Even Though I'm Leaving

Epilogue

—10 Years Later—

Jay and Hailey woke up to a frantic knocking on their door at 4 in the morning.

"It's 4 AM. It's probably just kids being idiots," Hailey mumbled, rolling over to go back to sleep.

"Or drunks," Jay added, laying back as well only for the knocking to sound again. He groaned and both of them got up, going out to their front door. Jay looked through the peephole and was shocked to see his daughter standing there with her son. "It's Maddy,"

"Maddy?" She asked, shocked that her 26-year-old daughter was at the door with her 18-month-old son.

"We're in trouble," she told them, looking like she'd been crying as Jay let her in.

"Maddy, what is going on? It's 4 in the morning," Hailey asked as she led Maddy to the couch.

"He cheated, and we're getting a divorce. I didn't know what else to do so I grabbed Luke and came here,"

"Okay okay. Come on. Come on," Jay told her, bringing her inside.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know what else to do,"

"It's okay honey," Hailey told her, "let's just go back to bed for a few hours and we'll talk in a few hours,"

She nodded and took Lukas to her childhood bedroom and both of them went to sleep.

Jay and Hailey took the next day off, both of them waking up around 8. Maddy was still in her childhood bedroom with Lukas in his playpen, both of them sound asleep.

"I just need to know what happened," Hailey sighed, "It had to be bad if she's showing up here at 4 in the morning. They only live in Springfield,"

"So she left there around 1," Jay nodded.

Lukas woke up a few minutes later but Maddy was so exhausted that she didn't hear him moving around. Hailey did, so she went in and lifted the boy out of his playpen.

"Mama?"

"Mama's sleeping," she whispered, carrying him out of the room and to the kitchen. "You want some milk?"

"Mik. Mik" He nodded, making a fist as he tried to sign milk.

"Okay buddy, I'll get you some milk. Can you go see Papa?" She asked, carefully handing him off to Jay. She went to the cabinet and got a sippy cup that they kept, and filled it with milk before giving it to the toddler.

He drank it quietly as he leaned against Jay until he saw Maddy and made a break for her.

"Hi Bubba," She smiled a little, picking him up as he walked over with his orange sippy cup in hand.

"Dada?" He asked, looking around for his father while Maddy just looked to her parents for help.

"Daddy's at home baby," She sighed as she kissed his little head, "You'll understand when you're older,"

"So what's going on with Derek?" Hailey asked, pouring a cup of coffee for her daughter before setting the mug in front of her.