TIME WARP: Lean On Me [Riley]

[Janice Adams]

Adams’ residence; 1984, Burlington

The most important thing one can do in this situation, Janice reflected as she stared up at the gnarled oak tree where her blue backpack hung in one of the upper branches, was not cry. You never cry. That was the number one rule. Mom cried, other people cried, but someone had to be the tough one around here, and that was Janice. She didn’t care who suddenly showed up at her doorstep and turned everything on its ear, she’d been the one looking after this family and not running around some stupid fancy school and then going to another stupid fancy school. Janice didn’t need stupid fancy schools or stupid fancy big brothers, thank you very much.

However, Riley and his stupid fanciness wasn’t the problem. The problem was, her backpack was still stuck in a tree, and she was probably going to get angry mothers calling her house because Janice wouldn’t stand for that nonsense. Still, despite the trouble she was definitely going to get into, at least those stupid boys would never bother her again.

She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. She knew how to climb trees, that wasn’t an issue. It was just that…the lowest branch was still too high for her to get up. With the taunts of shorty and weirdo still echoing in her ear, Janice set her jaw and backed up a few feet. She could do this, it wasn’t so hard. Sighing loudly, the twelve year old sprinted towards the tree and took a running leap, her little arms reaching for the branch…

Nope.

She bumped into the trunk none too gently and scraped her elbows on the way down. She hit the ground with a bump and stared up at the tree. “…Ow.” She hissed, rubbing her elbow and glaring at it. Tiny pinpricks of tears stung at her eyes. No crying, she reminded herself as she wiped at her eyes. “Now what am I supposed to do?”

[Riley Adams]

Riley at 23

Being home with Janice and his mother had been a blessing. He could still see that Janice was not yet warmed up to the idea of him being around but he knew she needed time. And for now, time was all that he had. School was not for a few more months and he was just happy his mother was smiling again. He of course couldn't ask how the divorce happened and how Janice felt because in all honesty, he felt like the years in Hammel had made him a stranger to his own family but as long as his mother was smiling, he was okay.

It was good just helping his mother around the house while Janice was in school and by the time four rolled around, the time his baby sister was supposed to come home, Riley was expecting her with her favourite teatime sandwich.

But four rolled by without an appearance from Janice and Riley quickly got worried. Asking his mother if there was any reason for the youngest Adams to be out this late, Riley looked out the window to see the little girl trying to climb a tree.

Frowning slightly, he placed the plate of peanut butter and jelly [with no crusts] on the counter top and told his mother he would be back soon.

After close inspection, Riley saw that Janice's backpack was stuck on a branch and she was still trying to get it down as he lopped over to where she was.

"Um...Jan...need help?" He asked, his tone gentle and worried. He fought the urge to place a hand on her shoulder.

[Janice Adams]

Oh, great. Riley was here. Janice hurriedly wiped her eyes, making absolutely sure her face was clear. She didn’t want Riley to see her cry any more than she wanted to tell Riley what had happened. He would probably laugh at her. When she was composed, the twelve year old girl turned around and scowled at him. “No. I know how to climb a tree.” She lifted her chin stubbornly, “It’s just… a little tall, is all.” She looked up at the lowest branch and wilted a little bit. Why did she have to be so short.

“Anyways, it’s none of your business.” Janice glared, “I can do it, I don’t need anyone’s help.” She crossed her arms, trying to cover her scraped elbows so he wouldn’t see that she hadn’t really gotten off to a good start. “It’s not your backpack,” she muttered, turning around to look up at the tree, her voice low and (hopefully) out of Riley’s earshot, “You don’t have to worry about idiots calling you short. Stupid tall person.” Janice looked petulant, staring up at her backpack.

She tried again, crouching down low and pushing herself off the ground, reaching for any handhold the tree trunk would give her. No luck. She skidded back to the ground, falling right on the seat of her pants. She flushed angrily, disliking both the failure and the fact that she was falling all over herself in front of Riley, the one person who didn't seem to realize that she didn't need anyone's help.

[Riley Adams]

When she turned, Riley winced at the cuts on her face. "Janice have you been-" he was cut short by Janice's retort. Riley didn't think it was best to point out the fact that he could just reach one hand up and get it down.

Janice's stubbornness made the gentle giant wince once more. When she turned and said what she said, probably thinking Riley couldn't hear, the older Adams gave her a pained smile. He tried hard not to laugh at her petulance.

She tried to jump up but fell down and Riley's instinct was to rush towards her and help her up but he really didn't want her to get another excuse to dislike him even further.

"I...I could pick you up and you can take your backpack. Or I could give you a boost...?" he asked, uncertainty lacing his voice. He didn't want his own sister to hate him, he really didn't.

[Janice Adams]

Riley’s truncated question made Janice self-consciously check her face once more and wince a little at the tenderness there. Owch. She supposed one of those guys had gotten a lucky shot in before they ran away. It wasn’t a big deal; it hadn’t even been a proper tussle. It was mostly a quick, fierce show of I-won’t-put-up-with-this, and her bulliers had run away. Wimps. Really, she was getting more scrapes and cuts from this stupid tree.

She was starting to get frustrated, her eyes misting over with angry tears. No, no, that was against the rules. She was no wimp, and there was no reason to cry. “N-no. I can do it myself.” She turned to Riley with a scowl, “I’m not a baby, and you’re not my mom. I can do this myself. I can.” Her voice started to waver, her little hands balling up into fists. She could do this by herself. She really could. It was her job to do things by herself, to make sure her mom didn’t have to do much. It was Janice’s job to take care of mom now. She had been doing it by herself for a long time. “I’m not a wimp and-and I can get a backpack from a stupid tree without any h-help from you.”

“What do you care for, anyways?” Janice sniffled, trying to keep herself under control, “You’re just gonna go back to your stupid school and do your stupid landscaping and we’ll be stuck here still. So d-don’t pretend like you w-wanna help because you feel sorry for me. I can do this myself.” She scrubbed at her face angrily and turned away, looking back up the tree.

[Riley Adams]

As Janice spoke, Riley's features softened and he took a step closer but her next words sliced at him pretty deep. How could she even think for one second he didn't care?

It had taken him two years to track them both down. Two years of worrying if he ever saw them again. Two years of basically crying himself to sleep even at nineteen years old...and even at Hammel, not hearing from them had been torture. He knew they were both probably banned from any communication with him by his father. Oh he had so wanted to go back and just see them at least once.

"Janice...I'm your brother. There's no pretense here...I just want to help. I...I just wanna help," he responded quite softly.

[Janice Adams]

Truth be told, Janice thought she was going to get a rather stern talking-to, for being so rude. She’d been yelled at for less, before, and had accepted it as a given. Now, Riley just looked upset, and Janice didn’t quite know what to do. The thought occurred to her that she might have even hurt his feelings, and that troubled her greatly. She didn’t want to hurt people’s feelings. She didn’t want to get into fights, or hurt people, or anything like that. That was something her dad would have done. She wasn’t anything like him. She wasn’t.

Anxious to prove that to herself, Janice bit her lip, looking guilty. She didn’t want to forgive her brother just yet. But she didn’t ever want to hurt his feelings. What was he doing, getting all sad like that, anyways? He wasn’t as tough as Janice was afraid he was going to be. Oddly, he just seemed kind of…squishy. Like the underside of a turtle; all soft and no armour. Well, that certainly wouldn’t do. Didn’t Riley know it was dangerous to live like that? Stupid boy.

“W-well…” She stammered, trying to figure out what to do, “I…I guess I could use a boost. But only because it’s quicker this way.” She scowled at him again, “Don’t think that you’re all forgiven. I coulda maybe used your help maybe a few years ago, but not now. I don’t need a big brother anymore.” Her lower lip quivered a little bit, but she ignored it.

[Riley Adams]

The internal conflict in Janice didn't go unnoticed by Riley as her expressions were saying it all. He just hoped the outcome of it was a win. He honestly had no real idea what Janice had to go through in his absence and frankly if he did know, he probably would have been outraged. As outraged as the mild mannered man could get. He didn't want to imagine exactly what could have happened to Janice without him around. If his own childhood was any indication, he felt that Janice's couldn't have been any better.

But the thought did weigh down on Riley. What if Janice had been beaten up like he had? What if she had suffered as much as him? He got lucky, getting accepted into Hammel but Janice...God, he couldn't even imagine...

Janice's compliance drew a relieved sigh out of Riley, a smile carving on his lips, leaving a huge dimple on the right side of his cheek. It had to be maintained lest Janice changed her mind, which with her scowl, Riley knew could be absolutely possible.

He tried not to let her words get to him as he nodded, approaching her cautiously and holding out his hands to pick her up. When she showed no outward protests, Riley picked her up and put her on his left shoulder, moving closer to the branch for her to grab her bag. "Be careful, Janie."

[Janice Adams]

Janice bristled when Riley grinned at her, but didn’t say anything. His wasn’t a smile of triumph or condescension, like she had been expecting. He just simply looked… happy to help her. Janice looked confusedly at the taller man. There was no reason for him to want to make amends with her, really. He wouldn’t gain anything by it; there wasn’t anything she could give him. He just… wanted to help her because… they were family? Janice wasn’t sure if that was really true, nor was she certain how she felt about that, but nobody had done that before.

She wasn’t given much time to consider this once Riley scooped her up and pluncked her on his shoulder. Janice gasped, suddenly and frightfully aware of just how tall Riley was compared to how small she was. She clutched at his shirt collar, momentarily frozen in fear. “D-don’t drop me.” Janice stammered, trying to sound threatening, “Don’t you dare drop me, or…or…” She didn’t have much of a threat for him, since right now, he could just let her fall, and she couldn’t do anything to stop it.

She looked up to see her backpack just within reach. With a trembling hand, she reached up and, after one or two near misses, she was able to grab ahold of one of the straps and pull it off of the tree. She wavered for a moment, and for a horrifying second, she thought she was going to fall. “Don’t drop me.” She tried to hold as still as she could, closing her eyes tight.

[Riley Adams]

When Janice started the threat, Riley had to bite his lip from laughing. No way in hell would he drop a lightweight like Janice. Especially not his baby sister. "I won't, I promise." He reassured her, gripping on to her waist, he tried lifting her up higher so she could reach better and once that was done, she sat back down but he could feel her wobbling so he quickly pulled her down and wrapped his arms around her.

"I won't ever drop you. I'm always here to catch you, Janie. No matter what. I'm here now. I'm not going anywhere. You don't have to do everything yourself anymore. I promise." Riley said softly, tightening his grip on her as he slowly lowered her down to the ground.

[Janice Adams]

Tears were slipping down her face by the time Riley got her safely to the ground. Because this really wasn’t about some stupid backpack, or Riley’s school. It was more about someone promising not to drop her, someone letting her use him as a ladder just because he loved her. Someone who was letting her free. She wasn’t shaken and close to tears because Riley wasn’t going to drop her to the ground, it was more because Riley was promising not to leave anymore. He was willing to be someone to say trust me, you trust me.

When Janice’s feet hit the ground, she wrapped her arms around Riley’s huge torso and buried her face in his shirt, her shoulders shaking. She was breaking her number one rule of life: never cry. But maybe it wouldn’t hurt just this once. Somehow, she knew Riley wouldn’t judge.

“I d-didn’t even know y-your name until l-like…two m-months ago…” Janice hiccupped, her grip tightening on his shirt. He smelled like coffee. “I l-lied, I did need your help. S’hard, taking care of mom without her knowing it. And…y-you suddenly sh-show up and I didn’t…you were so tall.” She was sure she wasn’t making any sense at this point, “An’ you were…basically an adult and…” She shook her head, feeling very small and worn out and old for a twelve year old.

[Riley Adams]

When he heard little sniffles coming from his baby sister, Riley's heart broke. That wasn't even his intention, making her cry. But now that she was, Riley felt it was his obligation to help her stop.

As she spoke, Riley wrapped one arm around Janice while one hand stroked her hair softly. He gave off a little sigh, knowing it must have been hard for anyone to have to live with just one parent after losing a spouse and another child. He felt a sense of pride for Janice, being able to do just that at such a young age. But he was here now. She didn't have to. Not anymore. Not ever.

"Janie...your big brother's here. You can count on me. No matter what." He released her and got down to his knees so they could be at eye level. He pulled out his long sleeve and dabbed at Janice's face. "I'm not saying I'm going to be a dad substitute. I don't want you to think I'm going to start ordering you around but I want you to trust me. I'm your brother. I promise I'll protect you from anything. You don't have to take care of everything all on your own anymore." He promised as he pushed her hair out of her face.

Once her face was all clear, Riley gave her a little smile. "I made you peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. No crusts, as you like it. Why don't we go home and take care of that."

[Janice Adams]

Janice felt a little silly, crying like such a baby. And in any other instance, with anyone else, she would instantly run and hide herself away until it was safer. Until she could pretend that nothing had happened and move on. But here, in Riley’s long limbed hug, Janice didn’t really feel like she needed to hide. She gave him a watery smile and batted away his hand as he wiped her face with his sleeve. “Don’t.” She sniffled, letting out a shaky laugh, “You’re gonna get snot all over your shirt.” She wiped her face with the back of her own hand and sighed. “Okay.” She nodded at his words, still sniffling a little bit, “Okay, thanks Riley.”

She gave him a little smile back, “That’s my favorite. Who told you, Mom? I didn’t know she noticed.” Janice stared down at her backpack and leaned against Riley. “Thanks, by the way.” She looked up at him, “I guess you being tall has its benefits.”

“So when you go back to college.” Janice said quietly, staring at the ground as they walked, “You—I mean…make sure you call Mom every once and a while. Now that you’ve got our number.” Janice tucked a lock of brown hair behind her ear and felt very, very tired, “She’ll miss you and stuff.” Because naturally Riley wouldn’t be back. Why would he? All he would be able to come back to is the mother he hadn’t seen in ten years and a stupid little sister who cried like a baby and got her backpack stuck in trees. Janice wouldn’t go back, if it she were Riley. No, the way Janice figured it, Riley had come back to track them down and then he would go off again. She tried not to let it bother her.

[Riley Adams]

"I don't mind so much, just wanna clean you up." Riley smiled and gave her another hug when she thanked him. "Don't have to thank me, Janey." He let her go and swiped a thumb under her eyes to catch a tear. "There, good as new."

Riley nodded at Janice's assumptions, not willing to correct her on it. She didn't need to know that he'd been keeping tabs on what everyone liked just so they could have their little pleasures. He laughed when Janice relayed to him of his uses. "I'm glad you think so." He let her lean on him, smiling a little.

As Janice spoke, Riley didn't quite get what she was getting at until she finished and by then, he felt a little uneasy. "I'm...of course I'll call...but it's not like I won't be coming back." He shook his head. "I plan on coming back every holiday. Can...can I?"

[Janice Adams]

Janice grinned a little, not used to the affectionate attention. Usually when she was upset, she’d ask her mom for privacy and Heather would give it to her. It occurred to her that her mother didn’t really know what to do with crying children, so Janice tried to keep it out of her mother’s sight. So now here was someone she hadn’t seen before ever, who was taking care of her. She didn’t quite know what to do about it. “Thanks.” She said, shy for the first time.

Her smile grew wider, “I do think so. You can get stuff up high. And nobody will ever mess with me, since you’re so tall and adult-looking. They don’t have to know you’re not all that scary.” Janice was already of the opinion that Riley was kind of a wimp, in that too kind for your own good sort of way. But that was okay: Janice was rough around the edges. They could work well together.

Janice looked up at her brother with big, round eyes when Riley asked if he could come back. He actually asked. Like her word would influence his decisions. Like one word from her would send him away forever, or keep him here as long as she wanted. It was a little daunting, and more than a little touching. “I’m… well. Yeah. I w-want you to come back. You’ll be around for Christmas?” That sounded like more than she could ever ask for.