What Could Have Been : Yellow Jackets

Flight Of The Bumblebee

"We need to talk." Amelia's voice cut through the air like a blade as she handed Viera her plate. The tension in her tone made both kids freeze. Laurie glanced nervously at his sister, wondering if this was about his room—maybe she'd found the mess he'd shoved into the closet. Viera's mind raced too, her heart pounding with dread. Could Callie have told Shauna? And did Shauna tell their mom?

Amelia sat down, gripping a cup of coffee like it was the only thing grounding her in the moment. Her eyes flickered between them before she spoke again, her voice low and uneven. "It's about your dad... about Travis."

Both Viera and Laurie straightened, their eyes locked on her. Amelia took a shaky breath, trying to steady herself as the weight of what she was about to say pressed down on her.

"Laurie, when you were born, we were living in a cabin with Travis," Amelia began, her words slow, as though each one hurt to get out. "Travis and I... we were together. We got close after the crash, after everything that happened out there."

Laurie nodded, his young face scrunched in concentration, trying to piece it all together. Amelia swallowed hard, forcing herself to keep going.

"When they found us, Travis and I stayed together, and after a while, Viera... you were born. I could handle what happened out there better than he could." Her voice wavered as she glanced at Viera, whose expression was unreadable.

"But your dad—Travis—he couldn't cope. He tried. He tried with me, with you two, but... he started drinking. A lot. With Natalie." Amelia's hand trembled as she clutched her coffee cup, the memory of it all crashing back. "A few years later, Laurie, you came along. For a while, we were okay. We really were."

She paused, biting her lip as her eyes filled with tears. "But Travis... he wasn't. Not really. One night, he came home drunk. I was at work, and he couldn't get inside. The doors were locked, so he broke the window and came in."

Viera's brow furrowed, her heart racing, though she said nothing. She couldn't remember any of this.

Amelia's voice cracked as she looked directly at her daughter. "You were scared, Viera. You grabbed a bat because you thought he was going to hurt you, and you hit him with it."

Viera blinked, disbelief washing over her. She couldn't remember—*how could she not remember*?

"When I got home, you had locked yourself in Laurie's nursery," Amelia continued, her voice breaking. "Travis was passed out on the couch, blood on his forehead from where you hit him. I found you crying, holding Laurie so tight, I thought you'd never let him go."

Amelia paused, her breath shaky as tears spilled down her cheeks. "I didn't think. I couldn't. I just grabbed a diaper bag, packed a few outfits, and we left. We left everything."

Her sobs broke through as she wiped her eyes, struggling to keep herself together in front of her children. "We went to stay with Aunt Shauna. That's how you both met her. I begged her to take us in, and she did."

The room was unbearably quiet, every word hanging heavy in the air. Amelia's voice trembled as she continued, "Your dad... he called me. Over and over, begging to see you both. But I—I didn't let him. I was angry, and scared, and... I was looking for a reason to keep him away. I'm sorry, Viera. I didn't give him a chance to apologize to you. And I'm so, so sorry."

Amelia's lip quivered as she turned to Laurie, her voice barely above a whisper. "Laurie... I'm sorry I took your father away from you. I never meant to..."

Laurie's wide, innocent eyes stared back at her, filled with confusion and a pain he didn't fully understand. "W-where is he now?" he asked softly, his voice trembling.