Never Again Separate

By Cypher

Chapter Three

Wilson rested a hand on his wife's shoulder. "Are you okay?"

Mary shut the door behind Matt and looked over her should to her husband, the man she loved. "Yeah, yeah I think so." She turned and hugged him. She needed his support now, and she didn't know why. She was so glad to see Matt, to discover that soon she could be with her siblings again. But another part of her was scared that Matt would fail, and that this meeting would be their last.

"Can I get you anything? Water, some food?"

Mary sniffed and pressed the heels of her hands into her eyes. I'm not going to cry. I'm not. She sniffed again. "Yeah, um," she looked away, pretending to be busy cleaning up the dinner table, "could you check on Billy? Make sure he's okay?"

"No prob." Wilson squeezed Mary's shoulder. "If you need to talk or anything. Or want some time alone."

Mary smiled, though she knew it looked forced. "I'm fine."

"Okay." Wilson left and headed into their son's bedroom.

Mary collapsed on the couch, sighing through her nose. She wasn't fine, she was far from it. She was excited that her older brother had found her, but the news about her extended family had hit hard. On top of that, the family was still scattered, and she was stuck here, unable to help in any way.

It's better than not being found, though. Mary pulled her feet onto the couch and rested her arms and head on her knees. I hope Lucy's found. She remembered how Lucy, the middle Camden kid, used to be left out, overlooked. I hope Matt doesn't do that with her.

She wondered what Lucy's life was like, now. She recalled that Lucy was depressed when she was taken from them and placed in a family. Had Lucy come out of her depression? Had she become a normal person again?

Of course she has. I did. And Lucy's way stronger than me. She closed her eyes. Thinking about that time always brought up memories she had buried. How she felt, why she did it. It was stupid, but at the time, that's all she knew how to do. She even remembered Matt trying to help her.

"Come on, Mare. You gotta eat something."

Mary shook her head. She wasn't hungry, and she didn't feel like eating.

"But look, Lucy's eating. And so is Simon. And they love it. Come on, just a bit. For me?"

Mary shoved Matt away and stormed off. Why couldn't he understand that she was hurting and that hurt made her not hungry? He was such a jerk at times, and ever since mom and dad died-

Mary stopped in her tracks. Ever since mom and dad died. It was a phrase she didn't think she'd ever get used to. Her parents, out of all the parents in the world, her parents were dead. But dad was a minister. God was supposed to protect him, to save him from accidents and guns and everything.

But He hadn't. He had let dad die. He had let mom die. And He had condemned them to this awful place to be broken up. Ruthie was already gone. How long would it be before they were all gone? A day? A week? All she knew was she didn't want to be split apart. She was tired of it all. God had forsaken them, and she wasn't going to let him toy with her anymore. She'd show Him. She'd show Him that no one pushes Mary Camden around.

Mary let out a choked cry and opened her eyes. I was an idiot back then. I was willing to kill myself because I thought it would anger God and ruin his plans. Now, of course, it was obviously stupid, but to her when she was eleven years old, it made perfect sense.

She'd almost succeeded, too. After Lucy had been adopted, her sister and best friend, she felt there was nothing worth hanging around for. Only before she could do anything, she collapsed. Right there in front of Matt and Simon. God, I must've given Simon a heart attack. She could imagine her then five year old brother having nightmares of that, of seeing her pale, thin form collapse right before his eyes.

She didn't remember much after collapsing, but when she woke up, her friend Diane Butler was there with her father. She was in a hospital room, and was receiving IV fluids. Despite the situation, though, Diane seemed happy, and moments later Mary understood why. Diane had convinced her father to take her in. To adopt her, as Lucy had been adopted.

She was uncertain at first, but came to realize that perhaps this was God trying to make up for what he'd done. He gave her a stable family with at least one person she knew, and could love. Simon gave no reaction when she told him, but Matt smiled and hugged her, telling her to make him proud, and that she'd survive. And she had. Within a few weeks she was back at school, back to playing basketball, and back to being a normal preteen girl.

Rubbing her eyes, Mary stood and began clearing the dishes from the table. I haven't thought back to that time in a long, long time. Now that she knew Matt was in her life again, though, she didn't feel as upset when going over her memories. Not any of them.

Not even the one where she said good-bye to Glen Oak for good. It was nine months after she had been adopted, and Diane's father had been promoted. Unfortunately, it meant relocating to New York. Mary was upset at first, but when she couldn't find Matt or Simon at the foster home, she realized she had nothing here left to stay for. Her family was gone, and it was time she moved on. For good.

She had something she had to do before she left, though. She had to visit her father's church, and her parents' grave. That was one memory that had remained crystal clear within Mary's mind.

Mary knelt by the graves and placed the flower bunches on top of each headstone. For the first time in months, she wasn't crying when thinking of her father or mother. Here she was at their graves, and her eyes were almost completely dry.

"Mom, dad." She paused, as if they were standing there and she was waiting for their attention. "It's me, Mary. I'm sorry I haven't been by lately but...but I've been trying to move on. Like you would want me to." She fiddled with her fingers. "You know Diane Butler, my friend? Her family adopted me. And, well, they're moving to New York. So...so I'm going." Mary looked around. She felt somewhat silly, but knew she had to do this. "I don't know if this is good-bye forever, but I want you to know that, that I do love you. And I won't forget you, I promise." She touched the headstones. "I'll be fine. I've got a good life ahead of me. Please look after the others, though." She pulled her hands back and looked at the ground. "And mom, dad? Rest in peace."

And somehow, in some way, she knew her parents had heard her.

"Honey, why don't I deal with that tomorrow. Let's go to bed."

Mary set the dish in her hand down into the sink and nodded. Wilson. I met him in high school. She was glad she had gone into that business building during the rain storm and run into him. It was funny, actually. She soaked his suit, and he knocked her over. Because of that stupid incident, she had met the love of her life. And Billy, his son, she loved him too. They made her feel whole.

Wilson wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her cheek. "Whatcha thinking about?"

"Just stuff." She placed her arms on top of his and leaned her head onto his shoulder. "Did I tell you I love you today?"

Wilson chuckled. "Yes, but I love hearing it."

Mary smiled and sighed. "I'm glad Matt found me."

"You seemed happy to have him back."

Mary closed her eyes. "Yeah. I hope he can find the others."

"So do I." He rested his chin on her shoulder. "Billy would love to have a lot of aunts and uncles."

"I just want to see them again. I didn't realize it, but I've really missed them."

Wilson pulled away and turned his wife around. "He found you. I'm sure he'll find the others." He nodded his head towards the door way. "Let's head for bed, hm? Tomorrow you can tell Billy about his Uncle Matt. He seemed excited about that."

Mary chuckled and headed for their bedroom. "That he did." She glanced out the window. God, let Matt find them. Let us be a family again. And let us never be broken apart again.

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Author's Prattle: Again, sorry if Mary is a bit out of character. I did my best. Hope this satisfies you on her history. I wasn't satisfied with what I wrote in chapter two, and decided to expand upon it. I'm going to be doing something similar for each of the children, though not necessarily the same time I post the chapter where Matt finds them. Hope you enjoyed, and if so, please review.