What would happen if Amelia and Jack met again?
-And what was her side of the story? Why didn't she stay with Jack and Tyler? Were they dating or was it a one night stand? Did she love Jack???
Jack was getting released from the hospital today and Race just wanted everything to be perfect. Jack said they were gonna stay with an old friend of his. So Race was pacing in the hallway while the doctor spoke to Jack and gave him some pain killers. He felt like he was about to bounce off the walls but also was somehow wildly exhausted like he might pass out at any moment.
The doctors were trying to get Jack to go to some inpatient hospital. Jack said he wasn’t supposed to be listening when the doctors spoke to him, especially the psychiatrist and therapists. But Race wasn’t stupid.
When Jack was asleep, all Race had left to do was think, think about how Jack had been nothing short of a slave for the past fourteen years in fear of losing his only son. He could remember it all clearer in hindsight. The way Jack would flinch whenever Snyder’s hand grazed him or the cries late at night, the screaming, the times Race had walked in and seen the abuse— no, the torture happening, and the fact that he’d done nothing about it.
All the boy could think after that was that most people who went through traumatic experiences like this contemplated ending it one way or another. He couldn’t help but wonder if it had ever crossed Jack’s mind, now that he knew how trapped the man had been.
But he was snapped out of his thoughts when he saw someone walking towards him. He paused in his back and forth. “Mom?” he whispered.
The woman came to a stop in front of him, looking down, not really expecting the boy to call her that. She took a deep breath, clearing her throat. “H-hi, Tyler James,” she said. “I saw on the news that William Snyder had been arrested. I thought I might find you here—“
“What’re you doing here?” Race asked.
Amelia bit her lip. She looked down at the flowers in her hands and something harsh filled up Race’s chest. Anger. Resentment. Betrayal. Amelia took a small step towards him and Race backed away. “Tyler—“
“Don’t,” Race insisted. “Don’t pretend. Did you know? About him? About… about how terrible he was—“
“Honey—“
“No,” the boy insisted again. “Don’t use your little pet names and try to distract me. I j-just listened to him talk about things that happened… b-before I was even born, which means this has been going on for, s-so long, and y-you… you let him sign that contract, knowing what that would mean for him- for me! And you didn’t even care!” He couldn’t understand it. “Pa—… Snyder couldn’t have done what he did without your signature. Do you even understand what happened to him—?!”
“Tyler!” a voice snapped from behind him.
Race whirled around to see Jack standing in the doorway of his hospital room. He was hunched over on himself slightly, more than usual. Race sniffled. “Th-they said you shouldn’t be walkin’ around like that, th-that you should get a chair—“
“And I said, you ain’t supposed ta be listening,” Jack insisted. “Sit down,” he ordered, using his arm that wasn’t in a sling to point at a chair in the hallway for visitors and people waiting to know if their loved ones were still alive. Race hesitated, but eventually did sit down.
Jack looked up at the young woman in the room. “H-hey, Aims.“
“I…” Amelia cleared her throat. “I brought you these,” she said. “It’s stupid, I know, and I know it won’t make up for anything, but I didn’t know where you were going or if you had anywhere to go—“
“Jack…” another voice called, weak and stunned and shocked and Jack’s eyes left Amelia immediately. He looked over to the entrance of that hallway and everything else fell away. Race could see it in his father’s eyes. And in a second, Jack was running, stumbling forwards towards that person who caught him before he could fall. “Jackie!”
“Davey…” Jack whispered, using his good arm to cling to the slightly taller man who held him so tightly and gently all at once.
Amelia sighed, feeling second place again, as always, as she sat down beside the boy who was her son. She watched them as Race squinted. “Confused?” she asked.
Race didn’t even have the words. He just nodded. He’d never seen this person. Not in pictures. Not in the articles about Jack he’d read. Jack had never mentioned anyone from his past really, but definitely not this “Davey.”
Amelia smiled sadly. “I was in love with your dad when we were kids,” she admitted. “So stupidly in love. And my dad and his step dad were friends. We were supposed to be together. According to them, anyway.” She shrugged. “But your dad never really had eyes for me. He was always chasing after someone else…”
The boy tilted his head when he watched Jack’s smile up at this mystery man. He’d never seen Jack smile like that. Not ever. “Wait, so if… if he didn’t wanna be with you then how…”
“How did you happen?” Amelia finished for him. “It was… a stupid thing. We both got a little drunk and Mr. Snyder had just been… awful to him,” she said. “Jack needed someone to let him feel like a man, to feel in control. And I was willing to let him. And then everything just fell into this jumbled up mess and,” Amelia took a breath before she continued. “The truth is, Tyler, neither your dad or I had great home lives. We were both told that if we didn’t sign that contract… our lives would be over one way or another…” she sniffled a bit, looking over at the boy who looked so much like her. “I’m not going to lie to you, Tyler James, I wasn’t ready to be a mother. No kid is ready to be a parent, but I do have a love in my heart for you. And I have felt nothing but guilt since the day I left you and Jack in that house with that awful man,” she said.
Race swallowed hard. Tears filled up in his eyes and he wasn’t even sure why. He couldn’t place the feelings in his chest. He used the heel of his hand to wipe at his eyes, shaking his head as he sniffled. “S-sorry… I dunno why I’m even crying,” he whimpered, his voice shaking uncontrollably all of the sudden.
Amelia wrapped an arm around him. “It’s okay to cry,” she assured. “What’s going on in your mind must be a lot. But it’ll get better. I promise. And you don’t have anyone better to go through it with than Jack Kelly,” she promised.
Jack turned to look at him after that, dragging Davey behind him by the hand. He kneeled down in front of his son. “Racer, this is Davey… we’re gonna stay with him for a little bit, okay?”
Race nodded. “Okay…” he whimpered.
Jack melted. “Hey… come here,” he whispered, opening up his chest for the boy who gently slid down into it without a second thought. “We’re okay,” the young man promised, rubbing Race’s back. “I’m okay,” he assured, kissing the kid’s head. Jack looked up at Amelia. “Thank you for coming.”
Amelia smiled and looked up at David. “You take care of them,” she ordered.
David smiled. “I’ve got them, Amelia,” he promised.
Jack smiled gently. “You’re still his ma,” he said. “Don’t disappear on us, okay?”
Amelia leaned down to kiss Jack’s cheek before standing to hand David her number. “Keep me updated. I’ll come by soon and bring some groceries, okay?”
David smiled, winking at her as she left.
Race couldn’t even take in the moment. He just sobbed into his daddy’s shirt, wondering where on earth they’d go from here.