Thanks again for the wonderful reviews and the constructive criticism.
Chapter Six
With Ryan comfortably settled on the couch, TV remote in hand, Jim went through to the kitchen and sat down at the cluttered table. Two weeks of mail had accumulated in the time they had spent at the hospital, mail that Jim didn't want to think about too much, mail that was most likely full of bills and final demands that he wouldn't be able to pay.
During the last fortnight, Jim had returned home very infrequently, not liking to leave Dawn alone at the hospital for too long. She was really trying to make a change in her life, shaken by what could have happened to Ryan as a result of her drinking. But Jim knew this would be an uphill battle and one that she would probably ultimately lose.
Dawn had been such an attractive, fun loving and caring girl when he had first met her. He had loved being with her every minute of every day. He hadn't been able to believe that she'd accepted that offer of a date way back in ninth grade. He had been admiring her from afar for so many months but never quite had the courage to speak to her. Then fate had dealt him a good hand (or so he thought at the time) and they had ended up sitting together in an English class.
She had fallen for his understated humor and his expressive blue eyes. High School had been great because he got to spend all day, every day with her, not to mention the nights when they spent endless hours making out in his beat up old car. Neither of them had slept with anyone before and they tentatively entered a sexual relationship together. When Dawn fell pregnant he felt guilty and that he had let them both down, even though they were both equally responsible. She had seemed so fragile from then on. Gone was the carefree girl he had fallen in love with.
Jim knew that the daily monotony and sheer grind of being a teenage mother had driven Dawn to seek some form of escape. She had found it in the bottle and he had been too slow to realize. Now it was too late to save her. This would always be her demon, even if she managed to stay clean for a few weeks, months even.
He looked helplessly at the pile of paperwork in front of him and sighed heavily. He would have to deal with this later; he needed to change for work.
Jim had not been to work since Ryan had first fallen sick. His manager, Mike, had been very understanding, having young kids of his own. He had insisted that Jim take as much time as he needed and promised him that he would drop his wages round to him. Mike had suspected that Jim Atwood's home life was not easy. Little comments here and there and the fact that he never went out drinking with the rest of the guys after work suggested that money was tighter in the Atwood household than most, even in this area of Fresno, where no one was exactly well off. He had once called round to ask if Jim was interested in a Sunday shift and he still remembered his shock at the state of the place. The younger child, Ryan, had barely acknowledged him, shrinking behind the wall when his mother yelled at him to get his father. This was such a contrast to his own kids, who would leap on any visitor, eager to know the reason for their visit.
Jim didn't want to take advantage of Mike's kindness and so he informed Dawn that he was heading straight back to work. She looked up and smiled brightly, a tight forced smile that revealed her inner turmoil. Three days without a drink and it was killing her.
Jim poked his head round the living room door to say goodbye to Trey and Ryan. They were snuggled up together on the couch watching the cartoon channel. Ryan looked reproachfully at Jim when he told them he had to work. Trey just looked back at the TV, a distance forming between himself and the rest of the world. Things were back to normal now, Dad working, Mom would soon be drunk and Trey would be left to pick up the pieces. The brief hiatus of family togetherness at the hospital was over. Real life began again.
As soon as Jim arrived at the cement works, he headed straight for the office to clock in. As he approached, he saw Mike glance at him uneasily and get up from his desk. Jim felt a stab of apprehension in his gut.
They met at the door. Mike looked embarrassed and couldn't look him in the eye.
"I'm sorry Jim. I'm gonna have to let you go," he muttered.
"Wha what?" Jim tripped over his words.
"I'm so sorry. I hate to do this to you, with your sick kid and all, but..."
"But I need this job. The doctor's bills, my rent. How am I gonna cope? I have two kids to support man"
"The company's not doing well Jim, we've been laying people off all week. I wish I could say different, really I do." He shook his head sadly.
Jim charged out of the office in a fury. He punched the wall in frustration and then crumbled to the ground in despair.