AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He heard more sounds but he was lost in his own misery. What the hell else could it be? Her being secretive and all? He raised his head as he heard more sounds coming from the house through the open patio door. He didn’t bother looking but if he had, he would have seen Melora hauling a suitcase behind her. Along with a diaper bag and another bag holding TBone’s things. She didn’t even bother saying goodbye. Instead, she just walked out the front door and left.
Lost in his troubled thoughts and the misery he felt, Sam sat there for a long time before he glanced at his watch and saw it was well past the time TBone should be home from school. He frowned as he got up and went back inside. He looked all through the house then he finally heard the silence that surrounded him. He was alone. He went out into the kitchen again and found a note Melora left for him.
Sam, I don’t know what’s going through your head right now but I’m hurt that you think I’m cheating on you. The kids and I need time away. I need time to think about what you said. It hurts that you don’t trust me anymore.
Melora
Sam growled then balled the paper up and threw it at the trash can. He couldn’t believe this shit. Stomping over to the fridge, he opened it up and found a fresh case of beer. He grabbed a few bottles and sat down to drink them, scowling the whole time.
He sat there at his kitchen table long past the time when the sun went down. In fact, He sat there drinking until there was nothing left to drink. The whole time all he could do was mutter and mumble about the mess his life was now. Finally, he laid his head down on the table and fell asleep.
~*~
It was early the next morning when Sam fell off his chair onto the floor. He groaned when he landed and opened his bleary eyes. His head hurt and his stomach was rolling in protest. He hadn’t been this drunk in many years and when he tried to open his eyes, he grunted and rolled over.
When he finally figured out he was lying on the floor, he pushed himself up to his elbows and looked around the darkened room. “What the fuckin’ hell?” he whispered in a hoarse voice. When a wave of pain hit him, he sank back down on the floor and groaned again. “What the hell did I do last night?”
Suddenly, he remembered what happened and he again pushed himself up to look around. He saw the two dozen empty bottles on the table and he shook his head. That didn’t help, he decided as fresh pain assaulted his head. He felt nauseous as he almost tossed his cookies right then and there.
He struggled to get back up on his chair and then he gazed around. The sun was just coming up. “Damn...” He finally managed to stand and walked slowly and unsteadily to his bedroom. He still felt his belly roll but he swallowed hard and kept it down. Grabbing his cell, he texted Iceman and said he was taking a sick day.
Finally, he flopped down onto his bed. “Just fucked it all up,” he muttered as he closed his eyes and went back to sleep.
~*~
When Sam opened his eyes again, he swiveled his bleary-eyed gaze over to the bedside clock... It was shortly after noon and while his head was killing him at least his belly wasn’t rebelling anymore.
Groaning loudly, he sat up in bed and gazed down at his clothes. He was still in the same clothes he wore to work yesterday. Looking down at his still-booted feet, he sighed heavily. Melora was gonna kill him if he got dirt in the bed, he thought.
Then he realized Melora and his kids weren’t there and he growled.
Next, he got to undressing as his headache got worse. He had to take things slowly and it was tough bending and he almost didn’t get his boots unlaced. He slipped his socks off. Then he finally got his shirt and jeans off.
Walking down the hall naked, he headed for the shower. He got in and just let the hot water wash over his head and shoulders. The water eased his tired, sore muscles as he began to feel human again. He’d barely washed and rinsed off when the water went cold. Shutting the shower off, he stepped out. Grabbing a towel, he dried off and wrapped the towel around his waist. He paused to get his bearings. Drinking like that had been fucking foolish among a list of fool things he’d done.
Finally, he headed back to the bedroom.
Sitting down on the edge of the bed, he tipped his head to one side and listened for a moment. Usually, there would be cartoons blaring from the living room along with baby cries or that sweet babbling Shaw did all the time now. Melora’s sweet voice would echo a bit as she would be talking to their kids and TBone’s incessant chatter would echo back.
When he didn’t hear anything, he growled as the silence seemed to mock him. “Fucking hell, what did I do?” he whispered and his own words echoed back at him. During the next few minutes, the quiet just seemed to make a sound all by itself, one he hated.
When his belly growled, Sam realized he’d drunk his supper the night before and he was starving. He threw some clothes on and went back out to the kitchen only to see the mess he left last night. Two dozen beer bottles were on the kitchen table. Even to him, the place smelled like a brewery as the stale beer made some puddles on the table and the floor.
Sam shook his head. Way back when, this might have been a normal sight and he’d been used to it. Looking around, he realized it had been years since he drank until he passed out. He felt stunned to see it and he sure as hell did not want anyone else to discover it.
Grabbing the trash can, he hauled it over to the table and began throwing out the trash. He winced as the bottles broke and realized he was literally overdoing his cleanup. Grabbing paper towels and the cleaner Melora kept under the sink with the baby lock on the cabinet, he wiped up the spills.
After all the evidence was gone, he sat down for a moment and looked around to be sure it was clean and there was no evidence of his drunken night. Well, besides feeling like shit. Getting up, he made a pot of coffee. While that brewed, he got a glass of water and the bottle of Tylenol in the upper cabinet. He took four of the pills and smelled the scent of brewed coffee in the air.
He grabbed a cup and filled it then put the pot back to finish brewing. Sitting down at the table, he let out a huge sigh and sipped his coffee. He frowned when he realized no one had called him to chew his ass out for upsetting Melora. Then he thought about where she and the kids might be. His frown deepened as he dug his phone out of his pocket and realized she never messaged him after she left last night.
He had no messages at all.
Did that mean no one else knew where she was either? He’d been sure the only place she’d go would be her dad’s house or Cassie’s house or maybe even the clubhouse. Deke always told her she would be welcome there. He would do that even if the kids weren’t his little brother and sister.
“Where the hell is she?” Sam wondered out loud and again, his voice seemed to echo in the silence of the house.
He cleared his throat and speed-dialed her number. She answered but declined the call. Sam growled when he heard the dial tone, so he hit her number again. This time, she didn’t even pick up, she simply rejected the call.
