Lust and Descent Pt. 02

"Mom...where...is dad?"

"He's...he's in the hospital, Jess."

"Why...is he in...the hospital?"

"He was in a wreck. He's fine, I was going to call you today, but I guess it's a little late for that now."

'"Oh my God. You're fucking that asshole while my...my father is...oh my God, mom..."

Before finishing her statement, she left in a panic, heading to the hospital. Kelly remained, stunned in the bed, trying to wrap her head around how fast things blew up in her face. Jessica arrived and sat with Nick, instantly raising his morale. Afraid of how the truth about her mother's activities would affect him in such a vulnerable state, she kept her tears at bay, mentioned nothing, telling him that she was in bed sleeping. Eventually, Nurse Sara came to check on Nick, meeting Jessica and becoming acquainted, the fun conversation a much needed distraction for all three individuals. Even in a compromised state, Nick was still able to make them both laugh with his natural wit. Sara made sure to return in between patients as often as possible, happy to see the mood Jessica had him in. After two hours, she kissed him and headed home to confront her mother once more, in a house that now felt like a place of dread instead of love. Kelly sat in the kitchen smoking a cigarette when she returned. When questioned, she confessed to not having been in love with Nick for a very long time and considering divorce for over a year.

"Dammit, mom. (starting to cry) What happened to you? How are you this cold about it, I don't even recognize you. You're just gonna throw away your family for an affair?"

"Jessica, I've accepted an unhappy marriage for twenty years. I'm done, you understand? I don't hate your father, he's a good man. I just can't be with him anymore. I just want to be happy. I'm sorry you found out like this. I didn't plan to cheat, it just happened."

"I bet you didn't plan how this would destroy our family either, did you? Fucking another man in the bed dad sleeps in just happened, huh? I bet you don't even know that Tyler's ex-wife divorced him because of his alcoholism, do you?"

Jessica got up and headed out, back to her campus an hour away, saying only goodbye on the way out, with her life and sense of family now damaged forever. As Kelly finished her cigarette, Nick called and again was met with voicemail. She walked out to the porch to sit down. Shelly, her next door neighbor, was getting her mail and said hello to Kelly, with a subtle hint of conveying that she knew something was up with Tyler, who she noticed coming and going the previous day in the absence of Nick's car being in the drive-way. Kelly thought hard about her decision, having passed the point of no return into uncharted territory of being discovered in the worst way, and considering leaving her life-partner. After going back inside twenty minutes later, she did the only thing she could think of, that being to contact Tyler and invite him back over. Upon arriving, he apologized for running out earlier and offered to talk about things. Kelly interrupted, refusing to talk and simply replied, "let's talk later, just come to bed."

Nick, with his condition stable, soon began inpatient therapy to retrain his motor skills. Throughout the next four weeks, he made remarkable progress, walking on his own and taking care of himself without aid. In this time, Kelly continued the affair, spending mornings at Tyler's house for the remainder of his vacation, having requested to work half days under the false claim of helping her spouse through a medical condition. After they both returned to work full time, she went to see him after getting off at five o'clock, making no further efforts to visit Nick. Jessica continued to visit, thrilled at his progress. As soon as she felt he was well enough to handle even more bad news, she told him everything about her mother. Although hurt, he felt no surprise, having figured that something was going on with her disappearance and barely returning his calls. Jessica cried, still heartbroken; Nick reassured that it was fine and that her mother had been unhappy in the marriage for a very long time. He then told her about the robbery, and Kelly's subsequent outburst that clearly laid her feelings out. While hugging, he told her not to hate her mother, to forgive, and to never hold on to anger.

One month after a car wreck that would prove life-changing in so many ways, Nick was finally released. His friend James from work picked him up. Nurse Sara, who had visited him throughout his rehab, offered to follow him home and help him settle in and sort out his medication. James dropped Nick off and headed back to work. He walked into a quiet house, with Kelly having packed and left a week earlier to move in with Tyler, leaving divorce papers and her wedding ring on the kitchen table. As he went over his medication with Sara, she finally broke down crying and confessed that his downward spiral in the hospital was her fault. Apologizing endlessly and begging for him to forgive her, Nick reached over to hug her, the two of them holding each other as her tears soaked into his shirt. He insisted that he felt nothing was to be forgiven, thanking her for helping him through the toughest hurdle of his life and being a friend. After getting him settled, Sara said goodbye, heading for the door; Nick stopped her, saying, "Hey, I know this is unprofessional but I've been through too much shit to care now, so would you like to have dinner this weekend?''

(Sara, smiling) "I would love that."