Okay so managed to finish this chapter up, thought I'd upload it. I kind of switch gears halfway through, hope it reads okay. Take as you will. And thanks so much lipamo and also filipecieslak and Cara for the reviewage! Glad I caught your interest! More to come soon.
After being jarred from his stupor by a car backfiring in the lot, Brody realized he was still on the bathroom floor. That his shoulders and back had gone stiff. Slowly getting to his feet, wincing, he walked out in the bedroom, stretched. It was nine thirty at night, but after his nap he was wide awake. Thankfully a little more clearheaded.
Leaving his room, walking down the hallway to the vending machine he saw light poking out from underneath Carrie's room's door.
Turning the knob he opened the door a crack. Saw her curled up with her back to him in bed, kleenex strewn around her.
"So the air mattress really popped?" she lightly laughed, wiping her eyes.
"Farrah, I told you. I'm okay. I'm just happy. I missed talking to you."
Hearing the pain in her voice, knowing her missing Farrah wasn't the reason for all of it, Brody sighed, retreated back to his room.
Once inside, kicking off his shoes he climbed into bed, threw the sheets over himself. Too drained, agitated to even want to change his clothes.
Squeezing his eyes shut against tears he pressed his face into the bed pillow. Trying to pretend it was the back of her head, that they were home in bed and his arm was draped over her belly and that everything was fine.
...
"Everything's fine, baby. I promise, okay?"
Frowning at her, Brody set his soccer ball and backpack down in the corner of his mother's bedroom. The curtains were closed and she was still in bed, still in her pajamas.
He thought his walking to school, not making her drive him would let her sleep in. But he realized it just gave her an excuse to stay in bed all day.
"Mom, I'm not a baby. I'm fourteen! You can't tell me you're okay when you spent all day in here and probably haven't eaten a damn thing!"
"Language, Nick. Please!"
Rolling his eyes Brody crossed the room, threw the curtains open before approaching her bed. There was a box of Kleenex and a framed photo on the pillow next to her. With the caption 'Best Wishes Nate & Lila' engraved at the base of the frame.
It was one of their wedding photos. His mom had worn a veil and her strawberry blond hair up, and his dad had on his formal dress uniform. Brody wondered how long she'd been sleeping with the photo next to her at night.
"Mom, c'mon. You gotta get up."
When she didn't move a muscle, Brody sighed, knelt next to her bed. "If you won't get up will you at least eat something?"
"I'm not hungry, Nicky."
"C'mon. I can make you something!"
"You can, huh?" Lila asked, looking at her son curiously.
"Yeah! I made chili in home ec last week. The recipe's still in my notebook."
"When you made this chili how'd it turn out?"
"Good! Really good."
"It was pretty easy for you to make?"
"Guess so, I dunno," Brody shrugged, giving her a bashful smile.
"You guess so, huh?"
Lightly laughing, Lila reached over, tousled his red hair that was getting longer, starting to curl. "You're going to need a trip to the barber soon."
"No I don't. I don't wanna go."
"Honey, c'mon. I'm not sending you off to school looking like a hobo!"
"I'm fine, Mom, geez.", he whined, dodging her touch. "I won't look like a hobo. I like it long!"
When it dawned on her why he didn't want to go, who he usually went to get his hair cut with and couldn't go with this month, or ever again, her blue eyes welling up Lila shook her head, sighed.
"Nicky..."
"I'm gonna go get the chili started, okay?" Brody said before standing. "I'll bring it to you in bed if you want, okay?"
Leaving before she could say another word, throwing his backpack over his shoulder he dribbled his soccer ball down the hallway.
Setting his backpack down on the living room couch, his eyes found the folded flag on the bookshelf, next to another framed picture of just his dad.
Shaking his head, reaching his foot back, Brody kicked the soccer ball as hard as he could at the shelf. Knocking the frame onto the rug. Shaking his head, swearing under his breath he cut over to the kitchen, started getting dinner started.
...
Jarred awake after her nightmare, Carrie shot up in bed, caught her breath. The dream still on replay in her head. She and Brody were inside Nathaniel's camper and the two of them had been arguing, then physically fighting. Brody was outmatched, getting beaten up and kicked by his father and she was trapped in place, forced to watch.
"Fuck," she breathed. Her heart was still pounding and the baby seemed to be restless too, letting her know it.
"Jesus. Maybe you will win us the fucking World Cup," Carrie snorted, feeling light kicks.
Lying back down, hoping if she relaxed he would, running a hand over her belly she frowned. Seeing how much she was showing just shy of five months. She cringed at the thought of having to go out and buy maternity clothes, but didn't see an alternative at this point.
"Maybe I can talk your dad into braving one of those stores for me. You think he'd go for that?" she smirked before her face went solemn. Between the way they'd left things earlier, her nightmare just now, and the feeling in her gut that something was off, her worry about him was starting to spike.
Getting out of bed she threw on her jacket, walked down the hallway to his room after seeing the car was still in the lot.
"Brody. Brody?" she called.
Knocking, not getting a response she tried the knob, found the door was unlocked. Assuming he was still inside, just refusing to answer her, she pushed her way in. Searched the bedroom, bathroom.
"What the...damn it!"
After scoping out the room again, the motel grounds, even going so far as to ask the hotel manager if he'd see him, when he told her he'd seen a man leaving on foot Carrie sighed, shook her head. Cutting over to her car she pulled out her phone, dialed Virgil.
"Hello?"
"Virgil, it's me."
"Jesus, Carrie. You keep it up with these late night phone calls and my wife's gonna want an explanation."
"If Carlotta wants an explanation she can call me. And I'll tell her if I had any interest at all in sleeping with you it would've happened ages ago."
"Can you please call and tell her that? Please?"
"Help me now and I'll consider it."
"Help you with what at this hour?"
"Brody took off."
"For Christ's sake. Forget red headed menace, I'm calling this guy the fucking Flash," Virgil sighed. "You have any idea where he'd go?"
"We're in fucking coal country, Virgil. There's nowhere to go!"
"Maybe he's mining a diamond for your engagement ring," he teased, feeling her glare over the phone.
"Or maybe he's a fucking mess because of his fucking father and is drunk off his ass in a ditch somewhere!"
"Did he take the car?"
"No. I'm sitting in it."
"Well he couldn't have gotten that far on foot. You want me to track his phone?"
"Yeah. He probably used the GPS on it. My road maps are still in the glovebox."
"Road maps? Christ, you are fucking paranoid."
"What else would you expect?" Carrie scoffed.
"Point taken. Look Maxi's still at the office, I'll get him to trace the phone for you. Shouldn't take too long. Try and get some shut eye and I'll have him call you."
"Do I sound that ragged?"
"Worse. And you've got my honorary niece or nephew to worry about."
"Well your honorary niece or nephew has no plan on letting me sleep right now," Carrie groaned, feeling more kicks and just plain uncomfortable. "Besides, until I know where Brody-"
"Yeah, I figured."
"Can you just stay on the phone with me? Until you hear from Max?"
"Best offer I had all day," Virgil smiled. "So the petting zoo with Farrah was a big fucking hit. Max tried to pet a donkey and another got jealous and kicked him."
"Jesus! How is he?"
"He got kicked in the ass by an ass, how do you think he is?" he scoffed, getting her laughing.
"Did Farrah see it?"
"She took pictures. And then took a selfie of her and the donkey. I encouraged it."
"I'm sure. Wish I'd been there."
"Hey, we'll reenact it for you after when you're officially sprung. When's that going to be anyway?"
"When I make up for all the days I've been unofficially sprung. I don't know I just..."
Trailing off when she heard beeping, realized Max was trying to cut in and turn the call into a conference call, she rolled her eyes, accepted it.
"Hello? Anyone there? Hello?"
"Max we're all here. Jesus," Virgil scoffed.
"Max, what's going on? Did you track down Brody yet?"
Hearing a yes, and hearing where he tracked him to, Carrie's jaw fell.
"Wait. He's where? Did I fucking hear that right?"
"I heard the same thing, Carrie," Virgil said.
"So did I," Max piped up.
"Max you're the one who fucking said it," Virgil scoffed as Carrie rolled her eyes, rubbed the bridge of her nose.
"Damn it, just shut up for a second! Max, are you sure that's where-"
"Yeah. I'm sure,", he said. "So you know I think it's weird too though."
"Just text me the directions, okay?" Carrie snapped as Max quickly hung up. Shaking her head she started the car. Could all but feel Virgil's concern over the phone.
"Carrie, are you a hundred percent sure you want to-"
"What choice do I fucking have, Virgil! Just send me the address. Please."
"Only way I'm sending it to you is if you swear on something close by to you that you'll be careful."
"Something close by to me?" Carrie snorted.
"It's late, I'm not feeling very creative."
"Jesus Christ, Virgil," she groaned.
"I mean it, Carrie. Look you don't know what kind of idiots could be there at this time of night," Virgil cautioned.
"I promise that I'll look out for myself. I'll be fine,", Carrie sighed, pulling out of the lot.
"Carrie..."
"I'll be fine," she emphasized, chewing her lip as she turned the car onto the road. "I will. As soon as I fucking know that he is."