Adam [BOOK ONE]

VII

Please consider giving your senators and representatives a call and let them know you support these innocent little children suffering the burden of crimes unknown to them. This is beyond party, beyond red or blue this is human decency. No one is illegal on stolen land.

Here I was, putting that black dress to use. Sitting in the quiet halls of a Catholic church while the eulogy rolled on. Adam sat beside, his tux a few notches too small, but I had convinced him it would do the job. It had been such short notice. One second Dr. Baker was telling me how he was ready to help Adam out whatever it took the next his voice was drowning in tears as he announced his wife had died. She had been sickly, that was for sure. The plain stares she had given me, the barely there answers, but how could anyone have known how bad it actually was.

"-she lived a beautiful life, surrounded by the love of her children and grandchildren."

I hadn't known Dr. Baker had children. He didn't seem the fatherly type, I couldn't see him playing catch or giving into fantasies of a tea party. There were a few young people sitting in the front, but they were spread out far from Dr. Baker and he looked the least bit interested in getting closer. It was always sad when things like that happened when families have split apart. I looked at Adam as the thought crossed my mind, he always looked so trouble. Holding in the guilt that he felt for his actions must have been hard. Did he even feel guilty? He looked so remorseful in the hospital room, but I wasn't sure if he was grieving for his family or for his freedom.

The priest finished up and the body was lifted by a few young men. Two girls, weeping profusely into handkerchiefs followed them, Dr. Baker followed last. His body was rigid, but he gave a small nod to me and Adam as he walked by. Everyone proceeded to follow them out of the church and into the back where the graveyard sat. The body was lowered, more tears were shed, everyone left.

"I'm really sorry for your lost," that seemed like the appropriate thing to say. I hadn't known her world, but the way people cried for her, she seemed like a nice woman.

"Abbie had been losing it for the past couple of years, I guess I should have seen it coming."

"It's hard to lose your wife," Adam chimed in. The doctor looked up at him but said nothing.

"And how are you holding up?"

"Police on my ass, but I can't complain. I got some really good people in my corner."

"Adam-"

"We shouldn't talk about this now, give yourself some time."

Dr. Baker stood up and took a deep breath, "she's gone and there's nothing I can do about it. No need to sit here and dwell on the pain, just try to heal."

"You don't want to be with your family?"

"The children? They haven't talked to me in years. I suppose it's for the best, they couldn't handle the truth and I can't handle lying," he began walking up the hill back to the church, "we should talk about what to do about Adam."

Reggie, as strange as that name felt to say, drove us to a small restaurant on the far end of town. The prices were good, the wait was short, and there were almost no people there. Adam ducked his head every time someone walked by, but I constantly reassured him that no one recognized him.

"Can they put you at the crime scene?"

"No, they found out the relation to Emma-"

"Emma?"

"My," he took a deep breath, "my daughter. They put me as a prime suspect, they figure it was a revenge thing."

"Was it," Dr. Baker asked. Adam shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"It was an accident, I didn't know I could get that mad."

"Well, there are only three people in this world who know you did and luckily those three people also know your character. I don't plan on telling anyone. Elena?"

"Of course not, Adam-"

"Listen, the police are going to get heavy on this thing. Desmond is going to put his foot on everyone's neck to find his son's killer, and if it ever falls to you two. Don't take the fall for me. I know what I did and I know that a death isn't justification for killing someone."

"I buried my wife today," Dr. Baker said slowly, "I know the pain I'm feeling right now and I can't imagine the pain I would feel if she would have been taken from me because of negligence. I can't even surely say I wouldn't do the same thing, so I understand. I am an old man Adam, with lots of secrets, so if they ask who did this? I will say it was me."

"Dr-"

"Elena, I understand my role on earth is to help people, my calling has never been as strong as it is right now. Adam, I see something in you. Something great and big and I want you to live every single piece of this life. I want you to be great. I've lived my life. My children hate me, my wife is dead, and my own health is failing, you have far more potential than me."

"My father taught me many things, and one of them was to never throw stones and hide your hands. I can not allow you to suffer my crimes."

"Then we shall both confess and see who they believe."

"I think we're getting a little ahead of ourselves here. No one has to confess to anything yet, they don't have any evidence. Let's just take things one day at a time instead of making suicide pacts."

"So what should we do until then, twiddle our thumbs?"

"Acting normal. Like you said, they're on to you, anything slightly out of the ordinary is going to pop up on their radar. Just act like an innocent person."

"You have no idea how hard that is," Adam whispered.

"I know I don't, but I know you can do it. I believe in you."

"You're getting soft on me, I want Elena the hard-ass back," Adam nudged me slightly with his shoulder and smiled.

"Trust me, keep putting me under this tremendous amount of stress and she'll be back in no time."

"We have another slight problem," Dr. Baker spoke up, "Adam has been kicked out of his housing. Blake said there's too much going on around his situation."

"I'll go back to the hospital, it's fine."

"For no reason? I know you don't want that Adam and I don't want that for you."

"I have nowhere else to go."

Dr. Baker cleared his throat, "you can stay with me. My house is empty now and I would love some company."

Adam thought before sticking his hand out for a handshake, "you've been nicer to me than I could have ever expected. I appreciate it."

"You deserve kindness, Adam. You deserve things to go right for you."

"Thank you. Thank you."

AUTHOR'S NOTE
so do you guys see the really cool thing I did by ending the chapters the same. I know, I know it's lame as fuck but I want you guys to know I'm getting better at endings. Please take my note above seriously and consider calling your legislators, let them know your opinion because we are the people and we can make changes to this country. There's a really cool app called CAPITAL CALL where you put in your address and can connect to all your legislators and their numbers. I am disturbed by many things happening in this country, but hearing those little children cry for their mom and dad broke my heart. We all have a chance to do something with our lives and technology is so advanced now sometimes all it takes is a call or a click. But please do something. Thank you.