The first official day of Jack's arrival at the Mercer home began with a quiet morning. Evelyn, Bobby, Jerry, and Angel each got up at around 9 and 9:30 AM with Evelyn making the effort to wake Jack up.
"Jackie, sweetie. Time to get up", she coaxed quietly. He moaned and stretched a little before opening his eyes to look up at Evelyn.
"Did you sleep alright?" she asked, receiving a small nod and smiling in return. A few moments later, Jack got out of bed and followed Evelyn downstairs and into the dining room. Evelyn didn't see for herself, but Jack began to shake once again at the sight of the three brothers already at the table.
"Why don't you take a seat next to Jeremiah, Jackie? I'll be right back", Evelyn proposed, waiting to see Jack take a seat before heading into the kitchen. At first, Jack couldn't remember which one was Jerry, but luckily Jerry himself patted the seat next to him with a simple smile. Jack slowly made his way to that side of the table, trying his best to breathe properly. He sat down, not looking at anything but the floor and occassionally his feet. Evelyn then came back out with a plate full of chocolate chip pancakes and bacon in her hands. While the other boys quickly filled their plates and began eating, Jack stayed still, not wanting to do something wrong. He'd already had too much experience with that. Before Eveyln began to get her own food, she looked over at Jack and then filled his plate for him. She gently placed it in front of him, causing him to look up at her, giving her a small smile in return for hers. Before he ate anything, Jack looked back and fourth between the brothers and Evelyn several times, making sure that no one was watching him. When he was sure that no one was, he gingerly picked up his fork and took a piece of bacon, chewing on it slowly. Unbeknownst to Jack, Evelyn could see him from the corner of her eye and couldn't help the smile that appeared when she knew that he was eating.
Later in the day, Evelyn had to go to work, leaving a shakey Jack in her wake. No matter how many times she assured him that he would be fine and Bobby would take good care of him while she was gone, Jack still found it difficult to handle the thought of him being alone with the eldest Mercer all day. A small part of him hoped that Angel and Jerry would stick around seeing as which he felt somewhat safer around them, but unfortunately, both Angel and Jerry left just after Evelyn to visit Camille and some friends, respectively. Therefore, it would be just Bobby and Jack. Pure silence filled the entire house, heightening Jack's nerves more so than before, if that were even possible.
"So what do you wanna do today, Jackie?" Bobby questioned suddenly, making Jack jump at least three feet in the air. After falling onto the couch and grabbing the remote, Bobby stared at Jack skeptically as he just stood there, shaking from the nerves.
"Alright, we'll watch the game, then", Bobby announced, easily getting annoyed with the kid's quiet nature and innability to answer a simple question. He then proceded to turn on the TV, barely noticing when Jack took the seat farthest away from him about ten minutes into the game.
The day went by uneventfully, the only highlight being when Evelyn finally came home. As soon as she entered through the door to the living room, Jack immediately stood up as if he were ready to bolt, then sat back down after receiving a questioning look from Bobby.
"Hi, boys. How was your day?" Evelyn asked, hanging up her coat.
"Boring", Bobby quickly responded, mindlessly flipping through channels. She rolled her eyes but smiled, walking into the living room to sit down.
"Did you have a good day, Jackie?" she wondered in a near whisper. The only response she got was a small shake of the head from Jack, but that was all she needed. She smiled wider at him before making her way into the kitchen.
"So what would you boys like for dinner?" she called to them. Bobby just grunted and Jack, as always, said nothing. After a few moments of not getting an answer, Evelyn re-entered the living room. Bobby was still watching TV, completely oblivious to his mother standing in the doorway with her hands on her hips. Jack, however, was looking up at her.
"Jack, why don't you come in the kitchen with me?" she beckoned him, turning slightly to walk back into the kitchen. He just sat there staring at her.
"Come on, Jackie. It's okay, I just want to show you something", she coaxed, watching as he slowly got out of the chair he was seated in and began following her back into the kitchen.
"I just want to show you a few options and then I'll let you decide what you want to eat", he stared at her incredulously while she went through the freezer, completely shocked that someone was actually allowing him to make a decision. Evelyn went through five different meal ideas before Jack finally decided on chicken with mashed potatoes, gravy, and peas. Before she dismissed him to continue watching TV with Bobby, Evelyn decided to try something.
"Jackie, would you like to cook with me?" she asked, causing him to turn back around and look at her with a questioning gaze. Though after a short while, he shook his head 'yes' and gave her a small smile. Evelyn smiled wider and lead him over to the potatoes where she showed him how to peel.
Once Evelyn and Jack were finished making dinner, Bobby, Angel, and Jerry filed into the dining room with aprreciative grins. After they began eating, there was complete silence until Bobby decided to speak up.
"Jeeze, Ma. What did you do to this chicken? It's better than usual", he commented between mouthfulls. Evelyn giggled.
"You can thank Jackie for that", she admitted. Suddenly, all three boys turned to look at Jack, causing him to drop his fork and look up nervously at them.
"Jack, you made this?" Angel questioned. Jack gave him a quick nod.
"Damn, kid. You got some skills!" he complimented, getting back to his food. And with that, everyone else continued to eat, and Jack picked his fork back up with a small smile glued to his face.