Margaret and Olivia

Chapter Nine: A Father's Love

Mr. Cain looked down at the coffee table that was in his living room. The wooden frame managed to stay whole, despite a splintering crack on one of the legs. In the middle of the broken table lay a beautiful woman. A woman who Mr. Cain barely recognized as Mrs. Cain. Her knees rested against part of the table's frame while the rest of her body sunk to the ground. Her brown eyes were still and open; her gaze was affixed towards the underside of the coffee table as she lie underneath. Her hair, adorned with beads of glass and blood, was sprawled out like a model in the wind.

Jackson stood in the same spot he had when she fell. Only a few seconds passed before everything sank in. Jackson walked past Margaret into the kitchen. He removed the keys from their drawer and headed to the front door. He stopped once he reached Margaret. He looked at her for one more time, one last time. He studied her eyes, her lips, her hair. He tried to memorize a woman he already had memorized, but the lifeless woman before him was a different version of who he had once memorized. His heart ached for the memory that was no longer there.

"Goodbye, Margaret. I'll see you in hell." He calmly whispered, for there was no need to talk loudly. He was all alone. He turned away from her. The front door was open, and Jackson was opening the screen door when he looked back at Margaret. And for the first time, Jackson looked at Margaret and she didn't look back.

"Then. Now. Always." His whispering voice choked out the words. And for the first time, Margaret did not repeat his words. Neither of them smiled. Neither of them spoke.  Without a second thought, Jackson left.

Jackson drove to the hospital where his son was. He did not contemplate the consequences of Margaret's death. He did not care about the consequences. At the moment, he only cared about his son. It was the middle of the night, and the streets were black and silent, a mirror of the home he had disappeared from. He reached the hospital at two in the morning. The parking lot held few cars, and Jackson found a parking space near the entrance.

"Excuse me, ma'am." He said, getting the attention of the receptionist, Darcy, after entering the hospital. Darcy, a middle-aged woman, immediately took an interest in the attractive man who stood before her at a hospital in the middle of the night. Her shift had started at midnight, and the only interesting thing was a mother ready to give birth.

"Well, hello, sir." She said, batting her blue, mascara thick, eyes. "How may I assist you?"

"I'm here to see my son, and I was wondering if you could tell me where he is?"

"Of course. What is his name?"

"Cain. Carter Cain."

"Mr. Cain is in room 613. 613 is on the sixth floor. The elevators are that way." Darcy pointed to a set of elevators down the hallway. Jackson thanked her and headed towards the elevators. The hospital hallways were muted except for a ceiling light buzzing near the elevator. The buzzing continued, even in the elevator. Jackson could not help but be reminded of his father's ticking clock. The clock that reminded him of his father and his wife. In a fit of rage, Jackson slammed his hand against the metal wall. The buzzing ceased.

On the sixth floor, Jackson strode towards the 13th room. The door was ajar, and Jackson pushed it open further. The door creaked, but Carter did not notice, for he was fast asleep. Jackson walked over to Carter and stood near his son. His beautiful son, who he had raised and loved for the past 20 years. An IV was in one of Carter's arms, and his skin looked pale and weak. Seeing Carter's usually, messy brown hair caused Jackson to smile. Jackson felt his heartbeat increase as he felt an aching pain for what his son had suffered. As he choked back tears, Jackson sat down in the closest armchair and fell asleep waiting for Carter to wake.