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trashbag-baby666 · 1 year

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Bighorn Moutainside-Luztoye

Chapter Nine.

Chapter Summary: it’s a flashback chapter! Join Joe for his going away leg party! Learn something about George’s past.

WC: 5,061

C/W: Character death, mentions of a car accident, and descriptive depression downward spiral/mental breakdowns.

Series Masterlist!

January 13th, 2022.

Around 4pm.

Bill was tasked with keeping Joe busy while the hooligans set up the party at Joe's house.

Bill and Joe had just been bumming around all day, Bill picked him up at noon.

They drove around town for a bit then stopped at Rosebuds for coffee and sat shooting' the shit with Lew a bit. Bill was trying to keep Joe busy and it was a bit of a task as Joe was constantly in pain. The winters in Wyoming were sometimes harsh and Bill didn't want Joe slipping and falling on ice.

Now they were driving back the county road back to Joe's house. All the fields were covered in a thick layer of white heavy snow, they'd gotten a heavy snowfall the night before.

Joe had his arms crossed across his chest, his right leg straightened out pressed against the door of Bill's truck. Joe watched the fields go by the familiar road.

Joe wasn't in a good space and it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure that much out. But who could blame him? He was living with chronic pain whenever he walked and had to result in having his leg amputated to relieve the pain.

"Joe I'm about to cut a smile on your face like the fuckin' joker." Bill broke the silence looking at his best friend.

"Wow what an awesome way to make me feel better." Joe couldn't hold himself back from smiling a bit.

"Anytime buddy," Bill chuckled, "What're you gonna do for the few days before the surgery?"

"Probably wallow in pain like I have for the past six months. I don't know, is it wrong that I'm a bit excited?" Joe sighed looking at Bill.

"No, you've been in pain Joe. That ain't fair. I think those doctors were nuts for trying to save your leg. Not that it's like this for everyone." Bill rambled on trying to justify himself.

"I agree, now it's the dead of winter and recovery is gonna be worse. Learning to walk with a prosthetic on Wyoming's ice. How wonderful." Joe let out a sigh.

"You can do it Joe, when you put that head into something you get it done. Remember freshman year when you were sure that you weren't gonna be able to get your eight seconds at that rodeo circuit finals? Then me and ya dad kept stickin' you on that mechanical bull down at Wild Bills restaurant? Then ya did and you were the champ?" Bill glanced at Joe then turned into the driveway. The big metal sign above the pillars of the driveway reading 'Toye Family Ranch'.

Joe knew Bill was just trying to help but talking about bull riding was a thin line with Joe. Sometimes he didn't care, other times he would get himself worked up about it.

"Yes of course I remember Bill, you and my dad standing there yelling at me while I rode the mechanical bull." Joe chuckled, shaking his head and looking over at Bill.

Bill put his car in park next to Joe's truck.

"Why is Babe's car here?" Joe furrowed his eyebrows as he got out of Bill's truck grabbing his crutches.

"I don't know probably eating' whatever your moms cookin?" Bill lied as they slowly walked up to the front door. Joe opened the door and came in.

"Surprise!" Babe jumped out from behind the couch holding one of those shitty plastic halloween decoration legs. Followed by Lieb, Web, and Frannie.

"Bill." Joe turned looking at Bill as he smirked.

"We're having a going away party for your leg!" Bill laughed, clapping Joe on the shoulder.

"That's so kind of you guys," Joe laughed, sitting on the couch setting his crutches on the ground and pulling off his shoes and coat.

"We got punch and ordered pizza." Lieb smiled sitting on the arm chair.

"So what does one do at a going away party for your leg?" Joe smiled, he for real did think this was possibly the funniest shit ever. Leave it to Edward Heffron to come up with an idea like this.

"See I'm glad you asked Joe," Babe stood up and stood in front of the party in Joe's living room, "I brought the first Saw movie with me because not only is it my favorite of the movies but that doctor guy cuts his own leg off in it. I also brought my digital camera with me for our photo shoot with your leg so he can be remembered forever. And I did think ahead of this I made red kool aid to match our theme. Lieb also brought cards against humanity."

"This is actually so fuckin' funny." Frannie giggled from where she sat next to Bill on the couch.

"I agree," Joe looked at his friends, he was thankful he had friends like this that would think of something funny like this. Instead of wallowing with Joe and feeling pity for him.

Joe found himself posing for pictures as they laughed. His favorite picture is one being the whole friend group gathered around Joe's right leg pointing at it.

They took pictures with the halloween plastic leg Babe got for the party.

Another picture being Joe in a party hat sitting on the couch holding a piece of paper that read 'RIP Joe Toyes Right Leg He Will Be Missed'.

Later on they sat at Joe's dining table eating pizza and giving toasts to Joe's leg.

"Babes the last one to go," Joe pointed to the redhead and he stood up grabbing his cup of kool aid.

"To Joe's right leg, all the kicking he used to do to my shins when we were little guys on the playground. To the places he carried Joe like to the fake ID place we went to in June last year. Joe's leg you will be missed because as of Tuesday Joe will literally be one foot in the grave!" Babe laughed, raising his cup as they took a drink.

"Shit I didn't even think about that, one foot in the grave for real." Joe chuckled. Today was truly making Joe feel better about the predicament he had been in. Come Tuesday his life would change forever not necessarily was that a bad thing in Joe's case.

April 12th, 2021.

Around 9pm.

George threw his phone to the end of his bed, his boyfriend well now ex boyfriend had just called him breaking things off with George. Sure they were only sophomores but George thought he loved him; they'd been together for probably seven months. Then he called George with the same excuse, "I just fell out of love."

"It's not you...it's me."

George had devoted so much time to Henry, stepped out of his comfort zone for him, lost his virginity to him...

George looked at the framed photo of them at a party together. George grabbed it and threw it across his room, it hit the wall then the ground. The glass shattering, George never got violent but this was a whole new ball game for him. He didn't even know how he felt. Empty? Alone? Vulnerable?

George reached down for his phone again, Malarkey was having his household game night tonight but he knew Skip was off of work.

George sniffed trying to pull himself together as he hit call on Skips contact bringing the phone to his ear. It rang two times before the boy's familiar voice rang through.

"What's up?" Skip sat back in his bean bag chair pausing his game and setting the controller down.

"Henry broke up with me," George sniffed, cutting right to why he was calling him.

"Oh George. I'm really sorry, do you need anything?" Skip frowned, he knew how high school break ups went he had gotten out of one a year ago. For the last few months he had been subtly flirting with Malarkey and hoping for attention.

"Can you come over? Ma and Pa are on a date and I just really don't want to be alone. I understand if you don't want to." George frowned, sitting back against his head board.

"Yeah, no, that would be awesome. Do you want me to bring the stuff?" Skip asked, referring to his weed and rolling supplies.

"Not tonight that just might make me more sad." George tried to laugh through his tears.

"Okay I'm gonna get dressed and pack a bag see you soon?" Skip stood up, shutting his TV off.

"See you soon," George smiled, setting his phone down. He was excited to have a night with Skip. Maybe watch one of the Barbie movies, the Swan Lake one was their favorite. A weird comfort movie of theirs, George got up and walked to the bathroom washing his face as he began to calm down for a moment.

Little did George know he would continuously go through the five stages of grief over and over again for a year straight.

George went down stairs and put a frozen pizza in the oven and set up the couch for them texting his parents.

George sat down on the couch and watched an episode of Superstore. Then the pizza was done, he took it out to cool. Skip should be here anytime right?

Skip lived about maybe 10 minutes away on a busy day he should be here. George texted him a few times. He sat back down on the couch and watched another episode. Next thing he knew an hour had passed, he heard the key in the door and perked up a bit. Maybe Skip was using their spare key they hid out front? He was a weird kid but he fit in with George well.

Then he saw his Ma and Pa come in, "Hey George." Carwood smiled, shrugging off his jacket, "Did you guys get something to eat?"

"Well I made a pizza like an hour ago but Skip still isn't here. He's not answering my texts. Do you think he's all right?" George sat up pausing the TV and grabbing his phone off the coffee table seeing no messages pop up except one from Malarkey.

Donald Duck: Have you heard from Skip at all? He isn't answering my texts or calls.

Gorg: Idk we called like two hours ago and he said he was gonna come sleepover I haven't heard from him yet? Would it be too extreme if I texted Ms. Muck?

Donald Duck: I say do it.

"I'm sure he is alright George, probably wandering through target looking for something you two can do." His Ma was right George, Skip, and Malark spent a lot of time in Target. But something just didn't feel right.

As George went to text Skips mom Carwood pulled his phone from his pocket as she called him. George's heart skipped a beat, nothing was ever good when friends' parents called other parents. George watched his Moms facial expressions change as they talked on the phone for a moment before saying goodbyes.

"What?" George got up walking over, "Is he okay Ma?"

"George, look it's gonna be okay. Skip got into a car accident on his way here. They have him in the ICU right now. Ms. Muck said that you can go see him tomorrow." Carwood tried to keep his voice as calm as he could get it.

"What?" George repeated himself grabbing the wall. ICU? Was he going to be okay if he was in the ICU?

"Here, why don't you have some of the pizza and head to bed?" Carwood suggested leading George into the kitchen.

"No...no...I uh." George tumbled his words out as he felt a lump in his throat start to swell and his eyes begin to water.

"You need to sit," Speirs gently guided his son to a chair at the island counter as Carwood fetched him a cup of water.

George felt his tears begin to spill as he let out a small sob, "But he's in the ICU."

"Just because they're in the critical care unit doesn't mean they're dying." Carwood came over rubbing Georges back, handing him the cup of water. He hated seeing George like this; he had remembered the feeling of Ron going overseas and not having contact with him. He would convince himself daily that someone would show up at the door with a hand written letter the way they would in the 40's saying Ron died.

George just nodded rubbing his eyes and grabbed the water cup taking a few sips.

Henry breaking up with George seemed like a thing of the past now that he knew of Skip's predicament.

George woke himself up as his brain was dreaming of the worst. Everyone around him dying and him being all alone not knowing what to do.

George got himself dressed fast he needed to go see Skip. He came down the stairs, his Ma sat with his coffee in hands, his Pa reading the paper.

"Are you headed to go see him?" Carwood looked up at George.

"Yeah," George nodded, grabbing his keys out of his pocket.

"Drive safe, love you," Carwood hummed.

"Love you," Speirs glanced up at him.

"Love you guys, bye." George walked out the front door and to his car starting his car and queuing up his playlist. Then he kind of just sat there drumming his fingers on the steering wheel. God what would he even say to him once he got there?

George put the car in reverse backing out of the driveway. The whole way there he was thinking about jokes he could tell Skip. Run him up the wall with his poorly timed comments. Skip always thought they were so funny.

George spent his 15 minute car ride coming up with jokes appropriate for this occasion. Along with a juicy enough tea about Henry, George could now tell them all the weird things he was into.

George parked outside the Norfolk county hospital in the parking ramp. He wandered in getting directions to the ICU. He walked over to the nurses counter and leaned on it waiting for someone to acknowledge him.

"Hey, can we help you?" a lady in light green scrubs walked over to George.

"Oh I'm looking for a patient." George nodded looking at her.

"Patients' names?" she shook the computer mouse, waking the computer up.

"Skip Muck, wait I mean Warren Muck," George corrected himself, it was a force of habit forgetting that Skip's government name was not Skip.

"Yes he's in our system, are you family, sir?" She looked up at him.

"Oh, uh, no." George frowned; he didn't even think about that.

"He's with me," Skip's mom came around a corner walking to the counter. She looked in shambles. Her hair in a messy ponytail and her eyes puffy and red.

She signed off some papers and the nurses handed George a visitors sticker. He stuck it to his flannel and followed her down the hallway of light blue walls. They got to a door and Ms. Muck stopped looking at George.

"Look George, it's not looking great but I'm sure he's going to pull through. But he's currently on life support." She sniffed again, grabbing some tissues from her pocket.

George felt all his air leave his body as she told him that.

"You can go in, I'll leave you guys sometime alone." She walked back to the waiting room. She was obviously a mess but who could blame her?

Skip's dad dipped on them when he was five leaving his mom a single mom to raise him while working full time with not a lot of family around. She had no family, all she had was Skip, now that wasn't even a guarantee.

George opened the door, there was a tan curtain pulled in front of the door. George moved it and his heart stopped when he saw Skip.

The blonde boy's body slightly propped up on the hospital bed, a tube was down Skips throat, a feeding tube going into his nose and a whole other mess of tubes and machines connected to him.

Keeping him alive.

Joe felt his heart jump into his throat as he swallowed hard. He didn't look like himself, his hair slightly messed up, his skin paler, it was then that George realized he would never get to hear Skip's voice again.

George just stood there in shock staring at his lifeless body.

He stood there for what felt like forever but was more likely ten minutes.

George took another look at Skip, his feet started moving before his brain was done thinking. George ran out of the hospital crying, this was all his fault.

For the next week George found himself having awkward visits at the hospital. Malark would sit there holding Skips hand crying and pleading with him.

George would sit next to Skip's body and cry thinking about everything he could've done differently. Prevent him and Henry getting together? Prevent Henry from breaking up with George? Preventing the drunk driver from going out?

Malark went to the bathroom for a moment and George took his chance. He took Skip's hand and squeezed it gently. "Oh my god. Skip, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry that this had to happen to you." George cried bringing their intertwined hands up to his face. Skip's hand was so cold, George kissed his knuckles, "Come on! You gotta pull through!"

George pleaded with him, he wasn't coming back.

It was a rainy Wednesday morning officially a week and a half since the accident. Carwood had encouraged him to try going to school this week, George finished putting his binders and books back in his backpack in his school bag when Carwood came up the stairs. The look on his mothers face said everything George needed to know. Tears fell from Carwoods eyes as he caught George's attention.

"Is he?" George swallowed, Carwood nodded and hugged George tight as he let out a loud sob. Carwood sat them down on his bed as George dug his head into shoulder.

"Why did it have to be him?" George hiccuped choking on his sobs. Falling further into his mothers comforting grip.

Carwood sat there with George as he cried till he cried himself to sleep.

George sat in the back of his parents car after the funeral. He gave a small speech about Skip as his mother cried sitting in a folding chair in front of her son's casket. Malarkey spoke next before returning to his chair next to George as the catholic priest finished off the ceremony.

Carwood and Speirs stood in the back thinking about how no parent should have to bury their child. Carwood had tears seeping down his eyes as he thought about all the times Skip had joined them for dinner, been there for George at his worst, slept over. Speirs had a tight grip around his husband's waist as Carwood whipped his tears over and over again with a tissue.

After the funeral they sat in the car waiting for George to say his goodbyes, goodbyes to his lifelong friend, talk to Malarkey, and talk to Skip's mother.

They pulled into the driveway of their home and George wasted no time getting out the moment the car was in park. He went into his room and stripped himself of the suit he was wearing, tossing it on the floor by his closet. He slid on some joggers and a hoodie before crawling into his bed.

As soon as his head hit the pillow he started crying again. He stared out the window as the rain pattered against it, funny how the weather matches your emotions sometimes.

Eventually George exhausted himself from crying again.

Monday night George was left alone for about an hour while his parents grocery shopped for the week.

George sat on the couch mindlessly watching reruns of shows on TLC. He had at least moved himself from his bed to the couch today.

The doorbell rang causing George to jump, he threw the blanket off of him and shuffled to the front door and opened it.

Malarkey stood outside his front door, red hair in a similar mess, tear stains apparent on his cheeks. He was George's best friend too, the trio were always together. Now duo. Maybe?

"Hey," George fumbled his words looking everywhere but into his eyes.

"Hi," Don shifted his weight standing on the deck, "Can I come in?"

George nodded, moving out of the way and shutting the door behind him. He was scared because part of himself blamed the entire accident on himself. Hopefully he just wanted to hang out in silence, maybe talk about how they were feeling?

George sat on the couch next to Don and looked down at his lap, he didn't know what to say.

"What happened?" George surprised himself as his words exited his mouth before he could think.

"He uh, couldn't fight anymore." Don swallowed looking up at the ceiling, "On Wednesday morning he was pronounced brain dead and they took him off life support."

"I'm really sorry," George began bouncing his knee. His heart skipped a beat as Malark explained. Skip had been so excited when he got his license in November after he turned 16. This wasn't supposed to end like this, 16 year olds weren't just supposed to die. Between the three of them they took turns holding the others together, in a moment like this they needed him to hold them together.

Like the way they were there every time Skip would get upset about his dad abandoning them and starting a new life as if he never existed.

"You should be," Malarkey broke the silence.

"What?" George's heart plummeted, he heard him loud and clear. His best friend said that to him.

"If he wouldn't have been driving to come see you he wouldn't be dead." Don's voice changed to clipped and accusatory.

"I'm sorry," George felt his tears start to prickle with tears. He didn't know what to say Malarkey was his best friend in the entire world.

"It's all your fault!" George could hear the sobs coming in through his words.

"I wasn't the one who hit him!" George surprised himself once again, he wasn't one to confront people and defend his honor.

"Well it's your fault he was out that night! So yeah it is your fault." The red head raised his voice and neither of them could make eye contact with each other as they sat on opposite ends of George's couch.

"Get out of my house!" George yelled, flinching at his own voice as Malark got up storming to the door. George slammed the door behind him and turned his back sliding down the back of the door. As soon as he hit the ground he pulled his knees up to his chest and started crying.

This was it George officially had lost his only two friends.

George sat against the door losing track of time as he cried into his hands to the point he was shaking and hiccups escaped him. He flinched as he felt the door open into him. George jumped up and moved, his parents walked in and saw the state George was in. They dropped the bags of groceries on the floor, shutting the door and sitting by George on the entryway of their house.

"George," Speirs breathed out as George climbed into his fathers lap the way he would if he was four and fell off the monkey bars. Carwood leaned against Ron and began raking his fingers through George's hair.

"Oh honey," Carwood sighed. He was feeling every inch of sadness for George.

"He said it was my fault he died." George choked on his sobs as he told them.

Speirs eyes filled with rage and could feel his body heat up in anger. Carwood gently rested a hand on his shoulder. As they continued to hold their son through his broken sobs and crying.

They sat there for probably a half an hour before George's shaking stopped and his sobs and hiccups turned into soft snores. Speirs gently picked George up bridal style and lifted them both off the ground.

"I'm gonna take him to bed," Speirs whispered. Carwood nodded as he watched him carry George up the stairs and began picking up the groceries.

Ron moved back George's comforter with one hand and tucked him into bed covering him up. He hadn't tucked George into bed like this since he was probably 10. He felt guilty for the years of George's childhood he missed from being deployed back to back. Leaving Carwood to raise a kid by himself when they both committed to it.

He knew Carwood would never hold it against him. Whenever he was able to come home on leave George would be all over him and crawl all over him as if he was a jungle gym.

Speirs shut his light off and left his door cracked going back downstairs. Carwood stood at the granite countertop sorting out the groceries.

"I swear to god I'm gonna kill him. How could he say that to George?" Speirs raged as he grabbed a stock of celery and opened the fridge.

"Ron calm down, not that it's an excuse but teenagers are dramatic and say things they don't mean." Carwood grabbed a carton of oat milk and put it on the top shelf.

"I. I know, it just hurts me to see him like this, he doesn't deserve any of this." he looked down at the island countertop.

"I feel that way too," Carwood sighed, grabbing some more vegetables to put in the top drawer in the fridge.

After a lengthy conversation after another week of George laying in his bed and sleeping all day Speirs and Carwood decided to pull him out of school for the end of the school year and have him do online school.

In mid May Carwood was worried about George, he barely talked to him or Ron. He would only get out of bed to use the bathroom and shower sometimes. He wasn't eating pretty much at all. He just laid in his bed in complete silence or sleep. Which wasn't normal George hated silence, he normally would have a comfort movie on in the background.

George had gotten off of work early and he called setting George up for a therapy appointment. He just wanted George to talk to someone, anyone. He could try as hard as he could to help his son but google only went so far.

Carwood put his key in the door unlocking it and stepping in toeing off his shoes. He set the Taco Bell bag down on the bench by the door and shrugged off his spring jacket hanging it up. He grabbed the bag and went up the store knocking gently on Georges door before coming in and walked over to his window opening the curtains letting the light flow in. "Hey honey."

Carwood sat on the edge of George's bed setting the bag on his nightstand. George hadn't cleaned his room in awhile, not like he had the energy to clean or really do anything. Water glasses began to stack up on the nightstand, laundry piled outside of his closet. George pretty much lived in a Hunger Games hoodie and shorts or joggers.

"Hi," George whispered, going back silent, his hood pulled up over his head and his light pink comforter pulled up to his neck tight as he laid on his side.

George felt numb as if he was just a worm in the bed of his Ma's garden. He had no emotions and couldn't feel anything. He had no sense of what day it was or the time.

If his Ma called him for breakfast it was probably 7:30.

When his parents got home it was between 3:30 and 5:30. His phone had laid face down and on do not disturb for weeks, he checked every once in a while for a text from Skip he knew wouldn't be there.

Malarkey had called him a few times but he had no interest in talking to him. He knew he was moving away from a conversation he overheard his parents having one night.

"Can you eat something for me, hun?" Carwood set his hand on George's shoulder.

George heard him but he wasn't hungry, he hadn't been hungry since the Friday Skip got in his accident.

He knew eating would bring a little peace to his mom. George sat up scooting himself next to Carwood crossing his legs as he grabbed the bag and took out the Nacho Bell Grande container, opening it up and grabbing the spork from the bag.

It smelled good but the thought of eating made his stomach turn. George pushed through a few bites before just pushing the cheese and beef soaked chips around.

Usually he would've scarfed it down, George loved Taco Bell.

"Did you work on any school stuff today?" Carwood asked to fill the silence, he knew the answer was probably no. Carwood had spoken with the high school and they understood George's situation.

"No," George said quietly, continuing to pick at his food. He tried to take another small bite but he couldn't. He just wasn't hungry and he felt as if he would be sick from another bite. "I'm not really hungry." He put the lid back on and set it on his nightstand, if by some miracle he got hungry he would eat it.

Carwood nodded knowing forcing George wasn't the best idea. "Well it's here if you get hungry. I got you scheduled to meet with a therapist tomorrow afternoon. I think it would be good for you to talk with someone. If you don't like it you don't have to go back but I just want you to try." he sighed.

"Okay," George mumbled and laid back down under his covers. His mom sat with him until he fell back asleep.

He just wanted to disappear into his mattress and no longer exist. He didn't want to die, he just didn't want to participate in life anymore. Just become a lump of blankets on his bed.

#band of brothers #george luz #joseph toye #joe toye #luztoye #babe heffron #bill guarnere #david webster #joe liebgott #webgott #skip muck #donald malarkey #modern au

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