Brave Face
"How has she been doing?" Punk asked one of the residential home carers as he signed in at the front desk to visit his mother.
"She's been ok." Irene, the carer, nodded to him, "Up and down but that's just normal."
"Yeah, normal." Punk nodded to himself, "Dean was here earlier in the week and he said she didn't know him."
"Some days are just harder." Irene nodded, "The good thing is, she never declines a visit." She smiled.
"Well she always loves to talk." Punk smiled, "She in her room?"
"Yeah." Irene nodded to him. She was familiar with the families of those she cared for.
Punk headed through the care home, making his way to his mother's room, knocking politely before walking in where he saw her sitting over by the table. The TV was on but he could see she wasn't really paying attention. Everything seemed to have gone downhill extremely quickly since her diagnosis.
He watched her notice him but not say anything, so he wandered over to the table and took a seat.
"Hey, mom." Punk nodded to her, placing his hand on her shoulder comfortingly, "It's me, Phil." He said, hoping it would register.
"Could you get me my coat?" His mother, Geraldine, or Gerry to most, nodded to him.
"Where are you going?" Punk asked curiously. Sometimes they just had to humour her. There was nothing else they could really do or say.
"I need to pick up Paul." Gerry nodded to him as Punk sighed to himself discretely. His father, Paul, had been dead for over ten years.
"I uh… I think he's making his own way home." Punk just nodded to her as she looked at him, "What have you been up to?" He asked her as she just waved her hand, dismissing his question, "You see it snowed last night." He said, knowing her favourite weather was snow. He always remembered her saying it made everywhere look like a Christmas card.
"I did." Gerry nodded, turning to the window.
"Kinda makes my job easier sometimes, you know." Punk smiled, "Outside fires go on the decline for a little while. Still happens, though." He nodded to himself.
"Phil loves fire engines." Gerry nodded to him as Punk looked at her. It was truly heartbreaking. To slowly watch his mother lose her memory, lose all awareness of herself and the life she had lived. It was so incredibly tough to keep strong.
"He does?" Punk cleared his throat with a smile.
"Yeah." Gerry smiled, "He's fascinated by them." She nodded, "And Dean." She added, "But he just copies everything that Phil likes. They've always been that way." She told him as Punk nodded.
"What age are they?" Punk asked.
"Phil is seven and Dean is five." Gerry nodded to him as Punk just smiled, looking down at the ground. It was hard to listen and put on a brave face.
"What about this one?" Renee asked, sitting in the back office with AJ on their very short lunch break, looking through wedding brochures.
"No, that's ugly. Could you really see me wearing that?" AJ shook her head.
"You think all of them are ugly." Renee laughed.
"My mom wanted me to wear hers." AJ rolled her eyes, "It's this hideous, floral, puffy thing… it's the ugliest looking thing I've ever seen."
"Did you tell her that?" Renee laughed.
"Yeah, of course I did." AJ shook her head, "The wedding is a year away and she just… she won't shut up about it. I'm beginning to think we shouldn't have told her." She said.
"Oh, she's just happy for you. There's nothing wrong with that." Renee shrugged.
"She's already asking me about grandkids." AJ shook her head, "I don't know how many times I've told her, not until I've finished my residency. She just chooses what she wants to hear." She nodded.
"How does Jason feel about the wedding planning?" Renee asked.
"You know him, he's just laid back and happy to do what I want." AJ shrugged, "It's probably going to be a small wedding, we don't have much family between us."
"I wish I was getting married." Renee sighed, flicking through the brochure, "I just want a guy to come sweep me off my feet-"
"You're too fussy." AJ laughed, "You've had plenty of opportunities."
"Well they weren't the right one." Renee shrugged, "I just wanted to be sure. I mean… when did you know you wanted to marry Jason? There had to be a moment."
"I guess it was gradual. I just know I'm gonna be with him forever. I think that's pretty good indication." She smiled as Renee nodded, "Ok… I need to go prep a patient for brain surgery." She cleared up her lunch and headed back onto the floor to deal with her many patients.
She was an aspiring neurologist which meant she was completing her residency, learning from other doctors and getting up in the action with patients. It was the best and only way to learn.
"She didn't know shit." Punk shook his head, sitting in the fire station whilst his brother came from the changing room, glad to be finished his shift and free of the heavy uniform.
"What's new?" Dean said, not particularly surprised.
"That's the worst she's ever been." Punk said, "I mean, I know it's been bad but she was thinking that dad was still alive and that we were just little kids. And she was telling me about us." Punk shook his head.
"I think it's best just to go along with it." Dean nodded to him.
"Well I had to. If I tried to explain anything to her she just wouldn't understand." Punk shrugged, "It's just getting a bit too difficult." He sighed to himself.
Their mother had vascular dementia. Her symptoms were first developed a few years ago. In the past year things just seemed to get bad very quickly, to the point where they had to resort to putting her in a home, for her own safety. Their careers didn't allow them to look after her the way they wanted to, and she couldn't live or care for herself on her own anymore, so it was the only thing they could do, as much as it broke their hearts.
"As long as she's just… not in any pain, right?" Dean nodded to Punk.
"Of course." Punk agreed, "But… this could go on for years, right?" He nodded, "I've read into it."
"Well don't. It'll only make it worse." Dean said, "You coming with us to the bar?"
"Yeah I need a stiff bottle of water." Punk nodded as Dean chuckled.
"Alright, let's go." Dean nodded.
It was a regular occurrence to end up in the bar across the street with their buddy's after work. It didn't happen every night, but every now and then. They had stressful jobs, which put a lot of pressure on them and sometimes they just needed to unwind. Alcohol wasn't the necessity for Punk but being amongst his friends was good enough.
"That chick is here again, go throw some more beer over her." Dean nudged Punk, noticing AJ sitting at the bar with her boyfriend as Punk looked over, chuckling to himself.
"Surprised I didn't give her PTSD from coming in here." Punk shook his head, looking over at the young girl, watching her cuddling up to her boyfriend on their stools, kissing his cheek. The more times he saw her and gazed in her direction, the more he realised just how beautiful she was. Her smile was infectious and although he couldn't hear what she was saying, he knew it would be fascinating and interesting.
"I ain't ever seen her around here before." Dean shook his head, "I thought this was a locals only bar." He said.
"I think I've seen her boyfriend around." Punk nodded, continuing to look over. The bar was pretty much filled with the same people every night. He recognised her boyfriend's face from coming and going, but never her. He would have took notice of a beautiful girl like that right away.
He watched as Jason got up from the stool, heading to the bathroom whilst AJ sipped on her drink. He got up and made his way over to the bar where she was sitting.
AJ turned around when she saw someone stand beside her, noticing it was him and chuckling to herself.
"Should I move just to be safe?" She looked at him as he smiled.
"You're good." Punk assured her, "I uh… I actually did want to come over and offer you a drink after what happened." He said as she looked up at him, "What are you drinking?" He asked her.
"It's… just a sprite." AJ smiled a little, "You don't have to. It's fine. It… was an accident." She waved her hand.
"How come I've never seen you here before?" Punk asked, "This bar is like a close knit community."
"I just moved in with my fiancé not that long ago." AJ told him, "He comes here every now and then and I like it." She shrugged.
"Makes sense." Punk nodded to himself, watching as her boyfriend came back to the seat.
"You ready to go?" Jason asked her, looking over and noticing Punk standing, "You spilling more drink down my fiancé's back?" He asked in a patronising manner as Punk just smiled.
"No, not tonight." Punk humoured him.
"Yeah, let's go." AJ nodded to Jason, jumping off the stool as Punk watched her putting her coat on, noticing her look up at him for a brief moment, turning away quickly before taking her fiancé's hand and leaving the bar.
"Don't do it." Kat hummed behind the bar as Punk turned to her.
"Do what?" Punk scoffed.
"You know what." Kat narrowed her eyes at him, "Stay in your lane."
"I always stay in my lane." Punk shook his head.
