"Hey... hey, buddy." Punk smiled as he walked through into the living room of his own house, spotting Dylan sitting on the rug in the centre of the living room, waving his hands around when he seen his father, Heidi taking VIP seating beside her aunt who was lying on the couch.
He crouched down, tickling under Dylan's chin as he giggled to himself, him and his sister having missed him very much, "How were they?" Punk asked Chaleen who was pretty much zoned out on the couch with Heidi.
"Angels." Chaleen smiled up to him, "You sure they're your kids?" She joked with him as he smiled, sitting down next to her as she turned to him, "Is she ok?" She asked.
"Yeah... she will be." Punk nodded.
"I thought you'd stay with her." Chaleen admitted while Punk lifted Heidi into his arms, sitting her on his lap, bouncing her as he made funny faces to her, watching as she stared blankly at him like he was stupid.
"Hey... look." Punk softly tugged Heidi's nose, pulling away and showing her his thumb in between his two fingers, "I got your nose." He smiled to her, watching as she touched her nose and giggled. There really was nothing more he loved than hearing the sound of his childrens laughter. It was like angels singing to his ears.
"I remember you used to do that to me when I was five." Chaleen folded her arms, "Always had me going." She smiled to him as he sat Heidi down on the rug beside her brother.
"I don't know what to do, Chaleen." Punk rolled his head back onto the couch, "How the hell do I move on from all of this?" He asked his sister, turning his head to the side to face her as she shrugged.
"You don't." Chaleen said, "You don't move on." She shook her head.
A few days had ticked on by, and in Puerto Rico, AJ had finally been discharged from hospital, of course under very strict rules. She had to have someone supervising her at all times, and she had to be on bed rest for the next few weeks for her head, preferably in a dark room, with no noise. It was exactly what she was needing.
She begged her mother to let her stay with her, but of course Jeremy swooped in and insisted she went with him. She couldn't get a minutes peace from him. If he wasn't checking to ask if she wanted a drink, it was to ask if she was hungry, or if she wanted help to the bathroom, or if she wanted some fresh air. He just wouldn't give her a minutes peace.
Lying in the dark room only gave her extra additional time to reflect back on Punks words, still having a clear vision of him walking out of the room without so much of a thought, like her feelings didn't exist to him anymore, like he just didn't care.
She missed her babies. She hadn't seem them in so long and she longed to hold their tiny bodies against her. To hear their laughter and see their smiles. It was all she wished for. Yet they were so far away. Everyone she cared for and loved were all miles away, no hope of reaching them.
Unfortunately, Jeremy had taken time off work to keep an eye on her, which was the last thing she needed. What she needed, was to be at her real home, with her own family.
Even as Punks harsh words still replayed in her mind, she still needed him. She couldn't ignore how much she needed him. She had gave up on even wishing for him back as her boyfriend. She just wanted him by her side. To come take her away from this place before she lost her mind.
She had got out of bed later on in the night, having slept on and off all day in the dark bedroom, thankfully without being disturbed, but as soon as the floorboards creaked when she placed her feet on the floor, she heard the footsteps charging upstairs.
"Hey... you ok?" Jeremy asked as he shot into the bedroom.
"Yes." AJ nodded, "I was just going to... sit downstairs for an hour or so." She explained, slowly standing up on her weak legs, feeling him immediately attend to her like she was absoloutely, "Leave me." AJ asked, lightly pushing him to the side as she limped past him and headed for the stairs on her own, taking each step as slow as possible.
It felt like a full year had passed until she reached the bottom, slowly walking into the living room and taking a seat on the couch, looking around the room, tears welling in her eyes just at the sight of it all. The walls felt like they were closing in. There didn't feel like there was air anywhere. She was gasping.
"I'm only trying to help you, April." Jeremy said as he had made his way downstairs, walking into the living room and shutting the door over as AJ sat still on the couch.
"Well I don't need your help." AJ said stubbornly. On some level, she did need help. But she didn't wish any help from him. She had gone from feeling sympathy for him for what she done, to absoloutely hating him for being so cruel to keep her here, refusing a divorce, trapping her inside his world.
"Well we know that isn't true." Jeremy took a seat next to her on the couch.
"Why are you doing this?" AJ asked him quietly, "Why not just... file for the divorce? Let us go our seperate ways. What good is this doing us?" She asked him. She wouldn't stop trying. She wouldn't give up in trying to escape him.
"Because I want to give us a chance. I really think we can do this, April." Jeremy nodded.
"In what world?" AJ said, "I don't want to be with you... what part of that don't you understand?" She asked him. She was just terribly confused as to why any man would wish to stay with a woman who didn't even love him. It was strange to her. She couldn't understand it at all.
"You just think you don't want to be with me." Jeremy said, "All this time apart has really fucked you up, hasn't it?" Jeremy asked her as she frowned, "No... no, he's really fucked you up." He corrected himself.
"No. What's fucked up is you, keeping me here, like some sort of caged animal. You... don't control me." She shook her head, making herself extremely clear. No matter how low she was feeling, how alone and scared she was, she was still in control of herself.
"I do though." Jeremy frowned, "You're my wife. You know how things work around here." Jeremy said, "It won't be long until we have our own kids, our own life, everything with Phil... it'll only be a nightmare." Jeremy said.
"I have my kids." AJ said, "They are the only children I want." She made herself clear. She refused to carry any other children that weren't of Punks.
And this was exactly what she meant, what no one understood, what no one else seen. How her life was being planned out for her, right in front of her eyes. With Punk, he gave her choices, let her pave her own path to the life she wanted to live. Here... here she was nothing more than a puppet with strings.
"You say that now." Jeremy said, "C'mon, April. Let's just stop this selfish act you're playing. Please... the least you could do, after all these years, is give me a chance." He said.
"I don't want to give you a chance. I just want out of here." She said, refusing to keep her mouth shut, jumping when she felt his hands grab on to her sides, wincing at the presure on her bruised ribs, "What are you doing? You're hurting me..." She tried to push him away, feeling him press his lips on hers, immediately turning her face away in disgust, "Stop it!" She shouted as he pushed her down, holding her still to give her no escape, just like she'd never have.
"You're hurting me!" She yelled, the blood rushing to her head, her body aching as he roughly snaked his body over her.
"Shh..." He whispered, her hands trying to push him off. Even with her full strength at normal, she wouldn't have been able to get out of his grasp. All she could do was stay still, in pain, in fear, the tears rushing down her cheeks, everything hurting... her heart hurting the most.
Back in Vegas, Chaleen had decided to stay a few days with her brother, to help out with the twins, but mostly to keep him company and make sure he was ok. She was worried about him. This was the part he would start shutting everyone out like he done when he lost his wife and she refused to let him fall back into his cold ways. She just wanted to make sure he was ok.
"They really like baths, don't they?" Chaleen smiled, having just voluntary bathed the twins and put them to bed, getting the hang of all of this baby stuff that she was admirably proud of herself with.
"They love it." Punk smiled to himself, flicking through the TV channels while his sister sat next to him. He really did enjoy having her around these few days. He thought what he wanted was to be alone, but he loved her company, more than he expected. And it was great to have an extra set of hands when taking care of the twins.
The last he'd heard about April was the other day when Erica messaged him to tell him she had been discharged and was resting at home now. He never replied, he wasn't sure what to reply with, so he just left it blank.
"You're being really helpful these past few days. You feeling ok?" Punk asked her with a smile as she smiled.
"Just thought I'd get some practise." She sat hugging her knees to her chest as he turned to her.
"Practise for what?" He laughed.
She shrugged nervously, finsihing off her announcment that she began a few days ago when Punk had rushed away to Puerto Rico, "I'm pregnant, Phil." She shrugged, resting her chin on her knees as Punk tilted his head to the side.
"Who... I didn't even know you had a..."
"I don't." Chaleen said, "I'm doing it on my own." She said with confidence as he shook his head.
"He didn't run, did he? Because I'll go find him. Kick his teeth down his throat and make him apologise." Punk said as she shook her head.
"He knows, but we were over before it anyway. He was just some Mexican kid I dated in high school. I met back up with him, things happened..." She shrugged.
"And you're ok? Doing it all by yourself?" Punk asked her with a frown, not exactly what he wanted to hear. It was hard enough dealing with your little sister not being so little anymore, but knowing she was just alone as she was upset him.
"I'll be fine." She nodded confidently, "If you can do it, I can do it... right?" She nudged him as he chuckled.
"I guess you can." Punk nodded, "Well... what do I say? Congratulations? Congratulations on making me feel old?" He said as she laughed.
"You are old." She tapped him on the shoulder, resting her head in against him as he smiled.
"You told mom yet?" Punk asked her.
"God, no." She shook her head, "She'll be the last person I tell." She laughed.
Punk sat with a smile, figeting around with his hands, looking at the twins initials on the outside of his hand, rubbing the pad of his thumb against the ink.
"I should let her see them... shouldn't I? I should take them over... she's bound to miss them." Punk sighed, realising he hadn't been all that fair with hogging his children this full week whilst AJ suffered in a hospital bed missing them dearly.
"I think you should." Chaleen nodded, "You can't keep them hid away forever from her." She said as Punk nodded, continuing to look at the tattoo on the front of his hand. If positions were switched, and it was AJ who had been keeping the twins from him like this, he'd be furious. She was their mother, she had a right to see them, and he was pretty sure the twins missed their mommy.
"When do you think things will get better?" Punk asked his sister who leaned into him with a tired sigh.
"Soon... hopefully."
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