James when he darts forward and kisses her on the cheek.
It's only when James is sitting with Tyler in his jeep on the way to the store that he asks, "Are you and Shelby dating?"
Tyler visibly startles, but he doesn't take his eyes off the road. "What? No! I mean... not yet."
James stares at his son for what feels like a full minute. "You kissed her," he points out, finally.
Tyler squirms. "Yeah, but..."
"But what? Why haven't you asked her out?"
"I want to be sure she likes me back," Tyler replies sheepishly.
James stares at his son some more. "You're not sure if she likes you?" he repeats slowly.
"I'm pretty sure she does," Tyler replies, looking and sounding uncomfortable, his hands tightening on the steering wheel. "But what if she likes someone else? I don't want to make things awkward between us."
James huffs out a laugh at that, amused at his son's obliviousness. "She let you kiss her! She smiles at you constantly! It's clear to everyone that she adores you!"
Tyler sits up straighter and glances his way. "Really?" he asks and that he sounds surprised makes James feel something warm and fond in his chest. Even at his most ridiculous, his son is completely and utterly endearing.
"Yes!" James says, laughing brightly.
"Oh." Tyler's quiet for a moment as he contemplates that. Then he grins and cheers triumphantly, "She likes me!"
James laughs again, happy for his son, and when they stop at a red light, he reaches over and affectionately ruffles Tyler's hair.
*
James sorts through the boxes in his parents' basement -- the ones that contain his old belongings -- trying to figure out what he can reclaim and what he needs to buy for himself now that he has his old bank accounts back under his control.
He lifts a brown leather jacket out of a box. He immediately reaches into its inside pocket and pulls out a photograph -- one that he carried close to his heart for years.
It's a photo of him and Daniela taken at his parents' house. They're smiling, sitting so close together on the living room couch that their thighs touch. An infant Tyler is resting on their laps.
He stares down at the photo for a long time, thinking of the day it was taken -- it was Tyler's first birthday -- and thinking of how happy he and Daniela were. He smiles wistfully.
"I'm sorry," he says, and makes a promise. "I won't leave him again."
*
June 26, 2015
The graphite energem bonded with Prince Phillip of Zandar.
Yes, the actual prince!
Who would've thought he'd end up being a ranger?
*
The second James gets a new passport, he asks Tyler, "Is there any place you want to go?"
Tyler's response is immediate. "Can we go to New Zealand? There's someone there I want you to meet!"
*
After an hour-long drive from Auckland, Tyler pulls their rental car into a dirt driveway. At the end of the driveway is an old camper, and around it, the ground is littered with everything from tables and chairs, to pottery, to garden gnomes, to a collection of what looks like plastic sea creatures. There's also a metal sign announcing this as the location of a bigfoot tour.
"I'll go see if Albert's around," Tyler says, shutting off the ignition and getting out of the car. James follows at a slower pace, pausing here and there to admire the things scattered about. It's immediately clear to him that Albert is a little eccentric, and that he also cares a great deal about his things and his home.
James spies what looks like a chunk of raw meat hanging from a tree. It seems out of place, even among the collection of things in Albert's yard, so he goes to investigate it.
He hears someone shout "Watch out!" at the same time Tyler calls his name. The next thing James knows, a large net has fallen over his head.
James takes a moment to be startled, and then bursts out laughing for falling for such a rudimentary trap.
He figures that the man approaching with Tyler is Albert. The first thing James notices about him is that he's wearing a crown made out of local vines and wildflowers.
Before they can even attempt to do something about his predicament, James shoves his hand through one of the gaps in the netting, offering it to Albert. "You must be Albert," he says. "It's nice to meet you. Tyler's told me all about you."
Albert accepts his handshake easily, like shaking hands through a net is something he does all the time. "It's good to meet you as well," Albert says pleasantly. "Now let's get you out of there. Tyler says you're interested in going on one of my tours!"
*
In the late afternoon, long after the tour, they set up a tent on Albert's lawn, and as the sun begins to set, Albert prepares them a meal on his barbeque.
During the tour, Albert told them stories that seemed to be half-truth and half-fiction, but as they share a meal, the exaggerated fictional side of Albert fades away entirely. Instead, Albert is candid, telling them about how he created the latest additions to his tour, and even admitting some of his general insecurities to them. The change in him is striking, and James isn't sure what to make of it until Tyler goes inside Albert's camper to brush his teeth before bed.
When James and Albert are alone, Albert asks, "Did your son ever tell you what he did for me?"
James shakes his head. "No, he didn't."
Albert smiles, a faraway look in his eyes. "When I met him and his friends, I was going through one of the most anxious times in my life. I felt like a fraud, and not just because of the tours I run." He chuckles at himself and then his expression sobers. "I was chosen to be a ranger and frankly, I couldn't cut it."
Albert looks over at James before continuing. "When Tyler found out that I was a ranger and that I was struggling... he saw strengths in me that I couldn't see myself. And he made me realize that I was being too hard on myself. He stood up for me when even I had given up."
Suddenly, James realizes that Albert's sincerity during dinner had everything to do with Tyler's presence.
"And it's not just that," Albert adds. "Most people see me as strange and I often catch people laughing at me behind my back when I tell stories about my adventures. I know Tyler's friends also thought I was odd, but Tyler... Tyler liked my strangeness and he was excited when I told him about my adventures. He even told me about an adventure he went on with you." Albert pauses for a moment before telling him, "You have a wonderful son."
James didn't need anyone to tell him this, but it's nice to hear it from someone else, especially coupled with Albert's tale. Touched, James says, "He's pretty great," but the words feel inadequate given the way he suddenly feels filled to bursting with pride.
*
July 2, 2015
I got to go to New Zealand! We went on ranger business, but we got to spend a few days touring Auckland.
While there, we met a really cool guy who runs a bigfoot tour. He also turned out to be bonded to the purple energem, but he didn't want to be a ranger so he gave it to us.
I'll take you to meet him someday. I think you two will get along.
*
The first time he's in a fight with Fury, James hangs back, content to battle Vivix instead of going anywhere near the monster that nearly destroyed his life.
Then Fury takes out his sword and heads straight for Tyler, ignoring everyone and everything in his path. James watches in horror as Tyler takes out his dino saber and meets Fury's strike head on.
James feels something in him shift then. It's like a switch deep inside him is flipped. Suddenly, all James can feel is a deep pulsing protective anger.
James takes out his own dino saber and charges towards Fury, forcing him back and away from Tyler. Then he raises his saber high into the air and slashes it across Fury's torso again and again. Fury howls with rage, but James continues his assault.
Fury blocks his next strike and sends him flying backwards, but James recovers quickly and strikes Fury again. Fury clutches at his chest and then, to James' surprise, retreats, calling for the Vivix to follow him.
James hears nothing but the blood pounding in his ears until Fury vanishes with his foot soldiers. Then he heaves one deep breath after another and bends down to rest his hands on his knees.
Even as a relatively new ranger, he was able to push Fury back. His anger disappears, replaced with a shocking and unexpected sense of relief.
It makes him feel like a weight's been taken off his shoulders to know that if Fury was to try to attack him or Tyler, or anyone else for that matter, that he would be able to fight him and win -- that he would be able to prevent what happened to him from happening to anyone else.
*
James calls his best friend, and Rusty hangs up on him before James can even get out an awkward, "Hey, Rusty. It's James. It's been a long time. How are you doing?"
Rusty calls him back two minutes later. "Sorry. I heard that you woke up from a coma, but... it's different to hear your voice."
It's the most strained conversation James remembers them ever having, and he's relieved when Rusty suggests that they go out for drinks.
He meets Rusty at a pub in a plaza he's pretty sure didn't exist ten years ago. Rusty pulls him into a one-armed hug and then orders them their favorite local beer.
The conversation is less stilted this time, though Rusty leans back in his seat and stares at James for a long while.
"What?" James asks.
"It's really you," Rusty says quietly, shaking his head like he can't believe it. "What happened?"
James tells Rusty the story Keeper and Ms. Morgan constructed for him, but also tells him about how he's shocked ten years have gone by. He admits that it's been tough seeing people he feels like he saw weeks ago and knowing that they thought him dead a decade ago.
Rusty listens attentively. "That sucks," he says when James is done.
"Yeah," James says ruefully. "But it beats being dead."
They drink to that.
Rusty fills him in on what he's missed in the field, informing him of the biggest recent discoveries, and as he's listening to Rusty, he realizes how much he misses working.
Rusty picks up on this somehow because when he's done filling James in, he says, "I can see if I can hook you up with Irene and get you in on the next dig."
"Where is it?" James asks.
"It's local," Rusty replies. "About forty-five minutes east from here."
James considers it and then admits, "I think I need at least another month to put my life back together."
Rusty snorts. "Fair enough. But the dig doesn't start until October so you'll still have time."
James doesn't answer right away, but he thinks he'll take the job. It would be a great opportunity to ease back into his work without being far from Tyler. Plus, with a relatively local job, he would also be able to keep up with his ranger responsibilities.
"I'll get back to you," he tells Rusty.
Their conversation turns to other things after that -- Tyler, Rusty's two daughters, the new house Rusty bought, anecdotes about mutual friends -- and James enjoys every minute of it. It's only as the evening is winding down that James recognizes that this is the first time in too long that he's been able to chat with someone his own age.
He's liked hanging out with Tyler and his friends, but he's missed this -- he's missed hanging out with his own friends. He vows to make an effort to spend more time with them from now on.
*
He calls Rusty back and by the end of September, he's secured the job Rusty told him about.
*
July 14, 2015
The purple energem bonded with Ms. Morgan!
We have eight out of ten of the energems, now.
I can't help but feel that the more of them we find, the closer I am to finding you, dad.
*
"After we find the energems and defeat Heckyl, Fury and the others, what do you want to do?" James asks his son.
Tyler is taken off-guard by the question. He blinks at James, nonplussed, and asks, "After?"
James nods and repeats, "What do you want to do afterwards?"
"I have some ideas, but..." Tyler frowns. "Honestly, I haven't really thought about it."
James doesn't push him, but it worries him that Tyler hasn't been thinking about his future.
It's not until after he re-reads Tyler's journal entries that he starts to suspect he knows the main reason why.
*
When James starts apartment hunting, Tyler says, "You know you can keep staying with me, right, dad?"
"I do and I appreciate that," James says. "But it's important for you to have your own place, just like it's important for you to have your own life."
Tyler's eyebrows furrow together and he looks confused when he asks, "What do you mean?"
"I read your journal entries," James says walking towards him. "You know what I learned from them?"
Tyler shakes his head.
James smiles at him, feeling in that moment his tremendous love for his son and all that he's become. "I learned that you've grown into the kind of person I always hoped you would -- you're compassionate, considerate, and so incredibly kind. I also learned that you didn't give up on me, even when everyone else did."
Tyler's eyes widen and James puts his hands on Tyler's shoulders. "For the past ten years, your life has revolved around me. In almost every entry, you're hoping for me to come back, if not actively searching for me. And I'm grateful for that, I am."
James takes a deep breath and continues, "I always want to be a part of your life, Tyler -- never doubt that -- but I don't think I should be the focus of it any longer." James slides one of his hands down from Tyler's shoulder to the center of his chest, right over his heart. "It's time for your life to revolve around you."
"I don't--" Tyler starts and then pauses, as if catching himself.
"What do you want to do after we're no longer rangers?" James asks again, gently.
Tyler frowns. He tilts his head downwards towards the ground, his brows furrowed as he thinks the question over. "I don't really know," he admits. "I guess... you're right. Finding you was always my goal. Now... I don't exactly have one."
"That's okay," James says. "You have your whole life ahead of you to find and explore new goals."
Tyler nods.
"You know, whatever you decide to do in the future, I'll support you," James tells him.
Tyler's head shoots up and he stares at James for a long moment. Then he blinks a few times, his eyes becoming increasingly glassy. Before James can process what's happening, Tyler's hugging him again. James hugs him back, wrapping his arms around Tyler's back. Tyler buries his face in his shoulder and his voice breaks as he says, "I love you, dad."
Suddenly, James has to blink away tears in his own eyes. "I love you, too," he tells his son.
*
July 26, 2015
I know now that Fury has you, dad. He's holding you the same way he had Ivan.
I wish I knew this sooner but Ivan didn't even know he had a cellmate.
Just hold on, dad. My friends and I are going to rescue you.
*
"Hey, dad!" Tyler calls as he lets himself and Shelby into James' apartment.
"Welcome!" James tells them, coming over to give them both hugs. The second the hugging is finished, Shelby reaches for Tyler's hand and Tyler intertwines their fingers.
James grins at the sight. They've been dating for almost two months and James couldn't be happier for them.
"Sorry we're late. We got held up at the café," Tyler explains.
"You're just in time for dinner," James tells them, leading them into his apartment.
They sit together at his kitchen table, enjoying a meal together, and talking about all sorts of things -- their day, his work, ranger business and the paleontology degree that Shelby has decided to pursue. They also chat about Tyler's budding interest in photography. Tyler's still not sure it's what he wants to do, and James accepts that at the same time he tries to be as encouraging as possible.
Tyler and Shelby both help him with the dishes afterwards, the conversation still flowing easily, and as the evening winds down, and James marvels at the joy he feels.
When he woke up in this time, he felt shocked, disoriented and sad. He was trapped in the past and grieving for what he lost. He couldn't have imagined, short months later, having a life again and, despite still having lots to work through, being so content with that life.
"Dad?" Tyler asks, waving a hand in front of his face and breaking him from his thoughts. "You okay?"
James thinks about the question and before he knows it, he's smiling at his son. "Yeah," he tells Tyler. "I think I am."
*
August 8, 2015
I found you, dad!
I knew you were still alive! I knew it! I never lost faith that I'd find you and I did!
When we pulled you from Fury, you were unconscious. Ms. Morgan said that you slept through what Fury did to you. I'm glad, especially after what Ivan's told me about his experience.
You know, when you finally woke up, you just stared at me. It was like you didn't recognize me. I was so scared for a second. I didn't remember that the last time you saw me I was eight.
But then you hugged me back and said my name and...
I'm so happy that you're here, dad! I'm so happy that you're back!
I have so much to tell you! I have so much to show you! I have so many people I want you to meet! And I'm excited that I'm finally going to get to share all of this with you and more!