Stone's Diary: Kairo

Chapter 55.) Be Honest

"The kids asleep?" Renae asked King once he entered the room. It was going on 3 in the morning, the family finally called it a night with monopoly after Daewon started stealing money. The twins were too tired to head out to their rental so they decided to crash.

"Yeah," he rubbed his forehead then exhaled, "I'ma shower," he headed for the bathroom.

Cutting the lamp off, Renae got up and headed toward the bathroom, and stood in the doorway. King stood next to the shower staring straight ahead.

Knocking on the wall lightly, Renae walked inside, "King... what's wrong?"

"I just wanna be alone, ma," he mumbled.

"Ok," she stepped back, "Do you want me to close the door?"

King nodded.

Backing out, she closed the bathroom door and stood there for a moment before walking away. Sitting on the side of the bed with her right leg tucked underneath, she stared at the closed door in deep thought. He asked to be alone. That was normal, at least she thought it was. He was still recovering and on top of that, he barely had time to himself to just sit and think or unwind because the moment he got out of rehab he had to deal with Kairo's accident, Trent losing his marbles and not to mention him thinking that Renae was pregnant. Add that along with Kelly getting shot, the fight, and him feeling as if he needed to fix things.

That was a lot for one person to take on, not to mention the heart-to-heart he had with Kairo that he didn't even tell her about. How was a broken man supposed to fix everyone else when he was the one that needed actual saving... healing?

His heart was so big, he always felt as if he could save the whole world even when he knew he was falling apart. That was one thing that Renae always admired about him but as they got older, she realized that King being so selfless caused him more harm than good. Here he was feeling as if he needed to take care of Delano because he felt as if he made a mistake for not killing him when he had the chance. But he didn't realize that that was a wise decision. A mature move. It showed his growth. His control.

Things were messy, that was obvious but Renae refused to allow him to tear himself apart when it wasn't his mess to clean up. His obligations were to their son and once he got Kairo in the clear, that was it. Zaire wanted to continue being reckless, even after Kairo gave him the money. That was Kwan's and Ayanna's problem to handle. Though she tried to talk some sense into Kwan, he ignored it, until it was too late.

In a way, Renae wished that she could just take away King's pain. His traumas.

She thought to call his mom but then things would've turned left. In King's current condition, she was a dangerous trigger for him. Now was Karen as bad as Egypt? Of course not, far from it but still, there were things that King needed and expected from her that he felt as if he didn't get. Karen felt one way and he felt another. There was no need to say who was right or wrong, but Renae would always choose King.

Because when nobody else could see the darkness tearing her up inside, King did and he did everything to pull her out of it. She wasn't perfect, never pretended to be and when she had her moments, she was never proud of them but she needed time to grow at her own pace. And she did. It took a while, longer than she liked but she changed for the better.

King changed for the better as well, he had moments but we all had our moments. He was still a standup guy. A loving husband and protector. A damn good father, an even better friend but he was damaged on the inside. He's been that way for many years but knew how to hide it. That was until situations arose.

Renae took a deep breath, tilted her head back, and closed her eyes

She remained still.

Quieting her thoughts. Shutting out the worries and listened to her heart. He needed her. They didn't have to talk. If King didn't want to, she wouldn't press the issue. But he needed her and she could feel it. Massaging her neck, she took another deep breath then stood. Prepping herself, she ignored her nerves and headed for the bathroom.