Disclaimer in chapter one

Author's Note: Feedback is very appreciated!

That someone, the one to help her, wasn't exactly who she had imagined. Actually, they were not who she had imagined. The day after the massive fight between Julie and Neil, none other than Jimmy Cooper showed up.

Neil answered the door when Jimmy knocked, and greeted the man standing on the porch with a handshake. They had made an arrangement over the phone; Jimmy, being the only person Julie really listened to, would help her get started on recovering from Marissa's death. It had been mutually agreed that Julie could not know of this understanding. They realized that it would only make things worse, and worse was definitely something Julie did not need.

"Jimmy, how did you get here so fast?" Neil inquired quietly as he led the way to the bedroom.

Jimmy shrugged. "I'm not entirely sure myself. After you called I went into panic mode and got the first flight available." He chuckled softly. "I actually got here around 3 in the morning, got a room in a hotel, which was stupid because I didn't sleep."

"That makes two of us."

Neil stopped just outside the bedroom door and lowered his voice even further. "It's bad, Jimmy. She hardly ever leaves the room. When she does, she's so depressed she doesn't talk to anyone."

"I'll take care of it," Jimmy responded, his voice just as low as the older man's. "I'll deal with her and leave, so you can work things out."

Neil nodded his appreciation and strode away, leaving Jimmy standing outside the door. When the older man was out of sight, Jimmy slowly opened the door.

It was completely dark inside the room. Not a speck of light could be seen. Jimmy felt the wall to his left, looking for a light switch; his fingers hit the switch, filling the room with the blinding illumination. A groan came from the bed, a quiet yet audible moan of either pain or a hangover. He wasn't sure which.

"Julie?"

"What the hell do you want?" Julie's muffled voice responded.

As he neared the bed, Jimmy saw his ex-wife lying face down on the bed. The blankets covering her crumpled figure entirely and he felt his breath catch in his chest. He hadn't even seen her yet and he knew that she really wasn't well.

"Julie, it's Jimmy."

It took the brunette a moment to awaken fully; she flipped the blankets off her of body, winced as the bright light stung her eyes, and as she saw Jimmy it was a roller coaster of emotion. The two substantial emotions were anger and sorrow.

"Jimmy." She whispered. "What are you doing here?"

"Kaitlin called me," Jimmy lied. "She said you needed me and I didn't question it."

Julie blinked quickly as tears flooded her eyes. She didn't want to deal with this; she wasn't ready. Something about Jimmy told her that she needed to approach Marissa's death while he was there. They both knew what she needed; it was just figuring out how to deal with everything.

The brunette switched into her stubborn mode. It was either a side effect from the various medications her doctor has prescribed, or she really was just being obstinate. "I appreciate you coming here, James, but really, I'm fine."

With a sigh, she pulled the blankets back up over her head. She fully intended to go back to sleep and forget all about Jimmy's surprise visit. The man sitting on the edge of her bed, however, had different plans.

"Jules, come on." Jimmy gently nudged her to wordlessly let her know that he wasn't going anywhere until she was ready to cooperate.

"Leave me the fuck alone," Julie snarled from underneath the covers.

Jimmy was taken back. In their seventeen years of marriage, he had never heard her use that sort of language. Not even during her worst mood swings. If he hadn't been determined before seeing her in this state, he sure the hell was now.

"Julie, I am not leaving until we get things sorted out."

The brunette peeked out from under the blankets at Jimmy. She looked so tired and pissed off that it was scary. "Jimmy, I'm serious. Leave me alone."

"I'm serious too," Jimmy replied. "Don't you see that? I care about you, Julie. And right now you are not taking care of yourself. So I'm here to do it for you."

Julie scoffed angrily. "You know, if you weren't the immature one, I just might believe that." She pulled herself to the edge of the bed and sat there for a moment, lowering her long legs slowly until her feet hit the shag rug. She hung her head, her hair falling around her face. There was no way she was ready to deal with this; no matter what Jimmy said, she would not sort things out with him here.

"I don't know Neil has lasted these five months with you, the way you're acting." Jimmy decided to play on her level; to be the male equivalent of a bitch. "I've only been here ten minutes and I can hardly stand another second."

"Christ," Julie muttered under her breath. "Then leave, Jimmy. Make both of us happy and get the fuck out."

Jimmy stood up from the bed and began walking back in forth on "his" side of the bed. "Nice language there, Jules. Good thing Kaitlin didn't hear that; she wouldn't know what to think of you."

"Am I really supposed to care?" Julie spat back. She never raised her head; her eyes remained fixed upon the floor. "Marissa is dead, Jimmy. She's dead and while I cry myself to sleep at night, Kaitlin is out partying and doing God only knows what. What does it matter what she thinks of me?"

Shaking his head, Jimmy sat down next to Julie. "Here goes," He thought hopefully.

"You are her mother," He started, keeping his voice a soft tone. "I know that deep down you do care what she thinks."

"Why is that she's my daughter and she's not even here with me? Aren't daughters supposed to be with their mothers when they're needed?" Julie inquired. Her voice had lost its infuriated edge and now she just sounded hurt and miserable. There was even a hint of regret.

Jimmy wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close to him. He was close to getting her to breakdown and no matter how awful it sounded, that is just what she needed. She took fistfuls of his shirt in her hands, fighting back the tears she didn't want to fall.

"Julie, honey, it's okay to cry you know." He gently moved his hand up and down her back to soothe her. "I'm here for you."

Julie buried her face in his chest, allowing herself to cry. Her warm tears soaked through his shirt as she sobbed. It almost made her sick to think that her ex-husband, the man who had embezzled millions of dollars from people they had considered their friend, the one who ran off to Hawaii and almost married their neighbor's sister, this man was the one who made her feel safe. He was able to lend her a shoulder to cry on, after prying and making her feel bad, but that didn't matter; she was able to cry and get started on recovering. And Jimmy was the one who had made it possible.

Neil appeared silently in the doorway and watched as Jimmy managed to comfort the miserable brunette. Jimmy saw the older man standing there and gave him a small nod to signify their plan had worked. Neil returned the gesture then disappeared again, closing the door behind him.

"My baby's dead," Julie sobbed. "It's not fair…"

Jimmy refocused on Julie, his hand continuing up and down her back in a soothing motion. "It'll be okay, Julie. I'll make sure of it," He whispered in her ear as she cried quietly.

As his words hit her, Julie felt comforted to know that he was there. And a moment later, despite the tears streaming down her face, she didn't have a doubt in her mind that he meant what he had said.