Hidebound

Chapter TwentyFour

He nods after a moment. I can almost feel the temperature in the kitchen drop as his anger drops too. His right hand runs over his face before running through his hair and scratching the back of his head. I ignore he way his biceps move with the action.

"Tell me what happened Poppy" he sighs, his voice quiet and calm. I can see his mind going to all the worst places as I let him think. "Please" he begs.

"Okay" I whisper. I push off the counter and head into the lounge room. Hex follows close behind me.

I take a seat on the couch and Hex sits on the other end as I turn to face him head on.

He silently waits for me to start talking as his leg bounces. I resist the urge to chew on one of my finger nails.

"I was taking out the boxes that we had packed your mothers belongings into and I passed the garden. You know the garden, right? The big one in the middle of the building?" I know I'm stalling and so does Hex as he narrows his eyes and nods anyway.

"Yes".

"Right so, I-I looked out into the garden and I saw someone out there" I stutter.

"Spit it out baby" Hex encourages me even though I can feel the temperature in the room rising again. I think he knows where this is going.

"It was Alex" I whisper across to him "Alex Pollar".

Hex's face remains blank as he continues staring at me. His eyes darken and I can almost see the flashbacks he's having through his own eyes. I feel the pit in my stomach drop as I reach my hand across to him.

"He was sitting with a nurse, I-I didn't know what to do" I continue softly.

"Did Harley see him?" Hex asks firmly. I'm suddenly glad that I hadn't told Harley I had seen Alex, his face is the last one she would ever want to see considering their past.

"No" I shake my head.

"Good, lets keep it that way" Hex mumbles deeply. He turns away and his hand rises to the back of his neck as he pulls at his hair. "Fucks sake" I watch helplessly as he rests his elbows on his knees and then his face in his hands.

I scoot closer and run my hand up and down his back and through his hair, it does little to calm him but I do feel him become less tense beneath my hand.

"You won't be able to see your mum Hex" I whisper, tears being felt in the back of my eyes as I hold them back.

He shakes his head "I'm not worried about that" my mouth drops slightly at the words "there will be some kind of exception I'll get, there has to be" he continues on. I nod in agreement, there has to be an exception. It's too cruel to keep a son from seeing his mother in her last days.

"I'm wondering why the fuck a thirty four year old man is in hospice" Hex exclaims as he suddenly stands up and starts pacing the lounge room, his hands once again finding his hair and tugging on it.

The thought of why Alex is in hospice never once crossed my mind and the sudden realisation makes my face pale as I feel my blood pressure drop. The red of anger in Hex's face has decreased as his own mind runs wild.

"Fuck, fuck! FUCK" Hex says with the final word being yelled. I can do nothing but watch as the realisation hits him that Alex is dying from the injuries Hex gave him.

I watch him pace and plead silently that he doesn't punch the plaster when he reaches the walls. He doesn't and only continues pulling at his own hair, self-punishingly.

"Come sit dow-" he cuts me off as I pat the couch beside me.

"I can't do this any longer Poppy. I can't live in this fucking town anymore. These fucking people, that fucking family. I'm done" he throws his hands out by his sides and I watch as his eyes become glassy.

"We can't leave Hex" I say softly hoping that it brings him down too "You're parole won't let us. Besides we can't leave our mothers they both need us".

"Your mother will be moved out soon and my mother doesn't even know who the fuck I am" I wince at the venom in his tone as he spits the words.

I'm silent again as I watch him pace. I catch sight of Teddy sitting in the entry of the hallway as he watches us. His eyes that look too human-like creeping me out.

"I'm so tired baby, when's this going to end?" The lump grows in my throat as Hex's voice breaks and he finally stops pacing and sits on the couch next to me, although he resumes the hunched over position with his head in his hands.

I run my hand up and down his back and wipe away the single tear that falls down my cheek before he can see it.

"We'll move once your paroles up, yeah? Maybe somewhere sunny and by the beach?" I hushly suggest as I picture a fantasy that we may one day be living.

"Beach sounds good" Hex croaks, his voice raspy and I question if he had let some tears fall but I can't see as his hands shield his face. "I haven't been to he beach since before I got locked up" the tight smile that had been on my face falls as I remember how much he's had missed out on the world.

There's nothing more I can say as I continue rubbing his back and offer my comfort to him. He eventually sits up, his face red but I can't tell if it's from crying or because the blood was rushing to his head from being hunched over but the glossiness to his eyes makes me think it was most likely the first reason.

He pats my thigh with his hand before looking at me.

"We better call Charlie".