Undone // hemmings

chapter one

The house was oddly peaceful tonight. Regan had stopped complaining to me about her so-called "love life". I mean how much of a love life could a seventh grader have?

Jackson had crashed as soon as he came in from playing outside all day with Calum's new dog, Buster.

However, the eldest sibling of mine was resting on the couch reading a book. A BOOK! Since when does Hunter read?

I decided that I might go take a bath and relax with a little bit of time to myself. I locked up the downstairs doors and headed up to my private bath. Hot water and bubbles now occupied the porcelain tub and I stepped in right away. A bath was exactly what I needed right now.

Nearing my first hour in the tub, I heard the bathroom door swing open. I thought I locked it, but I guess not. I slowly opened my eyes to see a tall brunette standing right above my bubble bath. "CALUM WHAT THE FUCK IM NAKED,"

"Hayden, right now is not the time," Calum looked like he could burst out in tears. "It's my mom." As soon as the speech escaped his mouth I suddenly became tense. It's Joy.

"Turn around and let me get out of this tub, if you're mom's in trouble, now's not the time for perving," Calum immediately turned around and I reached for the nearest towel to wrap around my body.

"Okay Cal, what's wrong with your mom? Is she okay?"

Calum turned around. "She's unconscious, Hay. I come home from Jake's house to her laying on the kitchen floor unconscious. What the hell could have happened in the two hours that I was gone?" Tears brimmed in his eyes.

I walked out the bathroom door, into my bedroom, and dressed as fast as possible.

I walked out of my closet and questioned Calum. "Was Hunter still down there?"

"He let me in."

I ran downstairs, grabbing Calum's hand and walked up to Hunter reading his book. "Hunt, I'm going to Cal's I'll be back in a few. Keep an eye on Regan and Jack for me please." He nodded and didn't look up from his book.

We walked back to Calum's place and I saw Joy laying on the linoleum kitchen floor, just as he had described.

"Cal, call 911. Now." I demanded. He pulled out his cellphone and exited the room. I started feeling around for a pulse, and there was barely anything. It was slowing down each beat her heart took.

I started screaming in pain, "Cal, please hurry!" Joy was like my own mom. Calum ran in and it was a weird sight. Calum's mom was slowly dying and he was comforting me. Joy was the closest thing I had to a mother figure in my life and I wasn't letting her leave my life this easy.

An ambulance showed up about ten minutes later and we were sure Joy was gone. I had my arms draped over her lifeless body on the floor when the paramedics arrived. "Excuse me miss, we need to get to her." A tall built man in a light blue shirt explained. Calum had to pick me up off of Joy, and pulled me away. This whole situation is fucked up. Calum's own mother is near death and he has to have the job of taking care of me? I'm so god damn selfish.

"Calum, please--" I was interrupted.

"Hayden, it's okay. I can explain later. Let me take you home for the night and I'll text you about my mom tomorrow. Get a good night's sleep, you need it." He kissed my forehead and carried me back to my house.

"Calum?" I asked

"Yeah, Hay?"

"Thank you, so much. I love you."

-

After I left Calum's house, I came home and cried. Hunter had put Regan and Jackson to bed, so I just went straight to my bedroom, put my face in my pillow, and cried. Joy was my mother figure, and now she's gone.

The next morning, explaining to the kids that Joy was gone was hard. Jackson, being only 9, was the one who was affected by it the most. Jackson never had a real mother. Our mom left the day the incident happened, and we haven't seen her since. Joy took care of us until I was old enough to take care of these three rascals on my own, and I've been doing it on my own since. Jackson has only had Joy and me.

"Hayden, where's Joy now?" Jackson asked, hopping up onto the kitchen counter.

I couldn't help but hold back the tears, but I had to try and be strong for my siblings. "Joy's in heaven, Jack. She's in a better place now, I promise."

"I'm gonna miss Joy,"

"We all are baby, especially Calum."

Regan walked down the stairs and right into the kitchen. "Speaking of Calum, I don't think he's taking this too well. He's walking outside screaming and crying. You should probably go see him, Hay."

I haven't talked to Calum since last night. I wasn't sure whether to leave him be, or go over and help him. I could never really tell which kind of person he was when it comes to this, considering no family members have ever died since I've known Calum.

"I guess that's my cue to go outside and talk to him. I'll be back in a few minutes," I slid my flip flops on and walked out the door in my pajamas, still on at dinner time. Calum was sitting on the tree swing we used to go to when we were younger.

His head was in his hands, elbows propped up on his knees. "Cal?" I quietly asked. He looked up. He hadn't slept all night, I could tell. I held my arms out for a hug, and he immediately stood up and ran towards me.

The thing about being friends with Calum was being able to sit in complete silence for hours on end but still feel completely at peace with everything and know that we were there for one another.

Calum and I sat on the tree swing, and he cried into my shoulder for a good hour. After his breathing started to reach a steady pace he finally spoke, "Hayden, I'm sorry."

He picked his head up off of my shoulder. "Calum, your mom died. Don't apologize to me. I'm here for you any minute of any day. Don't think you're being an inconveniece because you just cried on me for an hour. That's what friends are for."

"The police have an idea of who killed my mom. They called me this morning and told me to come to the station."

"Who do they think did it?" I asked.

"They t-think it was my dad."