Jacob's Mother—Chapter 38
Broken Boxes
Jacob’s Mother is a serialized novel. Start with Chapter One.
Chapter 38: Broken Boxes
Jacob stood inside the safety of the box he had built around himself. As long as he didn’t move, he wouldn’t have an unconscious daughter and a screaming wife. The two of them seemed far away, even though he knew that they were in the same room. He cleared his mind of all of it and stood there, safe in his denial.
From inside the box, he saw Hannah calling 911 on her cell phone. He saw Addie sprawled out on the bed like a heart covered starfish. He saw his mother slumped over in her chair, and he saw the triskele necklace laying on the ground.
The triskele!
He picked it up, off the floor, and the moment he touched it he could see.
He could see when he was just born, a small bundle in his mother’s arms. She stared lovingly down at him. He could see her love. He could see the two of them on a small brown couch watching Wheel of Fortune together when he was six. He could see her coming into his bedroom when he was 4 years old and asleep. He saw how she knelt by his side, said a prayer for him, and kissed his forehead. He felt it! He felt the kiss. He saw her hands lovingly cradled around her pregnant belly, protecting him as she carried him inside. He could feel how much she wanted him. He could see her crying in her bedroom when he was five, and he knew that the tears were for him. He saw her. He could see her screaming in a hospital bed when she thought she had lost him. He could see her lurking outside of his new school, after he was placed in foster care. He could see her, trying to make sure he was safe. He felt all the love she had for him. Love that she didn’t know how to give to him. Love that bundled up inside of her and turned to worry and strange voices because she could not figure out how to give it to him.
Suddenly, the walls he had built around himself shattered.
He clutched the triskele and took the two steps to be at his daughter’s side. He lifted her head gently, the soft red curls against his fingers, and placed the necklace over her head. He held her close. “Wake up, Addie,” he cried. “Please wake up.”
Hannah was giving the address to the paramedics.
“Please wake up, sweet angel.”
Addie’s eyelids fluttered open, and she smiled at Jacob.
“Hi Daddy,” she said.
Hannah came running over. “Oh thank God!” she cried. “Thank God!” She spoke to the paramedics, “My daughter is awake, but my mother in law is still unconscious. Please hurry!”
“Where’s Gramma?” Addie asked.
“Right there in her chair, sweetheart.”
Addie looked at the woman slumped over in the chair. “No, that’s not Gramma.”
Jacob set her down, and removed the triskele from her head. He placed it over his mother’s head, hoping to revive her, but nothing happened. His mother was dead.
Continue to Chapter 39.
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Jacob’s Mother is an original publication by Laura Ellis. This book or parts thereof may not be reproduced in any form, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise—without prior written permission of the publisher, except as provided by United States of America copyright law and fair use.
Ahhh Julia nooo... I appreciate what looks like it will be a noble sacrifice, unless she somehow, magically, revives in the next chapter.
Even with the messy, complicated relationships these characters have I still care about all of them. I like how you don't sugarcoat the hard parts. But you also make them all shine in the end!
You will have to read to find out. And thank you. Your compliment is the best! I definitely try to make my characters human—a messy mix of good and bad.