The Unexpected

Chapter 2

TWO WEEKS LATER

Luke wandered aimlessly through the funeral home, his mother had been inconsolable all she did was cry. It made his stomach sick, watching as her body shook with tears and her voice stolen by the sobs that escaped her lips.

His grandmother had passed away three days ago, his mother unwilling to call the coroner for hours.

Meaning her dead body sat in the living room of his new house, he shuddered at the memory of her small body sitting motionless in the hospital bed, her eyes open and fixed on the wall.

It seriously creeped him out, now the body was gone.

His mother a shell of herself.

He heard her arguing with someone on the phone, only to find out it was his dad.

A divorce was imminent and he hated it.

It meant he'd now live in Chicago, California would be nothing but a distant memory.

"You're a jerk Holden" LJ spat from across the room, "you're always breaking my stuff" she growled holding the broken bobble head in her hand, it was from the first hockey game she'd gone to with Adam. It was Patrick Kane night and everyone in attendance received the bobble head.

"I sorry" Holden told her, "it was an accident"

She shook her head, "get out!" She pushed him from her bedroom and slammed the door, really wishing she had a little sister instead of a brother.

Holden found Kim folding laundry, "Mommy, I'm bad" he admitted as he climbed up on the couch and rested his elbow on the arm of the couch his head in the palm of his hand, "really bad"

She bit her bottom lip to suppress the giggles building, he liked pitiful.

"Hold.. You aren't bad, you're the best boy in the world" she tousled his hair, "why do you think you're bad?"

"I broke it"

Kim looked at him sideways, "broke what?"

"LJ's Kane doll, I was making its head..go" he bobbled his head in demonstration, "and I knocked it off the dresser and it broked"

Kim stroked his cheek, "That doesn't make you bad, baby. You just made a mistake, did you tell Lily you were sorry?"

"Uh-huh, and she yelled" his eyes welling with tears, he thought his sister hung the moon.

Lily showed up in the living room, "I'm sorry Holden" she whispered, "I know it was an accident"

Kim couldn't help but burst with pride, her kids made her crazy most days but the love they shared was palpable, her and Adam had done something right.

Luke sat on the steps, he was starving but his mother was still out cold on the couch, the fridge and pantry both empty. It had been days since his mother last bought groceries.

Days since she showered, days since she got up from the couch, and days since she spoke to him.

He spun the wheel on his skateboard as he waited for his dad to answer the phone.

"Hello?" Jake Taffani answered.

"Dad!I wanna come home. I hate it here" Luke was near tears, "Chicago sucks"

"Sorry kiddo" Jake sighed, "Chicago is your home now, you'd better get used to it"

Luke groaned, "Seriously? Somethings wrong with mom, she doesn't do anything but sleep, I'm scared" he started to cry, "please let me come home, please dad!!"

"Lucas, I'm sorry but it's not possible, give Chicago some time, you'll like it" he didn't have the heart to tell the kid everything, not when he was still struggling to understand it all.

Luke went back inside and tossed his skateboard across the living room, it hit the wall with a thud, a plume of dust surrounding it and the hole it created in the sheetrock.

His mother oblivious.

Kim kneeled on the bed, Adam sat on the edge of the bed his back to her, "the kids are out cold you know" she whispered in his ear as she scooted up behind him, draping her arms around his neck.

"Oh..are they now?" He teased kissing her hands as they hung from his shoulders, "whatever will we do.." He laughed as he turned to face her, "I've missed you" he'd been working long hours the last few days and seemed to come home once everyone was in bed and up and out of the house before they woke up.

ONE MONTH LATER

She couldn't do it anymore, her life was like a house of cards and it finally fell around her feet.

She was lost, confused, and most of all she was broken.

Everything that had once been good in her life was now shit, she quickly penned the letter and stuck it in his backpack.

He deserved better, more than she could give.

She wiped the tears that had fallen and clutched her son's picture in her hand, he was the best part of her.

He always would be, and he would be better off without her.

---NOTE---

Short I know, but just laying the ground work.

Headed out in a little while to help with a blood drive in town, if you can donate you really should!