A/N: Well, I wouldn't do camp again if my life depended on it. Beds sucked, food sucked, activities sucked. Camp sucked.
KLEENEX WARNING FOR BOTH HENRY AND JJ!
Disclaimer: I don't own CM.
"He's runnin' for it! He shoots! SCORE!" Will shouted, making Henry laugh. Henry picked up the ball and ran across the yard.
"Foul! Foul! Handball!" Will cried, chasing after him. JJ laughed from where she stood holding the camera. She couldn't fight off the grin as Will gently tackled his little boy to the ground.
"Daddy!" Henry giggled, dropping the ball and squirming to get out of Will's arms. Will held tighter, growling playfully in Henry's ear, making the little boy squeal with laughter.
JJ laughed with tears in her eyes as she watched Will and Henry's antics on the TV screen. The three weeks since the funeral had been a rollercoaster of emotion for all of them.
She had found a longing to hear Will's voice again, and had pulled out the box of home videos from the bottom of the cupboard. Choosing one, she had put it in the DVD player before curling up on the couch.
"Mommy!" Henry shrieked, tears running from his eyes as he laughed.
"You're on your own buddy," JJ laughed.
"You're not gonna save him, JayJay?" Will drawled. JJ laughed again. Will flipped Henry over onto his back and lightly tickled the little boy.
"I miss you," JJ said softly, slipping the tip of her index finger through Will's wedding ring, feeling the comfort she got from that simple action. A single tear slipped out over her lower lashes, leaving a glinting trail as it slowly tracked down her cheek. Will's laughter echoed from the video before it ended, leaving the screen to go black.
Sandy sat at the kitchen table, sipping her coffee, as JJ stood by the bin, throwing newspaper after newspaper into the bag. Henry had gone back to preschool for the first time since Will had reached end stage. He'd not wanted to go at first, but when JJ told him it Kate and Alicia's turn to take him (JJ was certain he had a little thing for Alicia), he'd practically skipped out the front door to Kate's car.
"Jen, why don't you just throw them out when you've read them instead of hoarding them?" she asked.
"Henry likes to draw moustaches on all the politicians, and every time he sees a picture of Barack Obama, he cuts his head off. I really wonder what's going to happen to him when he's older," JJ replied simply. Sandy laughed, shaking her head as she got up to put her mug in the sink.
"Do you think he'll be alright today?" JJ asked softly as she closed the bin again. Sandy turned, leaning back against the sink.
"I think he'll be fine. He's tough. Just like his mom," she said warmly, stepping forward and putting her arm around JJ's shoulders.
Samantha couldn't hold back the smile on her face as she watched her class of preschoolers playing with their fathers. She knew a 'Daddy/Preschooler' day had been a great idea, because besides giving the kids some quality time with their dads, it also gave her a chance to get to know some of the fathers better.
Turning around, she laughed as she watched Lachlan telling his dad off for 'not playing with the rice right'. Lachlan picked up a handful of the coloured rice that the kids loved, and showed his dad how to do it properly.
However, looking past Lachlan and his dad, her expression fell as she noticed one little boy sitting on his own in the corner of the room, watching everyone else wistfully. Her heart sank as she realised, that for Henry LaMontagne, the Daddy/Preschooler day maybe hadn't been such a great idea after all.
Crossing the room, she sat down beside the four year old. "Hey Henry. What are you doing?" she asked softly. Henry looked down at his lap, where one of the preschool's well used action figures was clutched tightly in his hand.
"Nuffing," he mumbled, somewhat sadly.
"Nothing? That's not too good, is it?" Sam replied lightly. Henry shook his head, but continued to look at his lap.
Looking up, Sam noticed Lachlan's dad, Michael, beckoning for Henry to join them so that he wouldn't feel left out. "Henry, would you like to play with Lachlan and his daddy?" she suggested gently. Henry shook his head again.
"I want my daddy," he whimpered. Sam's eyes were beginning to sting with tears as she watched every other child giggling and playing with their fathers, while Henry sat on his own.
"What about you play with me?" she offered. Henry shook his head again, but this time he looked up at Sam. Tears ran down his little cheeks, breaking Sam's heart.
"I want my mommy," he said tearfully, his voice wavering. Sam swallowed thickly so that she wouldn't cry. She hated seeing the kids upset.
"What about Lily? I can get Lily to come and play with you," she said lightly. Lily was the kid's favourite teacher's aide. She was young, only in her early twenties, with chestnut brown hair that hung to her waist. She loved all the kids, but Sam knew she had a soft spot for Henry.
"Want Mommy," Henry said again, his lower lip quivering as more tears spilled over.
"Ok sweetie, let's go call Mommy," Sam gave in. Standing up, she lifted Henry up to her hip and carried him to the staff room at the back of the classroom. Entering the room, she found Lily, the youngest but most experienced teacher's assistant, and Anna, a slightly older woman who had started a week earlier, on their break, laughing as they swapped old stories.
"Here, Henry, you sit in my chair-"
"Can I sit with Lily?" Henry asked, his tiny voice shaking slightly. Sam looked towards Lily, who was already walking towards them to take Henry from her arms.
"Hi there Henry! I haven't seen you in a while!" Lily said happily, taking Henry back over to her seat, while Anna got up and followed Sam over to the contacts book.
"What's wrong?" she asked, standing against the table with her arms folded across her chest.
"Henry's upset because his daddy isn't here for Daddy/Preschooler day. I couldn't seem to cheer him up, so I'm calling his mom to come and get him. If he stays here all day, he's just going to feel miserable, and I don't want him to be upset all day," Sam explained.
"What? His dad isn't here? Who does that to their kid, just leaves them on their own for a day like this-"
"Anna, his dad died four weeks ago. He had end stage leukaemia," Sam cut in softly. Anna froze, her expression softening.
"Oh god. Poor kid. I had no idea," she said, a lot quieter than before. Sam nodded, turning back to the contacts book to find Jennifer LaMontagne. Anna turned around, watching the cute little boy as Lily worked on making him smile.
"Here kiddo, let's play a game. You're gonna hold on really tight to the armrest," Lily instructed, watching as Henry clutched the armrests. "Good. And I'm gonna spin you around, ok?" she asked. Henry nodded, a little smile cutting through his tears. Lily stood up, spinning the chair around gently, so as to not throw him off. Henry's little giggles were still somewhat tearful, but he definitely sounded like he was cheering up.
JJ stepped inside the preschool, immediately wishing she'd just kept Henry home when she saw all the kids and their dads playing together. She'd barely taken a sweeping glance when Henry came sprinting across the room from the door of the staff room. Kneeling down, JJ caught him in her arms, knowing that he was pretty upset when he immediately buried his face in her shoulder.
"Hey buddy. You ok?" she asked softly, prying him back for a minute to take a look at his face. His eyes were glistening with tears and red rimmed, and his cheeks were tear stained. "Oh my little man, come here," she said gently, pulling him into a tight hug as Sam and Lily approached them. Standing up, she held Henry on her hip.
"I'm really sorry about this. I probably should've thought it through a little more," Sam said apologetically.
"It's alright. Today was the day he goes with Alicia from next door, so I never even knew about it until you called," JJ replied.
"Like I said, I probably should've given it a little more thought. I never wanted to upset anyone, especially Henry," Sam added. "How are you holding up?"
"We're taking it day by day, aren't we little man?" JJ said softly, tipping Henry's chin up. Henry nodded slightly, before burying his face in JJ's shoulder again.
"Hopefully we'll see Henry tomorrow?" Sam asked. JJ thought for a moment, before shrugging.
"I don't know. I'll see what he feels like doing in the morning. I don't want to force him to come if he's not up to it, given what he's been through," she explained. Sam nodded. They exchanged a few more words, before JJ grabbed Henry's backpack and turned to leave.
Sandy had gone to visit a friend, leaving JJ and Henry alone in the house as dark storm clouds closed in. JJ curled up in the window seat in the lounge room, Henry in her lap, with his head resting against her chest. Rain streamed down the window as thunder boomed in the distance.
They'd been sitting there for about half an hour when JJ suddenly felt a strange sensation in the pit of her stomach.
"Henry, buddy, you're gonna have to move! Quick," she said hurriedly. Henry scampered off of her lap, watching with a bewildered expression as JJ flew towards the kitchen, making it to the sink just in time for her stomach to reject its contents.
Henry slid off the window seat. What did Mommy do whenever he was sick?
Tissues and a cup of water.
Picking up the box of tissues, he carried them into the kitchen and put them on the table. Managing to open the fridge, he found the water bottle he'd seen Mommy put in there earlier and reached up to get it down.
"Mommy," he said softly. JJ rinsed her mouth, running the tap into the basin before turning around. She smiled weakly, tears running down her face as she took the bottle Henry was holding out to her. Sitting down against the cupboards, she pulled Henry into her lap.
"You're the best little boy I could ever ask for, little man," she said softly, taking a mouthful of water before kissing his cheek. Henry smiled, snuggling into her chest.
The five minutes were killing her. Her eyes were wide, her stomach was churning, and it was taking all the control she had not to hyperventilate. She focused on the sounds of Henry and Sandy's voices as they laughed and played in the lounge room.
The timer she'd set went off. JJ froze. She couldn't bring herself to move closer and take a look.
Taking a deep breath, she reached out, picking it up in her hand. Bringing it in front of her, she looked down.
Dropping it on the floor, JJ lost control. Swinging out, her clenched fist connected with the mirror, causing the glass to shatter and rain down on the countertop.
She was crying hysterically when she hit the floor, curled up in a ball against the wall.
This wasn't happening. This couldn't happen. Not when it was just her and Henry.
Her mind was screaming as tears pooled on the floor beneath her.
She was pregnant.