•Monday 18th October, 1996- Part One•

Judy P.O.V

When the nurse handed that baby to me, that sweet little boy, I instantly fell in love. I almost thought that he was stillborn, as he was given to me, but his eyes darting from side to side restored the pained smile to my face. Those tiny hands of his, that curled around my finger, his navy eyes staring up at me. He was a soundless newborn, he hardly ever made a sound. I had never felt anything so soft; his skin was flawless, paler than anything that I had ever seen. He was the spitting image of his father, Michael, with his dark eyes, his pale skin, and his cheeks rosy and warm. As for his father, he was standing right beside me, eyes filled with love. I remember talking to him, my sweet little boy, as he stared at me, watching my lips move with his little newborn eyes.

His father adored him. He had expected his son to be a loud, boisterous thing screaming for attention at every single interval. But, my little Beckett, he preferred to sit alone with me in the rocking chair. I would sing to him, any old song that I'd heard from church, or the radio, and he would watch me intently. His eyes never moved once, until his father threw himself through the front door with a couple of his rowdy friends. I would roll my eyes, reassure my little boy that he was okay, and rock him until he fell asleep. Unfortunately, his father's drunkenness and the presence of his equally inebriated friends seemed to become a recurring them. Whenever they came through the door, Beckett; he frowned. He could've frowned for the country, my little boy. However much I'd try and convince my friends that he was a very happy baby, they never seemed to listen. Instead, they'd pay attention to his golden blonde curls, twisting his silky hair around them, as he furrowed his brow.

A loud noise shook me from my daydream- my boss had placed more and more files onto my desk. He looked at me with a smile; he knew that he was keeping me from my family, as I was obliged to go through each and every one of them before going home. Sighing, I ran my hand over the first, its discoloured red front making me want to cry. I knew this folder more than any of the others, having been through it many times. As a social worker, when you see cases more than once it brings a tear to your eye. This meant that the child inside was going to be taken from their parents again, and it would be my job to see that through. Flipping over the cover, I saw his little face again. His name was Shaun, and he had been in and out of care since he was born. His dark skin was bruised in this photo, yet his eyes were full of warmth. As my bottom lip quivered, I shook my head, reading the latest report in his file.

He had been found wandering his street by his neighbour, his clothes ripped and torn, his little body covered in marks. I had meet him and his family at their home - remembering how sweet he was made me feel even more sad. The neighbour had taken him in, and it looked like his grandmother would be getting custody of him. The parents were no good. His mother was a prostitute with multiple felonies, and his father was in and out of prison.

I stood up, deciding that if I was going to look at that case and determine his future, I would be needing a hell of a lot of coffee. Pushing my chair out, I stood up, kitten-heels clicking against the floor as I made my way towards the door. The corridor was cold, I rubbed at my arms to restore little warmth back into them. The cafeteria wasn't too far away, yet, it felt like I had been walking for years. Sighing, my thoughts wandered back to my son, Beckett. I couldn't wait to get home and present the cake his siblings and I had made for him. We had done it the day before, just after he and Ronald had had their little fight. I never knew that Beckett had the strength in him to do such a thing- to overpower such a large man as Ronald. No matter how hard I tried, my husband got larger and larger, as his children and I got thinner and thinner.

Shaking my head, I pushed on the canteen door, seeing the smiling face of the lady that served the food. Her name was Claire, and her son was a year younger than Beckett. They attended the same high school though, although Beckett wasn't entirely fond of her son. He never seemed to be fond of anybody, other than himself, me, and his little siblings.
"Coffee?" Claire asked in her usual chipper manner, I nodded, fumbling my pocket to find change to pay her with. I handed her a dollar, before she began to make my ritualistic cup off coffee.
"How's Beckett? He's eighteen today, isn't he?" She asked with a smile, I nodded.

"It feels like yesterday that I was rocking him to sleep in his bedroom. Now, he's a grown man, and he'll be going to college. I don't know how we'll afford it, but I want that for him, you know?" I said, shrugging my shoulders. She nodded, she understood.

"Next, it'll be my Michael. I think that he'll get a football scholarship somewhere, he's into football." She smiled, thinking about her son. Which made me think. What would my Beckett do at college? He despised sport, he refused to learn an instrument when he was younger, and he used to snap his pencils when I sat him down to do his math homework. I supposed that he would decide himself, with no influence from Ronald and I.
"Well, wish him a happy from me." She smiled, handing me my cup of coffee. I returned her smile, turning on my heel, my footsteps echoing in the empty room.
~>•<~

The streets appeared to be deserted as I walked home. I was on my way to pick up my younger kids from the neighbour; I owed that woman a lot. Balling up my hands, trying to keep myself warm, I looked down at the ground as I walked. There was a solemn aura to the street; it unsettled me. Shivering, I crossed the road, walking up the garden path. Her house didn't look like it's usually, happy self. Instead, the tree in the front yard was drooping, as if it was warning me about something.
Before I could knock on the door, she opened it, her eyes full of concern. "Is everything okay? Are the kids okay?" I asked, her concern washing over me.

"Judy- Judy, I don't mean to frighten you or anything at all, but there's something going on at the high school. I-I don't know what's happening-"

"I'll take the kids home, don't worry. I'm sure everything's fine." I smiled weakly, hearing the patter it my children as they hurried into the hallway. Their beaming faces took any anxiety that I had away from the news that she had given me. She sighed, running a hand through her hair, before closing the front door.

"Momma, are we gonna sing to Beckett when he gets home?" Bryan asked, his blue eyes full of happiness.

"Of course baby, I'm sure he's very excited." I said, ruffling his hair, as he joined his siblings at the end of the garden.
                                      ~>•<~

It was at that moment, that I realised what I had brought into the world. That little boy that I had remembered earlier, was no longer the son I had raised. He had written me a letter, which he had written in his best handwriting. I knew that there was heart put into it, so when I got to the end, I knew that he was serious. What he had written, the terrifying things that he had put onto that paper, caused a wave of nausea to drown me as I stood there in the kitchen. I put a hand to my mouth, my eyes widening, as panic began to set in. My hands shook as I ran my hand through my hair, looking around myself, the overwhelming urge to cry becoming more and more powerful.

I fastened the coats of each of my children, making sure that they each had their hats on, as tears fell from my eyes. They were scared, they had no idea why the strongest lady they knew was crying - and I hadn't the heart to tell them; they were too young to understand.
Closing the front door, not bothering to lock it, I marched out of the house with my children. My body was shaking, yet I used all of the strength that I could to make sure that I got to that high school. In my mind, I knew that it was much too late for me to talk some sense into my son. At least he could be there to see us, that family that would love him no matter what. I sniffled, as my children walked in line with me, other people seemed to emerge from their houses, towards the red and blue lights that bathed the high school.

Mortal panic began to set in as we neared, and I could feel hysterics bubbling inside me like an overflowing cauldron. Breathing heavily, I got closer, my children staying close to me. They were confused, afraid, probably wondering why we were at Beckett's school. All that they wanted to do was give him his gifts, and blow out the candles on his birthday. Looking over at the parking lot, I saw Ronald's car sitting there, knowing that he was inside somewhere. Dead or alive, I had no idea.
I hurried over to the swarm of police officers, trying to ask what was going on- knowing full well that the odds were not stacked in my son's favour.

The mumbling crowd stopped, as figures began to emerge from behind the doors in the corridor. My hand was up to my mouth, I was crying hysterically at this point, as they came closer, and closer to the front door. He was leading the way, a sickening smile spreading across his face.
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Song Of The Chapter- Popular Music by LIFE

A.N
Two parts left and how are we feeling?? I can't wait to get it done so that I can have a break. I've already got a series in mind, and it's fitting with this 1990's theme that I've got going on 👀

Don't forget to comment and vote, it really helps me out <3

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