Taken Care Of
Punk had dropped the girls off at school and dropped James off with Coleen for the day, as he felt it was best for him to go check on AJ and spend the day with her making sure she was ok. He was extremely worried about her and realised that she may in fact not have been taking her pills, especially after handing him invisible candy and walking the streets barefoot at 6am.
He got back home and sat his car keys down, walking up the stairs and into their bedroom where she was lying on top of the bed. She must have gone straight to bed as he could see her feet were still dirty and she was still in the same clothes.
"April." Punk walked around the bed, seeing her lying awake, "Hey." He smiled softly, crouching down by her bed as she looked at him, "I'm gonna run you a bath, ok?" He nodded as he brushed his hand over her hair. He'd never saw her as bad as this. Sure he'd saw her ups and downs, he'd known her for eleven years. There was a lot of ups and downs. But nothing had been quite like this and all he figured he could do was take care of her.
"Ok." AJ nodded quietly as he walked out of the bedroom and into the main bathroom, taking some of James' bath toys out of the tub and running the water. He headed downstairs and got a bottle of water, heading back into their bedroom and getting AJ out some clean clothes, making his way into the bathroom in their own room and getting her medication out.
Once the bath was run, Punk helped her out of her clothes and into the bath where she just sat, hugging her knees and sitting still.
"Can you take your pills for me?" Punk asked her as she turned to him, "You've not been taking them have you?" He asked her as she just shook her head, "It's ok." He nodded, "Just… they help you feel better so… please take them." He said as AJ took the bottle of water from him and the pill.
"Did you give the kids the candy?" AJ asked him, giving him back the water, hugging her knees as Punk looked at her.
"Y-Yeah." Punk nodded, "Yeah, they loved it." Punk said as AJ nodded, "You wanna wash your hair?" Punk asked her, trying not to be mean about it, but she hadn't been in the bath or the shower in over a week. She was the type who always washed her hair every day.
"Uh…" AJ looked around, looking to be a little irritable and confused.
"I'll do it." Punk nodded, figuring it'd be best to just let her sit, "I've mastered the techniques with two daughters. I can pull it off." He smiled as she just nodded, "You remember at first when I used to pour the water over their eyes and they'd scream at me?" He smiled, grabbing the jug and rinsing AJ's hair out as she leaned her head back a little.
"You're supposed to cover their eyes." AJ mumbled.
"I know, I picked it up eventually." Punk shrugged, grabbing the shampoo and massaging it through her dark hair as she just sat still and let him.
"Where is James?" AJ asked.
"I dropped him with Coleen. She's gonna take him out for the day." Punk nodded, taking the jug again and rinsing the shampoo out of her hair.
"I used to go weeks without being allowed to shower or bathe." AJ said, staring into a different world as Punk looked at her. All her memories of growing up in the awful ways she did, were right back in the front of her mind again, and it's all she could think about, "They wouldn't let us." AJ shook her head, "Not even on our periods." She remembered clearly as Punk sighed, putting conditioner in her hair, "We'd just be lying there in our own blood." AJ nodded as Punk sighed.
"April, I'm sorry you have to think about all of this again." Punk shook his head, "I wish I could do something to help you." He said as she turned to him.
"You're washing my hair and letting me talk to you." AJ said, "You're helping." She assured him. She was sane enough to know that her husband was bathing her because she wasn't in the right frame of mind to even do something so simple, "I didn't have you the first time around. I didn't have anyone to lean on." She shook her head, "I had the streets and the fear of going back to keep me going." She nodded.
"Look at you now." Punk nodded, "You survived all of that. There's no doubt you can get through it again." He assured her, rinsing her hair out a final time as she tilted her head back a little, hugging her knees.
"It's just so tiring." AJ shook her head, "I worked so hard." She sighed, "Just to forget about all of it. I had my job, my kids, you." AJ nodded, "I could be me without all the horrible past." She said, "Michelle said that was all I was worth. Being chained to that bed." AJ nodded, "Maybe she's right."
"No, she is not." Punk said bluntly, "She's a lunatic and she was trying to get inside your head. No human being is worth being treated the way you were in the past. It's taking someone's human rights away from them and that's not what anyone is worth, certainly not you." He said as she looked at him, "You're worth more than I can ever describe." He nodded, "And you are going to pull through this. You did back then when you had less to fight for, so you can do it again." He nodded. He knew she could and he knew she would, she was just going through a tough time.
"I'm glad you have so much hope in me." AJ nodded, taking his hand in her wet one and nodding, "Thank you."
"Well I know you, you don't stay down for long." He said.
"I'm just tired of having to get back up." She told him honestly as he nodded.
"I know." Punk nodded, cupping her cheek softly, "But we will get through this. I promise you." He said as she just nodded along.
He helped her wash and then got her out of the bath, drying her off and helping her into the clean clothes, "I'm gonna go make you something to eat, why don't you come downstairs, you can lie up on the couch?" He asked her as she shook her head, "Ok." He nodded, rubbing her back softly as he walked into their bedroom with her.
He watched her get back into bed, pulling the covers over herself as he sighed, "Is there anything else I can do for you?" Punk asked her.
"No." AJ mumbled as Punk nodded, walking around the bed and kissing her head softly.
"I love you so much." Punk nodded, stroking her cheek as she smiled weakly.
"I love you." AJ nodded. Even feeling the way she did, she still knew his important and how much she loved him. That would never leave her.
"Hey, guys. Sorry it's leftovers tonight." Punk said after sitting the kids dinner down to them, "I haven't got to go to the store." He said as Vivian stared at her food with confusion.
"This looks so ugly." Vivian frowned, picking up her fork.
"It'll be prettier tomorrow." Punk promised, sitting down a few juice boxes for them, "How was school?" He asked, clearing up the kitchen.
"Fine." Vivian answered like normal.
"It was ok." Raimy nodded, "I have a soccer game tomorrow… will you take me or will mom take me?" She asked.
"I'll take you." Punk nodded, "Viv and James can come along too." He said. He wasn't sure leaving the kids in AJ's care was the right thing to do, especially if she really was just lying in bed all day.
"What's wrong with mommy? Is she sick?" Vivian asked.
"Yeah, she's not feeling good." Punk nodded, which strictly speaking, was him telling the truth, "So we gotta give her a little bit of space." He told them, "How about on the way back from your soccer game we can grab a pizza for dinner?" He asked them.
"Yeah!" James like the sound of that as the girls nodded.
"Ok, deal." Punk nodded.
"What's wrong with mommy is it a tummy ache?" Vivian asked curiously.
"Y-Yeah, she's just not feeling great." Punk nodded, "So we gotta let her rest." He said.
"If I knew this I would have made her a card in school." Vivian sighed.
"You can still make her one." Punk nodded, "In fact, I'm sure she'd love that." He said.
"I'll make her one in school tomorrow." Vivian nodded as Punk smiled, "With lots of butterflies on it." She said.
"Why butterflies?" Raimy shook her head.
"I don't know." Vivian shrugged, "They're pretty." She nodded.
Punk left them talking to each other in the kitchen when he heard a knock at their door, opening it up and seeing Coleen standing.
"James left his trucks at my place." Coleen said, walking into the house as Punk nodded, "How is April?"
"She's still the same, Coleen." Punk nodded, "She doesn't want to talk to anyone."
"Ok, but that's been over a week." Coleen sighed, "I just want to talk to her." Coleen said.
"You want the truth?" Punk asked her, "She's not doing good. She's not been taking her pills. She's depressed. She's seeing things. She's struggling, big time." Punk nodded, "So she's not up for visitors." He made clear as Coleen sighed.
"Well you can tell her that those girls we got from that house, they're all doing good in the safe house now." Coleen said as Punk nodded, "And if there's anything I can do for you, to help you out with the kids… just let me know, yeah?" She asked him as he nodded.
"I will." Punk said, "You don't… you don't have to come here every night, you'll know when she's ready to see you." He said as Coleen nodded sadly.
"I just really wanted to talk to her." Coleen nodded, looking down.
"Is everything ok?" Punk asked curiously. Coleen's visiting had been a little frequent, and he was starting to wonder if she was ok.
"I'm fine." Coleen smiled, "I just really want to talk to my sister." She shrugged.
"Well you can… you can talk to me if that's a good enough alternative?" Punk smiled to her as she laughed a little.
"I don't think you'd really care." Coleen shook her head as Punk raised his eyebrows.
"Coleen." Punk tutted, "Come on, of course I would. Look, I know… April told me you find it hard talking to me. I'm sorry I make you feel like that. If there's anything I can do to make myself more approachable then please let me know." He nodded as she smiled.
"No, you're fine. It's me most of the time that's the problem." She said, "I'm pregnant." She nodded as Punk raised his eyebrows.
"Really?" Punk raised his eyebrows further as she nodded, "Congratulations." Punk shook his head, "That's great." He nodded, giving her an awkward cuddle as she laughed a little and accepted it.
"Thanks." Coleen smiled, "The first thing I wanted to do was… come and tell my sister." She shook her head, pulling back from the hug as he nodded.
"She's gonna love that news when she's feeling better. Just give it a bit of time." Punk nodded, "And take care of yourself." He said as Coleen nodded. He understood now why Coleen seemed so desperate to talk to AJ, and he felt bad that AJ was in no fit state to be celebrating news like that, but she'd get better soon.
"Yeah." Coleen nodded, "Thanks." She said as he smiled and nodded, watching her leave the house.
