Only Happy Accidents (A Split Love Story) #wattys2017

Visiting Hours

*Time skip, 3 years later*

"I here by sentence Mr. Kevin Wendell Crumb under second degree kidnapping..."

Those words still rang clear in my head.. They were the first to float through my mind when I'd wake up, and the last to hear when I went to bed..

He didn't get a chance to hurt them... So it will only be two more years.. I'd remind myself.. But still.. That comes with the minimum of 10 years probation.. Only because they blamed the act on his "Illness".

I wrote him ever chance I could.. Sending him snapshots of the life he could have had.. It was sickening to think that's what I was doing.. But the one time I stopped he'd asked why, and told me it would cause more pain to not see it at all..

Our son, Vincent Atticus Crumb, as we decided to name him.. Was three now.. His intelligence, though rewarding, also put me in difficult places more than not.. I picked him up from his pre-school a few weeks back, and he asked me where his daddy was..

"All my friends daddy's come to pick them up.. Why doesn't mine?" He had asked.. He knows he has a father.. He just didn't know where he was.. "He's on a little trip, we'll see him soon.." I told him.. It pained me not telling the truth to those innocent eyes.. But if any of his teachers at school heard that his father was in jail.. That could be detrimental..

My parents had moved to Philadelphia once I had had Vincent.. I told them everything.. Apologized for not telling them sooner.. But luckily, they were loving, and supportive, and stayed by my side to help me raise him..

Suddenly, my thoughts were interrupted by the sound of my door slowly creeping open, revealing the silhouette of my child and his blanket.

"You need to be in bed baby.. You have school tomorrow remember?" I said softly, it wasn't rare for him to come visit me in the middle of the night.. Often he just wanted to tell me a random thought that popped into his head or tell me about a dream he woke up from.. But now he remained silent..

"Mama.. Can I cuddle you?" He asked sweetly, I couldn't help but smile at how cute he was.. He looked a lot like me.. But his eyes.. Those were Dennis' pale blue eyes..

As my answer I simply lifted the covers so he could get in. The bed was tall so he had to climb on the small bench at the end of the bed and over the dog at my feet to get to me, but when he did he snuggled up as close as he could.

"Mama?" I heard his little voice speak again.

"Yes baby?" I answered.

"Parker told me my daddy left because he doesn't love me.. Is that true?" He asked, I scowled.. Parker was a little boy who just loved to pick on Vincent.. His mother and I had had many conversations about her child's behavior.. She was a sweet woman who seemed really take his misbehavior seriously, but this kid just wouldn't let up..

"I've told you before not to listen to what Parker says.." I said, running his baby soft chocolate hair through my fingertips. "Your dad loves you with all of his heart.. And if he could be here right now he would, and he'll come home soon.. I promise.." I told him, resting my nose on his forehead. "I'm counting down the days.."

~*~

I was allowed to come talk to Dennis today.. I'd be allowed to bring Aegis with me..

He'd been registered as my anxiety dog.. Though I loved Dennis and had no resentment towards him for how we 'met'.. It's still pretty safe to say the whole experience did mess me up a little.. After Dennis was gone I didn't really feel safe alone in the open anymore, especially now that I was responsible for more than just my own life now.. This led me to start having very sudden severe anxiety attacks when I was faced with public places.. Aegis was trained to sense these attacks and help to calm me down.

I couldn't bring myself to take Vincent with me.. This wasn't how I wanted him to first meet his father.. In hand cuffs behind bullet proof glass.. No.. He would know some day what his father and I went though.. But not when he's only 3 years old..

As I made my way to the entrance of the large, hellish, concrete building, many inmates came running up to the tall fences. A couple threw cat calls in my direction, others just simply watched. One man pressed himself up against the fence and tried to call my attention to him. Aegis broke from my heal to run at the fence with a vicious bark, causing them all to scramble back and run. Without a moments hesitation Aegis returned to my heal, pressing his body against my leg, keeping his head low and his eyes on the fences.. "Good boy.." I mumbled to him under my breath, patting the back of his bright yellow vest.

"That's a fine pooch you've got there ma'am!" I heard a voice call, I looked up to see a guard making his way towards me. "You visiting?" I simply nodded at him. "Well.. I'll be your escort.." He said politely. Maybe Dennis hadn't had it so bad after all..?

We followed him inside and he lead us to the visiting area, where he told me to have a seat in front of one of the many glass, two-way phone booths. "Now if you'll give me a name I'll let them know you're here.." He said, waiting in the doorway.

"Um.. Kevin Wendell Crumb.." I said shyly, petting Aegis' head as he laid it in my lap. He nodded at me and turned on his heal, there was another guard, standing silently in one corner of the room, and only one other visitor, talking quietly to an inmate a few booths away from me. The room was almost silent, the buzz of the fluorescent lights seemed to be the only sound my ears could focus on..

I focused my attention on scratching  the ears of the companion in my lap. He let out a low growl of pleasure, causing me to smile and give a small puff of laughter. Suddenly his ears perked up and I heard a knocking at the glass in front of me, what met my eyes when I looked up made my stomach churn..

There he was.. The love of my life, sitting in front of me looking worn down, tired, and broken.. His eyes were still the same beautiful blue I saw in my son every day.. But a purple hue now settled underneath them. I watched them crinkle slightly as he gave me a sweet smile. I felt the backs of my eyes burn as I picked up the telephone next to me and he did the same.

"Hi.." Was all I could bring myself to say, I had so many thoughts running through my head my brain couldn't decide what to say first.. I heard a soft chuckle though the phone.

"Hi." He said back, putting his finger tips against the glass at the bottom of the window. "Wow.." He said breathlessly. "You're more beautiful than I remember.." He said with a smile, I rolled my eyes at him. A long high pitched whine erupted from the creature next to me. "Is that Aegis?" I heard him ask.

"Yeah it is.." I said with a laugh as I watched the poor dog wiggle and whine in his sitting position, his tail rapidly thumping on the concrete floor. He was so excited to see his master but knew better than to move from his spot. "He's been taking good care of us, haven't you?" I said mostly to Aegis, he let out a low, grumbling whine in response.

"Where's Vin?" He asked, switching his gaze from the wiggling dog to my eyes..

"With my parents, I'm sorry.." I said.

"No no.. I'm glad you didn't bring him.. I wouldn't want my son to meet me in a place like this.." He said, then we talked for hours that only felt like minutes.. All about anything we could think of.. I talked to Barry and the others, they all droned on about how cute Vincent was and how much they wanted to meet him.

My heart felt crushed when the guard came and told me that visiting hours were over and I had to leave.. We all said sorrowful goodbyes and I left that awful place with tears in my eyes and  Aegis at my heal..