Inferno Part 3

~48~ Origins of Woody

Ellie's POV

It's been a week since we've been home. I'm not doing too bad. The grieving process goes easier when you've been distanced from the deceased for so many years. I do keep thinking about Justin, though...I'm sure he's having a hard time.

I need to call him, but I haven't. He's done SO many wrongs, that the thought of just giving him a fresh start seems wrong. If dad was still alive, nothing would have changed. I doubt he would be feeling remorseful at all.

Sometimes people need to live with the choices they make. All of us chose to be good people. He chose not to be. That's on him.

I'm working in our bedroom, organizing our closet. I'm finding places for the few things I took from my dad's and going through some of our clothes and getting rid of them.

Suddenly I accidentally bump Woody and it goes crashing to the floor.

Something so simple suddenly brings me so many memories, and the crippling grief it sends me is intense.

I fold to the floor, holding Woody, and sob.

Taylor must have heard me, because he runs in and looks at me like I'm a lunatic once he sees me on the floor holding my paddle.

He sits next to me and brings me into him.

"What's wrong, Eleanor?" He asks softly.

"Woody"

"Did it fall and hit you or something?"

"No"

"Then what's wrong?"

"I never told you how I got it, did I?"

Taylor shakes his head. "I just assumed you bought it or something."

I sniff and shake my head, as I tell my husband about the origins of Woody.

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Alex and I moved out of my dad's house a couple months ago, and we moved into a horribly disgusting, one-bedroom apartment. It's so gross, even Alex wears shoes inside.

We are 18, and Liam is two. Alex has started his classes at the college, because he wants to be a cop one day.

Medical stuff has always kinda intrigued me, so I've been taking some classes to see if I can find a profession in that. I had to sign up for all night classes, so Alex could be here with Liam in the evenings.

Liam is walking around, getting into everything and destroying things.

"Liam Alexander, you're driving me crazy," I groan as I take him off the top of the couch and put him on the actual sitting part of the couch.

"You climb up there again, mommy will spank you. Hear me?"

He sighs dramatically and falls to the floor, pretending like he's sleeping.

"Guess if Liam is tired, he has to go night-night," I shrug as I go to pick him up.

"Wake up!" He grins, chuckling loudly. He's such a goober that it makes me laugh.

I roll my eyes and kiss his cheek, walking him over to the fridge to get him some juice. I had to water it down to stretch it out further. Alex is working third shift at Walmart right now so we can pay for rent and have some food. I have a job on the weekends at an ice cream shop, but that basically pays for the electric bill. I have to ignore how desperate our situation is, or it will make me crazy.

Dad isn't any help. He said that we made our choice to have unprotected sex, and now have to deal with the repercussions of that decision. He told us repeatedly.... "I'll pay for everything until you're 18, and then you're on your own." He meant every word of that. He hasn't given us a dime since my 18th birthday.