***Ben’s POV***
“Daddy, where’s Shane?” Shawn asked angrily. “He’s with mommy,” I said and picked him up. “I don’t like Newt,” he said. He and Shane had been having play dates with Newt as often as we could schedule them. She and Shane got along real well.
“Why not?” I asked, knowing the answer. “She took my brother!” he said, a jealous look in his eyes. I smiled softly at him. “I sense a little green monster,” I said and he got a confused look. “Huh?”
“It means you’re jealous,” I explained. “You’re mad that Newt is taking Shane away from you. But Shawn, he’s just making a friend. You’re going to make friends too, especially as you get older. They say that blood is thicker than water and someday you’ll understand what that means. He’s your brother Shawn; he’s with you forever.”
But Shawn was only a 3 year old child and so all he did was cross his arms and pout. His brother had abandoned him for some girl they had just met. It was the way he was seeing it in his youth.
The way Jeydyn viewed Ali and I was the way Shawn was now viewing Shane and Newt.
Shawn suddenly got a curious look. “Daddy, where do babies come from?” he asked. Ah shit. I thought the kids weren’t supposed to ask me that until they were Jeydyn’s age?!
“Why are you asking me that Shawn?” I asked. “I heard Aunt Jeydyn ask grandpa and grandpa made me leave the room,” he said with a deep pout. I smiled softly. So dad was finally going to tell Jeydyn? A frown took over. Ah shit. That meant my baby sister really was starting to grow up.
“I’ll tell you when you’re older,” I said, praying to god he wouldn’t ever ask Chris. Chris wouldn’t be afraid to tell him. Hell, Chris would probably grab a girl and demonstrate if he had to.
“Come on. You need your nap,” I said and picked him up before he could argue with me. I brought him into his room where Ali was placing Shane down for his nap. I smiled at her and kissed her after placing Shawn in his crib and kissing him.
We left the boys room together, holding hands, and went downstairs. We sat down on the couch together and shared a kiss. My phone buzzed and I checked the message from Chris.
News about the Jenny situation. Get your ass to my house.
I mentally sighed. Oh god; here we go. “I have to go Ali. It’s important. I shouldn’t be gone long,” I said and got up. She frowned. “Is something wrong Ben?” I shrugged helplessly. “That’s what I’m going to find out right now.”
“Okay. Call me if you need me,” she said, getting up and hugging me tightly. I kissed her once more before leaving. I drove myself to Chris’s house and knocked on the door. He let me in and we sat down in his kitchen.
“What’s up?” I asked, feeling nervous. He slid me a shot glass. I could smell the vodka. “You’ll need it,” he promised. I hesitated but took the shot. “Well?” “She’s getting a pregnancy test. She thinks she is. What the fuck,” he said miserably. I could smell the booze on him. He had been drinking well before I got here.
“Chris, you can’t abandon your child if she is pregnant,” I said carefully. “I’m not you BJ! I can’t give up my life for some kid!” he said angrily. He may seem angry, but I could sense his desperation. He didn’t want this to be happening. He was scared. When he was scared, he got angry to cover it up. Chris thought fear was vulnerability. He didn’t want to be vulnerable. It made him feel like a child.
He poured me another shot and slid it to me. I started to shake my head but he held up his hand. “No. Please drink Ben. It’ll make me feel better.” He poured himself a shot. I sighed but took the shot. I knew I wanted it. I knew I shouldn’t have it, but god damn I loved alcohol.
So we drank. We drank and talked and laughed and joked. We felt better. We got drunk. We drank more.
But, oh god, would I regret it.
***Jenny’s POV***
I grinned as I watched from Chris’s kitchen window. They drank for a while, drunk as hell. Oh Chris was such a fool. Of course I wasn’t pregnant. Of course I had made sure he had used protection. I wasn’t going to let him pull a Benjamin Jarvis.
I knew that Chris’s solution was to get drunk, and of course he would invite his best friend. Chris was selfish. He wouldn’t consider the fact that Ben was struggling to get off the alcohol. And, oh, how alcohol could make him violent.
I smirked. I just had to piss him off and send him home to his vulnerable family.
***Ali’s POV***
“Where’s daddy?” Shane and Shawn asked for the millionth time. “I don’t know boys,” I said, trying to stay calm. I was getting worried. What was taking him so long? He had been gone for a few hours. I wondered what was wrong.
A few minutes later, the door opened and in came Ben. He was drunkenly staggering and his eyes were glassy. “Ben!” I cried angrily. “You were drinking again!”
He glared. “Shut the fuck up!” he slurred. “Don’t swear in front of the boys!” I snapped, furious with him. He had lied to me. He had gone out just to get fucked up. There hadn’t actually been something wrong at all!
“Daddy!” the boys both cried and ran to him. “Boys, no!” I cried. I could see it in his eyes. He wasn’t just drunk. He was angry. Something, or someone, had made Ben, very, very angry. He would take it out on the boys when he was this drunk.
Shane reached him first. I felt my heart slamming as I moved to get them both away from Ben. I had to get my boys away from him. It was like Pet Sematary. Only in this situation, Ben was the giant truck and Shane was the innocent child who had just run into the road at the wrong time.
And like in Pet Sematary, I was just a little too late to reach my son.
Shane tugged on Ben’s pant leg, something that both boys did when they wanted to be played with. But Ben was angry and drunk and instead of playing with him like Shane thought he would, Ben kicked him. Shane was knocked to the ground where he started crying.
“Shut up! I have a fucking headache you brat! SHUT UP!” Ben reached down and roughly pulled Shane to his feet. Shane screamed. “Ben! Stop!” I cried in absolute terror. Ben slapped Shane so hard that I winced.
The room got eerily quiet before Shane started crying again. “Stop daddy! Stop!” he screamed, trying to get his arm out of Ben’s grip. “STOP!” he shrieked. “Shut up I said!” Ben screamed, tightening his grip on Shane’s arm. “Ow!” Shane sobbed. Ben started digging his nails into Shane’s arm until it bled.
Shane shrieked in agony. “LETGOLETGOLETGO!” he shrieked so loud my ears rang. It snapped me out of my frozen terror and I sprang at Ben. I punched him as hard as I could. In his drunken state, it was enough to make him stumble and fall over. He dragged the still shrieking Shane with him.
“You let go of him!” I screamed like a crazy woman. I punched at Ben until he released Shane and reached towards me. I grabbed Shane and jumped away from Ben. I grabbed Shawn’s arm and dragged him back with me.
“Oh you dirty bitch,” Ben hissed and slowly got to his feet. He staggered before dropping to the couch weakly. I took the opportunity to pull the boys upstairs. I hurried into their room and locked the door.
I texted JJ to get home immediately before turning my attention to the sobbing Shane. “Oh dear god Shane, your poor arm. Oh god,” I whispered. It was bleeding; Ben had ripped the skin when I had punched him. I held Shane to me and rocked him as Shawn sat next to me, silent for once.
I fought back tears, wanting to be brave for my sons. But inside, terror wracked my body. I couldn’t let Ben be around the boys anymore.