Jessica Lange One Shots

Be Careful

It was a warm summer day in Minnesota. Jessica just opened her eyes to the sound of her three children downstairs watching cartoons. It was an early morning for everyone.

Her husband Sam turned to his side to wish her a good morning.

"I don't want to work today." He whines as he wraps his arms around his wife

"It's almost Friday. Before you know it we will be at the lake house for a great Fourth of July weekend." Jessica smiles

"You always have a way of making me feel better." He says as he gives her a kiss

"Tom and Jerry will be over soon... and when it is, the kids will go crazy until they are fed." She says as she gets out of bed.

Jessica heads for the bathroom to throw on her robe.

"You better get up, you have to leave here pretty soon."she giggles

Sam hops out of bed and begins to fix the sheets. "I'm just waiting for us to finish this big project. Today is going to be a hard day. I just hope my men can listen." He laughs

Sam was in construction and constantly working on new projects.

"Just be careful."

//-//

After Jessica left the bedroom she started on breakfast for the children, made sure a cup of coffee was ready for Sam and that his lunch was packed.

Mikey, Grace, and Will all sat around the breakfast table with their French toast and orange juice, discussing their plans for the day.

"Ahhh, here's my beautiful family." Sam says walking into the kitchen to greet everybody.

He gave each child a kiss before making it over to Jessica for hers.

"Smells great in here." He says taking his cup of coffee

"Dad, I think I'm ready for the water ski's this year." Mikey says to his father

"You are? Awesome! How about you Will?" Sam smiles

"Mom says I'm too little." He sighs

"Next year, buddy, next year." Jessica says kissing the top of his head

"I want to drive the boat!" Grace giggles

"Well, like mommy said. Only a few more days!"

"We will have a great time." Jessica says looking at Sam

It was moments like this that reminded Jessica why she wanted a family so bad in the first place. She had a perfect husband and perfect children. It was all she could ever ask for and more. The home her and Sam built together was built on healthy morals and with lots of love. The five of them were beyond close. Everyday was a blessing.

"Oh crap! Daddy has to leave! But I love you all with my whole heart and I can't wait to come home tonight... everyday is a few days closer to our favorite weekend of the year."  Sam stands up and puts his plates away then grabs his lunch from the fridge.

He goes around the table giving each kid a hug and kiss goodbye.

Jessica got up herself and walked Sam to his truck.

"I'll miss you." She says as he starts the car

"I'll miss you too, honey. Have a great day, okay?" He smiles

She leans in for a kiss then stares into his eyes.

"Be careful, okay?" She says

"As always, I will baby."

Sam slowly pulls out of the driveway and is on his way to work.

Jessica walks back into the house to the kids cleaning up the kitchen after breakfast.

"Okay guys, after you're done cleaning how about we have a pool day?" She says

"Yes!" They all shout

"I'm going to go shower and then we can swim!"

//-//

Around lunch time Jessica made a little snack board and sandwiches by the pool for the kids. As they ate she gazed at their sun kissed faces and her heart melted.

They were so happy and content. No arguing, no crying, nothing. She was so lucky that her children got along. They never caused any problems. It made days like this even better.

"Last one to jump into the pool is a rotten egg!" Mikey says as he runs to the pool

"Oh I'm not doing to be the rotten egg this time!" Jessica quickly gets up and races into the pool. She jumps in and her kids come quickly after her.

"Grace! It was you!" Will says

"So what if I'm the rotten egg! We aren't aloud to run near the pool, like daddy said!" Grace, the rule follower says.

Jessica laughs then swims to her daughter. "Don't tell daddy I broke the rules!" She smiles

"I won't" Grace giggles

//-//

After a long day in the pool the kids stayed in their suits and played in the back yard. Jessica watched them from the kitchen window as she started on dinner.

She was tired from the sun and her skin was warm from the burns she got. But she loved the feeling after being in the pool all day, she almost felt refreshed.

Jessica played Sam Cooke, one of her favorites while she is alone in the house. No one else in the home likes her music, so her me time was much appreciated.

As she was cooking she saw all three of the kids run up to the house.

"Hey guys. What's going on?" She asks

"Mommy, there are cops here!" wills says

"Hmmm, you guys stay here."

Panic immediately set in as Jessica made her way to the front of the house. From the living room window she saw two cop cars in the driveway. She quickly checked her watch to see the time. It was five, just about the time Sam should be heading home.

She slowly opens the front door and is greeted by three police officers.

"Hello, how can I help you all?" She asks with a laugh, confused by they are at her home.

"... I promise, you have the wrong house!" She jokes

They don't laugh, only one lets out a sigh of regret.

"Are you Mrs. Shepard?" He asks

"Yes, I am. Is everything okay?" Jessica quickly becomes serious and listens to them closely.

The officers hear her children playing inside the house, which makes what they are about to say even harder.

"There was an accident at your husbands work site today around three..." he goes on to say

Jessica's heart sank immediately. This is what she was always afraid of, something happening to Sam. Her mind went in a thousand different directions.

She slowly steps outside and closes the door behind her.

"Is he okay? I always tell him to be careful but, is he alright?" She asks

The cop takes her hand and sits her down on the porch swing.

"Ma'am, I'm so sorry but when authorities were called, we found your husband unresponsive at the scene of the accident. A piece of equipment was malfunctioning and your husband happened to be the one controlling the vehicle. He was rushed to the hospital but we just got the word and-"

".... He didn't make it." She says finishing their sentence

"If you'd like to call someone to take care of your children, we can escort you to the hospital." The other officer says

Jessica ignores him as she sits in silence. This could not be happening. This morning everything was just fine...