Three Weeks

16

When FP starts to awaken, he's initially thrown off by the heaviness of his chest. It's when he smells her sweet, lavender scented shampoo, he realizes Alice is sleeping on him. 

He blinks open his eyes, adjusting to the dark room, as the sun had set long ago. FP smiles when he sees that Alice is still curled up against him, her long lashes illuminated by the moonlight that seeped through the window behind the couch. 

What time was it? He glances over at the clock in the kitchen and his heart starts beating rapidly when he realizes how late it was. Nearly 12:15 in the morning. That meant Gladys would be back any minute.

As if on cue, headlights pull into the parking space outside his trailer. "Alice, Alice, Al--you gotta wake up," he gently shakes her shoulder.

"What?" she asks disoriented, "What's going on?"

"We fell asleep, Al. It's after midnight and Gladys just got home--come on, I'm sorry," he says, helping her up from the couch. 

She can't help but be a little pissed at him for rushing her out of the trailer, but then she realizes it's exactly like what she did to him, when Hal was still in the picture.

"Go in the bedroom," he says, shutting the door behind them, "Al, I'm so sorry. But, give me a little time to talk to her, alright? I want to tell her the truth about what's been going on, because I want to be with you. I really do." 

Alice smiles, her heart warming at his sweet sentiment. She nods, "Okay--I need some time to think about things too."

She was still going to be cautious with him, especially after what happened last time. She wasn't going to easily let him back in. Alice pecks a quick kiss to his cheek and he gives her shoulder a squeeze, "Bye, Al."

"I'll go out the window--don't worry, I've done it before," she says with a wink, "Bye, Forsythe."

The front door opens and FP comes out of the bedroom, keeping the door shut behind him. He hoped Alice could hop out the window before Gladys demanded to be allowed into the bedroom. 

"Hey," he says casually, trying not to sound too anxious. 

Gladys studies him intently, "Hi..."

"How was work?"

"Fine," she says quietly. "I'm surprised you're still up."

He shrugs, "I said I'd wait up for you."

She wanders into the kitchen, setting her purse down on the table, "Why's the bedroom door shut?"

"It's been hot in there at night. I opened the window so it'd be cooler tonight--you know, just trying to contain the cool air..." he lies, hoping his story made an ounce of sense. He knew Alice wouldn't be able to shut the window from the outside when she dropped down, so at least his story would check out. 

Gladys pushes past him and flings the bedroom door open. FP holds his breath in hopes that Alice already made it out. She did. The bedroom window stood open, curtain moving slightly from the light breeze that was coming in. 

The bed was still made, nothing looked out of place. She looks back at him in surprise, fully expecting him to have someone stored away in there. 

"Oh," she says flatly, still not completely buying his act. 

He's smiling on the inside, extremely glad that Alice was able to slip out without any speculation. 

"What'd you think someone was over here or something?" he presses.

She scoffs, "No, I just thought it was weird that the door was shut," she pauses, irritated by her own suspicion, "It's not that big of a deal, FP."

He watches as she goes into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her a bit too aggressively. 

FP breathes a sigh of relief that Gladys bought his story. At least it would buy him a few more days before he needed to sit her down and tell her how he was feeling. But, what he doesn't know, is that a single, shimmering earring had fallen out of Alice's ear and was now waiting to be discovered between his couch cushions. 

//

"I told him and he didn't even freak out. I was completely expecting him to go off about how awful it was for me to keep this from him all these years, but instead we just cried it out--and he wants to find Charlie, Fred. He really wants to find our kid," Alice is talking about a mile a minute as she unpacks some more things into her new apartment.

The house had gone into the elder Cooper's name, as Hal had been bailed out by his parents--only with his immediate enrollment in a therapy course at Shady Grove Treatment Center. 

Alice didn't even care about the house. She'd rather cut any ties with the Cooper's that she had left. She and Polly were fine here. Sure, it was small, but it felt more like home than the house on Elm Street ever did. Although, she did miss living next door to Fred and Mary.

"That's amazing, Alice. I knew he'd try to make things right. That's the kind of guy he is," Fred tells her, a smile on his lips.

She turns to see Polly scooting across the kitchen floor, "I'm happy but I'm scared, you know? I want to meet him so bad Fred, but what if he hates me for what I did?"

"He's not going to hate you. I'm sure he'd love to meet his birth parents."

Alice scoops Polly up before she gets into the glassware box. "Yeah, I suppose. God, we're really going to do this...I mean, what if he never got adopted? What if..." she pauses, letting her voice trail.

"What if you end up being a family after all?" Fred finishes, reading her mind. He knew her all too well.

She sighs wistfully, "Am I ready for that?"

Fred leans against his kitchen counter, balancing the phone against his shoulder as he was cooking, "You're the only one who can answer that. But you don't need to marry FP tomorrow, Alice."

"I know," she pauses, combing back Polly's blonde curls with her fingers, "I know it can be a slow process--letting him back into my life. It probably should be. But I don't think I can raise two kids on my own either..."

"Don't get ahead of yourself yet. Take it one step at a time. Find your son first," he pauses, staring out the window at Alice's former residence, "And you'd never have to raise two kids on your own. We'll always be here to help you out."

Alice feels a tear slip down her cheek, her emotions all over the place from the last couple days. "Fred, you're amazing. I love you."

"I love you too. Call me if you need anything," he says, the smile apparent in his voice. 

"Will do. Thanks, Fred." She hangs up the phone and holds Polly close to her, "What do you think little girl? Do you want a big brother?"

Polly takes a chunk of her blonde hair in her tiny fist, "Mama," she says, smiling up at Alice. She pries Polly's fingers away, brushing her hair behind her shoulders. "Yes, I am your mama. And you need to stop pulling hair, you little stinker."

She kisses Polly's forehead and sets her down on the rug in the living room. Alice quickly goes to her bedroom, retrieving the old journal she always kept in her nightstand since her college days. She walks back into the living room and sits down on the floor. Polly crawls over, demanding her mother's attention. 

Alice pulls the baby into her lap, opening the journal and letting a polaroid fall from its pages. The photo was of a newborn baby, with dark hair and the sweetest expression on his sleeping face. 

"This is your big brother, Polly."

She hadn't looked at that little picture for a long time. Most days, it was just too painful. But now, with the truth finally being out in the open, she felt much different as she gazed at her son's sleeping face. She had a new sense of hopefulness. 

Maybe she could somehow reverse the biggest mistake of her life.