𝙵𝙾𝚁𝙶𝙴𝚃 𝙷𝙴𝚁࿐ ྂ ᴊᴇꜰꜰ ʙᴜᴄᴋʟᴇʏ

ᴛʜɪʀᴛʏ-ꜱᴇᴠᴇɴ

"OH, YOU'RE JOKING."

Not the best reaction from Polly, as she didn't know if the woman was okay or not, being there was an ambulance on the side of the road, beginning to drive away.

Mads eyes widened, and her stomach dropped. She sat up in the seat, staring at the wreck.

Floyd kept his cool, silent as he turned off the radio, hands gripping the wheel in a deathly manner.

"Maybe it's not her." Mads suddenly said as they were in unmoving traffic right by the muddied car on the side of the road.

Her father grimaced, and under his breath he spoke. "Why aren't we fucking moving?"

Finally, the traffic resumed and the truck sped along the road, heading to the hospital. The four in the car were quiet, no one really knowing what to say or to do.

They sat in the ER, waiting for word on Mabel. Mads had closed her eyes, trying to imagine herself anywhere else but the hospital. Polly squeezed her hand in comfort, but she stared, stony-faced forward. She of course hoped her mother was alright, but was still, possibly, the most angry at her she'd ever been.

"She'll be fine." Floyd had come back from whatever room she was in, sitting down and slouching in his seat.

Mads nodded in response, visibly relieved.

Polly suddenly got up, walking curtly towards the front double doors. Jeff looked towards Floyd, having a knowing look on his face.

Jeff followed her quickly, finding her fumbling with a box of cigarettes by the edge of the building.

He wordlessly lit it for her, looking like he expected her to say something.

"I can't believe this." She took a long drag, shaking her head in disbelief.

"I'm sorry." He said quietly. "At least she's okay." He told her softly, not sure what Polly was feeling.

Polly sighed, exasperated but trying to keep her anger controlled. "She was supposed to show up, one time. Only one time and she fucked it all up." Her voice wavered, not out of sadness or worry, but out of anger and spite. The moment was just a reminder of all the times Mabel was supposed to be there for her eldest daughter and hadn't. "I might've deserved shit like this, but Mads doesn't, at all." Polly had begun to cry, uncontrollable tears of no longer just anger, but longing for a mother who actually showed up.

"You both don't." Jeff stepped towards her, his heart breaking as she cried. She slowly fell into his embrace, crying into his chest.

"I'm sorry." Her voice was nearly a whisper still crying, "I'm sorry." She repeated, apologizing for the way she sobbed and the tears that wet his shirt, but Jeff didn't care about that.

He ran his hand through her hair, knowing now that she wasn't just breaking down over the recent events, over whatever else had been bothering her.

When she pulled back he wiped her cheeks with his hand, looking down into her chest glassy eyes. "You don't have anything to be sorry for, Polly." The statement was direct, and Polly could tell he really meant it.

"I just want to go home."

He nodded in response, going back into the hospital to call a cab. The ride back was quiet, the only time Polly spoke was thanking the driver.

She sat at her father's piano, the one she had learned on. She stared hard at the keys, no song to play coming to mind. Her shoulders sagged as her vision blurred with tears, but she blinked them back and walked up the stairs slowly to her room.

Jeff was sitting on her bed, one of his notebooks in his hands as he wrote. He set it aside as she sat beside him, searching for something to say, but instead just wrapped his arms around her. The right words didn't come.

"My dad said one time my mom and I don't get along because we're too similar," Polly said suddenly. "I said that was stupid, cause of every other thing she'd done for us to not get along." She paused, thinking for a moment. "I think he might've had a point. Am I gonna end up like her?" Polly didn't think she would be drunkenly driving into any ditches anytime soon, but as she grew older, she began to understand what Floyd meant.

"You're gonna end up however you want. And I'll be there too if that makes you feel better."

"It does." She told him, her voice quiet as she hugged him.

Polly changed into a borrowed shirt from Jeff and sweats, pulling the comforter over her head, wanting so desperately to fall asleep, but couldn't manage to keep her eyes closed for long enough. Jeff distracted himself with writing and some of Polly's books, not wanting to disturb her and her thoughts.

Mads and Floyd returned as the sun was setting, but Polly made no effort to get out of bed, still pretending to be asleep. In the moment, she couldn't care less about what state her mother was in. Somewhere she knew that wasn't good, but she was still blinded by both her anger and indifference.

Jeff slept on the floor, not wanting to disturb her. Sometime during the night, Polly stirred and realized he wasn't beside her. She grabbed her pillow and blanket and lay next to him on the floor- not wanting him to wake alone.

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