When It Begins Again

14

"You don't get it. None of you do. I don't know how to pick myself up."

Kim cried as she turned to face Jewel. Her eyes were bloodshot, her hair a wild untamed mess on top of your head.

"You start by eating. By waking up everyday and fighting to be alive, to keep this baby alive."

Kim shook her head.

"I can't."

"You can."

Jewel nodded.

"And you will. I will handle Kharyi's funeral. I will do all the mundane tasks and all you have to do is show up on the day. But I know baby boy and he would want his mother to be alive. He'd want to see and play with his baby sister."

The tears flowed like a waterfall down Kim's cheek.

"I'm sorry."

She cried.

"I should have been upstairs with them, I shouldn't have run outside. I put Mya and Carlos in danger. Your husband is in a coma because of me."

Jewel shook her head, her heart broke with each word her friend said.

"Kim this is not on you. Had you not ran out with Briana and called for help, you all would be dead. I don't blame you, I trusted you with my kid and I'll still continue to trust you with my kid."

Kim sobbed as she placed her head on Jewel's chest.

"I don't know how to forgive myself Jew."

She confessed as Jewel sat them both up.

"Start by eating."

She took up the bowl of porridge Jomauld left and began to feed her friend spoonful after spoonful.

Her mind replayed Summer's words from three days ago.

"Have you heard from Reggie?"

"He tried calling but I let Jomauld answer it. Which as usual, he cursed Jomauld out, called us murderers and hung up."

Jewel wiped the tear that rolled down Kim's cheek.

"You know that's not true right?"

Kim didn't look at her friend.

"Kim look at me."

She stared at Jewel.

"You're not a murderer and Reggie should be the last person to talk."

"He's right. I ran away from him to protect my son and end up endangering him anyway."

Jewel fed Kim another spoonful of porridge.

"What if Reggie did this?"

Kim shook her head.

"He didn't know my address, nor would he have that kind of access to my house."

"Kim..."

Jewel hated keeping secrets from her friend and she'd been holding onto this for too long.

"Summer said they found traces of the chemical chloroform in Mya's system. Which could have led to her unconsciousness."

Kim's eyebrows arched.

"Jew what are you saying?"

Jewel bit her lower lip.

"I'm saying an explosion in the kid's room that causes such a large fire is beyond their little brains. What could they possibly be playing with? The fire fighters are saying it was Kharyi's lamp, but what did they do, stick a fork in the wall plug?"