Heroic Muse
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Feb 20, 2014
- Messages
- 787
- Reaction score
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- Location
- Baldwin, New York
- Website
- www.ftmcoachjack.com
After hanging up with Nicole, JJ had a few minutes to spare. As he tightened his tie, he checked out his notifications on his phone. He had a Salem U Social friend request icon; he clicked on it and Marissa’s profile came up.
Marissa had asked him if he smoked weed right before the cops rolled up on them. What would she have said if he’d had the chance to tell her the truth?
JJ shook his head. “Sorry, Marissa, it’s better you don’t get to know me. You won’t like what you find out any more than Paige did.” He put his finger over the DELETE REQUEST button, but somehow he couldn’t bring himself to touch it.
He slid the phone into his pocket just as his mom came down the stairs. “You look great, honey,” Jen said. “Where are you going, all dressed up?”
“Um, Rory’s bail hearing is this morning.”
“Oh. So were you able to make arrangements with Aiden Jennings to take his case?”
“He’s gonna do today’s hearing,” JJ said wearily, sensing an argument coming and not wanting one.
“Is he - “
“I really gotta go, Mom.”
“You know, JJ, maybe I didn’t make this clear the other day, but I really do hope for the best for your friend.”
“Do you?”
“Of course I do.” Jen automatically straightened JJ’s collar. “Just because I don’t like who you become when you’re around Rory doesn’t mean that I wish bad things for him. I do feel sorry for him, especially after what you told me about his home life, and I hope he gets what he needs in order to get on a better path. I just think he needs more than you can possibly give him, and I don’t want to see you throw your life away for him. That’s all.”
“Mom! I’m not doing that. I want to finish college and make something of myself--don’t you know that?”
“Yes, of course I do. But when it comes to Rory, sometimes I wonder if there’s anything you won’t do.”
“I’m gonna be late.” JJ pulled his coat on and hurried out of the house.
Jen sighed as she closed the door after him. Why can’t I ever say the right thing when it comes to my son? she thought.
Chloe had barely opened her eyes when the lab tech came back with the x-ray machine. “Do you have to do that now?” she asked, glancing at Parker. “He just woke up; can’t you give him a few minutes before you start poking and prodding him?”
“Sorry. Dr. Collins needs this as soon as possible. As soon as she has the second image, she can make a decision about treatment.”
Chloe sighed. She glanced at Parker and said, “Can you be a big boy this time and just let the doctor take the picture?” Parker shook his head. Chloe sighed and got down on her knees so she was looking at Parker at eye level. “Please, angel? The machine won’t hurt you, I promise. It’s just going to take a picture of your insides to give to the doctor so she can see what’s making you sick.” Chloe blinked back tears, wanting to be strong for her son. “Just roll over on your tummy, you won’t even see it.”
“Nooo,” Parker said.
“Come on buddy,” the lab tech said. “What’s it gonna take to get you to cooperate?”
Parker shook his head. Chloe said, “Tell Mommy.” Parker whispered something in her ear and she said, “We can’t go home now, baby. We just can’t.” She blinked hard. “Please angel, just roll over.” She reached for him to help him roll over, but he grabbed onto the sides of the bed and held on tight, starting to cry.
Chloe couldn’t stand it. She looked around desperately for someone, anyone who could help. Maxine was passing by, so she called to her, “Maxine! Can you come in here for a minute please?”
“Of course.” Maxine came in and Chloe said, “This is impossible. This x-ray machine scares the living daylights out of him and they say they need to take another one, but he won’t… and maybe Daniel could get him to cooperate, but he’s not here and I just can’t take this.”
“Don’t you worry. I know how to handle this boy.” Maxine came and sat down. “Now Parker, we talked about this. Do I need to ask Dr. Brady to come in here and give you a big needle full of medicine to make you calm down?”
While Maxine went on talking to Parker, Chloe slipped out of the room for a second. She hated to leave Parker, but she couldn’t handle seeing him this upset, or the machines, or the whole situation. She flipped through her contacts to find the number she was looking for. “Hi,” she said into the phone, barely controlling the tears. “I know it’s probably weird for me to call you after all this time, but you know that family emergency I told you about when we ran into each other? It’s… it’s Parker… Right, of course you figured that--what other family do I have left in Salem anyway? What? They’re… they’re still running tests. No, even Daniel knows he can’t be the lead doctor for his own son, but he’s overseeing it as much as he can.” Chloe sniffed. “Look, stop asking so many questions! No, I wanted you to know. If anyone should, it’s you. Really? You’re… you’re glad I called? Oh. Of course. Yes… yes I’ll keep you posted. Always.” She hung up and collapsed against the wall, hugging the phone against her heart.
“What’s wrong, Mom?” Paige asked, pressing the phone to her ear and playing with her keys. She and Daphne had just been about to go grab some breakfast at the cafeteria when the phone rang. “You sound terrible.”
“Let’s go,” Daphne mouthed to Paige, but Paige held up her finger.
“Everything’s fine,” Paige said. “No, nothing happened. It’s been nice and quiet. Today? Daphne and I are going to go to breakfast and she wants to show me around campus before class. Mom… listen, I’m fine. Okay, okay, yes I can do that. I will find time today to come get the rest of my things. Daphne can - Why? Okay, fine, I’ll come alone. See you later.”
Paige groaned as she got off the phone. “Oh my God, my mom!”
“You didn’t have to pick up,” Daphne said.
“She’s my mom. Of course I’m going to talk to her.”
“Well yeah, but you’re already homesick and she’s not helping. You’re on your own now, Paige. You get to decide when you want to talk to her. You don’t have to jump every time she calls anymore.”
Paige squeezed her keys. “Can we please just go?”
“I know you feel like I’m being hard on your mom, but Paige, I’m just trying to look out for you. She’s trying to make you feel sorry for her so you’ll move back home, and you can’t let her do that.”
“Nobody needs to look out for me! That’s why I moved away from my mom in the first place, remember?”
“You’re right, you’re right. I’m sorry I said anything.” Daphne pulled her purse on and walked quickly away. Paige sighed before following her.
Marissa had asked him if he smoked weed right before the cops rolled up on them. What would she have said if he’d had the chance to tell her the truth?
JJ shook his head. “Sorry, Marissa, it’s better you don’t get to know me. You won’t like what you find out any more than Paige did.” He put his finger over the DELETE REQUEST button, but somehow he couldn’t bring himself to touch it.
He slid the phone into his pocket just as his mom came down the stairs. “You look great, honey,” Jen said. “Where are you going, all dressed up?”
“Um, Rory’s bail hearing is this morning.”
“Oh. So were you able to make arrangements with Aiden Jennings to take his case?”
“He’s gonna do today’s hearing,” JJ said wearily, sensing an argument coming and not wanting one.
“Is he - “
“I really gotta go, Mom.”
“You know, JJ, maybe I didn’t make this clear the other day, but I really do hope for the best for your friend.”
“Do you?”
“Of course I do.” Jen automatically straightened JJ’s collar. “Just because I don’t like who you become when you’re around Rory doesn’t mean that I wish bad things for him. I do feel sorry for him, especially after what you told me about his home life, and I hope he gets what he needs in order to get on a better path. I just think he needs more than you can possibly give him, and I don’t want to see you throw your life away for him. That’s all.”
“Mom! I’m not doing that. I want to finish college and make something of myself--don’t you know that?”
“Yes, of course I do. But when it comes to Rory, sometimes I wonder if there’s anything you won’t do.”
“I’m gonna be late.” JJ pulled his coat on and hurried out of the house.
Jen sighed as she closed the door after him. Why can’t I ever say the right thing when it comes to my son? she thought.
Chloe had barely opened her eyes when the lab tech came back with the x-ray machine. “Do you have to do that now?” she asked, glancing at Parker. “He just woke up; can’t you give him a few minutes before you start poking and prodding him?”
“Sorry. Dr. Collins needs this as soon as possible. As soon as she has the second image, she can make a decision about treatment.”
Chloe sighed. She glanced at Parker and said, “Can you be a big boy this time and just let the doctor take the picture?” Parker shook his head. Chloe sighed and got down on her knees so she was looking at Parker at eye level. “Please, angel? The machine won’t hurt you, I promise. It’s just going to take a picture of your insides to give to the doctor so she can see what’s making you sick.” Chloe blinked back tears, wanting to be strong for her son. “Just roll over on your tummy, you won’t even see it.”
“Nooo,” Parker said.
“Come on buddy,” the lab tech said. “What’s it gonna take to get you to cooperate?”
Parker shook his head. Chloe said, “Tell Mommy.” Parker whispered something in her ear and she said, “We can’t go home now, baby. We just can’t.” She blinked hard. “Please angel, just roll over.” She reached for him to help him roll over, but he grabbed onto the sides of the bed and held on tight, starting to cry.
Chloe couldn’t stand it. She looked around desperately for someone, anyone who could help. Maxine was passing by, so she called to her, “Maxine! Can you come in here for a minute please?”
“Of course.” Maxine came in and Chloe said, “This is impossible. This x-ray machine scares the living daylights out of him and they say they need to take another one, but he won’t… and maybe Daniel could get him to cooperate, but he’s not here and I just can’t take this.”
“Don’t you worry. I know how to handle this boy.” Maxine came and sat down. “Now Parker, we talked about this. Do I need to ask Dr. Brady to come in here and give you a big needle full of medicine to make you calm down?”
While Maxine went on talking to Parker, Chloe slipped out of the room for a second. She hated to leave Parker, but she couldn’t handle seeing him this upset, or the machines, or the whole situation. She flipped through her contacts to find the number she was looking for. “Hi,” she said into the phone, barely controlling the tears. “I know it’s probably weird for me to call you after all this time, but you know that family emergency I told you about when we ran into each other? It’s… it’s Parker… Right, of course you figured that--what other family do I have left in Salem anyway? What? They’re… they’re still running tests. No, even Daniel knows he can’t be the lead doctor for his own son, but he’s overseeing it as much as he can.” Chloe sniffed. “Look, stop asking so many questions! No, I wanted you to know. If anyone should, it’s you. Really? You’re… you’re glad I called? Oh. Of course. Yes… yes I’ll keep you posted. Always.” She hung up and collapsed against the wall, hugging the phone against her heart.
“What’s wrong, Mom?” Paige asked, pressing the phone to her ear and playing with her keys. She and Daphne had just been about to go grab some breakfast at the cafeteria when the phone rang. “You sound terrible.”
“Let’s go,” Daphne mouthed to Paige, but Paige held up her finger.
“Everything’s fine,” Paige said. “No, nothing happened. It’s been nice and quiet. Today? Daphne and I are going to go to breakfast and she wants to show me around campus before class. Mom… listen, I’m fine. Okay, okay, yes I can do that. I will find time today to come get the rest of my things. Daphne can - Why? Okay, fine, I’ll come alone. See you later.”
Paige groaned as she got off the phone. “Oh my God, my mom!”
“You didn’t have to pick up,” Daphne said.
“She’s my mom. Of course I’m going to talk to her.”
“Well yeah, but you’re already homesick and she’s not helping. You’re on your own now, Paige. You get to decide when you want to talk to her. You don’t have to jump every time she calls anymore.”
Paige squeezed her keys. “Can we please just go?”
“I know you feel like I’m being hard on your mom, but Paige, I’m just trying to look out for you. She’s trying to make you feel sorry for her so you’ll move back home, and you can’t let her do that.”
“Nobody needs to look out for me! That’s why I moved away from my mom in the first place, remember?”
“You’re right, you’re right. I’m sorry I said anything.” Daphne pulled her purse on and walked quickly away. Paige sighed before following her.