Soundtrack: 'Oh, had I a golden thread' - Eva Cassidy

{Mel}

She was too happy to take her sleeping pills and end the day. She put her girls to bed and then curled up on the couch with a cup of tea to enjoy the sounds of her men settling in. She imagined what it would be like in the new house, with room for them all, a study for Pete, and a garden for her.

At midnight, Cary slipped past the doorway of the family room, his shoulders hunched and tense. She got up to put the kettle on again, watching his bowed form smoking on the back step. When he stepped back inside, she gave him a smile, her forehead wrinkling with worry. The trial in the morning was no small thing for a 16-year-old to face. For anyone to face. "Trouble sleeping?" she asked softly.

He ran his hand up the back of his head, looking at her with his eyebrows drawn in a straight, dark line. He lifted his shoulders. "Probably won't sleep tonight. It's okay. I know what I have to say. I'm ready to say it." His exhale shook his body and his shoulders bowed. "Be good when it's over."

She wished she could put her shoulder under the weight of what he had to do and lift it for him. "Cup of tea?" she asked, her mouth wry with how small a thing that was.

He nodded and leaned on the counter, watching her hands add the honey to the cup. "You okay?" Cary asked, his eyes checking her face. "How come you're up?"

Mel let her smile loose again, brushing her hair out of her eyes. "Too happy to sleep."

His eyebrows slowly relaxed upwards like hers, and she impulsively put her hand on his cheek, patting it like he was a child. He turned his face aside with a dry laugh, his cheeks pink.

A few moments later, they stood at the counter with the tea warming their hands. "We looked at a new house yesterday," she said. "There's an attic bedroom with an old drafting table in it already. They said it was too much trouble to move." She nudged her cup toward him, like she was making a toast. "Perfect for you."

He made a soft noise. "You don't need to do that. You should get whatever works best for your family."

"Oh, I think this place would work just fine for our family. There was a lot to love," she said, smiling.

"In the city?" His face had tightened.

"Yes. We thought it would do you good to keep close to your brother."

"Nah," he said softly. "She took him. They're gone." He hid his face in his tea.

That extinguished her smile, and sadness spread cold through her chest. "Oh, Cary. I'm so sorry." How could the woman who had given him birth so casually leave him? Mel could barely grasp the size of the sadness Cary was left to carry alone.

He edged closer until his arm touched her shoulder, and they drank their tea side by side in silence. When there was one swallow left, he tipped the cup like he was wondering about the taste of honey.

"Can I call you 'Mom'?" The question was frayed, and his dark eyes watched her from over the fluted rim of his cup for the answer.

She laughed quietly. "Oh, hon. I thought you'd never ask."

*I'm not crying - you're crying! All the Mel and Cary moments just get to me, you know? This has been such a long time coming. One of my favourite chapters, paired with one of my favourite songs. Thanks for the reads, votes and comments lovelies, I appreciate every one!*