Fanon:Hearts of Hallowan/105

Filling out Forms - Episode 1.05

← 1.04 - Lies and Mysteries | 1.06 - TBA →

Carylena Morril woke up to the sound of her alarm clock. "Uhh... Monday," she groaned as she lifted herself out of bed. She noticed as she rose that Richard had already gotten up; he's so impatient at times, she thought to herself as she slowly shuffled to the bathroom to start her morning.

By the time she had made it out to the kitchen, a pot of coffee had already been brewed, a cup had been drank and the empty cup had been left by the kitchen sink, adjacent to a hastily-scribbled note. Carylena read the note quickly before placing it into the trash and pouring herself some coffee. She heard shoes upon the front steps, and knew that the morning's edition of the Hallowan Herald had just been delivered. "Wes!" Carylena yelled down the stairs to the basement, and she could hear within moments a door open and the sound of shuffling feet. "Seriously, Wes," she said as her youngest son slowly moved into the room, "just because you don't have school, doesn't mean you should look like a homeless person." Of all the articles of clothing Wes was wearing, none of them were clean or free of holes or tears.

"Yeah, yeah," he said as he poured himself a cup of coffee.

"You're not loafing around the house today," Carylena said as she finished off her coffee. "I want you to keep working on the application for the school."

"I know, I'll get to it." Wes said in between sips.

"You've said that for two weeks now, and it's still not done." Wes rolled his eyes. "You think I'm joking? I will not have my son living under my roof until he's married and having kids of his own. So unless you want to go out today and get a job that can support you, you're going to fill out that application."

Though Carylena spoke with a tone that indicated that the conversation was resolved, Wes mounted a rebuttal. "They kicked me out the first time, what makes you think they want me back?"

"That," Carylena said sternly, "was your own fault, and you know it. Don't try to say that they were unfair to you there. Besides, I'm sure Lana would like to see you come back."

"Have you ever considered," Wes began to ask," that maybe I don't want to be continually glued to my sister?"

"Just because she's your twin, doesn't mean that I think you should be 'glued' together. I'm just sure that she wants you to succeed, just like I do." Wes looked less than convinced. "Look," Carylena took on a more caring tone, "If you apply and you really knock them out, I don't think they'll turn you down. If they do, you can try somewhere else. And if you get in and you apply yourself this time, I'm sure you will be successful." With that, Carylena laid a brief kiss on her son's cheek, before picking up her purse from the kitchen counter. "Finish the application," she added before heading out the door and to her car.

Richard Morril's face was illuminated only by the glow of the computer screen, as he was up before dawn that Monday morning. A few boring forms flashed on the screen, and Richard shuffled between some stacks of paper, putting in various bits and pieces of information. He fiddled a bit with the wedding ring on his finger, before putting the computer to sleep and rubbing his eyes a bit.

"You're working yourself raw," a man's kind voice came in from the doorway into the living room. Korey Ullman stepped in, wearing sweatpants and a baggy t-shirt and looking as if he had just gotten out of bed.

"You know," Richard said, his eyes meeting Korey's, "how important this is to me. To us."

"I know, and I do love how devoted you are to this." Korey smiled, and Richard returned it. "Have you eaten yet?" Korey asked as he moved back into the kitchen. Richard shook his head.

"No I haven't, but I don't have enough time for a full breakfast today. I need to run some errands before I go to work.

"Can you pick up a book from the library?" Korey asked as Richard moved into the kitchen and towards the stairs to the second floor. "The sink is leaking again, and I can't figure out why."

"Sure thing, hon," he murmured as he walked up the stairs. He came down a short time later in casual business dress. "I'm running late!" he shouted into the dining room, where Korey sat eating a bowl of cereal. "I'll see you tonight. I want to try and finish up the application."

"Hey," Korey said, "come here." Richard moved towards Korey.

"I really am running late," Richard said; Korey smiled.

"I just wanted to say," Korey said as he straightened Richard's collar, "that I'm sure this will all go through. Don't worry so much about it, ok?"

"Alright... I'll try. But I really do need to go," Richard said as he walked towards the door. "See you tonight." He stepped out the door, as Korey stood up with his empty bowl, depositing it in the sink on his way into the living room. The normally-clear computer desk was strewn with all sorts of official-looking forms and papers.

"What's really the point?" Korey asked no one but himself as he looked over the forms. Korey stepped away from the desk - looking at the forms always got to him; it made the whole process so much more real than he was prepared for at this point. He moved instead towards a bookshelf tucked into the corner. Aside from books and magazines, the shelf held over a dozen pictures, many of Korey and Richard, some of Richard and his family. One photo in particular caught his eyes this morning; it was a photo of his mother and him standing outside Richard and his new house, the picture was only a couple years old, but so much had changed since then...

Korey was in the shower when the phone rang. He was nearly on his way to work before he heard the knock on the door. At first he was so happy to see his father, who had been forbade from visiting since the incident. But the news certainly wasn't the best, and it certainly took a lot of convincing before Korey was willing to accompany Gabriel to the hospital.

Gabriel and Korey drove in silence to the hospital. Gabriel was spending his energy worrying about Janie's reaction to Korey, and Korey was spending his energy worrying about everything in general - the adoption, the family, and Marci. But mostly, the question which had nagged him for so long, the one that had caused so many problems, for him and his family and his town, indeed his whole life...

It was the question that drove him mad.

End