Wherever You Are

Twenty Four: Mother

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The week with Lydia was going by extremely fast; much faster than I thought it would. Jack and her usually met for conferences and different meetings throughout the day, which left me alone a lot of the time. Usually when they came home I was already in bed, or passed out on the couch from watching some show. I didn't mind the time without Jack, I just always worried that he wouldn't come back. It was still rooted in the back of my head...

10:34 P.M. the clock read, as I walked into the kitchen and got myself a glass of water to drink. Jack said he would be home with Lydia around midnight, since their conference call with the above ground headquarters had a six hour time difference that they couldn't work around.

Sipping the last of my water, I set the glass back down onto the counter and yawned. I could tell I was becoming tired fast without the second and that staying up until they both got home would most likely not be happening. Jack said he was always a bit disappointed when he came home to me asleep, just for the fact that he wanted to talk, but he shouldn't expect me to stay up late every night!

Turning for the bedroom, I gave in to the drowsiness and crawled into bed like a small child after a hard day of play. I closed my eyes gingerly, sending my mind off into the dreamland it always seemed to go to...

Jack's hand was placed around mine, holding it tightly as we walked. Looking out, I saw the blue-green lake before us; the sunset sparkling drops of light onto the water like gold. I wasn't sure where we were going, but I trusted Jack to lead me the right way.

"It's beautiful," Jack told me, looking out as well to the lake. Nodding, I agreed, and walked with him out to the small wooden dock to overlook the lake better. It was a warm summer day, warmer than most days I remembered with Jack, and so I turned to him with a grin and pushed him into the water within the second. Falling hard and plunging into the cool lake, Jack came up for air and laughed, floating there with a grin planted onto his face.

"Oh no," I laughed, walking back away from the dock as Jack swam himself over onto shore and chased after me. Screaming, I was running for my life it seemed, but was much too slow compared to Jack behind me. Within the second, he pulled me into his arms; soaking me wet as I screeched out at the sudden flash of cold. 

Laughing, Jack picked me up and hauled me over his shoulder; carrying me over to the dock as I pounded on the back of his chest for him to let me go. I smiled harder than I had ever smiled before, even if I was just about to be thrown in a lake, for nothing could compare to the times I spent with Jack.

"You don't have to throw me in you know," I pleaded, as Jack turned me around to carry me in his arms. Looking to me, I kissed him slowly on the lips, batting my eyes at the end as I looked to him.

"You can be very convincing sometimes," Jack spoke to me, coming down to kiss me again, but right before our lips met, he pulled away, shaking his head. "But you aren't this time," he laughed, before tossing me into the lake with a smile. Laughing as I splashed into the water like he had the first time, the cold water engulfed me whole, before I swam up to get air.

"You idiot!" I screamed to him, floating there like he had been earlier. Laughing at me, he jumped in to join me, kissing me the second he came back up...

I woke up with a jerk, almost like I had woke up from some bad dream, and immediately checked to if Jack was beside me. Finding an empty bed, I looked to see the time was one in the morning and started worrying incredibly then. 

He was supposed to be home by midnight. I thought to myself, pushing up from bed and opening the door slowly. Almost instantly then, I started hearing voices coming from the living room, and looked around the hallway wall slowly to see who was there. Sitting on a lone chair, in front of Jack on the couch, was Lydia, talking to Jack quietly, but loud enough for me to hear.

Moving back behind the wall so no one would see me, I listened carefully. I had a feeling there was a reason why they were talking at one in the morning and if I suddenly burst in I didn't want them to stop.

"I know it's a lot to take in, and I'm sorry I had to tell you this way, but you need to know," she said softly, as I heard Jack shift in his spot on the couch out of worry.

"I just, I can't really take this in," he replied, standing up it seemed from the couch and pacing.

"Jack I didn't mean to overwhelm you with the news, I just couldn't hold it in anymore. You deserve to know the truth, just like Charlotte did," she told, making me turn my head at my name.

"This is nothing compared to when I left Charlotte," Jack shouted a bit louder, making me turn my head around the corner to make sure everything was okay. Standing with his back to Lydia, he had his head against the wall, making me want to go over and console him, but I knew I had to wait...

"This is just like when you left Charlotte, except you left her in a different way. I watched you, don't think I didn't. I watched her and you fall in love, I watched you both move in together, I watched you leave her just like how I left you, just in a completely different way. Charlotte had to go through the same thing you did, if anything, that should make you realize her feelings better," Lydia ended, making me look to the other side of the hallway and wonder what was going on. Why was Lydia watching Jack's life?

"You died! I watched you die beside me in that car! I hated myself for years and years after that incident, knowing that I was the reason you were dead. Knowing that if it wasn't for my big mouth my mother would still have been alive. Don't you understand how distressing this is!" Jack yelled, pounding his fist into the wall.

"Jack, calm down. You wouldn't want to act like that in front of Charlotte now would you?" she told, making me lean back against the wall realizing that she knew I was here. Are you kidding me! How did she know? I asked, mentally beating myself up over it. "Come in here dear, it's okay," she told, making me take a deep breath and do as told. Jack looking to me with confusion as I came over to his side, he obviously hadn't known I was listening that whole time.

"Charlotte what were you doing over there?" Jack wondered, making me look to him and tell him the truth.

"I didn't want you two to stop talking, so I waited till you were done," I said, making him nod as he understood more clearly. "What was going on?" I asked, looking to Lydia who faced the both of us. Her eyes darted to Jack's instantly, for she wanted him to tell me instead of her. Taking a deep breath, Jack took his time in letting me in on what was going on, but eventually spoke; shocking me and himself once again...

"Lydia is my mother."