31_days | [September 24][Original] Untitled

Title: Untitled
Day/Theme: September 24 / death is another country
Series: Original / Cruel
Character/Pairing: Kev Darren, Jack Feller.
Rating: PG-13 (for character death, mild language)
Notes: Not my best work as I don't think I conveyed the grief as well as I wanted to.

"How the fuck should I tell Maya?" Kev asked somberly. As much as he was shocked by his wife's death, he knew he had to think about his child. He was the only one Maya had now and she would want to know where mommy had gone.

Jack who had been delegated to keep Kev company while his close friends dealt with the actual preparations wasn't sure if it was a rhetorical question or if Kev wanted him to answer.

He decided to speak up though, seeing that he actually knew quite a bit about dealing with children. "I've been reading quite a bit on how kids deal with changes in their life. Parents breaking up, someone dying ..." He hesitated. He and Kev had many mutual friends and acquaintances and he loved Maya but he could never fully wrap his head around the fact that this man had once been his English teacher and he didn't feel like he should be the one to stay with him right now although he had been assured it wouldn't be for long.

He noticed Kev was looking directly at him which he took as a hint to continue. "Maybe you could start by saying that mommy is not here right now until you have decided how you want to deal with it. Hope that she doesn't ask right away seeing that you and Lara had told her she'd go on a trip."

Kev nodded. "I guess that could work. I ..." It had been three days now and Mara and Lucas had taken Maya in so Kev could process the events. "I guess I'll have to do some research to decide on how I want to do the whole explanation of mommy never coming back." He buried his head in his hands. "I don't think I can fucking do this. I need help with this, Jack."

"Okay, some tips,” Jack kicked into gear. “Decide on how you want to tell her, never ever tell her that mommy went to sleep and won't wake up, be there for her --"

"I have to tell her, don't I, Jack?" Kev asked as if the realization had just dawned on him. "I have to make it very clear that death isn't reversible, that she won't ever see Lara again."

"Maybe you could tell her that Lara is in heaven watching her," Jack suggested before remembering that Kev was not Christian. "Nah, forget that. You are pretty much limited to a straight out 'mommy won't ever come back; she is dead' without using metaphors due to the fact that you're an atheist."

"At least I don't have to choose between a shitty million options then," Kev sighed. "Should I let her stay home for two weeks or so before sending her back to kindergarten?"

Jack shook his head. "Mara has been bringing her in and I wouldn’t keep her at home myself. A big change is happening and it won't help if you change everything in her life. Routine is good and I’ll look after her. If I notice any unusual behavior, I’ll let you know straight away.”

“Thanks, Jack.”

“No problem.” Jack bit his lip, unsure if he could ask this but decided that he should bring it up now. “Do you want the other parents to know about Lara’s death?”

Kev shrugged. “I … I don’t know. I’m sorry for being a pain in the ass but what would you say?”

“Not straight away. The mothers know you because you always bring Maya in and pick her up and … I don’t know, I think it could be uncomfortable for Maya. And you have to tell her soon to make sure nobody else does.”

“I understand,” Kev nodded. “I trust you to do the right thing. You’re not even a parent but you are much better informed than me. I’ll have to turn to you if I have problems with Maya.”

“Don’t worry about it. I can tell you about the theory; you’ll have to do it yourself though.”

“That’s more than I’ve ever had.”