Chapter Fifty
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"I missed you," Alex said as Liz opened the front door.
"You seen me less than twenty four hours ago," Liz laughed with a huge grin on her face. Alex leaned forward and placed a small kiss on her lips which both wished was more.
"Too long," he moaned stepping inside of her home, admiring the decor. "Luke's at school?" he asked knowing they were going to talk to Jack before Luke.
"Yeah," Liz confirmed heading into the kitchen with the man following her. "Jack is in his room and Ashton is right here," she said gesturing to the boy who was sat at the table.
"Looking good Ashton," Alex remarked knowing he had not had many relapses since being out of the ward. "I've heard you've been doing well."
"I have," the curly haired boy nodded with a smile. "I also got a place of my own and I got a job," he informed Alex. "I'm a man now," he joked.
"The beard says it all," the grey haired man agreed as he thanked Liz for the coffee.
"Liz told me you're here to see Luke," Ashton said, his voice changing to a more darker tone.
"Just to check up on him, make sure he's still healthy," Alex agreed watching the worry on the younger boys face.
"He's really not healthy. Mentally and physically," he told him. "Sometimes I doubt our relationship because he lies so much," he revealed.
Liz never knew this and spun round fully into the conversation now. "It's not Luke lying, it's his eating disorder," Alex said sternly making sure he understood. If Luke was at his worst again like everyone was saying, the last thing he needed was heartbreak.
The curly haired boy just nodded not sure what to believe. After all the boy he loves the most lies to him all the time. What's stopping anyone else.
"Jack!" Liz yelled up the staircase to her middle son.
"What?" he yelled back in response.
"Get down here!" she then turned to look at the two males. "Shall we continue this in the living room."
When Jack made it down the stairs and saw Alex sat in with them he rolled his eyes. "I don't want to talk about Luke," he scoffed. "He's a pathetic little boy."
Liz sighed hating that her son said this stuff about his brother. It hurt her that he thought of him like this.
Alex watched the boy intently like he was trained to. He noticed how the boy seemed to be waiting for his mother to respond and when she didn't, he got more angrier. "You're not going to stand up for you precious little boy then?" he seethed glaring right at his mother.
"Jack please," Liz begged hating the grey haired man seeing her well-raised family like this.
"No, all he does is lie and you let him. He's so fucking pathetic!"
"Jack," it was Alex that warned him this time. "I suggest you stop speaking to your mother like that."
"Fuck you," the middle son boiled not liking that his mother now had yet another person to care about.
"I'm here to help Jack," Alex told him unharmed by what the boy said. He had heard much worse from people at the ward, from Luke as well.
"Luke doesn't deserve anyone's help," Jack admitted sitting down next to his mother, avoiding Ashton because he still did not like him.
"You'd rather him die then?" Alex asked knowing how to get through to people like the blonde boy.
"Yes," he stated bluntly.
Liz's eyes widened in shock at what she just heard her son say, a sob erupted from her mouth before she quickly scrambled to compose herself. Jack knew he upset his mother and did feel sorry for it, but she upset him too sometimes.
"You don't mean that do you Jack?" he quizzed.
"I do," he shot back defensively. He crossed his arms over his torso and looked down in a huff. The therapist saw similarities to Luke and used that as a positive thing.
"You don't. You're jealous by all the antention Luke and Ben get. You get barely any compared to them. You say all of this nasty stuff to try and get your mums attention, but it's not working is it?" he asked knowing exactly how Jack was feeling.
With Alex knowing this, the younger boy felt scared how he knew. He kept his head down and mouth shut in response.
Liz spoke up, "I know you love Luke, Jack. I also know I give the other two more attention. But I promise you from now on I will try my best to make you feel loved and give you the attention you want."
"I liked it when it was just me and you," he admitted still keeping his gaze to the floor.
"I did too Jack, it was peaceful and we had a lot of fun, but Luke is my son as well, I couldn't just forget about him," the blonde women told him.
"When he came home you forgot about me, it was all about him."
"That's because he's younger and he needed the care. If I let him do what he wanted he would definitely be dead by now."
"But you didn't have to leave me out," he protested.
"I know, and I'm sorry I did. It's just I thought you were old enough to cope on your own."
"I am, but that doesn't mean you can't give me a hug now and then or tell me you love me."
"I will do that if you want. We can talk about what you want to change but this horrible talking about Luke has to stop. It's really not helping him, especially the state he's in right not."
"It's always about Luke," Jack sighed.
"I know," she agreed. "But, you don't exactly give me something to talk about."
That stung Jack, "I'm just boring old Jack."
"No, I mean, Ben is at uni getting A's and everything, Luke battled multiple mental disorders and here you are complaining and yelling abuse at everyone."
"I got an apprenticeship in carpentry."
"You told me."
"You didn't care," he muttered disheartenedly.
"I do."
"You never reacted."
"Do you want me to?"
"I want you to be a mum to me like you are to Luke," he yelled agitated that his mother was not understanding.
Liz sighed knowing she was upsetting the boy. Taking the boy's head in her hands, she pulled him into her chest and fiddled with his hair. "I'm so sorry," she breathed into his head, just like she would to Luke. "Please forgive me."
"I do. I just want to feel loved."
"I love you Jack, so very much," she smiled squeezing him tightly. "You've gotten so manly and muscular," she admitted finding it difficult to hug the bigger boy.
"I love you too mum and that's what food and working out does to you..." He was interrupted by the loud ring which was his mother's phone.
She kept the boy in her embracement and answered the unknown number. Everyone watched her talk on the phone, only muttering short phrases or single words. When hanging up she looked up at everyone, over at her sons boyfriend and his ex therapist. Then down at her middle son, she brushed his hair out of his face and kissed his forehead.
"Luke collapsed," she paused before adding. "Again."
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