Because Mom Wasn't Enough

She's mine

Vic's POV

"Is there anywhere you need to stop before we go home?" I asked Jodie as I pulled out of the hospital parking lot.

"Well, the warehouse is gone, but can we stop at my old house so I can get clothes and stuff? It's 17 Garden Ave."

"Sure." We pulled into the driveway a few minutes later. It looked like at one time this was a beautiful house, but now, it actually looked really creepy. The plants out front were all dead, and there was ivy growing up the side of the walls. There was an open window on the second story without a screen, which I noticed was lying on the ground below it.

Jo walked up to the door an I followed her and Cali. As she opened the door, her hand immedietly covered her nose and mouth, and I soon realized why. The bold odor of alcohol wafted out of the open door. I cringed at the scent, but the guys were drunk so much I was kind of used to the smell. That reminds me, I have to make sure we don't drink in front of her, bad influence. The room was dark and I could hardly see anything until Jodie flipped the light on.

I took another step and felt a crunch under my foot along with the cracking of glass. I lifted my foot to see half a vodka bottle. Infact, there were glass bottles everywhere.

"Yeah, Mom's alcohol problem kind of resurfaced..." Jo led us through the small house to a door that had a chair pinned under the knob.

"Jo, what happened?" I asked, horrified at the condition of the room. Not only bottles covered the floor, but furniture was flipped, and there was a stain on the floor which looked like blood.

"She attacked me. Broke a bottle over my head, and locked me in there." She said pointing at the door with the chair.

"How'd you get out?" I asked.

Jo pulled the chair away with her unbroken arm and we walked into her bedroom. The window was open. "Window." She said. As I looked around her room, Jo pulled a suit case out from under her bed and started throwing clothes into it. I looked down at the desk next to the door where there was a letter. I picked it up an read through it, shocked.

Dear Jo,

You left today, for the fourth time. I can't take this anymore. I love you so much, more than I think you know. I know you think I kicked you out, but baby, I never wanted you to leave. When I told you not to come back I meant it. I love you more than the world, and that's why I don't want you here. When you're here all I think about is 'when is she going to leave again?' And when you're gone, all I can think is 'will she ever come home?' I can't take you leaving anymore. I can't take anyone leaving anymore. You don't need people, Jo, but I do. I was hurt when my father left. I devastated when your father left. But every time you leave, it kills me inside. And when I see you in your bed when you come home some morning, it kills me a little more, because I know I can't keep you here and you will eventually leave again.

I will always love you baby girl,

Mom

"Uh...Jo?" I said, after reading the letter for the third time.

"Yeah?"

"Have you seen this?" I handed her the letter. She read through it, but looked unmoved.

"Oh, my mom used to write me a venting letter whenever I left. She would put it in here somewhere so I could read it when I came home. I always came through the window so she wouldn't see me."

"Were they always that harsh?"

"No, usually they told me to never leave again and how sorry she was. And she's never mentioned you in them before. She actually never mentioned you at all, and got really made if I ever asked." She asked about me? That was nice.

"She wrote that I left; did she ever tell you what happened?" I asked. Jo sat down on her bed and I sat next to her. Cali had left and gone downstairs.

"No, not really, just that it would destroy you if you knew about me, and me if I knew who you were. I just assumed you abandoned us, I guess," she said. I wrapped my arm around her. "What really happened?"

"Uh, well, we dated in high school and a few months before our sophmore year ended she broke up with me. She moved and I never saw her again. I assumed it was because she couldn't handle the long distance thing, but I guess not... But I don't know why she said it would destory me."

"Well, did the band start to get pretty big soon after that?"

"Maybe a year or so later but, yeah, why?"

"She obviously still cared about you, she probably didn't want to ruin your career by throwing a kid into your life."

"I don't know, maybe. But what happened after you got out of here? You just went back to the warehouse?" I saw her tense up a little.

"Um--"

"Hey," Cali said from the doorway. "Your mom was well stocked." She said tossing a bottle of what I quickly identified as beer towards my daughter. I snatched it out of the air just before she caught it.

"Are you crazy!?"

"Of course not," she said taking it out of my hands, breaking the end on the desk and taking a sip. Then she motioned for Cali to give her another. "You can have one, too." I sighed. This was going to be an interesting relationship...