Six years ago, after Eerie Pennsylvania...
Jimmy's head was swimming, but he was getting used to that after all the drugs he'd been taking. His eyes felt like they had been super glued shut, but when he finally opened them, he saw a bright white ceiling... that looked nothing like the hotels that he'd become accustomed to. "My fucking head." He groaned. "Where the fuck am I?" He asked, but didn't expect to get a reply.
"You're in the hospital, again, Jimmy." Nickels told him.
He turned his head and saw Dax sitting over in some chairs and Nickels standing at the window looking outside. But while Nickels looked pissed, Dax looked like he was going to pull his bright red hair out from his head. "What?"
"Do you have any idea what the fuck you've done?!" Dax snarled glaring at him from where he sat.
Jimmy sat up, trying to get his head straight, but was pissed. "What the hell are you talking about! I figured I OD'd again. So the fuck what, I won't do it again!" He growled back.
"Oh my god Jimmy, you're to fucked up for your own good!" Dax said falling back into the chair, while Nickels didn't say anything, just kept staring out the window.
"Nickels what the fuck is going on here? I mean I know you all are pissed because of me ending up in the hospital again... but this shit isn't making sense!"
Nickels glanced over his shoulder flipping a pack of smokes in his hands, before shaking his head. "Damn it, I had no idea you were this fucked up, I really didn't Jim." He sighed.
"Both of you need to shut the fuck up and tell me what the hell is going on now!" He roared, making a nurse come into the room, only to have Nickels give her a look and had her ass running back out.
"You hurt Addie, again! Her face is a mess, and from your own fucking hand!" Dax roared back getting into Jimmy's face. "Son of a bitch! I don't know what you did to her tonight, and apparently, you're not going to remember it either. I can only pray that you didn't fucking rape her... damn it!"
"What the fuck are you talking about?" He snarled grabbing onto Dax shirt and pulling him to where they were face to face.
"You took her from her apartment man, and then drove the two of you to Eerie." Dax snapped, but Jimmy wasn't getting it. "You remember that little motel that you stayed in your honeymoon? You kidnapped her, and then she drugged you Jimmy; your wife drugged your ass so she could get away from you!"
He let go of Dax shirt making him stumble back. "No, I, I don't remember any of that... no, I didn't hurt my baby girl, I didn't." He mumbled as his hands went through his hair and his eyes wandered around the room trying to remember anything of what happened, but he just couldn't.
"Yes, you did! This shit is over now Jimmy! You're going to sign those fucking divorce papers Addie gave you and let her go before you kill her and yourself... then your ass is going into rehab to get the fucking help you needed for a long time now!" Dax roared.
Jimmy ripped the IV out of his arm, getting out of bed and getting into Dax face. "I'm not signing any fucking divorce papers, and that's final! Addison's mine, she's always been mine!" He snarled back.
"That's enough!" Nickels said finally stepping away from the window and put a cigarette in him mouth, but didn't light it, walking to the hospital rooms door. "Come on Jimmy, I think you need a good dose of reality."
"What the fuck does that mean?" He seethed taking his jeans that Dax held out for him.
"You'll see." Was all Nickels said.
He followed Dax and Nickels down one of the hospital wings and stopped when Nickels asked a nurse a question. She nodded at him and then looked over to Dax with a frown, then he looked at Jimmy.
"Come on." Nickels said again going down a hallway and stopping to talk to a nurse who looked Jimmy over then nodded.
"Where the fuck are we going?" He asked getting pissed. But when the nurse looked at him with discuss, something in his gut turned.
Nickels stopped at a door. "You'll see Jimmy." He answered, then pushed it open.
He stepped in, and what he saw stopped him cold in his tracks. Addison was asleep on the bed, the left side of her face battered and bruised with a deep gash under her eye. He could only imagine what her beautiful violet eye would look like right now. Her lip was swollen and split, and even from where he stood, he could see the bruises peeking out from under the hospital gown. "No, I didn't do this... I didn't do this to her again!" He whispered as his hands went to his head.
Dax ran his hand over his face. "Jimmy, you know you hit her when you're drunk. Those days must be running into a blur for you." He whispered harshly. "I saw her medical charts... you been doing this shit more and more lately from what it looks like. The last time you saw her, you broke her wrist. Her fucking wrist!"
"I know, that's why I didn't go after her when she first left me. I wanted to let her cool down from the fight we had. I was hoping that if she got away from me for a little bit, she would miss me enough to give me another chance and come back." He admitted.
Dax looked over at him in disbelief. "Now we know why she ran to hide from you. You knew what you were doing and you didn't stop." He accused. "And she was so fucking scared of you that she covered it up so none of us knew just how fucking bad it's gotten. I would've never told you a fucking thing about where she was at if I'd known this shit!"
That's when Nickels came up to him. "Last time I saw Addie she told me you put her in the hospital, and I thought she was bull shitting me because of my part with Crystal. But now I can see that I just didn't want to believe what she was saying." He sighed shaking his head. "Look, I know I kind of gave you the shove to screw Crystal, and told you that you could do better than Addison, and that was the beginning to all this. But what's done is done, it's time to man up to all this shit Jim and own your mistakes. You've fucked up and... it's over. It's time for you to let her go."
He stood there staring at the only woman that he ever loved and shook his head before pulling Nickels outside the room as Dax followed, and shut the door. "I can't do that, Nic, I love her to damn much. I swear I'll get better, no more drinking, drugs, or fucking woman... I swear!"
"Jim, it's too late for that..." Nickels sighed.
"You've said all that shit for three years now!" Dax seethed louder than necessary. "Were done there! You are getting the fucking help you need before you kill her, this has gone on long enough!" He roared causing everyone on the floor to look over at them. "You're signing those fucking papers today! I won't let you hurt her anymore, or fuck up yourself any worse than you've already done!" He growled turning and leaving Jimmy in the hall way.
He watched his best friend walk off, and he looked back into the room at his battered wife. The pain he felt at what he'd done was indescribable. "Let me at least say goodbye to her, Nic." He whispered.
"I don't think that's such a good idea..."
"I promise I won't wake her, okay. She won't have to see me... but I need to say goodbye to her if you want me to sign anything." He stated.
Nickels was quiet but then nodded. "Make your peace Jim, then it's time for you to work to get yourself back together." He answered, then pulled out his cell and put it up to his ear as he walked away.
Jimmy nodded walking back into the room where his baby girl was sleeping, and pulled up a chair quietly so he wouldn't disturb her. His fingers traced her swollen face as he held in the tears that wanted to fall. He did this, he did this to Addison, he did this to his own wife. "I guess you've heard me tell you I'm sorry before baby girl, but damn it... I'm so fucking sorry!" He whispered harshly.
"I know that you're done with me and want a divorce, but I've got to tell you, I don't want it. You're the only thing in my life that makes sense to me and the only thing in my life that I love so completely, it hurts just thinking that I might not ever see you again."
His hands went over his face, into his hair, then stayed at the back of his neck, as he tried to suck up all the pain he felt, because looking at his beautiful baby girl... he knew he deserved all the pain he feeling. "I love you Addison Paige Richardson. I'll love you with my dying breath baby girl, and after I'm no longer part of your life, just remember that for me, okay." He said wiping a couple tears that escaped.
"If you're ever feeling alone or unloved, remember there's a man out there who loves you more than his own life sweetheart, even though I fucked it up. And now, for once in my life, I'm going to do the right thing by you, and that's let you go." He whispered before getting up gently, kissing her busted lips, and walking out of the room never to see her again.