From a Table Away ✓

Sixteen

We've been back from Hawaii for about a week and Andy made sure to keep his morning clear to take me to the doctor's appointment I had. It was the one where we'd find out the gender of our baby and we were both excited, as well as Jacob.

With everything that had happened, Laurie hadn't. drug out the divorce proceedings, choosing instead to put all her energy into the resulting custody battle. My affair with Andy was proving to be something that was brought up constantly, regardless of the fact that Jacob said he wanted to live with his dad during the week, only going to Laurie's every other weekend.

In the meantime, we had moved, selling my house, with my perfect recording studio, in an attempt to make some distance in aftermath of the divorce. Andy assured me that once we were settled and the baby has come, he'd get contractors in to turn the basement into a recording studio for me. I told him I was fine, that I wouldn't be doing much singing in the coming months anyway. Growing another human was taxing on my breathing, which made singing with any kind of professionality impossible.

"Are you excited?" Andy asks as we pull up to the doctors.

"Yeah. A little nervous. I haven't done this before." I say, drumming my fingers against the side of the car. It was a nervous habit I had picked up. He reaches over and grabs my hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

"Everything is going to be ok." He says, smiling at me before getting out of the car and coming over to open my door for me.

"I know."

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*Jacob's POV*

I stayed behind when Dad and Celeste went to the doctor's appointment, saying I wanted to get ahead on an essay that was due later this week. I was halfway done when I heard the doorbell go off. Dad didn't say he was expecting anyone so I went down to check. It was Mom. "Hey. What're you doing here? You're picking me up on Friday."

She smiled but it was... off-putting. Something wasn't right. "I wanted to take you out for lunch. Is that too much for a mother to ask of her only son?"

"I guess not. Let me leave Dad a note." I say before running back to the kitchen and penning one out, letting them know I was safe and that I went to an impromptu lunch with mom.

We leave and we're driving down the road, a bit faster than normal. For my whole life my parents had always been cautious drivers, stating you couldn't predict other's stupidity but you could predict your own. "Mom, you ok?"

"I'm fine. Everything's great. How're you liking living with your dad... and her?"

"I mean, it's not bad. They're pretty chill." She gives me a look. "Not that you aren't. Just stating that it's not bad living there." She's really speeding at this point. "Are you worried we're going to be late for something? You're going a little fast there."

"We're fine. I have complete control." She says but the wheels start to spin on the wet ground.

"Mom, hit the brakes!" I yell as she fumbles with the steering wheel. As she turns the wheel and slams on the brakes, we slide off the road, into the guardrail and down an embankment. The car picks up speed before it comes to a crashing stop into a tree. The last thing I'm aware of before the darkness closes in is Mom's head against the steering wheel, the horn blaring, as blood trickles down her temple.