Message-ID: <19990223164334.26631.qmail@hotmail.com> From: "Erik Dreiling" Date: Tue, 23 Feb 1999 08:43:34 PST Subject: Quantum Leap: Reunion (Part 3) Part Three of Six _________________________________________________________________ Shamrock, Texas July 12,1978 Sam took a walk around the neighborhood to get some time alone. He just needed to think. Plus, he had to get away from Chris and Jim before they started to ask him some more questions on why he was 'talking to thin air' earlier. Sam need to think on ways to keep Chris from leaving the house four days from now. But the problem was that he had very little to work with and he didn't know if his solution, when he would come up with one, would cause or hinder the situation at hand. He stopped half way around the block to find some shade to escape into. It was becoming miserably hot and he looked around and saw a large tree that looked very inviting to sit under. As he walked towards the tree a person emerged from the house and looked right at Sam. "Well, if it isn't Kenneth James Richardson. It's nice to see you again",came a pleasant voice. Sam turned around and saw an elderly woman giving him a wide smile. He guessed that she must be somewhere in her seventies. She had permed white hair and wore bright red lipstick. He looked at her and smiled back. "Its nice..to see you again", he stammered. She gave him another wide smile and then laughed. "Well, Kenneth, you look as if you are about to faint. I can't say that I blame you, though. I have all of the fans in my house going at full blast, hehe." She asked Sam if he would like to come inside and cool down. Sam assumed that she must either be a relative of Kenny's or a close family friend. He accepted the offer and the two of them both went inside. The house looked similar to Kenny's but the living room was a bit larger and the front door was on the left side, not the right. As he walked inside the living room he saw a full length mirror at the far right side of the room. Curiously, he took a moment to step in front of it to see what he looked like. Kenny was tall for his age and had broad shoulders and was well muscled. He had longish brown hair that was framing a strong face and had dark brown eyes. Sam was pleased about the way he looked. He turned around and headed towards the kitchen where the woman went. She met him half way and gave him a soda. Sam and the woman, whose name he did not know yet, walked back to the living room and took a seat in a chair on the far left side. It felt good to get out of the heat and into a nice cool room. He reclined in the chair and closed his eyes. When he opened them he saw the woman looking at him pleasantly. Sam smiled back and took another sip of his soda. They talked about the weather, and her late husband, and how hot the summer was going to be. After a moment of silence the woman, whose name Sam found out as being Louise Cutter, asked Sam about Chris. "How is Chris doing, Kenneth? I haven't seen or heard from him in a while now. I certainly hope that he is doing better." Sam became suspicious at the last statement. "What do you mean 'doing better'?" "Well, you certainly remember last time he visited, don't you?" She gave him a quizzical look. "Oh..of coarse I remember last time." "I mean, your daddy and Chris were just a yelling at each other at the top o' their lungs. And Chris went storming out of the house." Sam thought about this for a few beats before she went on. "The whole neighborhood didn't have a clue as of what was goin' on. I thought maybe you could tell me...if you want." Sam had no idea what to say next. "Well...I-" "Hasn't anyone else asked you about that? I mean, you were there, Kenneth. You was a trying to stop them from yellin' at each other. I had never seen anything quite like it." Sam remained silent taking in the new information. He now had a firmer grasp on the situation. He looked at her and gave her a little smile. He then got out of the chair and headed towards the door. He paused half way and turned to face her. "I am sorry, Mrs. Cutter, but I do have to go now. Uh...,my dad is probably wondering where I am," he stammered. "I understand. Thank you for stopping by, Kenneth. I do hope everything works out between your brother and father, now." Sam nodded and left. She watched him go. When she shut the door she thought to herself That boy seemes different somehow. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, though. Oh, well, it must have to do with his brother and father. They never had really gotten along for as long as she could remember. They always seemed to be arguing about something. *** Sam hurried on getting back to the Richardson house. He now knew why he was here. Oh, keeping Chris from disapparing was important, not that he was denying that, but he felt that he was beginning to understand the true meaning of this Leap. He wished that Chris would still be there when he got back. Sam stopped half way and swped sweat from his forehead and thought to himself I can't remember summer ever being this hot before! Either my childhood memories of summer were wrong or summer in Texas was brutal. He guessed on the latter. He got back to the house and saw Jim Richardson sitting on a chair on the front porch sipping at a beer. Chris was no where to be seen. For a brief moment Sam began to panic. Had Chris already left?? Had I changed history without knowing it?? Putting aside his fears, for the moment, he asked tentavly, "Where's Chris?" Jim looked up at Sam through his wire rimmed glasses and said nothing for a moment. He just stared at Sam. After a pause he set down his beer on the ground next to his chair and said quietly, "Chris is inside, Ken. He's resting at the moment. I guess he had burned himself out unloading all those suitcases from that sorry excuse he calls a vehicle." Jim's voice had a definate sarcastic tone to it, as well as anger, and he picked up his beer again sipped at it. Jim was a little overweight and was balding. He had a graying thin mustache and he was dressed like a coyboy, which meant blue jeans, cowboy boots, a white T-shirt complete with a vest and a tan colored coyboy hat that looked a little large on him. Sam looked at Jim for a while, the way he was dressed, and wanted to make a comment on it. "Aren't you hot under all those clothes?", Sam asked curiously. He was amazed that the man hadn't fainted on him. Jim laughed a little and shook his head. "When you've lived in Texas as long as I have, son, you tend to adjust to the weather." Jim paused for a beat and a smile drifted on his face, as if he were reflecting on some old memories. He continued, "I've lived here in Shamrock for over 25 years and the heat hasn't gotten to me yet, Kenny. I'll tell you what,it takes a lot to get to James Kenneth Richardson!" Sam smiled and laughed along with him. After the last of Sam's laughter had dried up he said, "I'm going to go check on Chris, Dad. I need to talk to him." At the mention of Chris, Jim suddenly became sober. "Don't expect him to listen, Ken. He never has before." Sam stopped in the middle of the doorway and winced at that last remark. He stepped in and closed the door gently behind him. The house resembled Mrs. Cutter's quite a bit but the living room here was a trifle larger and less cluttered. He turned around and headed towrds the hall. He made a right turn and walked down the narrow hallway. To his right a door was slightly open and he poked his head in to see what was inside. Chris was sprawled on his bed staring at the celing. He didn't seem to notice Sam. Sam cleaed his throat to get Chris' attention. "What do you want?", Chris replied curtly. "I was just checking to see if you were o.k." "Do I look 'o.k.'? "Sorry. Dumb question." Chris snorted and continued to stare at the celing. Sam walked over to the foot of the bed and sat down. Chris leaned forward and sat up. "I can't believe someone could be as stubborn and pig headed as Dad," Chris said after a moment of silence."I mean, he won't listen to anyone whose opinions are different from his." "Well, have you ever tried to listen to what Dad has to say?", Sam asked. Chris gave Sam a look that could kill. "I can't believe you just said that, Kenny. After all this time and what has happened in the past, you had to go and ask that! Sam took in a deep breath and tried to relax. He had no idea what to say to that. At that moment the Imaging Chamber Door opened and Al appeared. The Door appeared in the doorway of the bedroom. Al curiously looked in the room and saw Chris with his savage look. "What happened in here?", he asked. "Sheesh, it looks like someone died in here." Sam couldn't answer Al at the moment, not with Chris in the room. Sam got up and headed for the door. "I'm going to,uh, go to my room. I'll leave you alone now." "Good." Sam sighed quietly and left the room. Al recentered at the end of the hall. When Sam walked past him Al tapped at the handlink and smacked it on its side. The handlink produced a squeal of electronic outrage. "Ziggy's got some data on the Richardsons, Sam." Sam stopped walking and turned around to face Al. Al still looked ragged and he was trying hard not to show it. Sam leaned against the wall and closed his eyes. Al gave Sam a hard stare and for a moment said nothing. When Sam opened his eyes Al spoke up. "I had Ziggy run a scan on the Richardson's family history. I think that I should tell you that there isn't much on them. It Ziggy a while just to get this much." Al waited for Sam's reaction and when he didn't get one Al continued. "I also had Beeks talk to Kenny in the Waiting Room to get as much family history as possible. We were able to get a little more but his memory is swiss-cheesed, Sam." "Just get to the point, Al", Sam replied hastily. Al had a look of pure suprise on his face. Sam immediatly felt sorry. "Sorry, Al. It's just that I do not know what to do here. I mean, I never had to deal with anything like this before." "Take it easy, Sam. I'll help you out here. Just calm down." Sam tried to relax. "Chris and Kenny's parents got a divorce back in '70. The mother got Chris and the father got Kenny. We don't have any more, though." Sam was begining to get a clearer perception of the problem. "Do you think that this divorce had something to do with the bad relationship between Chris and Jim? I've noticed that they rarely get along. They always seem to be arguing about something." Al thought about this for a second and shook his head. "I don't know Sam. I'll go back and have Gooshie search the archives again. Maybe there's something that we missed." As Al opened the Door Jim Richardson walked through Al and towards the room that Chris was in. Sam spoke up. "Uh..Dad..maybe you shouldn't go in there right now." Jim gave Sam a icy stare. For a moment it was as if Sam was afraid of what Jim might do next. This feeling felt all to familiar. Sam guessed that it was a residual from Kenny. Then for a moment Kenny completely took over. "Please don't let this end up like last time, Dad. I was hoping that by bringing Chris here that maybe you two could put aside your past conflictions and just get along dammit! How hard is that to do? Who knows, maybe this time will be the last that you ever see Chris." Sam stopped himself and became totally befuddled. Hew tried to clear his mind but it seemed that there was a lot more of merging between Sam's mind and Kenny's. Jim looked shocked at what Sam had said and then had a look of pure anger on his face. "You shut your mouth, boy. You do not talk to your father like that, you hear me?" Sam nodded and Jim walked into the room and shut the door behind him. Sam and Al just stood there completely amazed. "Jeez, Sam. I didn't know that you had it in you. What made you say that?" "More like 'who' made me say that. For a moment Kenny completely took over, Al. I was spouting his words and thinking his thoughts." Al considered this and then stepped in the Door. Before he left he said, "This reminds me of the time that you Leaped into Lee Harvey Oswald." Sam didn't remember and he didn't try to. Al tapped the buttons on the handlink and a second later he was gone. Behind him Sam could hear the shouts of the two men in the other room. Sam sighed heavily and shook his head. Sam hadn't thought this way in a long time but he was begining to think that he couldn't fix what he was Leaped here to do.