JOYBOY (Now on Webnovel and Meganovel)

Chapter 100: A Case Of Memorial Impairment

Parking Lot, Terrow Heights Apartment Complex, Baltiney, New York...

        Dark eyes scanned the surrounding lot and the apartment complex that Ken Ryker had been so accustomed to venturing into whether or not he'd been under the influence. On this particular morning, he'd been on the verge of returning to being under the influence despite having gotten himself to the place in one piece nearly sober. He took a few moments to shut off the engine and rested his head against the backs of his hands as they landed against the thick steering wheel. He took in a deep breath as the familiar sensation of his aching head subsided long enough for the drugs to begin to take effect once more. Ryker Kennison had been particularly volatile when it came to the very vivid memories of his dead wife and children, the most clear image in his already weary mind had been his youngest dead son, Carter who had been the one he tended to favor given his looks and personality mirroring that of his late mother.

He recalled it being close to the boy's birthday in the present time and thus the home movie Dean had elected to watch had been quite triggering for him despite his insistence that it held no meaning to him. Ken took another deep breath and exited the car noting his less-than-ideal parking exploits as he shuffled out of the front seat and made his way, stumbling as his tall lanky frame came into full extension once he'd been fully out of the car. Despite his weariness, Ken had put one foot in front of the other and made his way toward the apartment complex before him. It had been a rather familiar place he knew like the back of his hand.

It was the place he frequented most of all on his bad days, and this was most certainly a bad day for him as he stumbled up the stairs and toward the familiar apartment's dark brown door with the numbers he'd memorized without effort even when under the influence.

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Apartment 274, Terrow Heights Apartment Complex, Baltiney, New York...

It wasn't unusual for Valencia Ramos to find herself rising from her bed to the sound of constant knocking at her front door. The time of day or hour of the night had not been a means of worry for her as she had known all too well who had been on the other end of it. There had not been much of a surprise for her when she found a rather giddy Ken Ryker on her doorstep, reeking of booze, sex, and dirt for some odd reason or another. His dark eyes blazed with lust and the giddiness of his cocaine-induced stupor had been evident to her as well.

"Ken?" she said feeling a good deal of concern for her future husband.

After entering the apartment, Ken slowly dropped down to his knees before her and trailed his hands along her legs pulling her close as he kissed her belly. He seemed to be preoccupied with the idea of her pregnancy to give her any real answers so Valencia just ran her fingers through his messy hair and closed the door behind them.

It wasn't the first time he'd come to her all out of sorts and it wouldn't be the last, knowing what she did about his dead son's birthday, she half expected to see him in a state like this. She just didn't expect it to be triggered so early.

"Come on...let's get you out of those dirty clothes and into the tub," she said evenly still running her fingers through the ailing man's wild dirt-filled black hair.

Ken didn't object as he planted a slow kiss on her belly before getting back to his feet towering above her as always as she took him by the hand and escorted him toward her rather nicely decorated bathroom.

The apartment had been surprisingly spacious despite only her being the main tenant since Ken had elected to pay for it given his distaste for her previous living arrangement with a former roommate who had her guests and interest in their long-standing affair.