FLASHBACK
Martin was still standing on his porch, still staring over at the Camden house, still melting Ruthie's heart…
END OF FLASHBACK
And that was the end of Jack…
For as much as Ruthie wanted to use Jack to get over her feelings toward Martin, she knew it wasn't right. And that was that.
Ruthie had gone up to her bedroom that very night, confused by having stood, staring over at Martin, who was staring back at her, and finally, after so much fogginess in her life, her time of clarity happened. I, Ruthie Camden, will be fine. I will get through this, on my own and in my own terms. I do not need Jack or Brian or anyone else to be my crutch.
A smile spread across her face and Ruthie grabbed her phone. It was the first sense of fulfillment she'd felt in forever, as she dialed Jack's cell phone and told him she just wasn't ready to be dating someone steadily right now, but hoped they could be friends. Jack had been surprised and even a little angry, but Ruthie only cared about her own feelings.
And little by little, day-by-day, Ruthie got stronger and more independent. Seeing Martin didn't hurt like it used to. Hearing his voice no longer caused her heart to ache. The mention of Sandy no longer made Ruthie want to cry. And her choices in music seemed to brighten too, to the happiness of everyone in the household.
Ruthie even took Jack up on his offer to help out with the school newspaper. Something she had originally not wanted to be a part of, was now bringing her a lot of satisfaction.
So, of course, it was a surprise to Lucy when Kevin said to her one day, "I'm worried about Ruthie."
"Ruthie?" Lucy asked. "Why?"
Kevin couldn't explain why he was feeling this brotherly protectiveness, but he was. He felt like Ruthie had only weathered a fraction of the storm. "I just feel like things don't just one day become all perfect. I think she's still bottling up a lot of her feelings, for Martin and about Martin and Sandy."
"Has she said something to you?" Lucy asked, concern evident on her face.
Kevin shook his head. "It's just a feeling, but I think if she keeps up all of this positive attitude stuff, she's going to explode."
"Having a positive attitude is a good thing, Kevin," Lucy reminded, smiling at Savannah, who had food covering her entire face. Lucy ran a washcloth under the faucet and returned to clean up her daughter. "Ruthie is maturing that's all. She's had an epiphany."
"She's only sixteen, Luce. She made a decision to push everything that is bothering her out of her mind for now and deal with it all later. And when later comes, which will happen, Ruthie will be devastated."
Lucy knew that Kevin loved and cared about Ruthie more than any of his other brothers or sisters-in-law. He was protective of her and defended her to a fault. But this was odd, even for him. Ruthie had made the whole family incredibly proud by her actions in the last few weeks. Her maturity surprised everyone, since most had been expecting her depression to last well into the New Year.
"Would you like to see her back with Jack?" Lucy asked sarcastically.
Kevin gave Lucy a look. "No, but I don't think she's completely over Martin either. What's going to happen when Sandy has the baby? How is Ruthie going to deal with that?"
"Like the level-headed, kind person that she is."
Kevin shook his head. "I love you, Luce, but sometimes your perception is clouded. Ruthie still isn't talking to Martin, no matter how hard he tries. She can smile and say hi, but have you seen her go out of her way to talk to him? No. She can't. Not to mention the fact that Ruthie barely ever notices Savannah since she found out about Sandy."
"You picked up on that too?" Lucy asked.
Kevin nodded. He looked over at his daughter, once again, covered in food. "There's more going on than I think even Ruthie realizes and I just think we should watch out for her."
Kevin, Mr. Perceptive, how right you are!