Emotional whirlwind

He’d sat him down, and looked him in the eye.
At least he’d tried, it had taken a few attempts at getting Max to pay attention.
And then Jay clumsily stumbled over the words he’d been going over and over in his head for days.
“Mummy’s had an accident…” he said, his voice cracking as he spoke. “She…said…she said she loves you very much, but…she can’t come home. Ever..”
Jay didn’t know what to expect of Max’s reaction. Truth was, he barely knew the kid, he’d been raised for the first three years of life with no father, then the last year or so he’d been on Blue Dwarf Jay had…well…he’d not been around much.
Life in deep space, as the leader of a small colony…hell, not even a colony, the small group of surviving humans anywhere in the universe probably – in a hostile region of space, didn’t have the luxury of family time very often.
Jay prepared for the waterworks – god knows he’d had a few himself – but they never came.
Instead, Max said simply “Ok. I’ll miss her” before climbing off the sofa and going to play with his lego.
Jay stared numbly at the recently vacated spot on the couch for a few seconds before turning to look at the boy as he played.
Did he understand? Was he going to break down later?
Jay wasn’t sure. He’d have to keep an eye on him. Take him out, get both their minds off it.
He headed to the promenade.
<Insert Cass’s post parts 1 & the soon to be released part 2 here>
After their conversation about Jaxx, Jay turned away from Cass and watched Max play.
“How’s he holding up?” Cass asked.
“Dunno” Jay said “Doesn’t seem to understand it.”
“He’s young. He’ll understand in time”
“Not sure I’ll be able to handle it when he does…”
“You will. ‘Handling things’ is what YOU do…”
“Is it? I thought I could handle keeping everyone safe. Instead Jade’s in critical condition, Alex and Seymour are in stasis, White Wolfs AWOL, and Katrina is dead.”
Cass stared into her drink, fiddling with the label.
“It’s not your fault Jay…you..” Jay interrupted her
“Then who’s is it. It was me who convinced them all to go after you..and I’m the reason you were even there…it’s all on me…”
“No, it’s not.”
“How the smeg am I meant to keep him safe anyway? I’ve been so fucking selfish Cass. I wanted a family so much, I didn’t even think about how dangerous it was out here…”
“Everyone’d be better off if I’d stayed dead…”
“Jay, come on, no-one thinks that.”
“Well maybe they should.” He knocked back the last of his drink and rested his face in his hands.
A few seconds later he looked up. “Can you do me a favour..” he asked
“Sure.”
“Look after Max for a few hours…I need…I need some time alone.”
“Um…Jay…?” Cass said sheepishly, but it was too late. Jay had gone.
Cass looked down at Max, and smiled a nervous smile…
<tag Locke>
<Plis-snip here>
Plisken raised the glass to his lips and the foul smell of all the drinks filled his senses. Now, he had drank many, many, many things in his lifetime – even the fabled Pan – Galactic Gargle Blaster. But this? But this?
Plisken coughed as the liquid burned its way down his throat.
"So answer the question," Jay pressed.
Plisken sighed, "I've lost all of them at some point or another. Kate, Garnet, Rebecca. They all died at some point. And then there were my husbands but let's not talk about them."
<end plis-snip>
“I’ve lost count of how many I’ve lost. I watched my little sister die…she was resurrected as a hologram, only to die again. My clone. I’ve lost a wife three times…I’ve only been married TWICE! I’ve lost friends, too many to count….I…can’t do it anymore.”
He knocked back another gulp of the potent mixture.
“How the smeg do you get used to it, Old timer?”
“You don’t” Plisken replied matter of factly. “You just accept it.”
Jay poured another glass of the concoction, and gulped it down in one.
Plisken looked silently on at the man. He was broken. He just hadn’t realised it yet.
Suddenly Jay got to his feet, and in a fit of rage, hurled the table aside (Plisken casually lifting his drink from the tabletop just in time, and taking a sip), followed by the nearby chairs, and then following suit with the table occupied by two gerbils on what appeared to be a first date, this time Jay grabbed a chair and smashed it against a wall before realised he was being stared at by the other patrons.
“WHAT?” he yelled at none of them in particular. The rodents quickly looked away and went back to what they were doing.
“There it is” Thought Plisken, as Jay slid down the nearby wall into a heap on the floor, tears streaking down his cheeks.
“….why…Plisken.” he said weakly. “Why did they have to take her from me…”
He didn’t get long to ponder it, as the two burly hamsters who served as security in Parrotts lumbered over, and grabbed Jay, dragging him out of the door and tossing him out on to the promenade.

It was a few hours later, when Jamie found Jay. He’d opened a maintenance panel, to fix a power conduit, and there he was. Slumped against the wall inside the space (that really should have been much much too small for a full grown adult male to fit comfortably inside), clutching a now empty bottle of…something…he woke him gently. “Jay…you ok?”
Jay came round slowly, and blearily gazed up at Jamie.
“I will be” he slurred. “When I’ve put things right…”
<Tag Locke – or TBC>