By Rachel
Chapter two
"Tad, Tad!!" Brooke banged on the door relentlessly. Where were they??
All she wanted was to pick up her son and leave. She did not want to be in Pine Valley a moment longer, "Tad!!!".
The door flew open, "Brooke! what's wrong??"
Tad stood at the door in his red and white-checkered boxers and a white T-shirt, not that Brooke noticed. "Nothing is wrong, where is my son??" Brooke stepped into the foyer.
"Nothing, NOTHING??? You nearly knocked down my door like the Big Bad Wolf and you say, nothing?" Tad looked at the door to make sure it was all in tact and shut it. He turned back around to Brooke.
She stared at him. "Jamie! Jamie, honey?" Brooke walked towards the stairs expecting to see her son surface. "Jamie, c'mon let's go!"
Brooke faced Tad, "what is he doing, is he ready? He should be ready!" Brooke seemed anxious. She paced back and forth by the stairs. She slicked her hair behind her ears.
"Ok, so you are not the Big Bad Wolf. I got it. You are little Red Riding Hood, but who is the wolf???" Tad smirked wondering what her rush was. "You're not funny. Your son and I are moving to a different state and here you are amusing yourself. Jamie!" Brooke placed her hand on the banister hoping her son would hurry up and show.
"Slow down! Brooke you are moving to a neighboring state, not the South of France. I am going to be seeing Jamie every weekend if not more often and besides I get to stay in New York for FREE! Do you know how much money you are saving me in hotel expenses?"
Brooke was not amused. "Ok, I'm sorry. I am going to miss you both very much. But, I know this is in your best interest. I know that Jamie will get used to the idea and it will all be fine"
Brooke looked at her wrist watch, "Jamie!! I am going to get him myself!" she starts to head up the stairs.
"Brooke, he is in the garage storing some of his things. He is all ready to go, obviously, not as ready as you are".
Brooke turned off the steps and walked towards the sofa. She folded her hands in front of her with her bag clenched against her body. She stood in front of the sofa and sat slowly. Her hands still folded in front of her, she laid her head back on the couch. "Focus Brooke, you can do this," she kept telling herself, "in a few minutes you will be driving yourself and your son right out of Pine Valley". The sight of Maria and Edmund standing on her porch kept replaying in her head.
"Knock, knock, anybody home?" Tad stood over Brooke watching her stare right through him. "Brooke, now you are scaring me!"
"Huh?? Oh, I'm fine. It has just been a long day. I need to go find my son. I need to get out of here" She sat up and started to look for her car keys in her purse. Her purse spilled out of her hands and onto the floor. "For goodness sake!" She started to put the things back in her purse.
"Ok, what is going on? You can't even sit still. It's Edmund isn't it?? what did he say? Or was it Maria?? I mean Maureen?? The kids?? What?? Tad was visibly concerned.
"I said, NOTHING, alright! Everything is FINE! Jamie!!!" Brooke stood up and walked towards the back door hoping her son would hear her.
"Brooke, stop it. Everything is not fine." Tad looked at his son's mother in admiration. How she kept it all together was beyond him.
"Tad, do you understand English, what part of FINE, do you not understand? JAMIE!!"
"Mom!"" Jamie appeared in the doorway with a handful of CDs.
"Hi!! Oh, hi honey." Brooke walked towards her son and embraced him. He was the only thing that made her get out of bed some mornings. "Are you ready?? what are these?" she pointed at the CDs.
"I wanted to hear these on the ride to NY" he walked towards his bookbag on the sofa and threw them in.
"Ok, honey, great. Can you get the rest of your things? We really have to get going" Brooke zipped her son's book bag closed.
"Yeah, I will be right back" he ran up the stairs to collect his things.
Brooke picked up Jamie's bag and put it by the back door. She laid her purse on top of it. She went to the sofa and lifted some of Jamie's clothes that were on hangers and laid them by the door. "What!! why are you looking at me like that Tad??"
"Oh, nothing. Nothing at all. Everything is fine!! Just peachy".
"Are you going to just stand there and mock me, or are you going to help me?" Brooke gathered some of Jamie's school books and stack them along with everything else.
Tad walked over to Brooke and reached out to hold her. "I love you Brooke" . She was such a strong woman. He loved that about her.
She rested her head in his chest and let him hold her up. "I love you too, Tad. Thank you for not giving me a hard time about this. Your support means so much," she felt the tears starting to come and so she stepped away and faced him, "really it does".
"Ok, I have everything" Brooke and Tad both turned to face their son.
"Great Jamie! Let's hit the road, ok?" Brooke was so eager to leave but couldn't help wonder what this would mean for her son. Was she being selfish by moving him?? All of the thoughts ran through her mind at once. Should she have left him with Tad for awhile and moved to New York on her own? Should she let Maureen's resurrection run her out of her home? She could feel her temples beating faster.
The door bell rang followed by a banging of the door. "Tad, open up!" It was Edmund!!
"Jamie, let's go!" Brooke ran to the back door and quickly grabbed her purse and Jamie's book bag. "Let's go, let's go." "But, mom." Jamie looked back at Tad.
"Brooke what is the hurry?" Tad looked at her with utter confusion.
"Don't ask me questions now Tad, alright!!" Brooke struggled with her bags.
"Go ahead son. I will talk to you later". He gave his son a quick hug.
"TAD! I know Brooke is in there!" Edmund continued to bang on the door.
"JAMIE!! Now, honey!" Brooke grabbed her son and ran out into the courtyard.
Tad stood in his living room confused. He ran behind Jamie but was no longer able to see where he'd disappeared to. The banging at the front door was getting louder. "My poor door!" Tad raced to get the door. "For the love of God Edmund, you are going to wake the dead. What do you want??"
Edmund rushed right by him. "Brooke, Brooke I am sorry. I am so sorry. I have been so wrong. Brooke!!!" Edmund ran up the stairs, "really I am". He came back down a searched the kitchen, the den, the study. "Where is she Tad?"
"She is not here, Edmund" Tad closed the door behind him.
"Oh, c'mon Tad, where is she? I need to speak to her." Edmund continued to search the house.
"Edmund, she is NOT here. She got Jamie and she left" "She had to drop off the house keys at the realtor first. She couldn't have..." he brushed his hands through his hair anxiously, "she couldn't' have done that and picked up Jamie that fast"
"Well you have obviously underestimated her once again! Don't you have a knack for that? You also have a knack for losing her, don't you?"
"Don't you go there Martin!"
"Don't I go there, you nearly break down my door at this time of night and you tell me not to go there?? Let's see Edmund it wasn't too long ago that you barged into my house again and did a song and dance about 'She is my soulmate Tad, she makes me laugh, she 's smart, on and on. Where is she Tad? Blah, blah. If you really think you can make her happy Tad!! Blah, blah. And then you treat her like crap for weeks. You completely shut off the 'I love Brooke' switch, you forget that she's been your best friend for a decade. But you still find the gall to come here and demand to know where she is? Ha!"
"Tad, I..."
"Dad!!" Tad and Edmund both turn to see Jamie running in through the back door, "come quick, it's mom, hurry!"