Strings Attached

VII

Alex-

The next couple days were slow and boring. Alex had nothing to look forward to anymore. Quinn was working for the rest of the week, and he could only call her on his break. It was a good thing Jaime was a really nice person and let Quinn use the shop phone. Their conversations weren't so interesting. They mostly talked about how each other's day had gone, and Quinn ranting about annoying customers. She didn't really care what their conversation consisted of, as long as she got to hear his voice, that's what mattered. During their conversation on Thursday, Quinn told her that there was a last minute show on Friday that he found out about that morning. Of course she took the invitation to spend time backstage and meet the rest of the band, as well as spend time with Quinn. But on Friday he showed up to her house around eleven o'clock with tears in his eyes.

Quinn-

His week was completely terrible, although he wouldn't tell that to Alex. The package in his room turned out to be another delivery of band hate mail. Normally he wouldn't care, but one of the letters mentioned his dad. He cried while punching the wall until his knuckles bled. On Friday morning his mom went to the hospital for a regular appointment and came back diagnosed with Leukemia. How could that have happened? She showed no signs of the disease. It didn't make any sense to him. He couldn't lose the only family he had left. If his mom died he'd be in the hands of the Sheriff, who kind of wasn't really family, just a really distant cousin. He wasn't a bad guy or anything, but he hated punk, and that would not be good if he had custody of Quinn. He showed up to work two hours late. Jaime was just about ready to tear him up for being so late, but he saw that he had been crying. Quinn told him everything and he decided to let him go home, and told Quinn he'd still get paid for the day, even though he wasn't there. He decided to go to Alex's house, maybe that would make him happy. The second she opened the door he pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her. He began to cry into her shoulder.

"Quinn, what's wrong? Did something happen? Quinn please talk to me."

She pulled his arms off and looked him in his tear filled eyes, he looked so hurt and helpless, it completely broke her heart.

"It's my mom," he finally managed to choke out. "She's been diagnosed with Leukemia. And it's really bad."

"Wait what, are you serious?'

She told him to go inside and sit down, so he did.

Alex-

Her mom just stood in the kitchen and watched from a distance. She was observing what Quinn was like. Alex sat next to him and pulled him closer to her so that he was leaning on her and held him really tight.

"It's okay, Quinn. She'll be okay. She's a really strong woman, I can just tell, she'll make it through this, please believe me. She'll be okay."

He began crying less and less until he stopped, and now he was just leaning on Alex, with her arms wrapped around him.

"C'mon, your mom's at home, right? Let's go see her."

She got up and managed to pull him up from the couch. Before they walked out the door, Alex's mom called to him. "Quinn, sweetheart," he turned around,"your mother will be okay, I just know it." She smiled and returned to what she was doing. Quinn walked out the door and drove to his house. Quinn's mom was sitting down on the couch, in silence.

"Mom, I've got someone you'd like to meet." She looked up and smiled.

"Well, it's nice to meet ya, please, sit, let's talk. How're you treatin' my son? Just fine, I would presume." She spoke in a really heavy Irish accent.

"Come on mom, Just let her be, she barely even knows you. How are you feeling?"

"Me? Oh I'm feeling great, the doctor said I could start treatment really soon. How are you handling this, this morning you ran out the house without saying a single word."

"Not very well, honestly. But that's good news. Any specific time you can start treatment?"

"The doctor said I can start next week. Quinn we don't have the money to pay for it, I don't think I'll go through with it."

"Just use the money from my college fund, mom. I'm not going to college anyway, this is a lot more important than college."

His mom got up and hugged him, she motioned for Alex to join them, and she did. They just stood there for what felt like twenty minutes until his mom let go. She had tears in her eyes.

"I love you, Quinn, from the day you were born. If only your father can see you now, playing shows every weekend, you're so close to makin' it on TV. I know I've never said this to you before, but I'm proud of ya. I really am."

"Thank you, mom. We'll get through this, okay? I love you too."

"Okay let's not get all lovey and squishy, you got a show tonight, don't ya? Get angry, how do ya plan to run a punk show with tears in your eyes?"

"I was going to cancel the show tonight, I'd rather stay home tonight"

"The hell you are! I'm not letting you back into this house until two in the morning so you better get yer arse down to the venue and play a damn show! And you should play a song by Flogging Molly for me."

Alex spoke up, "Quinn, just do what your mom says. If she wants you to play the show, then play the show."

"Thank you sweetie. See, Quinn, even your girlfriend agrees with me."

"Alright fine, I'll play the show, but I'm cutting it an hour short."

"As long as you play the show. Now get the hell out of my house, but before you go I need to give you somethin'."

She walked into her bedroom and came out five minutes later. She held a black leather case in her hand. It looked like it was meant for a ukulele.

"You can't play the songs of your people without a fiddle."

"Mom, you don't really expect me to play the fiddle, do you?"

"Of course I do, I want you to play Drunken Lullabies, and you need a fiddle for that. Now here, take this and get out of my house."

She shooed them out the door and gently slammed it behind them.