angel baby (heavy editing)

34.5

      (This chapter is dedicated to Yocairism )

       Chris sat alone. His mother had disappeared somewhere, so had Oliver who promised he would be back but a while had past and he hadn't returned yet. The past few days had been intense. That was one word to describe it. Chris had never cried as much as he did. He still felt like crying but whatever drugs the doctor administered to him wasn't letting him. He just wanted to sleep for a long time. The sight of Kathy lying unconscious made something in him die. He wanted to scream. He wanted to cry but there was some sort of tranquility in him that he didn't understand or want. It wasn't even because he thought things would get better, it was the pills he had been forced to use. He really wanted to sleep for a long time.
He felt a presence next to him. He turned. His mother had returned.
"I saw Lena off", she spoke to him softly but the occurrence of the past few days told him it wasn't about feeling soft, it was exhaustion.
"We should go home too. The doctors are hoping it'll be sooner than expected but Kathy won't be waking up anytime soon. We can come back tomorrow and maybe we'll be allowed to see her. But right now, there's nothing we can do"
Chris wanted to refuse. Logically, he knew she was right but his brain kept telling him she wasn't.
" Let's go home, okay? Get some rest. I might even cook. We could sleep in comfortable beds. That would nice, yeah?"
He agreed it would be but he didn't want to leave.
" Oliver promised he would be back. He's not here yet"
" Maybe he has gone home. He's done a lot for us already"
"But he promised he'll be back. Can you go look for him?"
" Chris"
" Please"
Kathy would say he was being irrational. Everything she ever did or say were better than whatever was being said in therapy the few times he'd gone.  He missed her so much.
Lia sighed, " Fine- oh wait, speak of the devil. He's here"
Chris looked up to see Oliver walking towards them. He kept his promise. 
He arrived and sat next to Chris.
"Hi" he said.
"Hi" Chris replied and just stared at his face. Why didn't he notice the birth mark just above his eyebrows before?
"Uh, okay so, Chris and I were about to leave"
Oliver looked away to stare at him mother. He didn't know how much he enjoyed staring at him until now.
"The Uber will be here soon", she added.
" Can I drop you off instead?" Oliver suggested.
" Oh no, I couldn't possibly ask you to do that"
" You didn't. I want to"
" Are you sure? It's been a really long morning and you've done more than enough"
" I insist"
"Well, okay"
The conversation that occured between them went over Chris' head and though he was aware that he was still staring at Oliver, he couldn't stop.

                    Chris had been staring at Oliver since the hospital and Oliver didn't know how to feel about that as he drove. Wait he did, the feeling was agitation. Why was he agitated? The right word for it was nervousness. Why was he nervous? He couldn't answer that. In a fist fight, he would easily take Chris down. History backed it up. Just thinking about that day had his stomach clenching. Maybe he was coming down with something.
  The said boy sat at the front in the passenger seat and Lia sat at the back. She had her eyes closed but Oliver was certain she wasn't asleep. Knowing her, she was probably thinking of a solution. He still hadn't gotten the time to tell her that he might have found one. Oliver would admit he didn't like asking favours from his father. His own father but he had no other choice. He had explained the basics and his father had promised to relay it to his best lawyer because why was his father so influential if he didn't bask in the influence once in a while. Oliver was certain Lia would win the case. Violette and Sam were very irresponsible people and even a blind person could see it.
"It's very rude to stare at people for more than a few seconds, Chris", Lia muttered from behind. If Chris heard her, he ignored her. A small smile played on his lips.
         With the direction of the GPS, he stopped in front of a house, a small cute bungalow. It was old but cute nonetheless.
"Thanks, Oliver. I really appreciate this", Lia said to him unbuckling her seatbelt. Even in this difficult times, Lia still managed to send a smile his way. He loved that about her.
Loved**
Well, in a way, he guessed. They were flesh and blood anyways. It still felt weird though.
He offered a small smile back. They might never have a solid relationship but these little moments were nice. He couldn't say the same for Chris and his birth mom. It wasn't like his mother wasn't willing to get to know Chris. She wanted to, so bad. It was the only thing she talked about in the house but she didn't know how. Oliver would pity her if he weren't still so pissed about the arranged marriage. Funny how he was mad at one mother and not the other.
"Do you want to come in?" Lia asked him.
Oliver should have said no become the whole reason for them coming home was to rest but he found himself nodding.
           Inside, he was right about his part assumptions, Lia was a fabulous interior designer. If she hadn't had such a difficult life, she could be an A list interior designer. With the right help, she could still be one.
No, nope, nope, this doesn't concern me.
And it didn't. Since when did Oliver become such a philanthropist?
"Your home is beautiful", he complimented smiling a bit.
"Oh, thank you. Would you like to stay for an early dinner? I'm going to wrap something up"
"Um if it's not too much trouble"
"Of course not, you're welcomed here everytime"
Oliver smiled just a bit more. Chris running off somewhere snapped him out of it. He shouldn't even be smiling in the first place.
"You can follow him if you want to"
He realized he was staring at the direction he ran off to.
What the fuck?
"I-"
"It's a small house, you can easily get his room. Knock first though, he's a territorial freak", she smiled before walking off to somewhere Oliver assumed was the kitchen.
Oliver stood awkwardly in the middle of the living room. He could sit but he wasn't fooling anyone. He wanted to follow Chris but thought against it. Whatever odd feelings he was having for the said boy needed to die and die fast. Instead, he followed Lia. If he didn't have something important to tell her, one would say he was doing too much and that he was a mama's boy. What a crazy notion.
He was right, it was the kitchen. He knocked on one of the cabinets to get her attention. She turned.
" Is anything the matter? Is it Chris? He didn't let you in, did he?"
" No no, I have something important to discuss with you", he said walking in a bit further.
Lia dropped the bowl in her hand and turned to face him completely. She looked a bit worried.
"Uh, I spoke to my dad about uh the whole thing and he said he would speak to his lawyer who will be help"
Her eyes softened.
" Oh you didn't have to do anything"
" I know and I know I should have asked you first but I really wanted to help"
She exhaled.
" Thank you Oliver. I don't know how to thank you. You've been a blessing to us and how do I repay you?"
Uh oh, the dreaded conversation.
"I'm sure your mother told you already"
Oliver didn't reply.
" I'm so sorry.  It was in the heat of the moment and it was such an impulsive and stupid action. I'm so sorry"
Oliver didn't know what compel him but next thing he knew, he was hugging her.
When people say "a good hug feels like Christmas", Oliver felt it.
"I'm really sorry"
"I understand. We can come back to it later"
They stood there hugging. Oliver didn't remember the last time he hugged his mother.
"You're a good person, Oliver and I love you"
His heart started beating loudly in his chest.
"Of course I do. You mean so much to me and you'll always have a big special place in my heart"
Oliver swallowed. His windpipe felt tight.
"I wish things were better, I really do"
Me too. Me too.

(**: Welp it was weird writing that for some reason, lol. Thank you for reading!!!!◉‿◉)