Disclaimer: i own nothing except my imagination.
A/N: Thanks for the great words on the last chapter. Here is another sad one but hope you like it anyways.
The next morning, they were woken up by Adam's phone buzzing on the night stand. "Maybe you should answer that." Kim groaned and rolled away from him, covering her head with the blanket.
"Let's it ring." Adam was in no mood for this, the two of them being off today.
"It's been ringing for the past thirty minutes." She complained. Adam sighed and blindly reached for it.
"Ruzek." He didn't even try to hide his frustration at the caller on the other line. "No, it's ok." His voice visibly less angry. Kim noticed the change in his tone and immediately sat in bed. "Yes, I'll be right there." Kim couldn't hear the other side of the conversation but his body was telling her all she needed to know.
"Is everything ok?" She put a hand on his bare back to try to steady him.
"That was my father's attorney. They are doing the reading of his will in two hours." She gasped at the information and she shuffled closer to him.
"What can I do?"
"Come with me."
"Oh Adam, I don't know." She didn't think it was her place to be, regardless of the nature of their relationship..
"Please." He looked over his shoulder at her.
"Ok. Give me ten minutes and I can be ready." She threw her legs over the side of the bed and went for a quick shower. She suddenly became nervous for Adam as she wrapped the towel around her chest, her hair slightly dripping wet. She tip toed back to her room to find him sitting on the edge of bed. "What are you thinking?" She took a seat next to him.
"This is going to be so final." His elbows were sitting on his knees and he grabbed his head in his hands, willing the tears to stay away.
"I know this is hard Adam but you can lean on me, I'll do what I can to help."
"Just being here helps." He straitened his back and looked at her, running a hand against her thigh. "I'm not sure I would be holding up the way I am without you. I'm never letting you go again." He placed the palm of his hand against her cheek and kissed her. It was short but filled with all the gratitude he felt from having her back in his life, in his heart. "I'll be right back darling." He kissed her cheek and grabbed some clothes, heading to the shower.
Kim let him do his thing, watching him move around in silence. She pulled a pair of black dress pants and a blue sleeveless top and shook her hair loose. She noticed Adam was having trouble with his cuffs, his fingers shaking just barely.
"I got you." She whispered, stilling his hands with her own. They shared a smile and she helped him with the cuffs and she smoothed the lines on his shoulders. "Ready?"
"I guess so." She kissed the corner of his mouth and they headed out, Kim taking the wheel. Adam had given her the address she was given and the drive was spent in silence, Kim stealing occasional glances his way, making sure he was ok. When her car came to a stop, Adam's breathing had hitched considerably.
"Hey, look at me." She was scared that she was loosing him to the crushing emotion that he was feeling but the sound of her voice brought his eyes to her own. "You can do this and I'm right there." He nodded, not trusting his voice. He had never felt these new kinds of emotions before and he didn't know what to do to get them in check. They made it inside the lawyer's offices and Kim did the talking, her hands wrapped around his forearm, trying to keep him steady and calm. They were ushered inside a small office and Adam was surprised to see his sister there.
"Hey." They had never been entirely close and he had called her and their mom when his father passed out of respect.
"Adam."
"Where's mom?"
"Thank you for coming on such short notice." The three looked up when a tall man in a suit entered the room. "My name is Michael Johnston and I was your father's attorney." Adam nodded and waited, Kim giving his knee a gentle squeeze. "We are here for the reading of Robert James Ruzek's will." That was the last thing that Adam's brain processed, the rest a massive blur. Kim noticed the slight shift in Adam's posture, just the tiniest bit but she knew he was immediately overwhelmed. She squeezed his knee as she listened, trying to remember ever detail for him.
"Do either of you have any questions?" Adam took a shaky breath and stood.
"I can't do this." Everyone looked at him leave the room.
"We'll be right back." Kim excused herself and ran after him. "Adam." She said as she caught up to him.
"I can't Kim, I just can't." The tears were running down his face and his chest was heaving.
"Yes you can." She cupped his cheeks and made him look at her. "Your dad left you almost everything. Let's get back inside and Mr Johnston can explain everything to you." She gave him a few seconds to catch his breath before they returned hand in hand. As they entered the small office, Adam's sister was standing and shaking hands with the attorney.
"I'll see you around Adam." She took both steps separating them and pulled him into a hug "Everything will be ok." She whispered in his ear and she kissed his cheek before she stopped at Kim's level. "Take good care of him." Kim nodded her agreement and waited for her to leave the room before they took a seat facing the attorney again.
"I'm sorry I ran out of here." He closed his eyes shut and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"It's quite normal Mr. Ruzek. Your father had such fond words when he spoke of you and I know that you were quite close. If you have any questions, feel free to ask them."
"I didn't catch everything you said before. Apart from the house, what did my dad?" He couldn't finish the sentence as the words got caught in his throat.
"Essentially he left you his house and everything that it contains. He left all the decisions up to you and his words were and I quote. Adam will know what's the best decision to make with my things. Now the mortgage will be frozen until the end of the process, which can sometimes be long but as soon as it is officially in your name, you will have to take care of all that it entails and you can decide what you want to do with it."
"Ok." Adam was at a total loss for words. "Um, do I have papers to fill in or to sign."
"Nothing to sign. I'll just put everything in an envelop concerning the house and you can take your time to look it over. Someone from the bank will contact you."
"Ok, thank you." Adam stood and shook Mr Johnston's hand, Kim doing the same.
"Thank you." Kim echoed.
"If you have any questions, feel free to call my secretary and we can schedule an appointment."
"We will." Adam nodded and he ushered Kim out the door and back to her car.
"Are you ok?" She placed her hand on his arm as they sat in her car in silence.
"I just want to go home." All he wanted now was to stop feeling anything. He wanted to crawl back in bed and hold onto Kim with everything he had.
"Home it is." A smile formed on her lips. The drive back was as silent as the drive to and suddenly, Adam changed his mind as they waited at a red light.
"Make a right here, I want to go to his house."
"Are you sure Adam?" She was worried about him and she didn't know where his head was at and it scared her.
"Yes." She took the right and made the drive towards the Ruzek household. She parked inside the entryway. "Are you ready?" They had been here the last time and it had been hard but now it was all officially his, it was different. She let him go inside and simply shadowed him as he rediscovered every room.
"I don't even know what I'm supposed to do with all of his things." He sighed as they found their way to the office again.
"You don't have to rush that kind of decision. It's a lot to process babe." She wrapped her arms around his waist from behind and placed her cheek on his back. "One thing at a time." She whispered into his shirt.
"I don't even know where to start." He gently pulled away from her as he wordlessly moved his hand on his fathers desk, tears threatening to fall. "I don't know how to do this without him."I loud sob escaped his lips as he fell top the floor.
"Adam." Kim's tears were clouding her sight as she went to his, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and letting him cry it out.
"Don't leave me." He sobbed in her neck, holding onto her for dear life.
"I'm not going anywhere." She let him cry it out and stood by him, the two going through this latest ordeal together.
A/N: I know these are hard chapters but going forward, there will be a little bit more light at the end of Adam's tunnel. Please take a few seconds to review, I love to read your thoughts - Sarra