Exhausted


"I threw up in the damn court room." AJ shook her head, throwing her things down on the kitchen table as Punk looked over, "I don't know what the hell is wrong with me. I'm all over the damn place." AJ turned to him, placing her hand on her forehead.

"You coming down with something?" Punk asked with concern.

"No, well I don't think so." AJ shrugged, "I felt fine after but… the judge adjourned for the day. Won't be back until Monday." She sighed to herself.

"Well if you are coming down with something you should relax this weekend. Take a breather. Maybe it's all catching up to you." Punk said.

"Wouldn't make me sick, though." AJ shook her head, "I was starting to think the thought of my daughter being spoken to by some creepy stranger was making me feel like this." She admitted truthfully.

"Yeah, I talked to Dean, he… he didn't see anyone that day he had the girls at the park. Must have been a blindspot or something, behind the climbing frame or the swings." He said, "Jessica hasn't said much more about it, she's acting fine with me again." He nodded, "Which is a good thing. I don't feel like an alien."

"Yeah, I think she came around this morning." AJ nodded, "Who do you think it was?" AJ asked, "Do you think it's someone we know?"

"Well it's obviously someone who knows me. A stranger isn't gonna come up to Jessica and tell her I'm bad." Punk shrugged, "At first I thought it was Jamie's dad, just because of what's been going on but… Jessica knows him, well… she knows what he looks like." Punk said, "I don't know."

"It's terrifying." AJ shook her head, "I mean what if something happened. They could have taken her or anything." AJ gasped at the thought.

"Well they didn't, so we don't have to think so negatively." Punk said, "Maybe… maybe there's a way to get our hands on some CCTV footage." He said, "I could ask Seth, see if he can look at the cameras."

"Are there cameras around the park?" AJ asked with confusion.

"There are some across for the stores, I'm sure if you widen the angel out enough you'd pick up on the side fence of the park." Punk nodded, remembering from his police officer days.

"And then what? Jessica said he had his hood up, we might not even see the face." AJ said, "Who would want to say that to her? And scare her?" AJ shook her head.

"I have no idea." Punk shook his head, "I really don't."

"Yeah, you should ask Seth to see if we can at least pick up on something. We don't know what kind of person this is. Why he's… strolling around children's parks in broad daylight." AJ shook her head.

"Yeah, we can't ignore it." Punk shook his head as AJ nodded, starting to feel that wave of sickness rush over her again, shoving Punk out of the way to reach the sink as she threw up, "Damn." Punk sighed, rubbing her back softly and bringing her hair back from her face as she threw up, "You must have ate something bad." He shook his head, rubbing her back softly just as Jessica came through into the kitchen.

"Mommy, what's wrong?" Jessica asked worriedly, but AJ was too focused on vomiting to answer her.

"Mommy's not well just now." Punk told her, "She's feeling sick."

"She's being sick." Jessica noticed.

"Mhm." Punk nodded, "Go… go back into the living room, I'll be in in a minute." He told her as Jessica left the kitchen.

"I'm ok. I'm fine." AJ nodded, wiping her mouth, placing her hands on the kitchen counter, feeling drained as Punk placed his hand on her forehead.

"You're not overly hot." He said, "You should go lie down, have an early night."

"It's 4pm." AJ laughed a little.

"Then have a mid-day nap." Punk smiled, "You might be coming down with something." He said, "Go." He nodded.

"Alright." AJ agreed, which was rare as she normally was too stubborn, "Ok, I'll… I'll do as I'm told." AJ nodded, "I'd give you a kiss but…"

"Yeah, ok. Off you go." He nodded as she wandered off and headed upstairs. He had a feeling that she was perhaps over working herself or that the thought of their daughter talking to some stranger man was literally making her feel sick. He felt the same too. It was a terrifying thing and he felt like he had to keep his eyes on Jessica at all time.

He made his way back into the living room where Jessica was sitting with her legs in a basket and her teddy bear in the middle of the basket, watching some TV with a juice box.

"Is mommy ok?" Jessica asked as Punk sat down beside her.

"Yeah, she's just feeling a bit under the weather just now." Punk nodded.

"She has a sore tummy?" Jessica asked.

"Yeah, that's it." Punk nodded, "She's gone for a little nap."

"Oh." Jessica nodded, playing with her teddy bears ears, "Are you still mad at me?" She frowned, looking down.

"Hey, I was never mad." Punk said, "I was worried, and scared." Punk nodded, "But I'm not mad." He shook his head, "I just want you to be safe and not listen to what strangers tell you." He nodded.

"I'm sorry." Jessica sighed.

"Hey, it's ok." Punk said, shuffling towards her, wrapping his arm around her as she shuffled herself beside him, squeezing her arms around him as he smiled.

"I didn't believe him anyway." Jessica said, squeezing him tightly as Punk smiled.

"Good. You never have to be afraid of me, baby. I'm always here for you." Punk nodded, "Are you excited for school starting back?"

"I'm excited for track. Not school." Jessica said, "I'm excited to run again." She nodded, looking up at him.

"Why are you not excited for school?" Punk asked her.

"I can't be bothered." She groaned, the same kind of groan that would match someone coming home from a nine-hour shift at work.

"With what?" Punk laughed, "Enjoy it while it lasts."

"I just don't like getting told what to do." Jessica sighed as Punk smiled. She really was his daughter to a T.

"Yeah, me neither, kid." Punk nodded, "But school isn't so bad. You can see your friends again too, that's exciting." He said.

"I wish I was a big girl." Jessica said.

"No way." Punk said, "It's so much better being a kid." Punk nodded as Jessica shook her head.

"No, but I wanna drive and wear make-up and wear nice clothes, they have nicer clothes for big girls." She told him as Punk looked down at her.

"Well you're not doing any of that so…" Punk shrugged, "You won't need make-up. You're already beautiful."

"I want a boyfriend too." Jessica told him as Punk looked down at her.

"Well you can't have that. Ever." Punk said as Jessica looked up at him.

"Why not?" Jessica asked.

"Well because boys are disgusting." Punk said, "They smell."

"They do?" Jessica asked, "But you don't smell." Jessica sniffed him up and down.

"I'm different though." Punk shrugged.

"Well I'm gonna have a boyfriend." Jessica shrugged.

"No you're not." Punk shook his head.

"Daddy you can't stop me." Jessica assured him.

"Oh, I will. Don't you worry." Punk nodded, "You don't want a boyfriend, trust me."

"Mommy can have boyfriends and I can't?" Jessica asked him.

"Mommy is an adult." Punk said.

"And I'll be an adult." Jessica nodded.

"You're… five." Punk shook his head, "Like I only need one hand to show how old you are." Punk said.

"So I'm almost an adult." Jessica compromised.

"No boyfriends, that's it." Punk said.

"I'm gonna have one anyway." Jessica folded her arms as Punk looked down at her and shook his head. He knew she was going to be so much trouble, it scared the shit out of him.

"How about we just watch a movie?" Punk asked her.

"A movie about boyfriends." Jessica cheered, reaching for the remote as Punk rolled his head back against the back of the couch and sighing to himself.


"April." Punk whispered, sliding into bed beside his girlfriend later that night, watching as AJ opened her eyes, "I'm dying inside." Punk exaggerated as AJ looked at him.

"What's wrong?" AJ shook her head, trying to wake herself up, turning on the lamp beside her bed as she sat up a little, "Is everything ok?"

"I just had to watch… this movie called… uh… mean girls." Punk said, "It's ruined my life." He shook his head, pushing his face into his pillow, "I mean girls are so nasty to one another." He turned to her, "Why is that?"

"Phil, isn't that movie too old for Jessica?" AJ asked and laughed a little.

"No, it was ok. She didn't get the references I guess. She picked it." Punk said, "Seriously, are girls that mean in real life?" He asked.

"I haven't saw the movie." AJ laughed.

"Well then you're lucky. It's changed me." Punk said, "Also, our daughter wants a boyfriend." He said, pushing his face back into the pillow.

"I go for a nap for a few hours and this is what happens?" AJ laughed, "She told you she wants a boyfriend?" AJ asked.

"Yeah." Punk said, "And she said she was gonna have one anyway when I said no." Punk said, "I'm exhausted by all of this." He shook his head, "I… I need her to stay a little person forever. She can't turn into those girls in that movie. They were… being mean and lying and having sex and drinking… I just can't-"

"Ok, calm down." AJ laughed, "You're so messed up." She shook her head.

"How are you feeling?" He asked her.

"Well better than you by the looks of things." AJ shook her head, brushing her hand through his hair, "I feel better. I think maybe I'm just exhausted." She said, "This weekend should give me the time to regroup." She nodded.

"Yeah, good." Punk nodded, "You need to take care of yourself." He said, "I'm gonna swing by the station tomorrow, talk to Seth about looking at the cameras." He nodded, "Let's not worry ourselves too much. I was thinking maybe it's just some guy who knows I was in prison and wants to cause drama-"

"It seems a bit personal to do something like that, though." AJ shook her head, "I don't know. Anything with Jessica concerned, I worry about." She shrugged.

"Yeah, I know." Punk nodded, "I'll talk to Seth anyway. Oh and I got a text from Jamie. He gave me the date and address of this course. It's next weekend."

"The full weekend?" AJ asked, "Is it in Chicago?"

"No, it's out of town." Punk said, "So I'll be gone Friday, back Monday." Punk told her, "You cool with that?"

"Yeah of course I am." AJ smiled, "I'm glad you're going. You can teach at the academy and not feel guilty about it." AJ nodded.

"Yeah, it'll make my life easier." Punk nodded, "I just… I still feel a bit suspicious as to why Jamie is being so nice."

"He probably feels bad on behalf of his disgusting father." AJ shook her head, "I wouldn't read into it." AJ said, "I guess maybe he just wants to… try and get over things, move on without it being weird and tense." She said.

"Maybe." Punk nodded, "I have my wonders." He said.

"Is Jessica in bed?" AJ asked.

"Yeah, she is." Punk nodded.

"Mmm, good." AJ purred, sliding back down the bed, rolling over onto him, pressing her lips against his as he kissed back.

"Someone's eager." He said, pulling away as she lifted her t-shirt off and pushed her shorts and panties down.

"I'm always eager." She smirked, leaning back over him and pressing her lips against his as he kissed back, rolling them over so he was on top, stripping his own t-shirt off as they began to get lost in one another.