Break Away - #6
Disclaimer - not mine
A/N - my take on Madeline and Henry's final split.
Madeline finished packing her suitcase and set it down on the floor before sitting in a chair by the door. She wouldn't just leave a note as she had before. She couldn't. She owed Henry that much.
Henry sighed as he came into the house. Taking off his hat, he placed it on the table and turned to get the pitcher of ice tea out of the fridge. As he pulled a glass from the cabinet, Henry couldn't help but grumble a little. It was already over a hundred degrees, and Memorial Day was still two weeks away. Picking up his hat once more, he carried his drink into the living room only to freeze when he saw Maddie sitting there. Her stiff posture told the story. Along with the suitcase, that is.
"Henry, I'm leaving."
Sighing, Henry set both the glass and his hat on the coffee table. "What, another conference? A sick friend? Your cousin's cat is having kittens?"
Madeline shook her head. "No, Henry. When I say I am leaving, I don't mean for a week, or even a month. I'm leaving. I've accepted a position in San Diego."
Pursing his lips, Henry nodded. "If that's what you want."
Relieved that he was taking it so calmly, Madeline stood. "I know Shawn will want to finish the school year in Santa Barbara. That will give me enough time to find a place. I'm staying with my friend Judy for a while. I'll let you know when I am ready for Shawn."
Frowning, Henry cocked his head to one side. "What, to visit? You want to start the every other weekend thing? Don't you think he is a bit old for that?"
Pulling her head back, Madeline set her suitcase back down from where she had picked it up. "Henry, once I am settled, Shawn will come live with me. I mean, I am his mother."
"And I am his father. And this is the only home he has ever known. And I am not the one who kept leaving him, Maddie. That would be you. I am the parent who was there, every day of his life. I am the one who figured out how to make brownies from a mix when Shawn needed last minute treats for his class. I am the one who goes down to the school when he gets in trouble. I am the one who has sat in the ER so many times because he decided to do something crazy once more. I am the parent who found the time to stay where our son needed me. You were the one who always had something more important than Shawn to run off to. What, Shawn is now old enough you figure it doesn't matter if you aren't around all the time, so he can live with you? No way, Maddie. Leave if you want to, but Hell will freeze over before you take my son."
Furious, Madeline glared at Henry. "You can't keep Shawn from me, Henry. Any judge will give him to me."
"How old was Shawn when he got his tonsils out?" Madeline froze, her face becoming the classic "deer-in-the-headlights" look. "How many times has Shawn broken his arm? What superhero was he imitating when he did it for the first time? Who is his English teacher this year?"
A sick feeling in the pit of her stomach overwhelmed her. She didn't know. Oh, God. She honestly didn't know.
"If you love Shawn, and you are still determined to break away from me and this house, know this…I will never let you take him from his home. When he goes, it will be his choice." Madeline brightened for a moment, if she talked to Shawn…Then Henry continued. "But for now, Shawn is not going anywhere. That kid needs as much stability in his life as possible. And that won't come from being with you."
Looking at the steel rods running through his jaws, Madeline nodded. Henry was inflexible in this. Maybe it was the best thing for Shawn. "I'll be in touch all the same."
Standing unmoving in the living room, Henry heard the sound of Madeline's car starting up and pulling away from the house. She was gone. And unlike all the other times, he knew she wasn't coming back. He was in no rush to file for a divorce. The house was his, they had kept separate finances for years, and Henry had even taken to working third shift more so he could sleep in the bedroom. That couch was going to cause him back problems in the long run. The only thing they kept in common was Shawn. And that was a non-negotiable point of interest. He knew Maddie loved their son. But he only had the time and energy to raise one kid, and Shawn was more suited for the position.
Sighing, Henry gulped down his ice tea before heading to the bedroom to change. He needed to make sure everything he needed for dinner was in the fridge before Shawn got home. And he would have to call his captain – it looked like he would be taking that day shift position after all. Henry had too much to do to sit around moping about Maddie's need to break away from their home, their family, their marriage. He knew he may not have been the sensitive, new age, in-touch-with-his feelings type. But he had stayed. Shouldn't that have counted for something?