Intertwined

Part 13: Angsty Teenagers

They got the boys set up in their rooms, gathered them Max's old clothes- some of which they couldn't help but laugh at him for because—as Logan said with 'no offense'—they were 'bloody white'. Which caused Max to laugh and Helen to be very embarrassed.

But Max understood and took no offense to the few sets of clothes that neither boy would touch with a ten foot pole.

Lauren had taken the boys out to a movie and dinner with Casey, so Helen could rest, since it didn't fucking happen earlier in the day.

So Helen, feeling very drained, stressed and slightly lost- heads downstairs to the basement to lay down.

It's nicely renovated.

Beautiful wood floors, green painted walls. The living area has a wrap around couch that seems very comfortable and a foosball table sits in the corner very untouched. Helen sighs inwardly to herself though.
Another couch for her to sleep on- despite Max insisting this was where he was staying.

She just couldn't bring herself to stay in Max's bedroom- where he used to sleep with his wife and be held by her.

Told he was loved and wanted.

Where they very possibly conceived Luna.

You don't just throw out mattresses whenever you feel like- so it's probably the same one.

And Helen just couldn't do it.

She couldn't bring herself to sleep where she slept.

The thought of her possibly having Georgia's heart beating in her chest right now- leaves a feeling of unease as she sets her phone on the coffee table and tries to calm her nerves to rest.

Because how is she to stay in this house- with Max- when she feels so oddly placed with someone else's heart beating in her chest.

For a while after her surgery, she didn't think about it being anyone else's heart but her own.

She didn't think about who lost their life to give hers back.

But after a while.

After the scar on her sternum started to heal and the weekly appointments died down to just annual ones, and she took her sabbatical and came back to 'living' again— it started to weigh on her.

She always loved art and went to school for art therapy with a minor in teaching—but she never truly sat around and painted. She didn't invest hours upon hours and days upon days painting very detailed landscapes or realistic animals and other subjects for the fun of it.

No.

Helen has begun to feel that the heart beating in her chest enjoyed painting very much. So she did it for them.

Her heart drew her to classical music- where she used to mostly listen to just R&B, Pop, and Metal. But now, classical music and jazz fell into her repertoire- mostly when she painted.

She knows very little of what Georgia was like- except that she was passionate about the arts, loved painting, and music. But what really got Helen off guard was the fact that she randomly found the name Munchkin appealingly pleasant for Luna.

Which Max confirmed that Georgia would call her that before the child was even born.

So, now- staying in Max's house where Georgia used to reside only makes Helen feel more on edge and fearsome that she has his dead wife in her.

And her bigger fear is what if these feelings she's mucking around with- are more Georgia based and less so her own.

"It's me." Max says as he draws her attention. She jumps and turns at him with daggers in her eyes from fright.