Sometimes Heartbreak Never Goes Away

Aftershocks

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Chapter 53- Aftershocks

Wind whispers in the ears of the visitors. It's been a few days since Jughead had been released from the hospital. There were things that Jughead had a difficult time talking about. His dad was suggested a support group for victims of torture. He found that idea pointless. How was a support group suppose to figure out or overcome his trauma? He didn't understand what was the fuss about. He was in his room when he heard his dad call through the thin wooden door.

"Jug, it's time to get up. Betty will be here soon." Fp called through the door.

He sighed when he heard his son's groan. He didn't understand why Jug was being so pushy. He thought the group would be a good idea for everybody. It wasn't only him who was making sure their kids were taking care of. Fred, Tom, Alice, Sierra and Mary were all on board too with the idea. Jughead threw the sheets off him and groaned as he turned the knob. He was met with his father. Fp could see the exhaustion on his son's face. He knew Jughead wasn't okay. Jug hadn't said or utter a word since he left the hospital about what happened. His doctor also required a psychiatrist. He wasn't happy to hear his son was going to be on meds for a couple months. He also knew his son had gone through irreversible damage. When Jughead first came home, it was his first time back home. He remembered being abruptly woken up by his son's screams. He rushed in, comforting him in any possible way. It broke his heart to see his son beyond repair. He knew it would a extremely excrustating road to recovery but that didn't make it anymore bearable.

Betty pulled up to the trailer. She removed the key from the ignition and sat in the drivers seat letting her thoughts catch up. She knew exactly how Jug's condition was. She heard from her mother's not so discreet calls at night. One night Betty was really thirsty and decided to get a drink. When she reached the last step she could hear her mom calming Fp down over the phone. She could hear his desperation in his voice. She could tell he was crying. She was able to make out a few sentences before she gave up and went upstairs. Hearing that Jug was waking up screaming just like her broke her. She hated that her Juggie was hurting. She just wanted this miserable pain to disintegrate into its own bitterness.

She knocked on the door, the door opened with a hushed whisper. She saw Fp with tired eyes. She knew that he was drowning. He was only one person and he was taking care of a million things at once. Fp welcomed her in with a smile on his face. She loved how he could be in pain but still have this happiness in his face that wouldn't disappear. She wished that was true. The cold hard truth was that he was barely holding himself together and she knew it.

"Morning, Fp." She smiled the best she could bring herself to. If she was being honest with herself. She would rate her pain about an 8. Fp smiled back at her while frying up some eggs for the three of them.

"Morning, Betty. Jug will be ready in a bit. He was giving me a hard time this morning." He confessed as his smile fell from his face. Betty watched as his smile quickly disappeared from existence.

"Oh that's alright. You look exhausted, Fp. You should go lay down. Hey don't lie to me. I know you haven't been sleeping." She chirped as she eyed him closely. She then grabbed the spatula from him and smiled. "Let me finish, go take a nap." She ordered kindly as she pushed him toward his bedroom. Fp just smiled and reluctantly followed her orders. He couldn't help but smile. She was just like her mother. Will all his kids be like that? Oh dear god He hoped not, he thought to himself as he crawled under the covers.

Nine months went by, things were rocky around the sweet now returning innocents. Alice was now ready to pop any day now. Kevin decided to let go of his grudge with his father and gave him a second chance. Cheryl and Toni were going strong but a few bumps in the way cause a little chaos. Veronica was still dealing with loss of her parents. She missed love them more than anything. Though she didn't regret her decision and deep down she knows it was the right one to make. Fp was still overcoming his obstacles. He had been sober for eighteen months, he was so proud of himself. Jughead still had his nightmares but they had died down. He was getting better each day. Knowing his siblings were going to be here any-day now. He was excited. He had come to term with his obstacle. He was willing to be a big brother and it was still weird that his father and Alice were dating. But he tried not to let it bother him. It was inevitable to happen anyway. Betty still was struggling with her PTSD, she got some help to deal with her thoughts. It had been helping her for six months. She couldn't wait for her twin siblings to be here.