For Them, We Must

We're doing this all night.

Oakley bit at her thumbnail as she waited for Kayce to finish getting changed. He walked out of the closet, buttoning up his shirt. Oakley dropped her hand against her lap as Kayce looked at her.

He was going with Jamie and his father into town. John said he knew who to ask to find out information "that fucking sheriff wishes he knew." It had been a heated conversation between Jamie and John earlier, Oakley awkwardly in the middle. It ended with Kayce walking downstairs and John barking to be ready in ten minutes.

"So much for your days off," Kayce looked at Oakley.

"Can your father even do anything?" Oakley asked. "I mean, she's...gone."

"I don't know," Kayce finished tucking his shirt in and tightening his belt. "But I can't look at Jamie's face and see that heartbreak anymore."

"It hasn't even been two days," Oakley reminded Kayce. "Think he's allowed a little grace."

"It's the next day and he's leaving his son to follow dad wherever we're going," Kayce walked over to where Oakley was sitting.

Oakley kept her mouth shut. While she may not entirely agree with Kayce on this, he's the one who's been through this before. Sure, Monica was Kayce's ex-wife, but she was still Tate's mother who had passed away tragically.

Kayce pulled his boots on but stayed sitting on the bed next to Oakley. She reached over and rubbed his back up and down soothingly.

"Are you okay here?" He asked her. "When do the kids get back?"

"Not until tomorrow," Oakley said. "Mom texted that they all got to school on time."

"Did you tell her?" Kayce asked.

"About this?" Oakley shook her head no. "Not much to tell and mom doesn't know Jamie...plus she'd come here, and I don't want that either."

Kayce eyed her.

"But you want the kids, don't you?" He asked softly.

"I just want to hug them," Oakley gave Kayce a sad smile. "James is my nephew, but I don't know him that well...Jamie might live here but he's kept his distance over the past few years."

"Yeah," Kayce sighed.

He still looked sad to Oakley, taking this more personally than she was. She scooted closer to Kayce and wrapped her arms around his, leaning her chin on his shoulder. Kayce looked over at her.

"I know the memories are hard," Oakley whispered to him. "How can I help?"

"Don't think you can," Kayce told her. "Memories can't be...fixed."

Oakley nodded, even though she didn't like his answer.

"You're being a good brother," She said to Kayce. "You always are to Jamie."

"Kayce!" John's voice from downstairs traveled up to their bedroom.

Kayce pulled his arm from Oakley's hold and wrapped it around her, dragging her body into his while pressing a kiss to her temple. Oakley held onto Kayce for a few seconds, wishing he didn't have to go.

"Be careful," Oakley looked up at him. "Your father...well, you know."

Kayce nodded, slowly rising from the bed, and headed downstairs. Oakley waited until she heard the front doors shut before she leaned back on the bed and sighed. She ran her fingers through her hair before she stood up and headed downstairs to find James. Jamie had told her James was in the living room watching television but when she got there the couch was empty. Oakley heard something in the kitchen and went to find James sitting at the island watching Gator start on some lunch and supper for today.