Disclaimer: The characters belong to their creators and this is just for fun.
A/N: This is my first attempt at a JoA fanfic. I haven only seen the pilot so far and I just read the script for The Devil Made Me Do It. I'm sorry if this is not in character. I just felt like giving it a shot.
And English isn't my first language, so don't be too hard on me!!
Feedback welcome!!!
NO MAYBES
"Kevin?" Helen stood in the doorway watching her eldest son as he stowed jars of paint away in a box.
"What is it?"
"I talked to Luke."
For a moment Kevin halted in his movement, and then continued stoically. "Great for you. And thanks for letting me know you have conversations with your kids. You said good morning to Joan, too?" The sarcasm in his voice was evident.
"Why did you do that?"
"Do what?"
"You know what I'm talking about. What happened in the shop?"
"It's none of your business. Luke shouldn't even have told you."
"He didn't want to, but he was pretty upset and I worried. You're his role model, Kevin, and you just turned him down pretty harsh. He misses his big brother."
He sat up straight and Helen could tell that he was trying hard to hold his composure. "I'm not a good role model; at least I haven't been for the past year."
"That's not true, Kevin. You're his big brother and always will be."
Eventually Kevin swivelled his chair around, looking at his mother for a moment before he spoke. "I didn't turn him down. I told him I would be the big brother that he knows again. I made a mistake," he admitted, casting his eyes down.
"Why did you do it?" Helen could see the pain in her son's face, but she wasn't going to drop this.
"When I returned the CD, you know, the one that has fallen into my chair, they didn't want me to give it back, Mom." He chuckled. "They said it was a reward for being honest. Right!"
"Kevin…"
"They just thought: let the poor cripple have that thing, he has a hard enough time anyway! Just because I sit in a wheelchair rules don't apply to me! Do you know what it's like to be treated like that? Like you are an idiot who can't tell that stealing ain't right? Like you are not a normal person? I could get away with theft every single time, Mom!" He shook visibly now, his voice having risen far above normal.
"I know…"
"No! You don't know!" He yelled now. "Nobody knows! Why does everybody act like you understand what I'm going through? Why is all you say 'I know'? Why don't I get grounded like Joan or Luke would? You're just like all those people! You treat me like I'm a damn china doll! Everybody does."
"You're an adult, Kevin. You're too old for me to ground you. Believe me, I would love to do it because you don't really act like an adult- but you are one, and you have to realize your mistakes by yourself." She stepped closer and sat down on the edge of his bed, straightening the blanket. "You're right, I don't understand what you are going through, but what I do understand is that you shouldn't be living at home, you should be off and enjoy your time a college, playing sports, partying, making new friends. You should make your own mistakes and learn from them."
Kevin swallowed hard, staring at his hands which rested in his lap. "It's not fair, Mom," he whispered.
"No, it isn't, sweetheart." Helen reached out to hold his hands between hers, squeezing them hard. "It just isn't."
"It's like a nightmare, and I just need to wake up and everything will be back to normal. We would still live back home, I wouldn't have made a mess of everybody's lives and I would be off to play baseball in a few weeks. I just need to wake up," he repeated, his voice almost breaking. He didn't know why, but suddenly his walls had crumpled. The sarcasm and black humour which he used to cover up his real emotions seemed to have disappeared. The way his mother looked at him made him feel like she could she right to his core- and maybe, just maybe, she actually understood what he was going through. Maybe he wasn't alone. Maybe.
""But this won't happen, Kevin. You will have to find new goals and go for them." She smiled, though her watery eyes betrayed her. "And you can't let strangers get to you like that."
"You make it sound so easy." He shook his head.
"No, it's not easy, but I know you are gonna make it. And we are all here to help you. And never, never ever, say something like that again, that you messed up our lives. We are a family, Kevin, and this is what families are for."
Kevin took a deep breath and shyly smiled at the woman sitting in front of him. "Thanks, Mom."
She stood up and bent over to kiss his forehead. "I love you, Kevin."
With that she left the room, silently closing the door behind her. She didn't see the motionless figure sitting across the hall in the corner until she had almost made it to the stairs. "Joan?"
"Is he okay, Mom?" Joan got to her feet, and only now Helen could see the red rimmed eyes of her daughter. "I… I heard him yell."
"He's gonna be fine. He's a fighter. Right now, she just really needs us, even though he sometimes can't show it."
"I know."
"Come on, let's set the table." Helen laid her arm around Joan's shoulder and together they walked down the stairs and into the kitchen.
For the first time in months, Helen was absolutely sure they would work things out. No maybes about it.
THE END
A/N: This is my first attempt at a JoA fanfic. I haven only seen the pilot so far and I just read the script for The Devil Made Me Do It. I'm sorry if this is not in character. I just felt like giving it a shot.
And English isn't my first language, so don't be too hard on me!!
Feedback welcome!!!
NO MAYBES
"Kevin?" Helen stood in the doorway watching her eldest son as he stowed jars of paint away in a box.
"What is it?"
"I talked to Luke."
For a moment Kevin halted in his movement, and then continued stoically. "Great for you. And thanks for letting me know you have conversations with your kids. You said good morning to Joan, too?" The sarcasm in his voice was evident.
"Why did you do that?"
"Do what?"
"You know what I'm talking about. What happened in the shop?"
"It's none of your business. Luke shouldn't even have told you."
"He didn't want to, but he was pretty upset and I worried. You're his role model, Kevin, and you just turned him down pretty harsh. He misses his big brother."
He sat up straight and Helen could tell that he was trying hard to hold his composure. "I'm not a good role model; at least I haven't been for the past year."
"That's not true, Kevin. You're his big brother and always will be."
Eventually Kevin swivelled his chair around, looking at his mother for a moment before he spoke. "I didn't turn him down. I told him I would be the big brother that he knows again. I made a mistake," he admitted, casting his eyes down.
"Why did you do it?" Helen could see the pain in her son's face, but she wasn't going to drop this.
"When I returned the CD, you know, the one that has fallen into my chair, they didn't want me to give it back, Mom." He chuckled. "They said it was a reward for being honest. Right!"
"Kevin…"
"They just thought: let the poor cripple have that thing, he has a hard enough time anyway! Just because I sit in a wheelchair rules don't apply to me! Do you know what it's like to be treated like that? Like you are an idiot who can't tell that stealing ain't right? Like you are not a normal person? I could get away with theft every single time, Mom!" He shook visibly now, his voice having risen far above normal.
"I know…"
"No! You don't know!" He yelled now. "Nobody knows! Why does everybody act like you understand what I'm going through? Why is all you say 'I know'? Why don't I get grounded like Joan or Luke would? You're just like all those people! You treat me like I'm a damn china doll! Everybody does."
"You're an adult, Kevin. You're too old for me to ground you. Believe me, I would love to do it because you don't really act like an adult- but you are one, and you have to realize your mistakes by yourself." She stepped closer and sat down on the edge of his bed, straightening the blanket. "You're right, I don't understand what you are going through, but what I do understand is that you shouldn't be living at home, you should be off and enjoy your time a college, playing sports, partying, making new friends. You should make your own mistakes and learn from them."
Kevin swallowed hard, staring at his hands which rested in his lap. "It's not fair, Mom," he whispered.
"No, it isn't, sweetheart." Helen reached out to hold his hands between hers, squeezing them hard. "It just isn't."
"It's like a nightmare, and I just need to wake up and everything will be back to normal. We would still live back home, I wouldn't have made a mess of everybody's lives and I would be off to play baseball in a few weeks. I just need to wake up," he repeated, his voice almost breaking. He didn't know why, but suddenly his walls had crumpled. The sarcasm and black humour which he used to cover up his real emotions seemed to have disappeared. The way his mother looked at him made him feel like she could she right to his core- and maybe, just maybe, she actually understood what he was going through. Maybe he wasn't alone. Maybe.
""But this won't happen, Kevin. You will have to find new goals and go for them." She smiled, though her watery eyes betrayed her. "And you can't let strangers get to you like that."
"You make it sound so easy." He shook his head.
"No, it's not easy, but I know you are gonna make it. And we are all here to help you. And never, never ever, say something like that again, that you messed up our lives. We are a family, Kevin, and this is what families are for."
Kevin took a deep breath and shyly smiled at the woman sitting in front of him. "Thanks, Mom."
She stood up and bent over to kiss his forehead. "I love you, Kevin."
With that she left the room, silently closing the door behind her. She didn't see the motionless figure sitting across the hall in the corner until she had almost made it to the stairs. "Joan?"
"Is he okay, Mom?" Joan got to her feet, and only now Helen could see the red rimmed eyes of her daughter. "I… I heard him yell."
"He's gonna be fine. He's a fighter. Right now, she just really needs us, even though he sometimes can't show it."
"I know."
"Come on, let's set the table." Helen laid her arm around Joan's shoulder and together they walked down the stairs and into the kitchen.
For the first time in months, Helen was absolutely sure they would work things out. No maybes about it.
THE END