Invitation to a Better Life (Fate's Cruel Jokes Part Four) (standard:drama, 2765 words) [4/8] show all parts
Author: Siobhan	Added: Sep 30 2002	Views/Reads: 2573/1900	Part vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
Jessica's mother begins to hallucinate and her illness worsens, causing Steven and her to bond a tiny little bit. But Jessica is not dealing well with what is happening to her mom.

About an hour later, Steven's car pulled up into the driveway.  Jessica
watched as Steven went to the passenger door and carefully helped her 
mother out.  Her mother leaned against him, her body sagging and her 
face twisted into an expression of pain.  Jessica suddenly felt very 
sick at the appearance of her mother in such a helpless condition.  She 
knew that it was getting worse and she struggled to push away the fear 
and be useful.  She pulled the door open and Steven helped her to a 
chair. 

“Mom, what's wrong?  Is it another head-ache?” she inquired, worry
filling her like a cup and sloppily spilling over the edges.  She had 
to know, had to help.  She couldn't stand her mom, once so strong and 
stubborn, looking so feeble and weak.  She would do absolutely anything 
she could to make her mom feel better and to take away the pain, 
anything at all. 

“Oh don't worry about it baby, it'll go away.  I just need to rest for a
while.  Have you seen your father lately?  I told him to take out the 
garbage but I don't think he did cause I usually get my head-aches when 
I smell it,” she whispered and Jessica felt her heart quit beating for 
a moment.  Oh, god, she was hallucinating and she didn't even realize 
it.  Jessica swallowed nervously, battling the urge to run screaming 
away.  This was not something she was comfortable with but she would 
not leave her mother in her moment of need.  She had to be strong for 
the both of them. 

“Don't you mean Steven?” she wanted to know, anxiously rubbing her
mother's soft hand.   She was hoping and praying that she could coax 
her mom back into modern times rather than several years ago when her 
father left.  As much as she disliked Steven, she didn't feel he even 
deserved the pain that her mother would be causing with her words. 

“No, who's Steven?  Tell your dad to quit working on that confounded car
and to help out with the house.  He's never helping, he's always doing 
what he wants to do and leaving me all the work,” she groaned and 
squeezed her eyes shut with annoyance, “he never did want the 
responsibility, the jerk.” 

“Mom, dad's gone.  It's Steven now,” she whispered, fear nagging at the
edges of her mind.  Surely her mother would remember that her husband 
walked out of her life forever?  This was not a good sign, in fact, it 
was a horrible sign.  It meant that there was something far more wrong 
with her mom than just headaches, something else was going on and they 
needed to get her help before it was too late. 

“No, that horrible, lazy sack of you-know-what, never helps out.  He
can't spare any time for us, it's always one project or another, never 
the family.  Why can't he ever accept his responsibilities?” she raved 
and Jessica stepped away from her.  She didn't know what to do, she 
didn't know how to handle this.  How could she make her mom realize 
what was going on?  How could she make her stop? 

Just then, Steven waltzed in with some Tylenol and water, and they
exchanged a look of dislike but fear for the one they loved.  He was 
unaware of what he was about to receive but Jessica couldn't the words 
to tell him.  She didn't know how to explain what was going on with her 
mother, and she couldn't deal with the weird feelings erupting inside 
her.  This shouldn't be happening, her mom should not be talking about 
her ex husband, and Jessica realized she could not stay there. 

“She needs a doctor,” Jessica bleated then ran to her room, unable to
face her deteriorating mother and jerk of a stepfather.  She flung 
herself against her bed, and wretched sobs of grief and fear were 
buried in her pillow.  Her body was racked with the hysterical cries 
that flooded out of her but she couldn't stop.  She hadn't felt so out 
of control and helpless like she did ever in her entire life, even when 
her father had left, she had maintained control.  Now she was like an 
atomic bomb that wasn't about to quit blowing up, and why?  Because she 
knew the truth, her mom was dying and when she was gone, Jessica would 
be alone, all alone except for Steven who would probably throw her out 
on the street. 

“Oh god, why us?” she cried out, and wept hysterically until she fell
asleep.  She awoke to Steven gently shaking her shoulder.  His face for 
once, was not in a smirk or a scowl but rather wore an unexpected 


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