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06.

"Open wide, say ah." Ceres told me as I resisted taking the medication he'd brought, it was allergy season, well spring but for me and the kids it was allergy season, and now I was sick with an unknown flue, sniffling and my head felt so heavy I just wanted to sleep. "You need to take this, or otherwise you won't feel better at all, look at Klein, he's already feeling better, just one more spoon of sour porridge, then meds." He coaxed and I couldn't help just open up, he always did that to me, always made me want to do what he said.

"See all better, now swallow." He asserted and I shook my head, it was so sour, it felt so bitter on my tongue, I hated it. "Swallow, that way you can gag." He explained and I did swallow, gagging in the minutes that followed then sneezed into a tissue. "That wasn't so bad, now for your meds, and to clear that blocked nose." He stated and I just nodded wanting the torture to be over, at least I wasn't shaking anymore, he'd piled a lot of blankets ontop of me and the kids, Lita wasn't sick, she was just suffering the heat because Ceres didn't want her to get sick, and besides she had his genes, he barely got sick. "You feeling better sweetie?" He asked with a smile caressing my cheek and I nodded leaning into his warmth with my head on his lap, I didn't know how he did it, but he made things better, always.

Drake Will.

A week, yes it's been a week since that encounter with Ceres at Gavin's place, of course I hadn't gotten the balls to talk to him then, doubt I will now but I had to try. "Hey babe, where are you rushing off to?" Wayne asks as I bypass him and walk into my side of the closet which was a little cleaner if you could call randomly folded clothes stuffed into shelves. "I'm meeting someone." I curtly replied, I didn't want a hissy fit over meeting Ceres and the kids, I had asked his father first and he said he'd arrange a meeting, of course I doubt Ceres would be there, but I was glad to just see my kids.

"It's a saturday who could you possibly want to meet on a saturday?" He demanded standing by the door with a questioning stare. "Why the sudden intrest in what I do, or where I go, you go clubbing, shopping whatever else you do I don't pick into that, so why now, and this isn't the first time." I shot back and he froze like a deer caught in headlights. "Can't I be concerned, you're my boyfriend, I'd planned a date tonight." He mentions and I find his attempt cute. "Since when do you like dates, or something as spontaneous as what you're suggesting, Wayne I don't get what you're trying to do or going with this but I need you to understand, we haven't gone on a date in months because you can't stand walking with me in public, your image matters, apparently more than us, I accepted that, now do whatever it is you do on weekends, and get off my back." I stated calmly but I could see the range of emotions that marred his face.

"I'm sorry, okay, I'm sorry, — about everything, I shouldn't have done it or said that in the first place, look I'm trying here." He argued with an apology I honestly did not care about, I coughed a little, it must have been the dust on the top shelf. "Wayne, it's done, I've got to go and don't wait up." I told him and he huffed, I could tell that Wayne was getting insecure, for once I was just letting him exist in my life, the deal with his father was finalized yesterday, I just needed the weekend and a few days to confirm with my father if I can finally boot him out of my life, I know it was wrong to have used him, but he was an end goal, I ruined my life to be with him, I wanted to fix my life, with him out of it.

So I grabbed my coat, didn't wait for any sort of goodbye and walked to my car, I needed things to change, and to start with I needed to fix things with my kids, I had been a major disappointment to them and I didn't know if I could win them back but I'd try. As I drove into the city I got a message from their grandfather, Ceres's father telling me they were at the city park, it was end autumn with winter fast approaching, Klein's birthday was soon approaching, the prospect of getting invited was not on the cards for me —despite that, the whole family would be there, I'd be walking on eggshells the whole day just to avoid getting hit by Ceres's brothers.

I made my way to the park easily and soon enough I had found a spot to park. "Here goes nothing." I mumbled to myself getting out of my car, and realization hit me that I probably should have brought gifts or something just to make things less awkward. "Over here, Will!" Mister Beau called out and my suspicion was proven right, Ceres was not here. "Hello mister Beau." I greeted. "Please call me Tyler, no longer your father in law." He pointed out and yes, I felt that, I really felt that one and yes I deserved it.

"So the kids seemed more or less excited to see you, I have no idea why." He asserted as we walked over to where they were, I first saw Klein, he had let his hair grow out, it was still a thick curly mess but he looked healthier, happy and a spitting image of my father, in his younger days, if only he could see him now, then my daughter, she was playing near a sand box with another boy, he was Harry, Gavin's child, he like my son seemed to be growing well, like my little girl, she was so much bigger now and a lot more talkative.

"Ceres couldn't be here, had a meeting with an investor, so he can't mediate how you approach your son, I hope you can handle the resentment he has for you, I'll be at the sand box." Tyler exclaimed and I scoffed lowly, his words did nothing to get rid of my apprehension, rather increased the bubbling guilt I felt. "Hey kiddo." I muttered as I approached my son and he looked up from his phone, what was the latest version of an iPhone. He looked at me blankly and shut off his phone. "Hey, before you say anything, I'm only doing this because dad asked I do it." He pointed out and that was a blow to the gut, my own son had to be coaxed into seeing me.

"That's fine, I saw your game last week, great match." I tried and I saw a slight glimmer in his eyes. "On a screen or at school?" He questioned and I didn't have the heart to tell him that I'd actually paid someone to take the video so I could watch it at the office. "I thought so." He mumbled and looked away. "Look I'm sorry I haven't been the prefect role model father, I'm sorry I left you and your dad, it's complicated, alright." I pleaded and he still said nothing. "You just didn't leave us, you left us with nothing, I know dad cried for months when you left, he always hid it because he wanted us to be okay and he always asked you to come watch my games, to have dinner with the other parents at school and you never showed up, and even before that you didn't care, you didn't show up, you're a liar!" Klein screamed with tears in his eyes and I was helpless.

I went to hug him. "No, don't touch me, you took everything from dad, he doesn't know but I read that letter he got from grandpa telling him that we had to leave the house, that's why we moved, you promised you'd be there for us, but you lied, you're a liar!" He screamed again furiously wiping away his tears. "Klein I never meant to do that to your dad, just hear me out." I pleaded grabbing his shoulders. "No, just leave us alone, I told dad I'd see you, I saw you, now leave us alone." He argued shaking off my hands and going to where Tyler was with his sister, he didn't hesitate to pick her up. "Come on Lola, let's go Harry." He stubbornly asserted and the two followed him right then.

I didn't want to make things worse, as he marched over to his grandfather's car, placed Lolita in her car seat and buckled her in, that was so mature of him, he was furious at me but he took care of his sister, the right way. I just watched as he stubbornly wiped away his tears and got into the car with his friend. "That went well." Tyler mumbled next to me. "Yeah right, he hates me, and it doesn't take a genius to know that whatever I did has affected him deeply, he's not just a kid anymore." I told him and he hummed. "At long last you realize that Will, I don't know what you plan to win back your children, let me know first, as for now, let that boy get rid of his anger, it's warranted, I'll see you around, I need to get them home." Tyler replied and I nodded feeling disappointed.

First time I'd seen my children physically after so much time, my son yelled at me in anger which was really warranted, and I never got to kiss my daughter, tell her pops loved her. As I flopped down on the park bench watching the car they were in drive away, tears burned my eyes, I missed my children, I wanted them back.

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Saint Jay.