The Wife (Sequel to SUGAR)

Liar

Joey's pov

I look up, seeing Sugar wobble exhaustedly out of his room. He walks over to the sink and puts his face under the tap, turning the water on and taking big swallows of water. 

"Oh god"he says as if he was vibrantly refreshed, standing straight. 

"You good?"I ask.

"Joe, I have 3 holes in my chest, I just been in a coma for 2 months straight, and now my wife is in there, working me like a bloody oil rig."He breathes, making me laugh.

"It's not that I mind, I don't, really. But she's just so.."he says, wiping the water from his face.

"Aggressive?"i ask.

"Very."he huffs, making me chuckle.

"Sugar!"Leah shouts.

Sugar groans, walking over to the freezer. He grabs a tray of ice and packs them loose, then dumps the whole tray down his pants.

"Wish me luck."he huffs over my laughing.

He walks back into the room, leaving me in silence. I slide my hand under my shirt to my bandaged chest and huff. I hear footsteps behind me.

"Giving up so soon?"i ask, thinking it was Sugar. 

He doesn't respond.

I sit up off the couch, looking over it. I see Ethan. I instantly stand.

"Dad?"he asks softly.

"Hi kid."i sign.

He looks at his hands.

"Am I dead?"He asks.

"No. You've just been sleeping."I explain.

"B-but you're..you're. Jord killed you."He says.

"He tried."i sign.

"Stop signing, I can hear you."Ethan says.

"You what?"I ask.

"Is that why you never let Sugar look at my ears? Hm?"He asks angrily.

"Ethan, I can explain-"he cuts me off.

"You don't have to explain. I already know."Ethan chuckles, walking into the kitchen.

"Ethan please"I say, following him.

"Listen, Joe."He says angrily.

"You lied to me. You told me I would never hear anything ever again, why would you do that?!"He shouts. Sugar and Leah come out of the room.

"What's going on?"Leah asks as they both approach behind him.

"Ethan, you have to understand-"he cuts me off again.

"You ruined my life! I got my ass kicked every day for a year for being different! I lost my fucking eye because of you!"Ethan shouts at me before turning around, leaning on the counter.

"Ethan listen to me, I know what you're thinking, but you have to understand."I say, stepping closer to him.

"I lost your mother already. You're all I have left."i say softly.

"You, are a pathetic and sad old man Joe."Ethan says angrily.

His breathing increases as if he were crying.

"Ethan, please."I say. 

Suddenly he turns around, wielding a kitchen knife.

"I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU!"he screams.

He slashes the knife across my face and then attempts to attack me, but Sugar grabs him. I clutch my bleeding face as Leah rushes over to me. 

"I'LL KILL YOU! I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU!"Ethan screams as Sugar attempts to grab the knife.

"Leah! In the freezer, the Propofol in the freezer!"Sugar says, struggling with Ethan. 

Leah steps away from me, quickly opening the freezer as Sugar takes Ethan down to the ground. 

"Let me go god damn it!"Ethan demands as Leah runs over to Sugar with the syringe. 

Sugar injects the propofol into his shoulder and Ethan whimpers, starting to go limp. Leah runs over to me with a cloth, pressing it against it against the slash across my face.

"i hate you. i fucking hate you."Ethan cries before falling asleep.

"Joe it's deep, I think you're going to need stitches."Leah says.

"Joe. What was he talking about?"Sugar asks. 

I look up at him.

"He wasn't deaf, Sugar."I say.

"What do you mean?"Sugar asks.

"He had cysts on his ear canal. He was to young to have them removed at first. So they just grew bigger, and bigger, till eventually the covered his eardrums. As they got bigger, he lost hearing because the cysts were blocking the sound from getting to his eardrums."I say.

"Why didn't you tell him, Joe."Sugar asks, angrily.

"I..I-I needed him to stay with me."I say, pathetically. 

"Christ Joe."Sugar says in disgust. 

Sugar shakes his head, picking up Ethan's upper half and pulling him out of the kitchen.

"You must think i'm pretty terrible."I say to Leah, who was dabbing blood off of my face.

"Yeah. But, I'm not just going to sit here and let you bleed."She responds.

"How do you always see the best in people?"I ask.

"I like to consider every possibility. Considering your son just tried to murder you, I'd say that you're pretty shitty."she huffs, helping me stand up.

"Coming from you it hurts worse."i say as she walks me to the bathroom.

"I know your a good guy, Joe. I know you had good intentions. But, you've turned Ethan into a 19 year old kid. You can't just think he was going to stay with you forever."She says.

"I figured that. I know he needed to grow on his own."I say.

"But you didn't."she says.

I huff.

"But I didn't."