Falice 2

Sick Son

6.16

Alice made it a commitment to visit her only son at least once a week in prison over the years. Though she knows he's done terrible things, as his mother she can't see herself turning away. She's no saint either, she always thought, so how could she judge him? And with FP gone, he's all she has left of him around. Jughead used to visit her when he'd be in town, but when things between him and Betty became less civil, he started to become estranged.

So when the prison told her that her son was sick, she didn't know what to do. They told her it was serious. There was nothing they could do for him. The prison was overcrowded; they asked if she could take him. They couldn't care less if they released him; he was too sick to do anything.

Now with a bedridden son, Alice knew she should call FP and let him know. The seven long years have been rough and with it being difficult being apart, their calls and text messages became less and less. They rarely heard from each other anymore unless it was something worth mentioning.

"What's happening to Charles?" FP asks her from the other end of the call.

When he received a call from her, he picked up immediately; he expected it to be something important if she was calling him. When she said it had to do with Charles, what she was going to tell him was not something that crossed his mind.

"It's simple, FP. He's dying." She grips her cellphone tighter. Saying that her son was dying feels so cruel.

"What?" FP has to sit down. "But how? Why?"

"They don't know exactly. They think it's some sort of sepsis or leukemia. And the prison infirmary is full, so they sent him home."

"Oh my god."

"Whatever awful things he did, he's still our son. And what he needs right now is family. So can we please just call a truce? Spend what little time he has left together?" This is her way of asking him to come back. She could never ask him before when it came to respecting him wanting to be there for Jellybean, but now that she's all grown up and their son is suffering, she had to do what she had to do. She wouldn't say it out loud, but she needs him most right now.

"I-" FP didn't have enough time to process the news. But without a second thought, he knew what he had to do. "I'll be there as soon as I can."

+

After hours on the road, FP arrived to Riverdale when it was dark out. He started to pack immediately after Alice's phone call, but stopped abruptly when it hit him. It hit him real hard. His son was dying. He stared at the wall for what felt like hours before he could get himself to keep packing for a long stay in Riverdale. He had no idea what he was doing, but he had to be there for his son.

It's past ten o'clock at night and he knocks on the bright red door. It's strange to be back. What was once her home, then his home, their home...back to just hers. A few things have changed since he's left. He felt it as soon as he arrived to town.

The door swings open to reveal an exhausted Alice. Her hair is tied up in a messy manner, loose strands of her curls frame alongside her jaw. The creases at her eyes could be from many things: lack of sleep, stress, aging. She's barely holding it together.

Her eyes grow when she sees him. "FP."

He's changed, too, since she last saw him. He's let a few gray hairs trickle in. He's thinner in the face; it makes her wonder if he's eating enough. Little did she know that he's barely holding it together as well.

"Alice," He would hug her, but he doesn't think he can. All those years apart makes it feel like they're strangers once again. It almost felt like those twenty five years all over again. There's an awkwardness that takes over them. "Can I come in?"