Conrad looked around as he walked along the path to the swimming hole which was eighteen miles north west of Savannah and was five miles in from the highway. It seemed as if time had stood still in this corner of the world close to where the waters crossed into Bryan County. Unlike the mansion which did not resemble any of his childhood memories, this environment was a carbon copy of the place etched in his mind. The trees around the embankment were tall and wide. Although no foliage adorned the trees this early in the year there were so many in number that although one could hear the water it could not be seen until they reached a break in the cover. Stepping up beside Jude as he took in the sight of one of the few places from his childhood which only had good memories attached to it the fair hair haired man was relieved to note they were the only people there. Of course the fact it was a week day meant the number of visitors to the area was low. The Hernandez siblings made short work of setting up three fishing poles. They had been informed that although he would accompany them Conrad would not be fishing. This had only raised slight frowns which Pedro had quickly dealt with by saying fishing was not everyones' idea of fun. Conrad had looked at Alicia as her husband was speaking and wondered if she had told him about her former charges' first and only fishing trip. She must have. Once the young boy had seen what the grown-up was about to do to a wiggling worm he had intervened saying there was no need to hurt something just to have fun. Tom had looked at the serious child and promptly smiled letting the worm and his bottled companions free. The four year old had tensed after his intervention expecting a reprimand but was surprised and relieved when all he was given was a quick hug and then told they would spend the morning learning how to swim. That trip had been the first of many and on days when it was too cold to enter the water Tom had simply told the enthralled child stories to keep him occupied as they munched on sandwiches and treats. Looking at the overflowing picnic basket Alicia had packed, despite protests, he knew he would find cookies. Looking at the teens he grinned as they readied their poles and began teasing Jude about the number of fish they would catch. The Surgeon was busy throwing back his own taunts.
"I learnt how to swim here," the Resident spoke quietly as he glanced at the fast flowing waters.
"So did we," Miguel grinned, "Mom told us you were younger when you learnt."
"Yeah," young Conrad agreed, "how old were you?"
"Four."
"We had to wait until we were eight before we were taught."
"Did you know about the train wreck?" Miguel checked.
"What train wreck?" Jude cut in as he tossed his line into the water below, they had passed under the wooden supports of an old structure earlier but he hadn't thought to ask questions.
"Apparently there are ghosts around here," Miguel explained eagerly, "in 1959 a train jumped the tracks on a trestle. It was carrying butane gas."
"Two of the cars jumped the tracks, not the whole train," the elder sibling corrected as he readied his bait.
"Well it might as well have been the whole train with the amount of damage done," Miguel stated, "anyway the cars exploded and twenty-three were killed. Many others were burnt. It happened at thirty after three on a Sunday afternoon so there were dozens on picnics and stuff. The trees caught fire and the water turned black."
"Must have seemed like hell on earth," Jude said thoughtfully but then noticed the look on his friends' face and realized this was not what he needed, stories of death in a place he clearly cherished, "but let's leave the stories for another time. It won't help you catch more fish than me."
"He's right Miguel," the teen Conrad winked at his brother for he too understood the significance of this place for the fair haired man.
"Thought I could distract ye," Miguel shook his head in disgust taking the hint and realizing why it was given so continued, "that wasn't near here anyway. It was further down stream and I'm still going to win!"
"I'm going for a walk," Conrad decided as he looked at the fishermen.
"Want some company?" Jude checked.
"Nah. Be nice to have some peace and quiet."
"Ouch."Leaving the trio, after rifling through the picnic basket and retrieving a cookie, the tired man walked along the rocks by the waters' edge and was soon out of sight as he munched on the treat. Looking at the large rocks he passed he finally found what he was seeking. A rough rectangular shaped rock with the initials CH etched into the grey surface. He was surprised the engraving was still visible after all these years. Plopping down on the cold seat he eyed the passing waters and thought back to the day so long ago when Tom encouraged him to leave his mark in their special place. Although only a small boy Conrad by that time had learnt to be wary of doing many things, things other kids did without hesitation. When Tom had initially made the suggestion it had been their fourth visit to the swimming hole and Conrad was proving himself a quick learner. After successfully mastering the back stroke Tom had voiced the need to mark the occasion. Conrad shook his head as he thought back. Tom had been so patient with him that day, every day in fact, but that day in particular. Mentioning that marking the rock with his initials would be a permanent reminder of his time there Tom had picked up a small, sharp rock and handed it to the reticent child. The thought of leaving a permanent mark anywhere caused the young boy to panic. He had in fact begun to tremble in fear. He had learnt the hard way that if he made a mess, even if it was an accident, it was something he would be punished for. Accidently drawing on a table when the page he was colouring tore had resulted in him being dragged to his room and locked in for four days. Of course Tom had never been mean to him, unlike his father, but the child was not confident he was not in danger of a reprimand or worse if he complied. Conrad recalled Toms' gentle assurances as he knelt before him that day. It had taken a long time for him to convince the boy that it was a safe thing to do and that Tom was not going to hurt him in any way. Eventually he had accepted the small pointed rock and scratched out his initials. Tom had then added his strength to embolden the letters on the surface. Sitting on the rock now the place was exactly the same but he was completely different. He wished he had had the chance to tell Tom how much his kindness meant to him but the fire had stolen any chance of doing that. In the distance he could hear the others laughing over the rustling of the strong current. He was glad Alicia had found love again. Pedro was obviously mad about her. The two teens were their parents' joy and Conrad was glad he had the chance to get to know them. Truth was he envied them. Of course he knew Alicia had been genuine in her words, as had Pedro, and he would always have a special place for them in his heart, but he couldn't help but wonder what his life would have been like if he had lived with Alicia growing up. He knew it would have been devoid of much pain and anguish. Sighing he scolded himself as he got to his feet. No point in thinking of the what ifs. A shout from the river had him turning around quickly to see an overturned canoe heading downstream with a blue clad figure hanging onto it. Without thinking Conrad quickly shed his jacket, jumper and boots before diving into the freezing waters.
tbc
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Perseverance (The Resident FF) by Frances51163
FanfictionConrad Hawkins has to contend with a longstanding eye problem which he tries to hide from his friends and colleagues due to his father drumming it into him as a child that illnesses and injuries are proof of weakness. His friends try to teach hi...