Shadows From the Abyss

Fever Pitch

Shawn sat on the stairs with his step brother and half sister, all three finally back to earth from their high. Joey swore it hadn't been laced with anything but Shawn wasn't so sure. Now that he was back down he just felt bummed out and uncomfortable. He refused to go to his father's house for an extended period of time and the thought of staying in this house another night made his skin crawl. All he had given Billie was snark since they had gotten here and even he was getting tired of it.

But tonight, now that he was down all he could think about was the last time his mother had really been in this house. She was six months pregnant with his sister and really didn't want to travel across the country but he had wanted to be in California for his birthday. So for her son's happiness, she sucked it up and rode across the country in the Mustang and spent two weeks in a place she hated just so he could have the day he wanted.

He remembered his birthday being exactly what he wanted: a day at the beach with just his parents. How many ten year olds could say they cruised down Highway 1 to Santa Cruz in a classic muscle car with the top down? He could still smell the leather seats and feel the heat from the June sun as salt air filled his nose. He remembered playing in the surf at the beach with his Dad while his Mom laid out and drank seven Capri Sun's. She kept saying her blood sugar was probably bottoming out and she was exhausted but she refused to leave before Shawn wanted to.

"Mom?" Shawn asked, worried by the pained look on his mother's face.

"I'm okay," She whimpered, holding her stomach and leaning forward. "Shit."

"What's wrong?" His Father asked, becoming visibly nervous.

"She's riding super low and won't stop moving," Iva groaned, pushing on the underside of her swollen stomach. "She kicked my fucking spine this morning."

"Want me to rub your back?" Tre offered.

"Please," Iva whimpered through gritted teeth. She looked up at her son and forced a weak smile. "Really glad you didn't get active until the last month. You were just big. Ahh fuck, right there!"

"We can go home if you want," Shawn offered.

"Do you want to go home?"

"No..."

"Then we won't go home. It's your day, babe." She groaned and curled her toes with a loud crack as her ex husband worked on a knot in her lower back. "Fuuuuck."

The rest of the day had gone perfectly. Seeing his parents walking hand in hand down the boardwalk with him was exactly what he wanted, even if it was only so his mother wouldn't get left behind. When they finally got home that night he remembered Billie rubbing his mom's shoulders while she soaked her feet and Shawn went on and on about how much fun he had. Everything was perfect. Then the next morning happened.

"Hey man, you okay?" Joey asked, seeing Shawn zoned out with a look of despair on his face.

"I gotta get outta here, man," Shawn mumbled, trying to think of where he could go.

He could hear his mother's screams of pain ringing in his ear, her pleading with her husband to make it stop as he assured her in a shaking voice that help was on the way. "It's too early, she won't make it! I can't lose another one!" He remembered a siren approaching the house and hearing Mike's motorcycle roar up to the house. And in an instant the chaos and panic was suddenly over and it was just him and Mike sitting on the stairs waiting for his Dad to come get him.

He could see Joey in front of him in real time but was still stuck in his traumatic flashback, seeing his Dad walking in with a panicked look on his face, unsure of what to do or what to say. He felt Ramona rubbing his back but he couldn't break out of his own head.