Title: Wonderful
Author: DericaAtuliel/Jem
Beta: linlawless
Rating: PG-13
Categories: Alternate History, Family, Hurt/Comfort, Domestic Violence
Disclaimer: I own nothing. All belongs to General Hospital creators and writers.
Summary: A fight that goes too far pushes Cameron, Jake, and Elizabeth into a life they never imagined possible.
Inspired by: "Wonderful" by Everclear
The ball of fear coiled up in my stomach, like it always did when something bad was about to happen. I lay back on my bed, staring up at the ceiling fan as it whirred around and around, cooling us down. Jake lay next to me, copying my pose, but he was sound asleep. I listened to him snore and waited for the yelling to start. It always did after the ball showed up.
I started to get a sense about when the yelling would start when I was young. I figured out that I should always listen to that feeling, a few weeks after it started happening. So now I always hide in my room before it happened. Tonight, Jake and I were just lucky we decided to go to bed anyway. Well, actually, I decided. Jake just followed me and we lay on my bed, talking until he fell asleep.
I could tell the fight was going to be real bad tonight. The ball was bigger than usual. And Mommy didn't say a word during dinner. It always scares me when she gets quiet. I knew Dad did something to make her sad again. He always did things to make her sad, but when she got quiet, I knew it was real sad. I wasn't sure what it was this time, but the sheriff's daughter was here again when Mommy brought us home from the park.
Mommy told me once he wasn't actually called the sheriff, but the police commissioner. Jake and I thought it was more fun to pretend he was the sheriff and Dad was his deputy. The sheriff's daughter was here a lot, though, and it always makes Mommy get real quiet. I don't like her either, and neither does Jake. But Dad sure seems to think she's nice.
Dad started screaming. I knew he would start the fight. He almost always does, especially when Mommy gets quiet. He hates it when she gets quiet. Mommy was being quiet between his yells, but I knew she would scream back eventually.
Jake whimpered and rolled onto his side. He would probably wake up soon. I wanted to go out and tell them to stop fighting-they would wake Jake up. I couldn't do that, though. I only interrupted a fight once and Dad started throwing things. Mommy carried me to my room and told me not to ever come down when I hear them fighting. I told her it's scary to hear them argue and I wanted to make sure she was okay. She told me grownups fight sometimes, but it'll be okay. I don't come down during their fights anymore.
I listened closer when Mommy started yelling.
"Just stop it, Lucky! Stop blaming everything in this marriage on me!"
"You never believed in me! That was always the problem!"
"I gave you a hundred chances and you still haven't changed. You keep promising and promising that you'll stop sleeping with her, that you'll go to rehab, that things will change and they still haven't! I can't believe in you anymore."
"But you can believe in Jason, can't you?"
"Oh, stop it."
I covered my ears real quick when he started calling her a whore again. I flinched when I heard something hit the wall. Jake sat up and I hugged him, covering his ears so he wouldn't have to hear it anymore. He started crying again. It always makes Jake feel real bad when Mommy and Dad fight. I don't mind it so much anymore. You get used to it after a while.
Mommy took us to Kelly's the next day to see Aunt Bobbie. Before we left, I asked her if everything was okay. She smiled her prettiest smile and told me everything was wonderful. She always answers the same when I ask her that, and I always know she's lying. How can everything be wonderful when Dad was throwing things and yelling and calling her a whore again?
Mommy helped Jake and I up onto two stools and Aunt Lulu brought us chocolate shakes, like she does every time we come during the summer. It was real hot out today, so I took my time with my shake. Jake sucked his up real quick, though, so Aunt Lulu had to get him another one. Mommy talked to Aunt Bobbie for a little bit, until Jason came in.
The bell rang and I turned in my seat. He gave us all big smiles and me and Jake hopped down from our stools to hug his legs, like we always do.
"Jason!" we hollered and he and Mommy laughed when we sat on his feet.
"Hey, there, little rascals," he said and messed up our hair.
Me and Jake grinned up at him.
"Now you can't escape," I told him.
Jason laughed. "You won't take me that easily."
He winked and started walking toward Mommy. Me and Jake squealed and laughed when he lifted us high above the ground with his big, strong legs. When he got to Mommy, he pulled us up in his arms and grinned at both of us.
"You boys behaving for your mom today?" he asked sternly, even though he was still smiling.
"Uh-huh!" Jake told him. "An' we're drinkin' shakes!"
"Is that so? Well, I best not keep you from them any longer," he said, plopping us on our stools and messing up our hair again.
We laughed and Jake started gulping down his shake again, but I watched Jason and Mommy. Jason touched her elbow and they talked real softly, away from everybody else. Mommy smiled and Jason relaxed a little. He always looks worried when he first starts talking to her, but then he calms down when she smiles. They always talk for a while when they see each other.
My favorite part about watching them is how Mommy smiles. Her prettiest smile, like when she smiles at me and Jake, comes out and she looks real happy. It always reminds me of that song she used to sing to me-"You Are My Sunshine." I think Jason is Mommy's sunshine.
Me and Jake sometimes like to play a game where we 'magine life how we want it to be. We pretend that Jason lives with us and he gets Dad to calm down, so he doesn't yell anymore. And he reminds Dad of his promises, so he always keeps them. And he makes it so Mommy is always smiling. And he plays with us like he always does when we see him. I try to pretend life is like that when Mommy tells me everything is wonderful. She wouldn't be lying if life were like that.
The only thing me and Jake don't like about Jason is Sam. Sometimes I don't think he likes her very much, either. She likes to hold onto his arm, especially when Mommy is talking to them. And Mommy always looks guilty when she's around, instead of happy like she usually does when it's just her and Jason. Sam is always smiling, though, but it's not a pretty smile, like Mommy's. She has a mean smile, just like the sheriff's daughter.
When Jake was little, she used to try to hold him, but she always did it wrong. Jake would start crying, so Mommy would take him away and he would calm right down.
Mommy, Jake, and me left Kelly's and ran right into Sam.
"Oh, sorry about that, Elizabeth. Didn't even see you there," she said. She didn't sound sorry.
"That's okay. Jason's inside, if you're looking for him," Mommy told her. Mommy is always nice to people, even when they're mean like Sam.
"Well, thanks." She didn't sound like she meant it, though.
We were walking past her and we almost escaped, but she called for Mommy.
"I forgot to tell you. I just came from your house and Lucky said something about wanting to talk to you." Sam was smiling again, that real mean smile.
"But…Lucky is supposed to be at work!" Mommy said, all surprised. "He told me his shift was…."
Mommy looked like she was remembering something and she got quiet again. She nodded and told me and Jake to come along, without even thanking Sam.
Dad was home when Mommy, Jake, and me got there. He was sitting in the dark in his chair, and when we came inside, Mommy sent me and Jake straight upstairs. The ball had been building in my tummy until I felt like it was twice my size. It made me scared the way Dad was looking at Mommy. After she went downstairs, me and Jake snuck out of the room and stood at the top of the stairs to listen. This fight seemed too important to stay in our room.
Mommy was standing near the door, from the sounds of it. But she was being too quiet for us to understand. Somehow the quiet made it even more terrifying.
"I'm sick of the way you treat me," Dad said, pretty loudly. "I need a real woman to satisfy me, a woman who knows the way to treat a man."
"Are you talking about the woman half your age or the woman who's engaged to Jason?" Mommy asked snottily.
This made Dad real mad. "I'm talking about Sam, dammit! It's all over with Maxie."
"What, does Sam have a better dealer? Or does she just do a few things that Maxie won't?" Mommy didn't even sound mad, and it seemed to make Dad even more angry.
"Shut up, you filthy little bitch! I want you out of this house!"
I tried to cover Jake's ears, but he shoved me off.
"So you can be with an engaged woman? Fine, have fun with your little affair."
"Who are you to talk about cheating, huh? After what you did with Jason-"
"After I caught you in bed with Maxie!"
"Don't make excuses, Elizabeth. You know what you did was wrong."
"No, it wasn't. As far as I was concerned, this marriage was over. I was in pain because of what you did to me and I turned to the one person who has been a constant pillar in my life."
"You should've turned to me!"
"My God, Lucky…how high are you right now? Are you not even listening to me? Jason has always been there for me when I needed him. He was the only person I could turn to when you, who I trusted and wasted years hoping you would love me, were in bed with Maxie."
"You will never fight for me, will you? The only person you'll fight for is your precious Jason."
"This isn't even about Jason. This is about you failing as a husband and as a father."
"Well, now that I won't have you holding me back, I'll be able to be a good father to both my boys."
"They're not even yours, Lucky. And I'm taking them with me."
"You're not taking my boys." Dad's voice got real quiet.
"Yes, I am. Cam and Jake are my sons and I can't let them suffer any more because of you. I thought if I stuck this marriage out that eventually we'd be a happy family and that it was better for them to have a father. Now I see that they've been without one all along."
"You aren't taking them. I don't care what you say. Get out."
Mommy backed up onto the steps so we could see her.
"I'm not leaving without them." She paused. "Stay away from me, Lucky."
"Get out!"
"Not without my boys! Get away from me!"
Dad came closer to Mommy, so then I could see him, and he grabbed Mommy's arm. He opened the door and shoved her, but she lost her balance and she fell down. Jake was frozen in place, with his mouth hanging open. I thought back to what Mommy always told me-in an emergency, dial 9-1-1. I grabbed Jake's hand and ran downstairs. I dialed the number and when I turned around, Dad was coming toward me.
"Give me the phone, Cameron," he told me.
The way he was looking at me was scary. I took Jake's hand and ran into the bathroom this time and locked us inside. Dad started pounding on the door and told me I was gonna get it. Someone finally talked on the other end.
"My mommy is hurt!" I yelled.
"Okay, calm down, son. Tell me what happened," the man on the other end told me.
"Dad and Mommy were arguing and she fell down," I told him, hugging Jake, who was crying.
The pounding stopped, but I didn't dare unlock the door.
"Is she bleeding? Are her eyes open?"
"I don't know. We're in the bathroom."
Someone knocked on the door, real quietly. I hugged Jake tighter and didn't answer.
"Cameron? Jake? Are you in there?"
"Jason!"
Jake unlocked the door and flung himself into Jason's arms. Jason held him tight and put out the other arm for me. I hugged him as tight as I could and Jason picked us up and carried us over and set us down on the couch. I could see Dad from my spot on the couch. He was tied to a dining room chair with one of the curtains and was struggling to get loose.
I turned to find where Jason went. He was next to Mommy by the door, the phone up to his ear. Jake hopped off the couch and I hurried after him.
"Is Mommy okay?" I asked when Jason hung up and set the phone aside.
"I don't know yet," Jason told us, sweeping his arm around the both of his to give us a hug.
That's one of the best things about Jason-he never lies. Jason put his arms under Mommy's back and legs and lifted her up. He carried her to the couch and laid her down, putting all the cushions under her head. He motioned for me and Jake. He had me hold Mommy's wrist and had Jake put his fingers to Mommy's neck.
"Okay, you feel that?" he asked us.
I nodded and Jake put his tongue to the corner of his mouth, then nodded rapidly when Jason moved his fingers a little.
"Is that bad?" Jake asked uncertainly.
Jason smiled. "No, that's good. That means Mommy's heart is still beating. Why don't you two switch sides, and I'll show you how to feel it on both."
We did quickly and Jason showed me where to put my fingers on Mommy's neck. It was weird, feeling Mommy's heartbeat. Jason had his hand in the middle of Mommy's chest, which he told us was where her actual heart was. He bent his head down to her lips and told us that Mommy was still breathing, too. He showed us how to feel for her breath and then had us put our ears on Mommy's chest so we could listen to her heart.
"Is she sleepin'?" Jake asked when we lifted our heads.
Jason smiled, even though he still looked a little worried. "In a way. She hit her head on one of the porch chairs when she fell. It knocked her unconscious, which means she is sort of sleeping."
He sat back on the coffee table and motioned for us to sit on his knees. We hopped up and I held Jason tight. His back was hard and stiff, not like usual.
"Now, when the ambulance comes, they're going to take Mommy away, all right?" he told us.
"What are they gonna do to her?!" Jake asked.
"They're going to take her to General Hospital and make sure that she gets better," he said, rubbing our backs. "I'm going to take you to see her, but we won't be able to ride in the ambulance with her, okay?"
"All right," I said, disappointed.
"Okay. What's gonna happen to Daddy?" Jake asked.
"The police are going to take him into custody for a while," Jason said. His voice got hard when he talked about Dad.
"So he won't be able to hurt Mommy no more?"
Me and Jake looked up at Jason, who took a deep breath.
"You two saw what happened?" he asked, instead of answering right away.
"Yeah. Dad was screaming at Mommy to get out and he wasn't gonna let her leave with us," I told him, frowning-there wasn't a whole lot to smile about right now. "And he grabbed her and opened the door and shoved her out and she fell down. So I called 911 and we had to lock ourselves in the bathroom, cause Dad wasn't gonna let us call them."
"You did good," Jason told me, messing up my hair.
"So is Daddy gonna be able to hurt Mommy again?" Jake asked impatiently, tugging on Jason's shirt.
Jason looked at us both, very seriously. "I promise both of you, I will never let him hurt your mom, or either of you two, ever again." Like I said, Jason never lies, so I believe him for sure.
We both hugged Jason tight and he hugged us back.
When Mommy got out of the hospital, she told us we had to find a place to live. We didn't want to go back to Dad's house, and Grandma Audrey was visiting relatives in California. We couldn't stay with any of Dad's relatives, either, because he would find us there, which meant we couldn't stay with Uncle Nik and Aunt Emily. Mommy said she had enough money on her credit card to stay in a motel for one night.
We stayed in a room with a big bed together and Mommy tucked us in and read us "Chuggin' Charlie." She looked so worn out, but she still gave me a pretty smile and told me everything was wonderful when I asked if everything was okay before I fell asleep.
The next morning, Mommy, Jake, and I visited Aunt Emily for a while. Aunt Emily ate chocolate cake with us and we did a puppet show for Mommy and Uncle Nik. Aunt Emily wanted us to stay, but Mommy told her that Wyndermere would be the first place Dad would look.
Mommy didn't have enough money for the motel room, so she drove into a parking garage and when we walked to the elevator, she stopped and bent down to talk to us.
"Okay, Mommy's really sorry, but I don't think we have any options left," she told us, frowning sadly. She was pretty even when she was sad. "So, we're going to go see if Jason will let us stay with him for a night or two, okay?"
"Yay! Jason!" Jake cheered, clapping.
Mommy smiled and looked at me. "Is that okay with you, Cam?"
I grinned. "Yeah! Jason's the best!"
"Good. Thank you, my boys."
She kissed our foreheads and we went into the elevator. Mommy got more and more quiet as it went up and all the days seemed to be catching up with her. She looked so sad when we reached the floor that I wanted to cry. She knocked on Jason's door and we waited for a moment. Jason opened the door and stared at Mommy, looking shocked.
"Hey," he said, softly.
"Hey," Mommy said. Her voice was so sad. "Can we stay with you for a while?"
Jason let out a breath. "Of course."
Mommy stepped forward and Jason hugged her. I looked up at him and he smiled over her head, then motioned for us to come inside. He led Mommy inside and shut the door behind us, then told us to go ahead upstairs and take the room on the right that wasn't the bathroom. I watched him take Mommy to the couch and I heard her sobbing as he kept on holding her, then grabbed Jake's hand and took him up the stairs.
Mommy came in and tucked us in before bedtime. Jason was in the doorway, watching.
"I'll be back in a little while, but I want you two to get some rest, okay?" Mommy told us, pulling the blanket up to our necks.
"Where are you going, Mommy?" Jake asked, smiling.
"I have to discuss a few things with Jason, all right?" She smiled over at Jason, then looked down at us again.
"What's gonna happen now, Mommy?" I asked, seeing the smile start to fade.
"Well…I don't want you to worry about it right now," she said quietly, frowning deeply. "I just want you to know that whatever happens…I love you. Both of you."
"I love you, too, Mommy," I told her earnestly, listening as Jake echoed me.
"Okay, now, get some sleep. Sweet dreams," she said, kissing both of us before going to join Jason at the door.
"Good night, boys," he called to us.
"Night, Jason!" we called back.
Mommy turned off the lights and blew us kisses, then Jason shut the door and they left.
We stayed at Jason's a lot longer than two nights. Mommy kept saying we were close to being able to leave, but I don't think she really wanted to leave. Me and Jake didn't, either. Jason's was the funnest place ever. We got to go to Kelly's and the park all day and then we'd come home with Mommy and Jason would get home and we would all four play together. Jason read us a story before bedtime to calm us down and we drank chocolate milk that Mommy made for us. Then Mommy would tuck us in and we all said good night.
One night Jake told Jason he loved him and I said it, too. Mommy and Jason looked so happy that we said it every night, and Jason said it back every time.
Jason and Mommy never fought, either. Even when they disagreed on something, they looked happy and just changed the subject. Jason never tried to push her and he never threw anything. And when he promised he'd be somewhere, he was. Even though sometimes he was late, he always eventually showed up. Me and Jake thought he wasn't gonna come one time and then Mommy told us he wouldn't break his promise. I wasn't so sure, but then there he came!
We started going out for family dinners sometimes and Jason let us order whatever we wanted. Sometimes Aunt Emily would come, too, and we all had the best time.
Sam never showed up after that day at Kelly's and the sheriff's daughter steered clear of us, too. Jason's lawyer, Miss Diane, told us she was taking care of our dad and explained that he was very sick, but she was making sure he was getting help. Mommy told us that we could see him if we wanted to, eventually, but for now we had to stay away while he got better. I wasn't sure I wanted to see him, but Mommy told us we might change our minds.
Mommy told us she was getting a divorce from Dad, but me and Jake told her we didn't mind. Lots of kids at school have parents who are divorced. Besides, Dad didn't seem to love Mommy very much, and Mommy always told us that only people who loved each other very much should get married. When we told Mommy that, she told us we were the best children anyone could ask for and gave us big hugs and kisses.
Once, Jason did seem kind of upset with Mommy, but it was a weird kind of upset. She seemed really apologetic and he seemed a little tense, but then they must've made up, because he relaxed again. He seemed to touch her a little more often and once I even found them hugging on the couch when I came down for a late night snack.
The best part of all this was that Mommy was happier than ever. It was rare that she wasn't smiling her prettiest smile, and even when she was worried about something, she'd talk to Jason and her smile would come back. He smiled a lot around her, too.
It was actually a few months later when Mommy decided we should move out. Grandma Audrey had come back and we could move in with her until Mommy could afford something better. Jason didn't want us to move out, though-me and Jake could tell. When she announced it to us that we were going, he got all droopy and sad. And when we came home from school, he would always be there so he could spend all the time he could with us.
One night, though, Mommy didn't come to bed like usual and when I woke up the next morning, she still wasn't there. Instead, she and Jason were downstairs already and he told us we were all going to have another family dinner that night. So he took us all out and when we were sitting at the table, he took Mommy's hand in his and said he wanted to tell us something.
"I would like to marry your mom," he said very seriously.
"Really?" Jake asked. I could tell he was excited.
"Yes. Your mom and I have been friends for a very long time and I love her very much," Jason told us, smiling at Mommy. She had the biggest grin on her face I'd ever seen. "I love both of you, too, and I want you to stay with me. I want us to be a family."
He smiled at Mommy again and kissed her hand. I grinned at Jake and we jumped up and down in our seats. Jake clapped and I leapt over to kiss Mommy.
"Yay! W-we're gonna be a family!" Jake cheered, making everyone in the restaurant stare at us. "We're gonna have a Daddy!"
Mommy and Jason were smiling really big, but they had us sit down again and looked at us seriously.
"Are you sure you're okay with this?" Mommy asked us. "Because if you're not-"
"Well, don't you love him?" I asked, tilting my head.
Mommy smiled. "Of course I do."
"We love him, too," I told her.
Jake agreed real fast and Mommy and Jason hugged us. I asked if I could call Jason Daddy now, or if I had to wait till after they got married, and Jason got a funny look, almost like Mommy looks when she says she's so happy she can't help crying, and he said we could call him Daddy anytime we want, cause we're a family now and we'll be one from now on, forever.
We didn't move out and a month later, me and Jake were the best men at Mommy and Daddy's wedding. I could tell they loved each other a lot. Every time they looked at each other, they smiled and their eyes got shiny. At the wedding, Mommy was in the most beautiful white dress and when she came through the doors, Daddy's eyes were all on her. He hardly even looked away to get the ring from me, but he paused once to mess up my hair and smile at me.
Daddy lifted Mommy's veil when the preacher said to and he kissed her real gentle. Mommy looked happier than I'd ever seen her.
Grandma Audrey and Aunt Emily took turns taking care of us while Mommy and Daddy went on their honeymoon in Italy. When they got back, they hugged both of us and Daddy played airplane with Jake while Mommy hugged me. She watched the two of them and I saw tears in her eyes, so I tugged on her pant leg.
"Is everything okay, Mommy?" I asked.
Mommy grinned and lifted me up, then gave me a big kiss. "Everything is wonderful, Cam."
I believed her, this time.
I promise to be a good stalker. Not a stuck-to-your-butt stalker like Sam. Oh, and I promise to remain fully clothed.
