The Perfect Storm (Read 18,771 times)

[doolfan4life]

Awe that will be an awkward explanation
Hopefully he’s not too scared
On another note, Parker calling him uncle Phil reminded me of fresh prince.... my visions of JKJ suddenly changed to that ha ha

[sportsgirl]

I always forget about his leg, kind of like what the real show did.

[melly]

Oh my soul—Parker didn’t know?? Why on earth would they not tell him—they’d have to figure that it would come up eventually....

See—they should have taken him to the lighthouse and to get ice cream, like I said!

[heroicmuse]

That has to be scary for Parker.

[Kpatch]

Chapter 6b


Chloe grasped one of Philip’s hands and Parker grasped the other, pulling him up out of the sandy ditch.

Parker screamed and pointed. “Your leg! Your leg! It’s still in the sand!” He pressed his face into Chloe’s bosom. “His leg fell off. His leg fell off."

Philip glanced at Chloe. Her eyes were glassy as she held her son. “It’s okay, angel, really,” she said, stroking Parker’s head.

Embarassed, Philip retrieved his prosthetic leg from the ditch, shook the sand off, and secured it to his knee as quickly as he could. Up to now, he’d done a good job of shielding Parker from his disability. “Hey big guy.” He sat down on the beach blanket and tapped Parker’s back. “It’s fine. See?”

Fighting back tears, Parker hesitantly looked over his shoulder. He couldn’t help but stare at Philip’s leg even though he was trying not to. “What happened to you?”

“Come ‘ere,” Philip beckoned. Philip rubbed his lips while trying to think of how to explain this to a six year old. Parker stepped a little closer. “I got hurt in a battle when I was in the Marines. The doctors decided that they had to take off part of my leg in order for me to live.” The truth was a little darker than that, but Parker was just a child and didn’t need to know that Philip stepped on a land mine in Afghanistan and lost part of his leg instantly. He didn’t want the boy having nightmares. It was bad enough that Philip still relived that tragic moment after fourteen years.

Parker started to put his fingers in his mouth. Philip grasped Parker’s fingers to keep him focused. “What happened to me is very rare,” he told Parker, trying to comfort him. “But, hey, I’m really lucky.” He patted the prosthetic. “Science has gotten so advanced that they can make these artificial legs almost as good the real thing. I can do just about everything I did before except maybe run as fast as I used to. But I do okay. You can touch it if you want.”

[André DiMera]

Glad Philip (mostly) explained about his leg.

[mae00]

I knew Philip would be able to handle this. I hope coming from Philip will but that baby more at ease.

[melly]

If Chloe hasn’t already found a therapist for Parker, she needs to get a move on!

[doolfan4life]

I think Philip explained that well
Hopefully Chloe agrees too she tends to helicopter a lot.....

[fluffysmom]

I'm glad that Philip was able to calm Parker down with his child appropriate explanation.

[Kpatch]

Chapter 6c


“Science has gotten so advanced that they can make these artificial legs almost as good the real thing,” Philip explained. “I can do just about everything I did before except maybe run as fast as I used to. But I do okay. You can touch it if you want.”

Parker tentatively touched Philip’s prosthetic with his index finger. “It feels real. Does it hurt,” Parker asked.

“No,” Philip lied. He still had phantom pains now and then, and his other leg and hips often hurt from picking up the slack. “It used to, but it doesn’t hurt anymore.”

“Not even a little?”

“Not at all. You know, I hardly ever wear shorts anymore or even swim trunks because I’m a little self-conscious about it, but there was no way I was going to miss out on spending time with you at the beach.” He touched Parker’s chin. “I’ve already missed too much time with you.” Parker finally looked into Philip’s eyes. “Sorry I scared you, big guy. You okay?”

Parker nodded and hugged Philip. “Sorry you got hurt,” the boy said quietly. Philip held him tight as he looked at Chloe sitting in the sand, watching.

Parker looked at his mother. “Can I go in the water now, Mommy?”

Chloe nodded. “As long as you stay close to the edge where we can see you.” Parker ran to the water. Chloe reached for Philip’s hand. “You handled that so beautifully.”

“I hope so. I don’t want him being scared. I couldn’t bear it if he felt uncomfortable around me or because of me.”

“He'll be fine." She pointed at Parker. "Look at him. I think he's forgotten about it already." Looking back at Philip, she said, "Sometimes, even I forget about your leg. You never complain.”

It was true that Chloe never made him feel anything less than whole, even in their most intimate moments. “I have nothing to complain about. My life’s perfect now that I have you.” He leaned over and kissed Chloe’s lips. “I love you.”

She looked into Philip’s eyes and sighed. “I love you.” She leaned her head on his shoulder and laced her fingers with his as they watched Parker splashing in the water.

[André DiMera]

Glad Parker seemed to understand Philip’s explanation.

[doolfan4life]

I’m glad Chloe didn’t make a thing out of it
Philip did explain it the best way possible

[mae00]

I'm so glad that Parker was able to grasp what Philip was saying. I'm sure he will have more questions later on once everything sinks in. I'm really glad that Chloe didn't try to jump in and take over explaining what happened.

[melly]

That was a very Dad-esque speech from Philip. Well done...