Once Upon a Heartbreak

Chapter Five:: Family Dinner

::Chapter Five- Family Dinner::

            Junnie and I sped to the hospital in which Blake said my brother was at. So many thoughts ran through my mind as I tried to figure out why Jake was at the hospital. Why he was at the gynecologist, and what Lexie wanted to tell him. Once we parked, I wasted no time to run inside. I looked around the hallways where I saw a lot of pregnant ladies walking around. I was breathing hard, not sure of what I was going to find by coming.  I finally spotted Jake, sitting on the floor in one of the more empty hallways, his face buried in his hands, and his shoulder shook lightly.

            I approached him slowly, aware that Junnie had not moved a muscle since he saw his best friend on the floor of a hospital, crying. I stopped in front of Jake and knelt down. “Jakey,” I said softly

            He looked up at me, his eyes still filled with tears. “Hae,” he sobbed. “I fucked up so bad, Hae. I fucked it all up.”

            “What are you talking about, Jake?” I asked. “What happened with Lexie? Why are you here?”

            “Lexie—“he said, “she hates me, doesn’t she? I fucked it all up for her, didn’t I? It wasn’t supposed to be like this. She’s so young, but I fucked it all up. It’s all my fault. She just got started, Hae. She shouldn’t be like this.”

            I pulled him in for a hug. I knew what had happened. Was I mad? No, I wasn’t. I admit I was a bit mad at Jake for not telling me anything with Lexie, but I just had to put myself in his shoes, I guess. It still didn’t make any sense to me, of course. I sat there on the floor with my brother as he cried harder than he ever did when he found out he couldn’t dance anymore.

            After about half an hour, Jake collected himself. By then I noticed Junnie sitting on the floor across from us. He had three cups of coffee next to him. He gave me a small, soothing smile. I smiled back, appreciating his presence.

            The three of us then drove home. Junnie drove Mercy, while I sat on my brother’s lap as he continued his tearless sob. Jake liked company, he liked touching and being touched. When I was younger, and I would have nightmares, no one else in the house heard my screams but him. He was the one who put me to sleep every night. He was the one who comfort me when I lost my friends, and when my friends betrayed me. He was the one who stood next to me no matter what. And he was the one who raised me while our parents were too busy with the hospital and the bakery. I owed him that much, the least I could do was accept what he did and welcomed Lexie and their baby.

            Once we got back home, Jake went to clean up before dinner. Junnie and I sat on the couch downstairs in the main living room. “Should we tell your mom?” Junnie asked after a long silence.

            “I think Mom would be more understanding than Dad,” I replied. “But I think that they should hear the news together. I mean Jake is old enough to have a family, right?  I mean, he’s 23 with his own business, he makes his own money. The only reason why he’s still here is because Mom and Dad are traditional that they would not let us move out of the house, even if we have our own family.”

            “But you know what I worry about?” he asked. Without waiting for my answer, he said, “What if your parents think Lexie’s in it for the money, that this whole pregnancy think is a scam, and all that crap. You know how our parents can be when it comes to money, they are so paranoid as hell. They think anyone who is close to us is in it for the money.”

            “I know, Junnie. But they need to know. They deserve to know.”

            “Text her then,” he pointed at my phone. “We’ll do this together. The four of us can do this.” I looked in his eyes and did as I was suggested.