life is a bitch or how death tore us apart and pulled us together

Chris ?!

I drove to the kindergarten and picked up her siblings.

Somehow I really enjoyed taking part in Hayley's family. It was crazy and messy and confusing and loud, but it was amazing to see her smile for a second and somehow it even felt nice that I for once was not the centre of attention.

Annie and Ben loved being driven home and it made me smile to see them so happy.

Coming into their house, I found Hayley in Nick's room and the younger boy covered with blankets.

"Thank you so much for everything you have done for us the last two days!", Hayley said as soon as we had a moment on our own in the kitchen.

"Of course! Just let me know when you need me! I'm always there for you!", I responded.

She smiled. "You don't have to stay. Just go home and get some sleep and we'll see each other in school! And again, thank you for your help!"

I smirked. "No problem, really. If you don't mind, I would go off now!", I said.

Not that I did not want to stay with her, but I had work to do and the old typical pain started to kick in.

I suddenly felt hot and cold at the same time when I remembered, that I had forgotten to take my meds the whole day!

"Of course! Just..." She got interrupted by the twins' crying.

"Your so mean!", Annie cried.

"Stop hurting me!" Ben's voice was one octave higher than normal.

Hayley sighed and looked at me apologetic.

"Could you two just stop fighting for one day? I have to make dinner!", she screamed.

The next moment, we heard a barking cough coming from Ian's room. "Hayley?!"

She sighed and pulled at her hair. "I can't just divide me!", she whispered.

In this moment I forgot the meds and the homework and everything else.

"Hey! You go and look after Ian and I fix the twins and make dinner, okay?", I offered.

She smiled at me. "You shouldn't."

But the screaming and crying and coughing grew louder and she sighed.

"Okay. I don't know how to thank you."

I just smiled.

It was crazy, I thought, standing in the kitchen, cutting the bake-on pizza in pieces. It felt so nice helping Hayley, just like we were husband and wife.

I started to smile.

Husband and wife indeed sounded nice.

The dinner was quite funny, although Ian only ate only one piece of the pizza and went back to bed.

We placed the little ones in front of the TV and sat down at the kitchen table, scanning through our exercises and checking, what we did not understand.

"Nope!", she smiled. "You always forget to divide the terms!"

"Fuck!", I cursed, but I was laughing. "Can't deny it – you're still a bunch better in maths!"

My sentence made her laugh and that made me the happiest person in the world. For once.

For once.

Life was a mean, idiotic bitch, have I ever said that?

The next moment the doorbell rang and it destroyed every tinny little bit of a friendship that had unfolded between the two of us.

I watched Hayley look at the clock, check her mind for some visitors she had forgotten and rise from the chair to answer the door.

Don't ask me why I followed her. Habit, I guess.

I stood in the frame of the kitchen door when she opened the door and stepped back surprised.

"Chris? What are you doing here?"