my only one (COMPLETED)

chapter 67

Chapter 67:

-Jack’s point of view-

I was still confused about whether Max had actually called me ‘dad’, but eventually settled for the fact that I’d misheard. I stopped the car outside the house, and turned back around to look at Max. His cheeks were wet, and he continued to stare out the window. “Let’s get you something to eat, ‘eh?” I tried to smile, but I still felt upset from the loss of my mother. No doubt Max felt as rotten as I did; he must have thought he’d lost his mum too. I hoped, for his sake, Hanley would come to her senses and return soon.

He followed me into the house, still not saying a word. “Max, what’s up?” I whispered, crouching next to him and looking into his eyes. “I- I didn’t kill her, did I?” Max snivelled, and I smiled. “No! No, she’s been ill for a while, it wasn’t your fault Maxie!” I laughed slightly, hugging him. He smiled back slightly, and I switched on the TV.

Whilst Max’s eyes were glued to the screen, I walked into the kitchen and leant against the side-board. What should I feed Max? Hanley usually fed him. Hanley. I missed her so much; I began to think about her. I was so deep in thought, I hadn’t even realised I was crying when Max walked in. I wiped my face, and he stood in the doorway. “Um, Uncle Jack?” he mumbled quietly. “Your mum said she loves you.” He mumbled, and looked at the floor. 

I shared a pizza with Max, although neither of us ate much. “Is it time for bed, little man?” I smiled, and he nodded. He was so quiet now that he’d watched today unfold. He nodded, and ran up the stairs to change into his pyjamas. I sighed, and threw the half-eaten pizza in the bin. Max didn’t come back down, so I assumed he’d gone to bed. I didn’t feel like it would be a good idea to stay up and torture myself about today’s events, so I went up to bed soon after Max. 

-Max’s point of view-

I lay on my bed, unable to sleep. Who was my dad? Up until now, I was sure Alex was my dad, but now, I wasn’t so sure. Looking at the Ben 10 clock, I realised it was nearly 11 o’clock. After, rolling over again and again, I decided to use the ‘emergency phone’ Jack had given me to use during emergencies. ’This is an emergency.’ I decided, and quietly jumped out of bed. 

I could hear Jack snoring in the other room, as I pulled the phone out of my school bag. I scrolled through the list, and pressed the green button to call him. I hoped he was still awake. “Hello?” A voice answered on the other end. I felt happy to hear his voice again. “Dad?” I whispered, smiling.

“Max? What’s up, why are you ringing at this time?” he asked, and I heard him laughing slightly. “I can’t sleep.” I whispered, and fiddled with a piece of Lego in my hand, nervous about what I might say. “Are you my Dad?” I choked. Alex stopped laughing, and paused. “What did you say?” he said, seriously. 

“Are you my real Dad?” I repeated, really nervous about Alex’s reaction. He didn’t reply for a while. “Er, erm, well...” he began. “Max, I’m not going to lie to you anymore, because you’re obviously a smart young boy now. I’m afraid I’m not your Dad. It’s all very confusing, but Jack is your real Dad. But Max, listen to me. Real son or not, I love you so much.” Alex said, and he sounded really upset.

“Okay.” I sighed, unsure about everything. “I, I love you too…” I mumbled, unsure about how I felt about this. “I’d better go now; I think Jack’s going to wake up soon.” I whimpered, trying to prevent any tears. “Okay then, good luck Max. I love you.” Alex sounded like he was going to cry as well. “Bye.” I sighed, and he hung up afterwards. 

I wasn’t sure on how to feel still. I was slightly upset about this, and wondered why nobody had told me the truth. Why was Alex my dad at first, then Jack? Did Jack not want me? I think that’s what made me sad. Jack didn’t want me. I was a disappointment to Jack. I was crying now, and decided I’d go and wake Jack up. I needed to hear this from him. 

I pushed his bedroom door open, and saw him hugging my Mum’s t-shirt, the one she’d worn about three days ago. He opened his eyes as soon as the light shone on them, and he sat up, squinting at the light. “Hey buddy, what’s up? Have a bad dream?” He smiled, looking tired. “Umm, Jack…” I mumbled, tears still on my face.

-Jack’s point of view-

Max was stood at the end of my bed, a few tears streaming down his face. “Are you my Dad?” he asked, and I was so surprised, I almost swore. “Wh-what?” I muttered, and he repeated the question. I moved Hanley’s t-shirt out of the way, and patted the pillow for him to sit on. 

“Look, Max, it’s all very confusing.” I began, but he put his small finger to my lip. “I already know.” He sighed, and looked up at me with his big brown eyes. There was an awkward silence between us, and I didn’t know how to respond. “Why didn’t you want me?” Max whimpered, bursting into tears. “What?” I almost shouted. “You don’t want me, do you?” Max moved away from me, and sat on the end of the bed.

“What on earth gave you that idea?” I almost started laughing at how ridiculous he sounded. “You, you didn’t want me, so you said Alex was my dad.” He sniffed, and I wrapped my arms around him. “Max, I always wanted you to be my son. I was so happy, when everything was cleared up. There was a mix up in the doctor, but they realised you really were my son and that I was your dad. I was so happy, Max! But we didn’t want to tell you, because we thought you wanted Alex as a Dad. He still can be your dad, you know. I won’t mind.” I sighed, and he threw his arms around me. 

“I love you, Dad.” He smiled, and I smiled back. “I love you too, Max.” I held him there, until he fell asleep. I tucked him in Hanley’s space next to me, and he cuddled up to me. I smiled to myself, before falling asleep, holding my son in my arms next to me. The only person missing now was Hanley.