Ch 35- Winds of Change
April 1970
"Come on, come on little girl ya can do it. Come ta Mommy!" Jude encouraged.
Jude sat on the living room floor with her little girls. She let Emma lounge on
her lap while she'd laid Lyla on a blanket with a bunch of her toys where she usually
played when she was awake. Baby Lyla had been big enough to play on the floor for
months, but today her Mother was encouraging her to do something different she
didn't quite understand: crawl. Lyla was mostly on her stomach but propped herself
up on her hands as she watched her Mother and sister. The baby's brown eyes
darted back and forth, a look of confusion donned her tiny face as she attempted to
discern what they were telling her.
"Yeah, come here baby!" Emma squealed. "Mommy look!" Emma laughed
excitedly. "That face she's making, she looks like Daddy!"
"Yes, yes she does look like yar Daddy very much. That's his confused look."
Jude told her older daughter.
"Daddy says she has yar pretty look."
"That's because he's a sweet Daddy." Jude giggled, kissing Emma's head.
Lyla stared back, blinking as her Mother and sister talked and cuddled. She
was becoming upset and didn't understand why she wasn't part of their hug. Lyla
had never felt so left out in her short life and she found that the feeling hurt.
"Come here Lyla Belle, and Mommy will read her baby girls a story."
"Lyla, come here, I want story!" Emma cried.
"Shuu…don't pressure her Em. Come here honey, can ya try? There that's it."
Jude praised, noticing Lyla begin to bounce, rocking back and forth on her
knees a little bit. "Yeah that's Mommy's girl, there she is, come on just move
farward a little bit there Lyla…"
But for unknown reasons, Lyla didn't move, instead she just began to cry.
Jude swept in and picked her up, quickly holding her close, kissing her cheek.
"Shu honey it's okay, it's okay, ya'll get there." Jude soothed, rubbing circles in
her baby's back. Emma looked on, trying to be of comfort too.
"What's going on?" Timothy asked, coming in from outside and immediately
beginning to take his muddy boots off. In that instant, Emma leaned over and kissed
the fussing baby square on the face.
"Oh nothing sweetheart." Jude reassured, as Lyla grew quiet. "Just the
challenges of this crawling thing."
"Is she doing it? Is she crawling?" He asked hopefully.
Jude shook her head no and kissed Lyla again. They'd been trying to get Lyla
to crawl for a while and she wouldn't do it. Timothy and Jude were hopeful, though,
that like with eating solid food, she was just a stubborn late bloomer and she'd start
on her own.
"No, but apparently she has my pretty look."
"Emma, did you tell Mommy I said this?" Emma nodded and Timothy smiled.
"Well, it's true."
"Does Daddy want to join us for story time?" Jude smiled sweetly.
"I'd love to." Emma clapped.
Timothy joined his wife and daughters on the floor as she began reading to
the girls. Alexander stood in the hallway staring back from where they could not see
him. A pang hit his stomach and he wanted desperately to cry because he felt
neither here nor there. He wandered back into his Mother's room and stared up at
her has she packed.
"Honey I know your upset." Mary Eunice began. "But Mommy will only be
gone for a night."
Alex stared up at his Mother, it was quite clear to her that he was angry and
something about that alarmed her. Mary Eunice noted he looked just like Timothy
when he was mad. She smiled and took his chin in her hand but Alex's expression
did not change.
"Don't leave me." He protested.
"I will never leave you. You are my baby boy. I'm just going to see a friend for
not even a whole day!" She kissed his forehead.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. Because I fought too hard to have you." Alex raised his eyebrow, he
didn't know that or understand it. "And because I love you more than anything or
any one in the world. Nothing's ever going to change that."
Alex gave a halfhearted smile and walked back into the hall where he could
see his Father, Stepmother and sisters. They were laughing and cuddling and
sharing a family moment. He'd felt strange ever since his Mother began seeing Kit,
like he was on uneasy ground.
He stared at his Father, Stepmother and sisters, and saw a whole family…but
when he looked at himself he didn't know what he saw: a void maybe. He was scared
and jealous…and in so much pain he couldn't convey even to himself. When Alex was
grown, he would look back at this time and note that his fear of abandonment was
beginning to settle in again, it was the same fear he'd had after being ripped from his
Mother's arms and dumped at St. Ursula's. It had taken root at a young age and
would linger somewhere within him all his days.
"Alex?" Jude asked when she saw him standing there. "Come here honey, do
ya want to hear the story too?"
"Yes my son." Timothy smiled, opening his arms for the boy. "We've been
wondering where you were."
Alex rushed to his Father and sat in his lap, sighing once his Dad wrapped his
arms around him. Timothy pulled is son into a hug and Jude leaned over, despite
holding both his sisters and the book, and kissed his forehead. It was then that
Alex's restless and frightened little soul felt complete calm for the first time in ages.
And although still worried, sorrowful, and confused, he knew he had a place in his
Father's arms. That's what his Dad and his Stepmother would always represent for
him: refuge.
…
Mary Eunice felt guilty about Alex being upset and could see him becoming
disconnected from her. It was the next morning and she was considering phoning
Kit and calling the whole thing off. But then fate intervened in the form of a ringing
phone.
"Oh Kit, hi!' She answered excitedly; her voice trembled as she grew a little
more nervous, not wanting to hurt him when she canceled their plans. The idea of it
already hurt her enough.
"Hi Mary. I'm just callin' ta see if you'll be here tomorrow like…"
"Oh Kit I don't know, Alex is awfully upset about my going and…"
"I-I'm crazy about you Mary." Kit interjected. She blushed.
"I-I feel the same." She found it within her to confess. She bit her lip and
looked down at her feet, shy about admitting this.
"I'll tell you what; he should meet my kids, and they should meet him. Why
don't you bring him, and far that matter, bring the whole family! We'll make it a
family event! Timothy and Jude were wonderful to me when they let me stay with
ya, and they're yar family too, right?"
"That's right…" Kit's idea was already making Mary Eunice nervous.
"Well, when ya meet my family, they should meet yars too. All of yars. Bring
everybody: Alex, Timothy, Jude, Emma, the baby, heck you can even bring that
bunny Emma's so crazy about if ya want."
Mary giggled. When Kit had come to visit them, Emma had been eager to
show him her pet rabbit. She'd really liked him, and Alex hadn't wanted much to do
with him. That had hurt a lot.
"Okay." Mary smiled, kind of encouraged now, after a moment of thinking
about it.
But Mary found herself upset again when she got off the phone. Part of her
felt comforted by bringing the whole family but another part felt profoundly odd…bringing her son's Father to meet her new boyfriend's family…that was beyond strange. She wanted to just bring Alex but didn't feel like Timothy would allow it. Mary thought for a moment, realizing she had some rights too. Who was Timothy to disallow anything?!
At the same time, Mary felt that she owed Timothy so much respect. He'd
made it possible for her and her son to be there and be part of this family when they may've otherwise lost each other forever. He'd been so wonderful even when Jude hadn't, and always insisted on providing for her, and loving her…he'd been so generous and kind, he'd even bought her a car: a very nice car…she had no reason to quarrel with him on anything…because she loved him too…Mary thought about asking Timothy if she could take Alex but decided against it, not just for these reasons but because she knew Alex would not go without his Dad. Mary sighed and decided to go and talk to Timothy and Jude about Kit's invitation.
She walked into the room just behind Jude who'd only just woken up and was
tying her robe around her waist. She smiled brightly as she watched her husband cradle their baby. Mary waited by the doorway: it was moments like these that she felt the part of an intruder. Until she started seeing Kit she hadn't thought much about it, and now it bothered her a lot.
"Lyla can you say good morning Mommy?" Timothy asked his infant daughter, rocking her in his arms as he watched his wife walk in the room.
He'd gotten up early with Lyla and was in the kitchen with her, making breakfast for everyone. Neither Timothy nor Jude noticed that Mary was there.
"Oh look is Mommy's little girl awake?" Jude baby-talked. "Hi Lyla! Hi!" Jude squealed, taking the baby from her husband.
"Oh!" Timothy laughed when he finally saw Mary Eunice. "Good morning Mary, I hope you don't mind I made cookies this morning…not exactly a breakfast food but I think that it will make everyone happy."
"No Timothy I love it!" She smiled. "I um…I have to talk to you two about something though."
"Oh?" Jude asked, sitting Lyla in her highchair.
"Yeah, um…you know how I was going to go and see Kit tomorrow? Go out to dinner, meet his kids…stay in his guest room?"
"Yes." Timothy said, she saw him bristle at the mention and knew in a heartbeat that, like their son, he was not at all happy about the idea of this.
"Well." She was uncomfortable now. "Alex is not exactly happy about the idea of my going and Kit suggested that I bring him with me. If I'm going to meet his kids, he should meet them too…."
"Oh Mary I don't think…" Timothy was upset.
"But he also wants me to bring the two of you, and the girls because you're my family too, so what do you think would you like to go, and stay at Kit's for just a day or two."
Timothy and Jude exchanged glances, both more comfortable with this plan than the original for different reasons. Jude nodded at her husband.
"We'd love to!" He smiled, just as the bell-timer went off. Mary gulped.
Truthfully Jude had not been happy with the idea of Mary Eunice staying at Kit's house without her watchful eye. She still felt protective of Mary as she always had when they were nuns, and wanted to make sure that she was going to be safe….that said, she trusted Kit Walker implicitly, and would never believe he'd be anything but a gentleman toward Mary Eunice.
But Jude wanted to be there as a guide and reassurance, incase something went wrong. She knew that the relationship deserved a chance and that the young Mary was ill equipped at best. Timothy felt similarly to his wife but would never admit that his feelings were a little more personal than hers somehow. Jude just wanted to make sure she was safe and happy, but Timothy didn't realize that he felt somewhat possessive of the young woman who'd mothered his son.
…
Getting to Kit's house was awkward for Mary Eunice and pleasant for everyone else. No one else sensed her apprehension and she felt both relieved and even lonelier in light of that. They arrived on Friday evening with plans to stay through Sunday. Kit had made a nice dinner for his children and his guests, but planned on taking Mary Eunice out for a romantic evening while Jude and Timothy watched all of the children. They'd decided that Timothy, Jude and the baby would stay in the guest room, Mary would sleep in Kit's room, and he on the couch, Alex would sleep with Thomas, and Emma with Julia.
Alex and Emma were shy about meeting the other children and hid behind Timothy and Jude's legs, peaking out from behind them to greet the slightly older kids. They'd barely ever played with other kids and didn't really know how to react to them at all. This was not something that any of their parents had anticipated. Thomas and Julia, on the other hand, were very friendly, not just with the kids, but with Timothy and Jude. Mary was a little hurt that Kit's children seemed somewhat apprehensive of her, just as Alex nearly flat out ignored Kit.
When Kit and Mary left, Timothy went to work trying to get his own children to play with Kit's. While he was upset about Mary dating, his mind now turned to the fact that his kids were even less prepared for Kindergarten than he'd thought. Suddenly, he felt like a terrible parent because he realized they had no clue how to socialize with anyone but each other.
Jude was in the kitchen, putting dinner on plates for the children. It felt so weird to be in someone else's kitchen like this, with children she'd never met, but she felt comfortable there, like she might belong there in a parallel universe.
"Can I help, Mrs. Howard?" Thomas Walker asked kindly.
"Oh." She smiled. "Yes Thomas ya may. Ya know." She began, drying her hands on the apron she'd found and getting on her knees to address the child. "I knew yar Mommy."
"My real Mommy?"
"Yeah." She smiled. "Ya have her eyes, did ya know that?" Thomas shook his head no.
Thomas made Jude feel guilty about the way she'd treated Grace back at Briarcliff. She'd never said it, because there had been no reason to, but she'd liked Grace and at times had doubted whether the sentence she'd received: life condemned to Briarcliff, was appropriate for her.
"Mrs. Howard?" Thomas inquired again.
"Yes." She was hesitant, and could feel the boy was apprehensive.
"Is Mary Eunice a nice lady?"
"Yes honey, yes she is." Jude tried to reassure.
"Is she as nice as you?" He asked.
"Maybe a bit nicer than me." Jude laughed, thinking this was a sweet thing to say. "Ya should really try ta get ta know her while she's here."
"Do ya…do ya think she'd make a good Mommy?"
Jude remained silent, noting that the boy was smart to think that. The relationship was new, but Jude had a gut feeling that Mary and Kit would end up together and remain that way for all their days. Or at least she wanted to think that. One might surmise that Jude wanted the relationship to work so she could finally get the younger woman out of her house, but in truth: she just couldn't see anyone being as good for Mary as Kit was and she wanted her former protégé and very good friend to be happy.
"Oh yes I do. But if you want ta be sure, ask, Alexander. She's his Mommy and he she loves him very much."
Jude sent Thomas to talk to Alex and wrapped her arms around her husband as he approached her.
"Well, how's it going?" She asked of his efforts to make their own children socialize.
"I-I don't know…I-I didn't realize our children were so…"
"Shy?" Jude questioned.
"Well yes. I mean…Alex perhaps but Emma…she's your child I would've assumed that she'd be…well rather outspoken with other children."
"What are you trying to say about her Mommy?!" Jude slapped him playfully on the arm. Timothy paused and smiled.
"That she'd be a butterfly." He replied.
"Huh?" She asked as he pulled her in close.
"That she would announce herself: tell everyone just who she was and what she thought of things, but that she'd exude grace and beauty while doing it."
Jude bit her lip and smiled. "Do ya…do ya think Mama's a butterfly?"
"Only the prettiest one there is."
….
"Oh Kit I wish this didn't have to end!" Mary cried.
They'd gone to dinner and then a movie after words, Kit had taken her to a secluded clearing at the edge of the woods where they sat on top of an old rock, a heavy wool blanket covering them as they sat in each other's embrace, gazing up at the stars. Mary's eyes were closed, her face buried in the nape of his neck and partially resting on his shoulder. She never would've guessed she'd feel more comfortable there in Kit's arms than anywhere she had ever before and was overwhelmed by it.
"Hey look it's a shooting star!" Kit pointed and Mary's eyes flashed open.
"Oooooh!"
"Make a wish!" Kit reminded. The two paused for a moment, making their wishes.
"What'd you wish for?" She asked.
"I can't tell ya silly, then it can't come true." Mary giggled, deciding this was fair enough of a point. "You know…" He began. "It doesn't have to end."
"Huh?"
"Mary Eunice….I really…I love you."
"I love you too Kit." She smiled brightly, her smile illuminated by the sparkling moon above, but to Kit she seemed so radiant as to shine like the warmest of suns.
"Mary I…" He paused and she tilted her head. "Mary will you…"
"Shu." She shushed, placing her finger gently in front of his lips.
"But Mary I…"
"I know what you're going to say."
"You do?"
"Uh huh." She smiled. "The timing just isn't right." It hurt her so much to say it that she could barely muster the strength to speak. She looked up into his warm eyes and felt the light seem to just flicker out of his soul. "But," she continued. "That's not to say the time isn't going to come. I want it to come. Please don't forget to ask again."
"Oh don't worry. I won't." He promised, running his fingers through her long blonde hair and opening his mouth as he pulled her in for a kiss.
Mary Eunice closed her eyes and tilted her head, allowing Kit to deepen the kiss. It was only the fifth or sixth kiss they had shared and, also the fifth or sixth kiss Mary had ever had in her life. She felt just as overwhelmed by the intensity of this kiss as she had the first time they'd done it. Mary was a little confused by this and did not yet realize that all kisses wouldn't feel so wonderful or so overwhelming. It was the mere fact that it was Kit that made it so heavenly for her.
"Now what did ya wish far?" He asked.
"I can't tell you silly." She nuzzled him. "Cause then it won't come true."
….
"Ya feel like she's yours a little bit, don't ya Timothy?" Jude urged, joining her husband as he watched Mary and Kit from a distance. The younger couple walked together, hand-in-hand.
It was the next day and the two families were having a picnic on Kit's land. Kit and Mary were off together pretending they were alone. The children, (who had grown used to each other after dinner the night before) were all playing together, Jude and Lyla were on a picnic blanket preparing lunch and Timothy was leaning against an old oak tree, staring at the new couple. Jude had left her baby, sitting alone on the blanket and gone to see if her husband was alright.
"No, no I was just…" He protested, surprised by her accusation.
"Come on, I won't be mad. She's yar son's Mother I understand…" She encircled his frame with her arms, resting her face on his chest.
"Fine well maybe I…I just don't want her to get hurt." He sighed, wrapping his arms around her waist. In actuality, there was a twinge of jealousy deep inside him. He'd been thinking and perhaps, he did regard Mary is his, as his wife was.
"Are ya jealous?" She asked.
"She's…she's my son's Mother…and she's been part of our family all this time…"
The truth was she sort of was his in a way…she'd been his to protect from the minute that he brought their son home from the orphanage. It had changed their relationship and both their lives forever. Since then she'd been his to provide for…and care about…like with Jude, he was raising a child with her and the idea of letting her go off with some other guy hit him in a way he'd never expected, it kind of…well it kind of hurt.
"What if he hurts her?" He swallowed nervously.
"He's Kit Walker, do ya think he could hurt a fly?" Jude teased.
"No." He admitted.
Like Jude, he knew this was perfect. It was why he'd previously encouraged the relationship. But now that he was considering his own feelings he hurt.
"Timothy." Jude hugged him tightly. "I love her too and as much as I didn't want her in my home at one time, I don't wanna see her go either. But you and I are so happy…she is a grown woman who deserves ta have that same happiness if she wants it."
"Yes but…what about Alexander? She'd be splitting up his family…if he lives with us, he looses his Mother…if he lives with them he won't get to be with me."
Jude cradled him now, knowing how much he loved his son. Timothy took in a deep breath.
"He deserves to be with his Mother and his Father…and his real sisters not children he doesn't even know!"
"Timothy, Timothy you're getting a little upset." She said, patting his chest.
She could feel his heart pounding under her cheek and wondered where this was all coming from. Truthfully, it had manifested its self in Timothy's mind the night before; when he'd watched the children finally begin to play together, and he started to wonder if the Walker children would someday be his son's stepsiblings…something about that thought fundamentally changed the way he viewed all of this: and made him very upset. While he wanted Mary to be happy, he didn't want his son taken from him.
"Well really?! What is this going to do to Emma?!" He cried. "She and Alex are so close they're like twins!"
Timothy and Jude turned back toward the laughter of all the children, watching them play.
"They sure look like they're having fun, don't they?"
"Yes." He admitted.
Alexander never got to play with other boys and anyone could see he was having a lot of fun with Thomas. Alex had been shy at first but had adjusted to his new playmate. The two boys had so much in common. They were nearly the same age. Both spent most of their time cooped up with half sisters who were exactly the same age as them. Both had been born inside the walls of Briarcliff. Julia and Emma were also having a delightful time. Like her brother, Emma rarely got to play with other girls save her baby sister who didn't count in the same way because she was an infant.
Lyla sat on a big picnic blanket amidst all the bigger kids just sort of watching them, wishing someone would play with her. At the same time, she was happy about all the excitement and the change of scenery. Being that she was still a baby, she never really got to go outside and play like her brother and sister did.
"Look at our little girls Timothy, they're havin so much fun."
"Yes. They are."
Timothy observed his girls but couldn't help but look over at his son. He loved his baby girls more than the world but he couldn't help but look at his little boy kind of longingly: he couldn't stand the thought of loosing his son.
"I'm gonna go and play with our baby in the grass, ya should join me." She suggested. Timothy watched as his wife made her way across the grass to Lyla who clapped her chubby little hands when she saw her Mother coming. He took a moment to just appreciate his wife before he began to follow her.
"I'm going to keep him." Timothy decided as he sat down on the blanket with Jude and Lyla.
"Timothy you…"
"I'm his sole legal guardian, remember Jude?" He smiled.
"Timothy!" She was horrified by this, and brought Lyla onto her lap, holding her tight. "Would ya take my girls away from me?"
"You're their Mother legally not just biologically, it would much harder." Jude gasped at this it was enough to make her get up and walk away but she didn't do it. "Besides, I'd never have a reason to take them from you…you and I will be together for the rest of our lives." He took her hand in his own. She didn't really want him to, disgusted; for Mary's sake.
"Timothy we owe it to that girl to help her get a life if she wants one. She deserves happiness." She reiterated quietly so the children wouldn't hear. "Don't ya dare try to take that child away from his Mother Timothy Howard, you should've given her joint custody long ago and you know it!"
"But…"
"If she does get married and we don't even know she will, ya can share him Timothy this is ridiculous. Things will be different but…"
"No."
She sighed. "We love each other like one family Timothy…but in really, ya made two families and ya have ta deal with that…and that includes giving her her equal rights as a Mother. They were taken from her wrongfully and because of yar mistakes lets not farget that…just like I was placed in Briarcliff because…"
"Alright; I get the point!" He didn't want to discuss his mistakes right then. "Can we talk about something else Jude?" He lay on his back, lifting tiny Lyla up high causing her to giggle.
"Alright my love." She said, lying, next to him, realizing he was just scared. "Lyla is Daddy holding ya up high?" She asked.
Lyla was high up in the air and she really liked it there. She giggled as she looked down at her parents.
"Lyla I can see yar tummy." Jude pointed out. "Mama can see yar tummy."
Jude reached up and began to tickle her daughter's stomach and ribs. Lyla began giggling uncontrollably shrieking with laughter as her Father brought her back down on his chest. Timothy kissed her and hugged her tightly.
"Daddy loves you Lyla."
"I know yar just scared sweetheart." Jude whispered. "But yar a wonderful Daddy and it's gonna be alright. I promise."
Jude leaned over and kissed his cheek, watching carefully as he stared off in the other direction, watching his son's Mother walk with her boyfriend. Suddenly, Jude began to wonder what her husband's feelings and intentions were. He had always insisted that it wasn't the case, but why else would he be so desperate to keep her? It was then that Jude began to entertain the idea, once again, that her husband had feelings for Mary Eunice too.
"She's young, Timothy." Jude decided to say. "When she's ready we need ta let her start a life…we were lucky ta start our life tagether right when we did and ta have our little girls and each other…can't you look at them and see that this is right?"
Timothy paused looking back and forth between his wife and the other couple. He remained silent and just listened as she continued. Jude was nervous and could swear he seemed confused, but she felt the need to stand her ground on the issue because she was his wife.
"I know it's right Timothy, because I look at them and I see all the love I have far ya my husband."
Jude could hear her heart begin to pound forcefully in her ears and soon her fear consumed her like a raging fire. She shut her eyes trying with everything in her to shut it out. Feeling the fear met she had to acknowledge it and that was the worse. She opened her eyes when she felt Timothy bring her into his embrace, wrapping his arms tightly around her.
"That's what I love most about you." He smiled, bringing her chin up so her eyes met his gaze. "My butterfly."
….
Several Weeks Later, Late May 1970
Jude's fears about her husband liking another woman eased when he suggested going away to celebrate their fifth wedding anniversary. He surprised her with a weekend trip and she was very excited about it. She didn't know where he was taking her and found this to be one of the most alluring draws of the trip.
"I bought you something…delicate." Timothy whispered, his words tickling her ear as his palm cupped the slope of her back.
She giggled as they walked out of their bedroom. He carried their shared duffle bag on his shoulder and she was preparing to say good-bye to their little girls.
"Emma, Lyla, Mommy's going ta miss ya!" Emma ran up to her Mom with open arms giggling a mile a minute. "Good-bye Mommy's love."
Mary Eunice was not necessarily pleased about Timothy and Jude's leaving, it made her feel cheated. She watched as Lyla scooted across the room to Jude. The younger woman sighed. She'd been thinking a lot about what Kit had said, and how he wanted to marry her. She was touched so deeply at the thought of having been proposed to and although she'd said no…for now…she wanted some alone time to think it through and work it out in her head. Mary realized it would've helped if she'd told Jude what had happened. But she had not and instead of getting the private time she needed: she was being left alone with two preschoolers and a baby who was quickly becoming a toddler.
'Thanks for leaving me alone with a newly crawling baby…all by myself.' She thought, suppressing the urge to say it aloud.
Lyla, who had finally begun to crawl, was in a phase where she was getting into everything she could touch and it was a disaster. Mary was not looking forward to a weekend of caring for the newly adventuresome baby by herself. She watched as Timothy and Jude said good-bye to the children and left with all haste.
"Mommy." Alex said, tugging at her sweater to get her attention.
"Hum?" She asked.
"Mommy I love you so much! And I'm glad you're here! I always want you here." Alex said, wrapping his arms around her legs and resting his face on her thigh. Truthfully, he'd been afraid she wouldn't come home from Kit's and was delighted to have a weekend alone with her and his sisters.
"Oh sweetheart…" Mary paused, his words serving as a reminder of how trapped she sometimes felt. She smiled in spite of her feelings. "Mommy loves you too."
"Aah-waaaa!" Lyla began to cry.
"Auntie! Auntie!" Emma screamed. "Lyla pulled the phone down on her head!"
Mary sighed. "And so the weekend begins..."
…
Dr. Arden sighed, looking over at his brown Labrador retriever who lay on her bed in the corner of his office staring up at him. She could see the pain in her owner's eyes and was concerned about it. The dog, who Arden had originally thought was a boy, knew him better than anyone ever had and cared for him independent of any condition or judgment.
He sat at his desk and she watched carefully as he put his head in his hands. Sensing sorrow in his sigh she began to whine and got up, knocking her bony head against his knees to get his attention. He smiled in spite of his frustration, taking her head in his hands and beginning to pet her.
"Well Asta." He said. "Perhaps Seattle wasn't a fit for us."
Arthur never would've guessed that Seattle wouldn't be a fit. It was rainy and progressive…just the things he liked in a town... He looked out the window; the rain cascaded down fiercely from the heavens, overwhelming the already soaking wet earth below. It rained so heavily that the sky almost seemed to weep. Arden wasn't the type of man who felt much of a connection to nature but today he felt almost as if the earth its self could feel his pain, like it was in tune with him for just this one time. You see he'd lost his life's work that day when he'd been fired.
"How many times, can we pick up the pieces sweet girl?" He inquired of the pup. The canine knew nothing of his problems, but was merely happy to soothe his soul.
Arden knew he could pick up the pieces again, but he was beginning to grow tired of running. It was lonely and unfulfilling and he took no pleasure in it. He'd been fired from the University earlier that day because the school had found about the research he'd been doing: and they had not approved. Arden had been surprised to be called into a meeting with main members of the administration and formally dismissed from the post, which he'd only held for one school term.
They had accused him of having unethical research practices, which of course he had. But he was aghast to have been dismissed without a formal investigation. He was even more perturbed when one of the officials accused him of being a Nazi. He'd threatened to sue right then and there, and of course he was bluffing. If he went to court his true identity would be unveiled in no time and he really would go to jail.
"But that's just it Asta." He said, grabbing something that was sitting on his desk. "I'm sick of running, maybe I…"
Arden didn't plan on giving up, but the idea that had popped into his head earlier was even crazier than surrender.
"I was a coward to have ever left you in the first place." He said quietly, addressing the picture he was holding and not the dog. Asta understood this and tilted her head, wondering whom he was speaking to.
"This is Alexander." He smiled, a tear pooling in his eye. "He's my son. The closest thing I ever had to one…see?" He showed the retriever the photograph.
Arden had gone to a small coffee shop to try to calm his nerves and think about his next steps after he was fired. There he'd grabbed a newspaper and began to read the current events section when he'd stumbled upon an article entitled Briarcliff Exposed by Lana Winters.
'Lana Winters?' He'd said to himself, it sounded awfully familiar.
Dr. Arden had read the article, and it, perhaps even more than his firing had flipped his world upside down. It was hard for him to think that things were this bad at Briarcliff and that his Mary Eunice was stuck there, living a life in squalor, if she was even still alive. He could barely stand the immense shame he felt at having allowed this to happen to her just to save himself. Arden had taken the paper article home with him and picked it up again, now studying it and his picture of Alex and Mary at the same time.
"This is my family. Mary and Alex… I'm a coward…for letting that happen to them to save my worthless self."
Without his research Arden did feel worthless. For a while, he'd considered blowing himself away. He did not really want to live without the science. But the article had renewed in his mind, the idea that his loved ones were still out there and that they needed him. He'd been a coward who had failed them, but now, Arthur thought that maybe it wasn't too late. It couldn't be. He had to save them; it would be the only thing that would make his pitiful life worth living.
"Five months." He said. It was May 24th. "Five months until you're very special fifth birthday, my Alexander Arthur McKee. And I promise I will find you by then."
Arthur was afraid to do this but wouldn't even admit that to himself. So, he packed his things into his car, begin growing a beard (as a disguise of course), and within a week he and Asta set out for Massachusetts where he was a wanted man.