Invitation
"Feel good to be back?" Eve asked, watching as AJ put her coat on after finishing her shift.
"You know what… I actually am. I was dreading it but, I think I missed it." AJ nodded, "I just worry that Phil still hasn't got the energy back to care of the girls. Especially when Kaia is sick right now." She sighed.
"They'll be fine. Phil is a good dad." Eve nodded.
"Oh, I know he is. He's the best." AJ agreed, "But he's also suffering from a broken sternum so… I just don't want to put too much on his plate."
"He'll be fine." Eve nodded, "Don't worry so much."
"Well that's sort of what I do." AJ smiled a little, "I'm really not looking forward to going out into this thunder storm."
"Yeah, be careful. It's looking wild out there." Eve nodded as AJ put her hood up, "And I'll see you tomorrow?"
"Yeah, bright and early." AJ smiled.
"Ok. Good to have you back." Eve smiled as AJ nodded, leaving the back room and heading for the elevators to leave the hospital.
Her feet were tired and she felt her eyes nipping with exhaustion, but in a way it felt nice to be back at work.
She got outside into the thunder storm, quickly running to her car and starting the engine to drive home.
When she got home, it was extremely quiet and after looking downstairs, not finding any of her family, she headed on upstairs, walking into she and Punk's bedroom where she saw Punk and Kaia fast asleep whilst Marty was watching TV.
"Hi." AJ whispered, waving over to Marty who waved back.
"Hi, mommy." Marty whispered, "Daddy and Kaia are sleeping." She stated the obvious as AJ smiled and nodded.
"I see that." AJ smiled, walking over to the bed where Marty was sitting between her sister and father, "What are you watching?" AJ asked quietly, cupping Punk's cheek softly and looking over at Kaia who was curled into the covers, hugging her owl.
"Annie." Marty whispered.
"How long have they both been sleeping?" AJ smiled.
"I don't know. A while." Marty whispered as AJ nodded.
She knew her husband still wasn't back to his normal self. He was still in a lot of pain and exhausted, whilst she knew her eldest daughter wasn't feeling the best either. She wasn't surprised to come home and see this sight.
"Well hey, do you wanna come down and get some dinner?" AJ asked Marty who nodded, standing up in the bed and hopping over Punk.
"Wait, pause my movie." She reached over for the remote and paused the TV.
"Ok, come on." AJ took her hand and left the bedroom, "Were they taking their medicine?" She asked Marty, who she had pretty much left in charge.
"Yes, I made sure." Marty assured her mother as AJ smiled.
"Were you looking after them all day?" AJ asked her, walking into the kitchen.
"Yes, well we watched movies all day." Marty explained, "Mommy, what's that loud banging noise?" She asked, climbing on top of the chair at the table.
"It's just the thunder, baby. I think there's a storm coming out there." She nodded.
"I don't think I like it." Marty admitted.
"It's ok. As long as we're inside." AJ smiled, cupping her cheek softly, "You wanna help me make dinner?" She asked as Marty nodded.
"What we having?" Marty asked, running over to the large cupboard by the door and getting her apron out as AJ smiled.
"Lasagne." AJ said, "You can help me layer it all." She nodded.
"Ok." Marty smiled excitedly, pushing one of the chairs over to the kitchen counter so she could lean on it.
They carried on making dinner. Little things like so really brightened up AJ's day. To have these sweet family moments with her children were everything to her. However, they were interrupted when there was a knock at the door.
"Keep spreading that around. Good job." AJ smiled to Marty, rubbing her back softly and leaving the kitchen, walking down the hallway towards the door. She was almost scared to open up the door due to the storm outside, but she did nevertheless.
"April." Jack smiled, walking into the house immediately without giving AJ a choice as she watched him, "God, it's wild out there." He shook his head as AJ turned and looked at him.
"What the hell are you doing here?" AJ spat, closing the door over and looking across at him. It outraged her that this man just had the audacity, the nerve to burst into her own house like this.
"Just passing by, thought I'd stop in and say hello." Jack shrugged.
"Passing by? You're out walking the streets in that storm?" AJ asked him.
"I like a good storm." Jack nodded, walking on through to the kitchen.
"Hey, you are not welcomed here." AJ followed him anxiously, watching him wander into the kitchen where Marty was still layering up the dinner.
"Oh, what's this?" Jack smirked, looking over at Marty who turned around, "Is someone helping mommy make dinner?" He smiled as Marty looked at him.
"I am." Marty nodded.
"You must be so clever." Jack smiled.
"Baby, why don't you go wash up." AJ nodded to Marty.
"Mommy I don't think it's done yet." Marty shook her head.
"I'll finish it off, you go wash up." AJ nodded to her.
"Oh, alright." Marty huffed, getting off the chair and taking her apron off, running by AJ and out of the kitchen.
"She's the cutest." Jack smiled to AJ who glared at him, "Nadine really misses them, you know. What you did… giving her the choice of them or me… that was very cruel." He nodded, "She loves her grandchildren."
"Well I find it cruel that she picked you, an evil, abusive control freak over her own sons and granddaughters." AJ said, "We're in the middle of filing a restraining order against you. You need to leave my house right now." She warned.
"I actually came here with an invitation." Jack nodded as AJ looked at him.
"For what?" AJ spat.
"Thanksgiving." Jack smiled, "At our house. Nadine would really like for you to come."
"You have to be kidding me, right?" AJ questioned.
"Not kidding." Jack shook his head, "Don't you think it would be nice? Having everyone at the same table. As a family-"
"You are not my family." AJ made clear.
"Seth is invited too with his wife." Jack said, "It would make Nadine really happy." He nodded, stepping in closer to AJ who looked up at him.
"We are not coming." AJ made clear, "I don't know what you have over her, but one day you will get everything you deserve." AJ said, "And I'm gonna be the first one to smile about it." She nodded, watching as he began to walk towards her, feeling herself hit the kitchen counter with nowhere else to back up to.
"You shouldn't be so confident." Jack said, looking down at her, "You have quite the mouth on you." He nodded as AJ looked up at him.
"Get out of my house." Punk stood at the door as Jack slowly turned around which gave AJ the chance to step away from him.
"Well look who finally decided to show his face." Jack smirked as Punk glared across at him.
It was extremely hard for Punk to be looking across at his father, but there was no way he was going to let him into his home, let him intimidate his wife like this.
"Leave." Punk told him as Jack looked across at him.
"You did good, son." Jack nodded, walking over to him as AJ watched nervously, "I'm proud of you." He whispered, grabbing Punk by the shoulders as Punk pushed them away immediately.
"Get out of my house." Punk gritted his teeth as Jack looked at him.
"I came here to invite you, your family, to thanksgiving dinner." Jack said, "Your mother really wants you to come. We could… we could be a family." He smiled.
"You are not my family." Punk made clear, glaring at him as Jack stared back. There was a few minutes of silence, where AJ watched them both stare at each other aggressively.
"Please just leave." AJ looked over at them.
"She talks too much." Jack nodded to Punk, "Just like your mother." He smirked as Punk grabbed him around the throat, pushing him against the fridge roughly, keeping his hands around his throat.
"Phil, be careful!" AJ exclaimed, conscious of her husband's physical state.
"If there was even just a shred of good in you, way deep down, deep… deep down." Punk said, "You would leave her alone. You would let her live her life and you would disappear." Punk spat as Jack laughed whilst Punk choked him out.
"Ok, Phil. Just let him go." AJ nodded as Punk pushed his father down to the ground, standing over him as Jack looked up, massaging his neck as Punk stayed glaring down at him, just like he would watch his father do to him when he was younger.
"Doesn't feel good, does it?" Punk looked down at him as Jack looked up at him, "Get out of my house." He stepped back, walking over to AJ. He didn't have the desire to have a conversation with his father. He didn't want to be in a room with him. He didn't want him anywhere near him. He didn't want to waste energy or time on this horrible man.
"Think about thanksgiving." Jack nodded, "Maybe after… I'll disappear like you want me too." He said as Punk looked across at him.
"Get out." Punk said, wrapping his arm around AJ as Jack looked over at them, nodding to himself and smiling before turning around and walking out of the house as Punk placed his hand over his chest painfully.
"Are you ok?" AJ sighed.
"Yeah, yeah… I'm fine." Punk shook his head, "Why didn't you shout on me?" He asked her.
"Before I knew it he was already in the house, in here." AJ shook her head, "Are you sure you're ok?"
"I'm fine." Punk nodded.
"He came over to invite us to Thanksgiving dinner?" AJ questioned, "Does this man live on another planet?" She shook her head as Punk took a seat at the table and shook his head.
"I don't know what he's trying to do." Punk shook his head, rubbing his chest softly which he strained when he choked his father, "Marty came and woke me up. Said there was a strange man downstairs. As you can imagine, I shit myself." Punk shook his head.
"We were in the middle of making dinner." AJ said, "What do you think he meant when he said… after he might disappear." She looked at him.
"I think it's bullshit. I think he's playing games and I think this damn restraining order needs to hurry up." Punk said as AJ sighed and nodded.
"Mommy, I washed up." Marty announced, running into the kitchen.
"Good job, baby." AJ smiled happily, "We can talk later." She nodded to Punk who just smiled and nodded.
"I should go wake Kaia up for medicine and some dinner." Punk nodded, "You ok?" He asked AJ, walking over to her and rubbing her shoulder softly.
"Yeah, I'm ok." AJ said, kissing his chest softly, "We'll talk later." She nodded, "Ok, munchkin, help me put this in the oven then." AJ nodded to Marty who smiled excitedly whilst Punk headed upstairs to get Kaia. It was hard carrying on with life with the looming shadow of Jack hanging around them.
