Broken In
A week had gone by and finally Punk's father was getting out of hospital and getting to go home. He was still on complete bed rest was now fortunate enough to be back in his home comforts.
Punk had spent the week dodging his mother and brother at the hospital and having some time to think about what it was he really wanted to do. He'd admitted it, he was suspicious as to why his mom was all of a sudden being nice to him. His brother wasn't even in the picture. Mike would always be Mike and everyone knew that, but he was giving his mother a great deal of thought for the past week.
He'd also been busy with turning the garage into an office for AJ. She knew nothing about it. He'd been working at it when she'd gone out with the kids or if she'd take a nap during the day, and he had finally finished it.
"Why are you doing this? I can't see a thing." AJ complained as Punk guided her through their kitchen and to the door to their garage, a blind fold covering her eyes so she couldn't see a thing.
"Well that's the point." He grinned a little, opening up the door to the garage, "Ok, step down." He instructed as she took a step down and paused as he stood behind, "Ok, you ready?" He asked her.
"Yes, I'm ready." AJ nodded.
"Ok, take off your blind fold." He smiled, shuffling over a little so he could see her face as she took the blind fold off and gasped.
"Oh my god." She said with surprise. A place which once was a space for clutter and garbage had now turned into something so beautiful. It was just like another room to their house and she was so bewildered that she hadn't noticed him doing it, "Oh, Phil. It's wonderful." She said, clasping her hands over her mouth as she looked around. It had everything she needed. A desk to write at, her laptop of course, some cute figures and nick nacks, shelves and filing cabinets along the wall. She was totally in love.
"You like it?" He smiled, "It's been keeping me busy, and I thought I had a lot of making up to do from last week." He admitted as she just tutted.
"You shouldn't have. We sorted all that out." AJ said, "But I just… I love it." She said with such excitement, looking around as Punk watched her. He loved nothing more than to see her happy, "How did I not even notice."
"Well… most of the hard work I got some help from guys in work. They'd come round when you'd taken the kids out, or when you'd fall asleep watching TV." He said, "I didn't think I'd have it finished so quick though." He said.
"I love it so much." AJ shook her head, "I can't wait to start writing now." She smiled, rushing over to him and launching herself into him, cuddling him tightly as he hugged her back.
"I'm glad you like it, baby." He smiled, kissing her head.
"I love it." She said with a peaceful sigh. Perhaps he got it wrong sometimes when speaking to her, but she understood he had been all over the place recently. This proved his heart was always full of love and good intentions. For her anyway.
"You still wanna go see my dad?" He asked as she nodded.
"Yeah, of course. I thought we were taking the kids." She looked up at him.
"I don't know. Maybe it's still too soon." He said.
"You know how much he wants to see them. He's looking really good." She said, "You better not be worrying about your mom." She said.
"I'm not." Punk shook his head as they walked back into the kitchen, shutting the door over that led to the office, walking back through into the living room where Harry and Louisa were. Harry was on the sofa watching TV whilst Louisa lay on her mat.
"I think they'll really cheer him up." AJ said as Punk just nodded.
"Yeah. Alright." He nodded.
They arrived at Punk's parents house just after dinner time. Harry was very excited to see his grandfather and Louisa… well she was fast asleep.
Rick was incredibly happy to see his grandchildren. Although he was upstairs in bed resting, he insisted they come up to see him and that's just what they did.
"How are you feeling?" Punk asked, watching Harry climb up on the bed and over to Rick who gave him a big bear hug.
"I'm feeling great." Rick smiled as AJ sat down on the edge of the bed with Louisa sleeping in her arms, "Give me my granddaughter. I haven't had a cuddle for a long time." He said as AJ smiled.
"Well don't wake her up. She's just gone to sleep." AJ said, as a tired mother, she was very strict about people waking up her children, and Rick had a tendency to do that.
"Hush, woman. I'll not wake her." He said as AJ smiled, passing Louisa over to him as he cradled her with a smile.
Meanwhile Punk's mother had walked into the room discretely, causing Punk to turn around along with AJ.
"Do you… do you both want anything?" She asked AJ and Punk.
"No, I'm ok thanks." AJ smiled pleasantly.
"I'm good." Punk nodded politely.
"Daddy, can I have a drink?" Harry asked.
"Patrice, fetch the boy a drink." Rick said as Punk noticed his mother looking to him for permission. It wasn't meant to be this way. He didn't want this. He didn't take joy out of this. But what was so different now to a few years back. Regardless, he decided to be the bigger man for once.
"Harry, why don't you go down and have a look." Punk nodded over to his mom as his son scrambled off the bed and ran on ahead as Patrice smiled.
She disappeared happily as AJ turned to Punk with a smile.
"Isn't so hard, is it?" Rick asked.
"I still don't know what to do." Punk admitted, folding his arms, "Why is she being so nice? C'mon, you must know."
"I think she's just realised a lot of things, Phil. Me having this heart attack… I think it made her realise that every day counts. And I'm not saying it's made her realise that she has no one and that she has to start befriending you now, nothing like that… but c'mon, you don't think she's given you the cold shoulder all these years because she enjoys it, do you?" He said.
"Seemed like it to me." He shrugged.
"I don't know what it is with you. Like I said. She's been this way with you since you were born. I think it's a conversation you need to have with her. I'm not a mind reader. I don't know what she's thinking." He said.
"I can't just pop out with it." He shook his head.
"Then ease into it." Rick said, "Take things slowly."
"I don't know." Punk ran his hand over his face tiredly, "I just don't get it. It's not even like she just never paid attention to me. She was horrible to me. She said horrible things… to me and to April."
"And I'm sure she regrets it." Rick said, "You two don't have to be the best of friends. All I'm asking is you give her a chance. I know she might not deserve it but… she's still your mom." Rick said as Punk just sighed.
"Fuck, I don't know."
"Language, boy." Rick said, "Especially with the little lady around." He looked down at Louisa as Punk just rolled his eyes. It was a hard thing to decide. Whether or not he could forgive and forget everything that had gone on, and get some answers, or whether he just couldn't look beyond it all and had to isolate himself from his mother again. He didn't know what to do.
Punk and AJ left his parents house later on. Nothing but civil nods and weak smiles were exchanged between Punk and his mother, but this was the most affection he'd ever received from her. He didn't know how to feel about it. Maybe the reason he was so tough and stubborn all the time was because he was practically just raised by his father as a kid. He had no mom hugging him when he fell and cut his knee, or was upset over a nightmare. She wasn't like that with him and maybe that's what was making it so hard for him to forgive her.
"Why is our alarm going off?" AJ asked as they pulled up into their drive. Louisa was still fast asleep in her car seat and Harry was next to her in his almost falling asleep too.
"Stay here." Punk told her as AJ nodded with worry, watching him head on into the house, looking around the place and seeing no sign of anything stolen, but their house had definitely been broken into. He emerged back out of the house, "Phone the cops anyway." Punk shrugged.
"Bit of an odd time to break into someone's house." AJ admitted stepping out the car. They did live in a bit of a rough neighbourhood. Their estate was nice of course, but the neighbourhood was a little rough around the edges.
"Fuckers obviously seen there was no one in." Punk grunted, "Nothing has been taken though." He admitted.
"That's strange." AJ shook her head, "I'm not sure I wanna go inside." She said, lifting Harry out of the car as he sleepily rested his head on her shoulder whilst Punk got Louisa.
"I just checked, no one is there." He promised her, scooping Louisa into his arms and locking the car, walking into their house as AJ followed behind, "You go put them to bed, I'll call the cops and look around more." He said as she just nodded, walking upstairs with the kids.
She got Louisa down in her crib in their bedroom right away, and then headed into Harry's room, getting him in his pyjamas and settled into bed, leaving his room and re-entering her own.
She never felt unsafe in her home, especially with Punk around, but she hated knowing someone had possibly been in their house snooping around, and it worried her even more that they hadn't found what they were looking for.
She decided to slip into something more comfortable, aka some shorts and a jumper, when she found something strange that confused her a little. She seen their washing basket tipped out in the corner of the room, and on top of that, her things in it were gone. She was sure she'd put some underwear and an old t-shirt in it, and they seemed to have disappeared.
She further inspected the room now looking for anything else that was different when she seen her hair brush missing from her bedside table, and her underwear drawer a complete mess unlike how tidy she normally had it. She felt a little sick and tried to persuade herself it was probably just her, but then she walked into their bathroom in their room and seen her toothbrush was gone.
"Phil!" She screamed in a cry whilst rushing to the top of the stairs, watching him appear quickly, "Please come here." She cried.
A/N: Uh oh. Let me know what you think.