Chapter 4) Mama

-.-.-

"Ugh...go away, you stupid headache." I groan, flipping the pancakes. "Ransom, you better be awake." I yell after glancing at the fridge calender and noticing it's a Wednesday.

"I've been awake for 200 hours." He calls from his room.

"Yea, and Barney isn't a pedophile." I murmur to myself.

"What's a pedotile, daddy?"

"Uh... Oh shit the pancakes." I panic, grabbing the spatula and attempting to save the now blackened pancakes. "Ow! Ow! OW! Fuck, fuck, fuck." I yell, running to the sink and letting my burnt hand rest under the cold water. My elbow hits the ceramic coffee mug sitting beside the sink and it shatters after falling onto the tiled floor. "God damn it." I mumble, kicking the pieces out of the way so Ransom doesn't step on it while barefoot.

"Daddy are you ok?" He asks, walking out of his room in his footie space pajamas.

"No I'm not. I got burnt, and why the hell aren't you dressed yet?" I ask, throwing the burnt pancakes away and turning the stove off.

"I was playing my DS."

"Whatever. I'm going to watch the news or something. Don't step on this shit, please." I tell him, returning to the couch with a thud.

-.-.-

"Hello? Frank?"

"Hi, Nana."

"Oh, hi sweetie. Is your daddy there? Nana needs to talk to him."

"Daddy is sleeping right now. Want me to wake him up?"

"No, no. Shouldn't you be in school, Ransom? It's after ten."

"Yea, but then daddy got burnt and fell asleep. So I'm stayin' at home today."

"Oh, I see... I'm going to come over, Ransom."

"YAY! Do you want me to wake daddy up now?"

"No, let your father sleep. He doesn't need to know Nana is coming over. Ok?"

"Ok, Nana. Bye."

"Bye honey."

-.-.-

Knock, Knock, Knock.

"COMING!" A small voice yells from behind the door. It opens a few seconds later to reveal a pj clad, and bed headed Ransom. "NANA!"

"Hi sweetie." I say, reaching down to pick him up. He wraps his arms around my neck with a big smile on his face. We walk inside and I push the door closed behind me.

"I missed you." Ransom says happily, bouncing up and down in my arms. We walk around the house and I survey the damage. Clothes thrown everywhere, beer bottles and a pack of cigarettes on the floor beside my hungover son, a broken mug, and burnt breakfast.

"Ransom, do you have a bag to pack stuff in?"

"I have a backpack." He says.

"Good. Let's go pack some stuff. You're going to come stay with Nana and Papa."

"Are we gonna say goodbye to daddy?" He asks once he's fully dressed and his bag is packed.

"No. Daddy doesn't get to say goodbye."

.-.-.

"GEEEEEEEEEE!" He screams, barreling into me and wrapping his arms around my legs.

"MIKEY" I yell, mimicking him.

"I missed you so so soooo much." He sighs.

"I was only at work, Mikes." I laugh, picking him up and hugging him.

"Doesn't matter. I'm awowed to miss my big brother." He says, squeezing my neck.

"Well, since you missed me so much. How about we go out to eat for dinner?"

"Weally?"

"Really. I passed this new Spanish restaurant on the way home and I really want to take you. So what do you say to Dinner, ice cream, and the comic store?"

"YAY! Me and Geward are going on a date tonight, Casey." Mikey yells, I sit him and down and he runs to the kitchen to tell her. I follow behind him and pay Casey before kicking her out. Once she's gone, me and Mikey go to work on our outfits.

"Ok, go grab your suit and bring it in here. Then we'll both get dressed." I tell Mikey, he smiles and disappears into the hall. "Leave it all on the hanger or you'll wrinkle it." I yell. He runs back into my room a minute later, small black tuxedo in his hand.

"What do I put on first, Gee?" He asks, after we've both stripped down to our colorful boxers.

"The shirt, Mikes. Can you button it yourself?" I ask him while buttoning up my own.

"I'm not a baby." He replies while struggling to get the last one buttoned.

"Ok then."

.-.-.

"Reservations under Mikey Way."

"Of course, Mr. Way. Right this..."

"Oh I'm not Mr. Way. This is Mr. Mikey Way." I say, pointing down at Mikey.

"Oops, sorry. Right this way then, Mikey."

"That's Mr. Way to you, Missy."

.-.-.

"I didn't like that place, Geward." Mikey says from the backseat on the drive to get ice cream.

"A bit too formal huh?"

"No. I don't care about wearing my tux. They didn't sell chicken nuggets. What kind of place doesn't sell chicken nuggets, Geward?"

"How dare they..."

"Can I have a cone instead of a cup this time?" He asks.

"You want me to let you eat an ice cream cone in my mustang? Seriously?" I question his sanity sometimes.

"I promise not to make a mess, and I'll only get three scoops. Pwease, pwease, pwease?"

"We'll just eat in the shop, k?"

"YAY!"

.-.-.

After a three tier ice cream cone, Mikey happily fell asleep on the drive home. I unhappily carried him all the way up to the penthouse (thank god for the elevator) and tucked him into bed before settling into my warm skeleton pajamas. I'm about to sit down and watch the new episode of Law And Order when a quiet ding lets me know the elevator door has just opened. I tip-toe to through the kitchen, remember my skeleton pajamas, and silently curse myself before the elevator comes into view.

"Frank?" I ask in disbelief. Standing in my entryway is good ole' Frank. Wearing his hoodie and sunglasses even though there isn't a single ray of sun left outside.

"Hey. I would've knocked but no door and all that... Are you wearing a onesie?" He asks, a smile forming on his lips.

"Uh...no. These are my pj's. I was about to... Everything okay?" I ask, motioning for him to come sit down in the kitchen. He takes a seat on one of the bar stools and I begin making coffee. Strong coffee, and a lot of it. "So what's going on?"

"It's my mom." He groans, lying his head on the counter. I stand beside the coffee maker, tapping my foot impatiently.

"What about her?"

"I woke up and Ransom was gone, so I called her and she said that he was staying with her for now on."

"Oh, Frank I..."

"She's gonna file for custody, man, and I have no chance of beating her in court. I'm fuckin' jobless, my apartment is shitty and the neighbors cut people into little pieces while we're sleeping. And my mom knows about all my past drinking and drug issues, I'm sure she'll use that."

"Well, I..."

"I can't lose him, man. He's all I have. He's my everything. I love him more than you'd... What if he's better off without me? What if my mom is right? What if I really am a bad influence?" He says, eyes filling with tears he doesn't want to let fall. I grab his hand and hold it in mine. His eyes dart up to lock with mine.

"Ransom needs his father. I'm here for you, and we'll get through this together."