DISCLAIMER: Look on first chapter.
Before you read this-just know; Not everything is as it seems. Happy reading!
May 2, 2011 (Monday)
Lima Bean Café
Lima, Ohio
9:03AM
"So this is my more modernized option," Jeffrey stated as he passed Lynn a blueprint across the table. Taking a sip of her chai latte, she pulled it towards her and peered at it. Jeff took a moment to take a drink of his black coffee with two sugars. What could he say? He was a man of simple tastes.
Lynn was looking over the design plan with an intensity that shouldn't have surprised Jeff. He was always taken aback by how focused she could be for such an easy going woman. He watched her nervously. If she didn't like his next ones—that would make twelve rejected options and Jeff would rather hide under a rock than face that type of humiliation.
She had a concept for this restaurant and she would accept nothing less than perfection. He admired that about her, but he was sort of terrified too. He didn't want to let her down.
Lynn was momentarily interrupted when the barista came over with her blueberry muffin. He watched as she looked up from the blueprint—her dark curls swishing underneath her burnt orange beanie. She had dressed simply today; wearing a white tank top that molded to her curves and a pair of dark purple skinny jeans and silver gladiator sandals.
Her signature pearl earrings were the only pieces of jewelry she had on. Jeff couldn't decide if he should be ashamed of himself for checking out his boss, but he was a guy—and guys always knew when they were in the presence of beautiful women; especially beautiful, intelligent, and funny women.
His thoughts drifted as Lynn returned to studying the blueprint, but he was brought back to reality quickly when a blonde woman walked into the café. Her back was to him—but he could see the blonde waves falling down her to her hips and her body was similar to Elizabeth's. His heart started pounding.
Had she come back? Maybe she was looking for him in the café?
Jeff's thoughts were going crazy. He didn't notice his breathing quicken, but Lynn did. And it was only when she threw a piece of muffin at him across the table—that he snapped out of his panicked daze.
"Jeffrey?" Lynn asked, "Are you alright?"
Jeff couldn't speak. He heard her question, but he didn't take his eyes off the blonde woman now at the counter. He willed her to turn around. It was like a growing mantra in his head. And when she finally did, his heart stopped and he felt as though his stomach had dropped to his toes.
It wasn't her.
She looked nothing like Elizabeth did. Her face was too long, her lips too thin, and her eyes were brown—not the bright blue he had gazed into with love for almost twenty years.
Jeff slumped back into his chair—feeling the adrenaline drain from his system. The sudden disappearance of his anxiety left him pale and shaking. He couldn't meet Lynn's eyes—he could feel her worry from across the table.
"Jeff?" she inquired and he looked up at her. Her hazel eyes were soft and filled with concern. There was a frown on her face and Jeff didn't like it. "What just happened?"
He didn't want to answer her, but he knew that he had freaked her out momentarily. So—against all of his instincts—he answered, "I thought I saw my wife."
Her eyebrows rose on her head, before they furrowed. She seemed to study him for a few moments. Jeff didn't say anything else while she stared at him, but he felt her gaze acutely.
Lynn shifted in her chair, before she said anything. "You miss her, don't you?" It was meant to be a question, but Jeff heard the statement in her tone. He closed his eyes in response.
"It's not that I miss her," he admitted sadly, "It's more that I miss the familiarity." He scrubbed a hand over his face as he placed his coffee down onto the table. "I was used to being with her. She's all I've known for years. When I asked her to marry me, I thought, 'This is right. This is what I'm supposed to be doing. I'm in love, so this has to work.' But looking back, I don't know if that was the right decision."
Lynn didn't say anything and Jeff couldn't stop himself from talking. "I was twenty five and stupid. I'd had my heartbroken by my high school sweetheart and my first fiancée before I met Elizabeth. And she was there when I needed some light in my life. She introduced me to a whole different world—and it was amazing. We were good together," Jeff said softly—before he let out a bitter chuckle.
"You know," he said—his heart was in his throat. The animosity and rage rose like bile in his stomach. "She cheated on me back in Tennessee." The slight widening of Lynn's eyes vindicated him. "She told me that she'd needed something different for a moment. We had lived too much of the same for years and she just had to get away for a little while."
He had kept that to himself for almost a year now. For twelve months, he watched the steady disintegration of his twenty year marriage. "Why?" Lynn breathed—her voice was tinged with sadness.
"Honestly," Jeff said, "I think she resented me. Elizabeth—when she met me she wanted to be an actress and she wanted to study human rights. Travel the world, you know? But she gave it up for me to finish my degree in architecture. And the sad thing is, I told her to go—that I would wait for her. She told me that she'd marry me now or she never would."
"Do the kids know?" Lynn asked as she placed her hand atop his. Jeff couldn't help but squeeze her hand—thankful for the support she was offering. He shook his head at her question.
"We decided not to tell them," Jeff replied. "It was the main reason we moved to Lima. I had to get her away from him; we both did, but she wasn't the same after everything. I could barely look at her—much less touch her knowing that some other man had destroyed the sanctity of our marriage." Jeff's chest felt tight and he could hear the gruffness in his voice. "It hurt too much to even think that she'd willingly betray me like that—that she would be so selfish and just risk everything—risk hurting our kids."
Jeff blinked furiously. "I got the promotion the week before, but I had planned on turning it down. After I found out about the affair though—I couldn't stay in that town. And when we got here—the fights started."
She had blamed him for every little thing that went wrong. And he meant everything—from her clothes being accidently turned pink to Sam getting a dislocated shoulder. Their kids feeling homesick and how she missed living close to all of their family.
And damn it all, the guilt brought him to tears sometimes.
She'd point out how miserable the kids were for being uprooted from the town they'd lived in their whole lives. Every bill that was late and for the balance of their bank accounts—it was his entire fault.
When she lost her job, she just turned bitter.
Every chance she got—it was ridicule him for this; mock him for that. Jeff's confidence had taken a severe beating. Some days, he was surprised that he'd even got out of bed. He'd never been more thankful for the kids being on a different floor in their old home.
That was the only thing he'd asked of her—to never degrade him in front of the children.
He thanked God everyday that they hadn't had to go through the verbal abuse that she took every chance to throw at him. He'd rather be murdered before he allowed someone to hurt his kids even if that meant he had to fight his own wife.
Jeff wasn't sure he'd done that great of a job anyway. Her ignoring them had done quite enough damage—and he'd been so focused on protecting them from her that he hadn't been there when they needed him.
And when he lost his job—everything just went straight to hell. And he told Lynn as much.
"I feel like a horrible father," he choked out—tears clogging his throat. Lynn's fingers gripped his. "I tried so hard to do everything and I completely forgot about the most important thing—them. They practically took care of themselves for the past year. I don't even know my son anymore."
Thinking of the relationship he used to share with Sam was heartbreaking for Jeff. They had done everything together. He missed his weekly fishing trips with Sam. He missed their Thursday night baseball games. He longed for the homemade Sundaes during football games. Jeff couldn't believe that he had let it all slip through his fingers by trying to hold onto a woman that wasn't completely invested in their lives anymore.
"You are a great father, Jeff," Lynn told him firmly, "But we all make mistakes. And I have all faith that you will bounce back from this—and be stronger than ever."
"How, though?" he questioned.
Jeff was ashamed of the desperation in his voice. He wanted to fix everything so badly, but he didn't know where to start. He was used to having someone help him with raising the kids—how was one to be a single parent? And God, he didn't know the first thing to do for Stacey.
The thought of discussing periods, bras, and boys, and having sex—Jeff just wanted to pull out his hunting rifle and shoot himself. The idea was horrifying.
"Baby steps, darlin'," she told him with a smile. "This won't be easy and I can guarantee that there will be fights and tears and misunderstandings, but you shouldn't give up. Ever. The fact that you're acknowledging the problem is progress."
The earnest hope in Lynn's hazel eyes was a balm for Jeff's aching heart. Feeling lost in the middle of so much drama was never a pleasant experience. He was grateful for her being someone he could talk to about all of this.
"And I think you should tell your kids," Lynn said quietly—her voice shaky. Jeff's eyes snapped to hers in shock. What?
He couldn't throw this on their shoulders! Not after everything they had gone through. "I don't know about that," he replied and Lynn nodded weakly—her eyes watering.
"I understand," she said, "but just think about it. Right now, they don't understand the sudden departure and Sam—Sam already told me that he feels like it was his fault. Telling them the truth would help soothe those doubts, and it would take away some of the guilt that I know you're feeling."
Jeff looked at her and Lynn wouldn't meet his gaze anymore as she continued speaking, "You're trying to protect them because you don't want to tarnish that image of their mother, but Jeff—lying to them to save something that's already gone is doing nothing but hurting you."
Something in Lynn's voice clued him into the fact that something had to be wrong here. She sounded far too pained for this to just be about him—it was almost like she knew from experience.
Jeff opened his mouth to ask, but his elbow slid off the side of the table—knocking his folder onto the ground. His blueprints flew everywhere. Jeff groaned as he released Lynn's hand to gather them up. She bent over to help him.
"Sorry," he said with a blush, "I'm pretty clumsy." Lynn gave a soft laugh in response as she picked up the last blueprint on the ground. They both stood up—Jeff fixing the papers inside the folder and Lynn started to hand him the pile in her hands, but she stopped and glanced down at it again.
"What is this?" she asked—Jeff looked up when he heard the excitement in her voice. She handed it to him and he blinked.
"It's the semi-modern and semi-retro version that I drew up the other day. I meant to take it out—"Lynn interrupted him.
"No!" she stated, "I love it! That's the one I want."
Jeff gaped at her.
Lynn wanted the one design that hadn't actually been created to be a design at all. He had been playing around because he couldn't think of any good ideas—and he had sketched that one for fun.
"Are you serious?" he questioned—still gob smacked and she nodded. Her hazel eyes were dancing and Jeff couldn't help but smile at her enthusiasm. Their previous conversation was set on the backburner as they got down to business.
Jeff was still thinking about Lynn's strange familiarity with their previous subject matter, but he put it to the back of his mind. He had work to do.
May 2, 2011 (Monday)
McKinley High School
Lima, Ohio
12:18PM
When Mercedes walked into the auditorium—her lunch tray balanced in her hands—she was understandably nervous. She hadn't seen or heard from Sam since Saturday night and having never been in a situation like this—she had no idea what to expect.
All she knew was that she didn't want to lose Sam as a friend. It wasn't like she was that clear on her feelings for the blond boy either. She knew that she wanted more than friendship, but it wasn't like she was in love with Sam.
Mercedes didn't have a clue as to what being in love felt like. She wondered of course, but she was mature enough to realize that she should probably have a real relationship with someone before she let herself get caught up in fantasies. She had thoroughly learned her lesson with Kurt.
Moving forward, and past the curtains—she finally saw him. He was sitting in his usual spot at the end of the stage—his legs dangling over the side, but his head was down today. Absently, she noticed that his hair was getting super long. He had already told her how annoying it was at that length. He wanted his old haircut back. And Mercedes would've done it for him—but that wasn't a skill she had learned yet.
She walked up behind him and said, "Hey Blondie."
It was much easier to start this off without being awkward—that way she had a chance of keeping this from going into no man's land. Sam looked up at her, and he shot her a weak smile as she plopped down next to him.
"Hey Cede," he replied quietly before taking a bite of his sandwich.
The lunch digressed from there. Sam didn't talk much. He gave her one word answers as much as possible and Mercedes felt so awkward that she wanted to cry.
It hadn't been this disparaging before—not even during their first lunch in the auditorium. She wondered if her confession had really put him off that much. She picked up her tray without another word and stood up.
Sam looked at her for the first time since she had sat down next to him. "Where are you going?" he asked—his voice confused. Mercedes was torn between rolling her eyes and glaring at him.
"It's kind of obvious that you don't want me here right now," she responded harshly. Sam's green eyes widened. "So I think I'll save myself the embarrassment and leave now." She turned away from him and started walking away. She heard Sam curse, before he leapt to his feet and grabbed her.
Mercedes wanted to dissolve into tears. She would be alone forever—she just knew it. No guy who looked like Sam, or was as sweet as Sam would ever want to date a girl like her. She'd known it before she said anything, but she hated to be proven right this time.
"Mercedes, it's not you," he said and she scoffed. "I swear. I've just got something on my mind and I'm not ready to talk about it just yet." Sam's voice was sad and pleading at the same time. He tugged on her arm until she turned to face him. She could see the upset in his green eyes. And she could also see that he was telling the truth.
"It has nothing to do with you," he told her. And Mercedes couldn't ignore the genuine look on his features. Something inside told her that Sam needed her to just be there for him right now—like she'd done all those weeks ago for him. She didn't know what all this was about, but she hoped that he would spill before something else happened.
But having gotten to know Sam—he would have to snap before he could completely break.
May 2, 2011 (Monday)
McKinley High School
Lima, Ohio
3:14PM
Rachel was between Sam and Mercedes—and Mercedes was not a huge fan. She listened to Mr. Schue introduce Jesse as their show choir consultant and she wanted to groan. Rachel's excited grin made her feel ill. It was just wonderful to know that any smidgen of a chance she'd had to get a solo during Nationals slipped down the drain.
It didn't help that she was already annoyed at Sam because he'd been acting standoffish all day long. It didn't bother her this much the first time around—but she was pretty sure she was so anxious because she didn't fully believe that his cold behavior wasn't related to the post-prom conversation they'd had.
Not knowing was driving her crazy. And listening to Jesse and Finn argue did nothing to help her general disposition. She was glad to hear Sam let out a small laugh when Jesse called Finn a pooping zombie, but she wasn't okay with putting people down just for kicks. That just kind of made her even more pissed at Sam.
When Mr. Schue mentioned there would be auditions for nationals, though—that brightened her day. Almost immediately she started scrolling through song choices—and even considering asking Sam if he would back her up on his guitar.
Mercedes spent the rest of Glee club contemplating her options and her competition. She saw the downtrodden look on Finn's face and she felt bad for him—he had been working hard to improve his dancing and singing; Jesse had no right to tear him down like he had. Every once in awhile she glanced at Sam, and wondered at the sudden attitude he was sporting.
He had only spoken once during the club meeting and it was a backhanded swipe at Finn. She had thought the two had ended their rivalry, but it seemed that prom had reawakened some of that animosity.
Her thoughts immediately went to Quinn and her mood was once again soured. Maybe Sam was confused because he had his doubts about giving Quinn up? Maybe he was upset that he'd let her go without a fight? Her thoughts were bringing her down big time, and it didn't help that he'd given her the brush off when she tried to talk to him after Glee had ended.
As soon as she'd mentioned the Nationals auditions and how she would love if he'd play back up on his guitar for her—he'd given her some lame excuse about being late to work and that they would hang out tomorrow at the motel to do homework. It hurt, yes, but what really made her depressed was the fact that he didn't hug her goodbye.
By nature, Sam was an affectionate person—and ever since that first time he'd hugged her goodbye—he hadn't let her go without one. But today he just shot her a weak smile and walked away.
So much for everything being alright between them. She really should've known better.
May 3, 2011 (Tuesday)
McKinley High School
Lima, Ohio
3:24PM
When Finn announced his and Kurt's decision to help Sue plan her sister's funeral—Mercedes noticed the sheer outrage that appeared on Sam's face. He had been in a bad mood all day. And his attitude had only gotten nastier as the day went on. Sam had spent the whole of their lunch—fuming silently.
She could feel it from a mile away and she'd kept her mouth firmly shut—partially to prevent Sam from snapping at her, but mainly to stop herself from chewing him out for his ugly demeanor. She didn't know what the hell was going on, but she was going to reserve judgment before she said anything.
And damn if she didn't hope that truth didn't come soon. Much longer and Sam would find himself with a new asshole. He was honestly being that insufferable.
It went to show how much Mercedes cared about the blond, because she didn't put up with purposeful snubs for just anyone. The fact that she was mad at him, yet her feelings hadn't changed at all for him said something to Mercedes. It made her realize that the way she felt about Sam was real. As real as she'd ever felt about anyone before.
It pissed her off that this realization had to come about while Blondie was being a douche bag.
The Glee club meeting passed with Sam sitting all the way across the room from Mercedes—something that hadn't happened since they became friends. She listened with one ear as they started tentatively planning Jean Sylvester's funeral. And when they changed the subject to writing original songs again—Mercedes was too distracted to add anything substantial to the writing session.
Sam had her tied up in mental and emotional knots. She was going to get to the bottom of this—one way or another; because if he didn't watch himself, Sam was going to end up without a head.
May 3, 2011 (Tuesday)
The Motel Six
Lima, Ohio
7:14PM
Sam was truly being infuriating.
She had been there for over an hour and he hadn't said more than twelve words to her. She tried to start a conversation by asking where Stevie and Stacey were. All she got was that they were away on an overnight field trip, before Sam buried his head back into his calculus homework.
She furiously tore through her biology homework—making the answers extra long in an attempt to distract herself from the silence in the room. She glanced up from her last couple of questions to check on Sam. He was glaring at the page—obviously not understanding what he was looking at.
She sighed. "You need help, Sam?" she asked and Sam's gaze snapped to her.
"I didn't ask for any help, did I?" he snapped back and that was it for Mercedes. She slammed her book closed—the loud sound obviously surprising Sam because he blinked at her. Mercedes shoved her notebook and textbook into her backpack.
"What are you doing?" Sam asked and Mercedes narrowed her eyes at him.
"I have had it up to here with your bad attitude," she growled. Seeing his eyes widen, Mercedes let out a short scream of outrage. "You have been acting like an ass since I saw you on Monday and I don't know what the fuck is causing this change, but you damn well need to fix it."
She had had enough of being treated like crap, and she wasn't going to take it from a guy she'd considered another best friend.
"I've been trying and trying to ignore this behavior, but you haven't given me anything to work with," she exclaimed. "Where is Sam? The one, who talks about comic books, loves snicker doodles, hates cake, and speaks to my brothers in Na'vi? Where's the guy that I danced with this past weekend at prom?"
Mercedes didn't know what to do with herself. The tears wouldn't stop falling and her words wouldn't stop being spoken. It was like her heart was on loud speaker and it was begging for some sort of answer. Who ever knew that liking someone was so hard?
Sam was standing now. He looked like he didn't know what to say. He apparently never knew what to say. "Mercedes—"
"Shut up!" she yelled. "You've done nothing but keep your mouth shut for the last two days—so don't start talking now that I'm good and pissed at you! You have no right to treat me this way, Sam." Mercedes heard her voice crack and that just made her even madder.
He shouldn't have this type of effect on her. She didn't like feeling out of control and one stupid boy with a stupid Bieber cut that she actually found cute could shatter her emotional control like a thin sheet of glass. It was frustrating that he drove her crazy like this.
"You asked for time! Great, wonderful, have all the time you'd like, but don't push me away and make me feel like shit in the process." Mercedes told him and Sam flinched back at her words. She felt vilified seeing the sadness in his eyes.
Now he knew how it felt. She was so angry, but she knew that it was her hurt talking. Without even noticing, Sam had broken down barriers that she'd kept up for years and now he was stomping all over her heart. She hated that she didn't even know why.
"If this is you," she hissed at him, "Well, I'm glad that I'm finding out before I become even more invested in this friendship or whatever the hell this is." She slung her backpack over her shoulder and walked directly up to Sam—who was looking pale and remorseful.
"Next time you see me," she demanded, "You better be honest with me. I won't be lied to and I won't be jerked around. And the sad thing is—I know that you know exactly why this hurts me so much."
And then she left—slamming the door shut behind her. Her chest heaving, Mercedes dug her keys out of her pocket and stepped towards her truck.
Her heart practically stopped in her chest when she heard a loud crash from inside Sam's motel room. The sob she heard next made her freeze and she warred with herself.
Should she go back inside and see if he was alright?
She knew that she would react badly to anything he had to say at the moment, but she hated to hear him cry. Against her mind telling her to go back inside, Mercedes walked to her truck and got inside. She drove away from Sam's motel room—and she cried the entire drive to her house.
May 3, 2011 (Tuesday)
Lynn's Home
Lima, Ohio
8:06PM
When Lynn opened her front door—Jeff looked up from the pile of papers in his hand, his mouth open to say something, but it snapped shut when he saw the fresh tear tracks on her face. She looked surprised to see him.
He hadn't exactly let her know that he was stopping by, but they needed to figure out the work schedule for the rest of this week. And since he'd driven past her street to drop Stacey and Stevie off at their school for the field trip; he decided to just stop by.
Looking at her now—he was thinking that maybe that hadn't been his best idea.
"Lynn?" he asked concerned and she cleared her throat. He watched as she wiped her face with the sleeve of her baggy ivory sweater. Her curls were in disarray—her bangs clipped out of her face. She was wearing an overly large sweater that hung off one shoulder and fell to mid-thigh over her black ankle length tights.
"Jeffrey," she said—choking back tears. She rubbed her hands down her sides nervously and she tried to smile at him. Jeff found that the attempt made him more concerned. "What are you doing here?" she asked.
It took him a moment to answer. He was taken aback to see her so out of order. She had always been put together; he had only seen her off her game that very first time that they'd met. Since then she had been a dream to work with.
He came in and they would talk business for hours. She had the ability to make him laugh and he loved debating with her over current politics. Both of them had a love for The Nanny and popcorn. He took it like a man when she made fun of him for liking olives and he teased her about her obsession with broccoli. They had become friends in the past couple of weeks. And to see her crying—it made his heart hurt.
"I had some questions about the work schedule for this week, and since I was nearby—I decided to drop in," he said slowly and she nodded. "But I can leave if it's a bad time—"
"No," Lynn blinked back tears as she spoke. He could tell that she was trying to pull herself together. "It's alright." She took a step back and gestured into the house. "Come on in."
Jeff hesitated, but he decided to move forward. He walked into her home and wasn't surprised to see how decorative it was. It was all deep purples, burnt oranges, tarnished gold and soft browns. The whole place felt warm and welcoming. He heard Lynn close the door behind him and she placed a hand on his shoulder.
"How about I get you something to drink, darlin'?" she suggested softly. Jeff nodded in reply and she asked, "Coffee sound good?"
He smiled at her as she led him to her kitchen. It was done in a soft yellow with black marble countertops and silver accents. She opened a cabinet and pulled out two mugs. Jeff watched her move around the kitchen in silence. He wondered what had been enough to make her cry.
Glancing around the room—Jeff noticed a present sitting on the edge of the counter.
"Is it your birthday?" he questioned. Maybe that was why she was so upset? No one had remembered her birthday. Jeff tried to remember if she had mentioned something about her birthday coming up, but he didn't recall hearing her saying anything.
He saw her tense. She was silent for a moment, before she let out a choked sounding, "No."
Jeff was sure that her shoulders were shaking and he could've slapped himself for making her cry again. He hadn't meant to upset her. "I'm sorry!" he said hurriedly. "I shouldn't have asked."
Lynn placed the coffee mug on the counter and she leaned forward—her hands clutching the edge of the countertop. Jeff watched her body tremble as she used one hand to scrub at her face, before she turned around. Her eyes were bloodshot and her expression was heartbreaking.
Jeff couldn't contain his worry.
"It's my daughter's birthday," she admitted—and the words sounded like they caused her physical pain. Jeff looked at the unopened present on the counter and back to Lynn. He hadn't known that she had kids—the subject never came up.
"Then why—"he started but Lynn raised a hand to stop him. Her eyes were swimming with tears as she walked over to pick up the rectangular box.
"She doesn't live with me," Lynn told him. "Karly and Jonathon live in California with their father. When we divorced seven years ago—he got custody because the kids wanted to stay with him."
Jeff wasn't oblivious to the sheer agony in her voice. He didn't know the whole story but he hated seeing people in pain—especially ones who had a kind heart like Lynn did.
"It's Karly's birthday today," she whispered, "And every year, I send her a gift in the mail about a week before." Lynn gripped the present so tightly that the wrapping paper crinkled. "And every year, she sends it back unopened." Her chest heaved and Jeff's heart broke for her as he watched her fiddle with the small present in her hands. "I just thought it was her father doing it—you know. I figured that he still hated me and that one day she would finally respond to my attempts to talk to her. I send her and Jonathon letters every week—I never get a response. They all come back unopened. I tried calling and they never answer my calls. I blamed Davis for so long, but this year—Karly wrote me back."
Jeff stared at her as she picked up an envelope on the counter. With shaking hands, she opened it and pulled out a small piece of paper. She read it aloud to him, "Lynn, I don't know why you haven't learned that I don't want to speak to you or have anything to do with you, but obviously me ignoring you wasn't enough. Please never contact me again. Karly."
Her whole expression crumbled as she looked up at Jeff—her tears swimming in her eyes. "The whole time—it was Karly's decision. And all these years that I've been hoping that it was a mistake; praying that it was my ex-husband being vindictive—just destroyed.
Her chin trembled as she tried to stop the hysteria. "My children hate me, Jeff. And there's not a damn thing that I can do to change it."
Jeff could see the panic and sadness in her hazel eyes. The pain on her face was enough to make him want to hit something.
"I love God, but Jeff, why would he do this to me?" she cried, "I've been faithful and I've loved everyone that's come across my path—but I get this in return? I don't think I'm strong enough to keep living this way. To feel such hate from my own children—it breaks my spirit, and that's all I have left."
Lynn's voice was a mixture of despair and rage—it reminded him so much of how Sam had reacted when his mother walked out that Jeff felt his chest tighten in sorrow. She let out a sob that was grief and anger and hopelessness. It had Jeffrey around the kitchen island and next to Lynn in less than three seconds.
Her wounded cries tore at his heart strings as he tugged the present out of her hands and pulled her into an embrace. He felt her hands grip the fabric of his shirt as she shuddered and cried in his arms. Lynn sounded broken—like a person who had lost everything that she could've possibly loved in the slowest, most brutal way possible.
Jeff held her tighter as he knees gave out and he slid to the floor with her. He couldn't imagine how she was feeling. Sam being angry at him for a week had practically shattered him emotionally. He couldn't fathom living with that for seven years.
The strength and faith that must have taken was phenomenal. And to know that she had held herself together practically on her own—it showed how incredibly strong she was.
To hear such cold words was heartbreaking for Jeffrey and he hadn't even met her daughter. For Lynn—a woman who felt so much for people and cared so deeply for everyone that came across her path—it had to have been agonizing. She didn't deserve this. No one deserved this type of pain. He had no idea how she had the ability to love anyone anymore. He had no idea how she could possibly love as deeply as she did or be as compassionate as she was with so much suffering and heart ache in her life.
Jeffrey rocked her in his arms. He didn't think her tears would end anytime soon, and he didn't have the heart to leave her alone like this. She had been there for him yesterday and she had given him hope for a better future by giving him a job. That kind of friendship deserved an equal response.
He wouldn't leave her tonight, he decided. Someone had to be with her.
REVIEW! I love hearing your thoughts! Until next time! :D (And before anyone tries to cut me-this is a SAMCEDES fic; so no worries.)
