Half Truth


Punk got home after a drive filled with thoughts and confusion over what Jeanette had said to him. He knew she was a woman of mind games, and so tried to take it with a pinch of salt, but some part of him also had a terrible feeling about it, as if it might be true. That she and his wife knew about his biological parents. Something he never had any interest in finding out about.

He pulled up at home, getting out of the car and heading into the house. His mind went to how distant his wife had been lately. How in her own head she had been, and so he wondered even more of this was true. He wouldn't know anything unless he asked her.

He went upstairs immediately, walking into their bedroom where he saw her lying awake like she usually was. Thinking thoughts she never shared with him.

"Hey." AJ smiled softly as he looked at her, not saying anything as she propped herself up on her elbows a little, "Are you ok?" She asked with confusion.

"I just ran into your mom." Punk said, "Well… I didn't run into her, she came to me." He nodded as AJ fully sat up, her stomach churning with nerves, "Said you know about my biological parents." He shook his head as AJ looked at him worriedly.

"What else did she say to you?" AJ asked.

"So it's true." Punk nodded to himself.

"Phil, I can… I can explain all of this. I was going to." AJ nodded truthfully.

"Explain what? What the hell is going on here?" Punk shook his head.

"It's her. She told me." AJ said, "My mom. She came here a couple nights ago and told me everything about… about your biological parents-"

"Why? Why would she do that? What-What the hell would she gain from doing that?" Punk shook his head. He was genuinely confused.

"Sit down." AJ nodded.

"No, I'll stand." He said, "You should have told me she came here-"

"I barely see you. I was going to tell you everything after you finished up your night shifts." AJ nodded.

"So she came here and told you about my biological parents… in hopes for what? What the hell is the purpose of it?" Punk shook his head.

"Maybe once I tell you about them… you'll realise-"

"No… No I don't wanna know." Punk shook his head angrily, "I told you. I told you from the beginning… those people are strangers to me."

"I know that, baby. I know." AJ sighed, "And I know how much you value your relationship with your mom and dad. Your real mom and dad. Gerry and Paul. I know that's your parents and they'll always be your parents." AJ understood, "But if you let me tell you the details, you'll understand why my mom told me, why she dug it up." AJ shook her head as Punk looked across at her.

"Why?" Punk asked. His curiosity cancelled out his fear for once. He wanted to know what gain this would have given Jeanette.

"Your biological mom is… in prison." AJ nodded, "Her name is Nickie. She's diagnosed schizophrenic." She said as he looked across at her.

"Why is she in prison?" Punk dreaded to know.

"She killed your dad." AJ said as softly as she could. The softest voice couldn't make it sound better, "She had a… mental breakdown, I guess. Unmedicated at the time. And she killed him." She nodded as Punk looked across at her.

"Ok." Punk nodded slowly, "That's… not what I was expecting." He admitted truthfully.

"My mom told me because she thought it would scare me… that it could be genetic which is just bullshit. But that's how she thinks. She's repulsed that I'm with you anyway. It doesn't matter who gave birth to you." AJ shook her head, "She just wants to hurt me… hurt you." She said.

"How did she find out?" Punk shook his head.

"It was a pretty big case at the time. She must have done her digging." AJ said, "Once she told me I… I had to be sure. I read some articles from when it happened and I managed to get in contact with the lead police officer for the case. So I met with him and he gave me some more details." She said.

"Why didn't you just leave it alone?" Punk shook his head, "This person… this woman, whoever she is… she's a stranger." He made clear.

"I know that's how you feel and I get that but I had to be sure my mom wasn't lying or… getting into my head like she always does. And I wanted to know so that… if you did have questions, I could have the answers for you." She nodded.

"I didn't wanna know any of this." Punk said with frustration.

"Your mom knew who she was. In fact… your mom was her foster mom. That's why you went into Gerry's care after it happened. Nickie wanted you and Dean to go to her." AJ told him.

"No, my mom never knew her. She didn't know anything about them." Punk said.

"I think she probably told you that to protect you." AJ realised, "Nickie must have been a teenager when she lived with them. She probably know how great parents they were and… wanted you and Dean to go with them."

"Why are you talking about this woman like you know her?" Punk shook his head angrily, "Why did you even let your mom back into our house? You can shut the door on her, you know." He assured her, "Or are you just really that scared of her?" He questioned as AJ looked at him.

"Yeah. I am." AJ nodded truthfully.

"Why?" Punk shook his head, "Look at what she's doing. Look what she's doing to you. To me. She's got you lying awake in this bed every night. Anxious. Don't think I don't see it." He assured her, "She is toxic and you're not helping yourself with the situation-"

"It's not that easy for me!" AJ raised her voice a little.

"You're a grown ass adult. You don't need your mom. She… She isn't even a mom." Punk shook his head, beginning to pace by the bedside as AJ watched him.

"You don't know what it was like." AJ shook her head, scratching her legs anxiously.

"I do. You've told me. She was abusive, April. She abused you. You… You told her you were raped in high school and she basically told you to shut up and never tell anyone about it. Do you have any idea how fucked up that is?" Punk asked as AJ looked at him.

"You're not helping this situation." AJ told him.

"And neither are you." Punk looked at her, "If you can't be straight with her and tell her where to go, if you aren't capable of telling her to leave us the hell alone… I'll get a restraining order. I don't want her anywhere near you or Matteo." He said.

"Don't you think I want to?" AJ looked at him sadly, "Don't you think I want to hate her like you expect me to?" She shook her head, "You don't get it. You never will. You weren't there. You didn't have to go through what I went through."

"If I went through what you went through… I'd hate the person who did that to me. And I'd do whatever I could to keep them away from me and my family. I wouldn't let her walk into my house." He stared at her.

"Then I guess I'm just not as strong as you." AJ nodded.

"You are. That's the annoying thing. You're one of the strongest people I know. But you crumble when it comes to her." Punk said, "And now look what she's doing? She's fucking with me now. And my family. In hopes for what? You get spooked I have a killer gene and leave me?" He shook his head.

"It's just how she is. That's what she does." AJ said, taking a deep breath and running her hand through her hair, "If she doesn't like something she'll… destroy it." She nodded.

"Yeah well not us." Punk made clear, "You need to be clear with her. And make sure she stays the hell away-"

"Don't you think I want to do that?!" AJ yelled with frustration, "I can't expect you to understand but you can at least try. You don't have to ridicule me for not being tough enough to hate her."

"I'm not but we can't go on like this. Everything has been perfect until she came back into your life. I've watched her suck the life right out of you. You're like that girl who I first met. Who couldn't figure out what she wanted because her mom was telling her how to live." Punk said.

"And you must have felt so sorry for me." She narrowed her eyes at him.

"I didn't. Cause you got away from her. And you can do it again." Punk nodded, "I didn't wanna know this about my biological parents. Not because I was afraid they were bad people which… now I know they were, one of them at least, but because they are and always be strangers to me, and knowing their story… it doesn't mean anything to me."

"Then you shouldn't be too affected then. Get over it like you want me to get over it with my mom." She spat as he looked across at her.

"It's not the same." Punk said, "Now I have to go visit my mom in the nursing home, and I can't even talk to her about it, because she doesn't even know who I am. I can't ask her why she never told us. I can't ask her any questions about any of it." He said.

"And I'm sorry about that, and you know I'll be here for you… I couldn't keep it from you-"

"You did." Punk shook his head.

"I was going to tell you regardless. I was going to tell you once you finished your night shifts." AJ made clear, "I didn't think my mom would have approached you. I… I thought she was scared of you, actually-"

"Well maybe she should be. It's one thing messing with you, but she doesn't get to mess with me." Punk shook his head, "You need to make yourself perfectly clear with her that we'll take legal action if we have to-"

"No because I…. I might need her around." AJ nodded to herself. She couldn't bring herself to tell him what she was slowly rediscovering from her four year old brain that she'd tucked away at the back of her mind for so long. She couldn't tell him when he was like this.

"I… I can't do this with you." Punk shook his head with frustration. His anger was getting the better of him. He would never be so insensitive about her struggles with her mom and what happened to her as a child, because deep down he knew he didn't know the full story, but it was hard not to be angered by this woman unleashing something he so desperately didn't want to know about. Even more so now he knew it was incredibly tragic.

"Then leave the room." AJ nodded, "Before we say more things we regret." She said.

"Answer me one thing." Punk said, "Why did Shauna not let me see your medical files?" He questioned as AJ looked at him.

"Leave the room." AJ nodded, "Matteo will be up soon."

Punk looked across at her, placing his hands on his hips and sighing before walking out of the room and closing the door behind him.