Sweet Child of Mine

Chapter 2

She furrowed her brows before her mouth fell slightly open. She couldn't believe his insensitivity in that moment.

"I am a mother." She snapped back.

"You know what I mean honey-" Hal sighed with a mild eye roll that Alice thankfully didn't notice.

"No, I don't!" She stated, tear forming in her eyes as she stood from the couch. "What do you mean?" She pleaded as her heart sank. She knew he didn't care much for her son but to just blurt out something so insensitive and dismissive of him made her sick to her stomach.

"Oh wait never mind, he was disposable to you, a mistake-" She croaked out through tears. "So he doesn't matter right?" She stormed off in tears up the staircase. She refused to be in the same room with him any longer.

•••

As she quietly folded away her and Hal's laundry, which he had refused to do on account of it being "women's work", last nights events still plagued her mind.

It's wasn't as if she hadn't been forced to think about her baby boy from time to time, and it wasn't like she wasn't aware of Hal's apathy when it came to him, but for him to selfishly dismiss the fact that she was a mother, to her face, as if he didn't exist, it was too much for her to handle.

She cried herself to sleep that night, not that he cared in the slightest, and it wasn't the first night either. Many nights tears fell into her pillow that went unnoticed by him and did he give a single damn, even bother to check up in her every once in a while? Never.

Her thoughts were interrupted as Hal came strolling into the room, finishing up a conversation on his cellphone.

"Yes Sister. My wife and I will be down within the hour, and I'm happy you're giving us this opportunity for a story on your fine establishment. Goodbye."

She turned to see a look of glee upon his face as he pushed the antenna down and ended the call. "Who was that?"

He froze suddenly, his face shifting from gleeful to a stoic look of guilt. "That was uh- that was the receptionist, from the Sisters of Quiet Mercy."

Her eyes widened in fear as slammed the laundry basket down. Just the very name of the place still made her beyond uncomfortable. "Is that who you were on the phone to last night? They're behind our first story-"

He rolled his eyes in frustration, dreading her impending outburst. "Now honey-"

"No!" She quietly screamed as her eyes glistened with tears, genuinely hurt by his secrecy. "You know what I went through there-"

"And it was four years ago!" He roared as fury flashed across his face. She paused and her eyes widened in shock at his clenched fists.

Her heart rate began to increase as he approached her, forcing her to back against the wall. "We've been given the opportunity to do a story on their establishment." He hissed. "And this is how you react? It's almost as if you want the Register to fail."

Her brows furrowed in fear as her ocean blue eyes dilated in a panic. "Of cou- of course that's not what I want Hal." She stammered, her breath slightly shaky as she kept her frightened gaze on him.

"It isn't?" He questioned fiercely with a raised eyebrow. "Are you sure? Because it surely feels that way right now."

She once again shook her head in confirmation, hoping he'd accept her answer and calm himself down.

He chuckled as he pursed his lips smugly, slowly stepping away from her. "Well, it's good to know that we agree on something."

She glared at him worriedly as she clenched her fists, unintentionally digging her nails into the skin of her palms, something she subconsciously did when she was scared, anxious or in a rage.

"Be ready in ten minutes, and try to look presentable." He rudely advised. "Your face could do with some, livening up." He finished gesturing towards her make up bag before her left.

The car ride to the sisters had been tension filled from the start to the finish, Alice had refused to speak with him for fear that it would escalate into another argument and Hal just wanted to avoid any form of complaints on her part. He already was not in the mood.

As the two of them walked down the halls of the ghoulish youth home and orphanage, Alice immediately felt trapped again, a bubbling feeling developed in the pit of her stomach and she felt as if she was going to explode. She wasn't sure how she was going to handle all of this, the name of the place was triggering enough but to be back there was sending her over the edge.

"Hal I- I don't feel so good." She panicked as he lead her down the hall by her arm.

"Stop being childish Alice and just breathe." He rudely dismissed as the two of them approached one of the nuns at the front desk.

"Good Afternoon Sister." Hal spoke sweetly. "I was wondering if I could to Sister Woodhouse-"

"Hal, I really don't- don't feel well, I can't breathe." She cried. It was getting worse, the memories were flooding back, the thoughts of her baby boy, the hell she endured. She was suddenly back in that dark place.

She couldn't take it any longer, and releasing Hal's hand from her arm, she ran off in a panic down the hall, towards the gardens outside. She couldn't be in the establishment any longer without bursting in tears or going in a complete emotional frenzy.

She ran down the concrete steps, resting her hands onto her thighs and she lowered herself to regulate her breathing. However, she couldn't do anything about the tears that fell down her face.

She was a wreck, an utter and emotional wreck as she tried to wipe away her tears with her sleeve, but the sight of a nun, and a very familiar looking boy being dragged away by the woman immediately put her in pause.

"It can't be." She whispered to herself as she narrowed her eyes in wonder. She moved further down the field, trying to get a closer look. She knew she wasn't losing it completely, but something about this child just seemed way too familiar. His dark hair, his blue eyes, his jawline. She thought about pinching herself for a second, considering she hadn't seen him since he was a baby, but she was pretty sure she was seeing what she thought she was seeing. Mother's intuition existed for a reason. "Charles?" She whispered to herself as she got a closer look.

"Alice!" Hal bellowed from the end of the field, gaining her attention instantly. His fury filled face wasn't even going to distract her from this revelation. She turned back around to see the nun and the little boy gone, but one thing she knew for sure, this wasn't over.