Jackson: The Surprise (Short Story)

It's been a little over a week but I got another short story for you all! This one is from Jackson's POV and if it belonged to a book it would belong to RED (Book 2). It goes into detail on why Jackson is no longer married and readers can see just how much he was able to relate to Mason's situation in RED as well. Hope you enjoy!

Listen to "Wings" by Birdy on repeat while reading:

Jackson: The Surprise

            The entire flight I could only think about getting home to my wife and two children. It’s been two months since I last seen them; the longest I ever went. The moment I touched down I couldn’t help but smile to myself. The flight was already delayed because of the rain. My driver was waiting for me to arrive. Immediately, I grabbed my bag and got in the car.

            Megan’s going to be so surprised to see me home early. She expected me to come home next week but it was a lie I told her and the kids to surprise them. They’ve missed me so much and it breaks my heart every time my baby girl cries over a video chat begging me to come home to her. She’s only five so she doesn’t fully understand why daddy isn’t home every day the way other fathers are. My son takes it much better but lately he’s been getting into trouble at school. It’s time for me to put my career on hold and focus on my home life.

            When we pull up to my estate I give Martin, my driver a huge tip. It’s the middle of the night and he has a family he should get home to also so it’s the least I can do. He tells me to take care and I reply for him to do the same. As he pulls off I quietly unlock the door and push it open. I set my bag down at the entrance because I want free hands when Megan jumps into my arms. I plan on asking no questions and just taking her right there. We don’t get a lot of time together but I love my wife just as much as a man who sees his every day…distance doesn’t change a thing for me. 

            I silently rush up the stairs and head straight to our bedroom. The light is on which means she’s still up. I find it strange because she’s usually so exhausted from the kids she’s out by ten the latest. It only makes me more excited knowing that she’s wide awake…maybe we can spend a couple more hours together before we both crash. 

            I turn the knob and push open the door only to be stopped dead in my tracks. She was surprised alright…they both were. Initially, I don’t know how to react, I watch as she scrambles to put her clothes on. I keep thinking, ‘this is the wife I couldn’t wait to come home to’. It takes a while before I can even get angry. I just feel hurt…all over. 

            “Jack! Oh my God!  I can- I can explain,” she says trying to put her clothes on. “You weren’t supposed to be home yet.”

            She says it like that’s supposed to make a difference. Like it makes it okay that I found her in bed with another man. If she knew I was coming, he wouldn’t be here…but that means whenever I’m not around he’s with her. My mind is trying to make sense of what’s in front of me. I don’t answer. I turn away and walk out. 

            I head down the stairs unsure of what I’m going to do next. I almost walk out of the front door until I realize this is my house. Everything that’s here is because of me. I lean against the door with a blank expression. That’s when he comes running down the stairs and stops when he sees me. 

            “Did you know?” I ask calmly. 

            “Know what?” he asks in a nervous tone.

            “That she was married…did you know that she had a husband?” I reiterate. 

            “I didn’t know that you were her husband…she just said-“ I cut him off with a blow to the face. 

            “Who gives a fuck if you knew I was her husband or not?! You knew she was a married woman you sorry son of a bitch!” I yell as I give him hit after hit. 

            Megan rushes down the stairs at full speed pushing me off him. He gets up and walks out as fast as he can. 

            “Jackson listen to me! I’m so sorry! You have to let me explain!” she says frantically while holding onto me. 

            I push her away from me and walk back up the stairs. She follows me while begging and pleading but nothing changes for me. I still have the same look on my face, my body language is all the same. 

            I make my way to our bedroom and open the door to her walk in closet. I grab a bunch of her clothes not caring if I’m picking up complete outfits or not.

            “Jack, what are you doing?! What are you doing with my stuff?!” she yells with tears streaming down her face. It almost makes me feel sorry for her looking at her brown eyes grow darker. 

            “I want you out tonight. You can’t stay here,” I say as calmly as I know how. 

            I’m walking down the stairs and to the front door. She’s only inches behind me. 

            “Tonight? No, can we talk about this? Give it some time!” she begs.

            “How long has this been happening?” I ask not really caring what her answer would be. My decision will remain the same. 

            “About a year…but you don’t understand you were never here!”

            I laugh a little. “Well that justifies it,” I say sarcastically. “I gave you everything! The car you drive, the house you live in…our kids! I did all of that you ungrateful slut!” 

            She shutters at the harshness of my words. I can tell it took her by surprise. 

            “Where are the kids?” I ask.

            She takes a deep breath so she can speak clearly. She’s still crying nonstop. “In their rooms. I swear they never saw him…they don’t know anything.”

            “I want you out of my house Megan.” I open the door and throw her clothes out into the pouring rain. 

            “Jackson, please don’t…I love you!”

            “No Megan, love is when you come home early to surprise your wife and kids not when you sleep with another man because your husband is out making a living for his family,” I reply.

            I grab her by her arms and push her towards the door. She’s only wearing a pair of short and a large t-shirt. She doesn’t even have shoes on. 

            “Jack no! No!” she begs. “I have nowhere to go.”

            I pull out my wallet and take out a couple of hundred dollar bills. “I’m sure you can find a decent hotel for the night with that.”

            “What about the kids?” she asks trying to pull my grip off of her arm.

            “I’ll tell them that mommy is a cheating whore who had to go away for a while. Don’t worry, I won’t keep you away from your kids but you can’t stay here!” I forcefully push her out the door. She lands on her knees, I’m sure causing them to scrape. I don’t even care enough to care. I slam the door and lock it. I leave her out there without a cell phone, keys, or a jacket. I’m that angry. 

            I walk away from the door while hearing her bang over and over. She’s crying and begging but I don’t care. I spend some time in the guest room before I think about my actions. After about thirty minutes of her standing out in the rain without any decent clothes, I let her back in. She’s sobbing and shivering.

            “You stay in the bedroom and I’ll be in one of the other rooms. You can have the house and we’ll split custody. You’ll have them majority of the time since I’m always on tour or working on an album. They’re my family and I will put them first but you’re nothing to me. You never will mean anything to me ever again,” I say.

            “Jack, you’re just hurt,” she replies as her voice cracks. She tries to touch me but I move her away. 

            “No, I mean it. This is it for us. I don’t want to fight you for anything. I just want out. It hurt me to be away from you too but I never touched another woman. I’m done here.”

            I leave her standing there dripping from the rain. She’ll probably cry the entire night but I don’t care. This is the beginning of the end for us…

Find out more about Jackson in the RED Tragedies Series here. Jackson appears in A Tragic Heart, RED, & What Could've Been.  

 

Reminisce (A Poem From Jackson's POV + New Scene From RED)

Last week I shorted you guys and didn't give you a poem from a character's POV or a new scene from RED. This week I'm making up for it! This poem comes from Jackson's POV and it's a little out of his character. Anyone who remembers Jackson from A Tragic Heart knows that he has the rep of being the cool brother; the laid back one who Taylor confided in. Well, he's the same person in RED only this time Peyton (Taylor and Peyton's daughter) confides in him instead. Usually he's the upbeat, awesome uncle/brother everyone loves but this poem shows a more somber side to him. It's a side you never see much of and he only lets it out in private. Here's Reminisce:

Sidenote: If you missed the previous poem you can view it here!

In my mind I can see your face so clearly

The years went by but it all still feels the same

I can live an eternity & I'll still miss you severely 

Nothing can replace you, none of my fortune and fame

I gasp for air because you're not here

It's like your memory chokes me until I can't breathe

Losing you was always my biggest fear

Your memory haunts me, I can barely speak

I never thought it would all end like this

You, untouchable, while I suffer in silence

Living everyday is a hit or miss

There's an inner battle, I suffer the violence

Now I sit back and reminisce

Nostalgia sends me into a dark place

I'm so sorry you felt you had to go out like this 

I would give it all just to see your face

And she's dying here without you

But I don't want to place blame

But there's nothing I can do

Nothing was ever the same

I can't breathe without you but I have no choice...

Here's the scene from RED that inspired Reminisce. It's Jackson's inner monologue after he holds a conversation with Peyton. RED is set to be released this Valentine's Day (February 14, 2015)! Any Peyton that is in bold letters refers to the Peyton from A Tragic Heart.

My time with Peyton results in me needing some alone time anyway. My stomach is in knots and there is a huge lump in my throat. I head to my room and lock the door. I close my eyes and exhale trying to make the pain go away but it’s stubborn. It wants to hang around for a little while longer.

Almost seventeen years later and the pain is still as arresting as it was the day I found out. That day when Mason called me to tell me that he found Taylor in a pool of her own blood with a giant knife sticking out of her chest. I didn’t want to believe that she took her own life, as it would have been easier to know that someone else was to blame. I hated blaming my own sister for her death.

I remember it so clearly. I couldn’t speak, my mouth was dry and the lump in my throat prevented me from forming words. This feeling that I am feeling right now is all too familiar.

My brain shut down on me. Taylor was my best friend and to hear Mason tell me that she was no longer with me was my biggest fear. I never imagined a world without Taylor. I’ve tried to several times before but the thoughts were in flashes. I never took the time to ponder how I would go on without her because I knew it would hurt too much.

I was angry. Why wouldn’t she call me like she normally did? Why didn’t she think of me? If she wasn’t going to stay for her baby girl, why not stay for me?

Matt, my bass guitarist had to pull me together. I had a show that night and it was too late to cancel. I had to go on stage in front of thousands of people and try my best to smile. I broke down during every break throughout the set. I guess that moment made me a stronger person because nothing could stop me from performing now. Performing through that circumstance taught me how to play through anything with a smile on my face.

Taylor was too young to take on the responsibilities she placed before herself. She should have enjoyed life as a teenager but I could understand why it was so difficult for her. So many unfortunate things happened to her before she reached her fifteenth birthday. I was her only confidant and when I left to tour after high school, she felt alone. Part of me blamed myself for her problems but I knew I had to live my life too. I just wished that there was something else I could have done. I did my best to stay in contact with her but some days were harder than others. She never understood just how much I loved her. Words weren’t enough.

I would take my own life just to save hers if I had a choice. At the funeral I could barely stand to look at her lying there. I wanted to believe that she was only sleeping and it was some sort of sick joke but my gut reminded me that it was all real. The truth is I almost didn’t show up. Mason forced me to come. I called him the day of the service to tell him that I wasn’t going. Ten minutes later he was at my doorstep forcing me to get ready. He told me that I’d regret it later.

I told him that the thought alone was killing me and I wouldn’t be able to take seeing her in that state. It didn’t make sense to me that I’d never see my little sister again. It didn’t make sense that I’d never hear her voice calling me ever again or that she no longer existed. It didn’t make sense to me that she would take her own life…although it made perfect sense to me.

She loved Peyton more than her own life. She loved him so much that she would choose selfishness over thinking about the ones who still loved her that were here on earth. She couldn’t have thought about what it would have done to me. She mentioned me in her suicide note but it wasn’t enough. She couldn’t tell me to stay strong and that she loved me if she was going to do something so drastic. She didn’t understand and every day I ask God to show her mercy because she didn’t know what she was doing. She wasn’t in her right mind. I ask Him every day to punish me rather than her. I deserve it more than she does. She was good throughout her lifetime. She made one irreversible mistake…just one. I plead all the time for Him to go easy on her. She needed grace more than anyone else I’ve ever come in contact with.

Peyton died in a tragic way. No one could have predicted it and everyone asked “why him?” He was only seventeen and had so much life ahead of him. He was supposed to be right next to me selling out arenas. The kid had undeniable talent that was out of this world. He obviously passed it onto his daughter. I think she’s more like him than Taylor. She has his hair and eyes…it’s almost scary. Anyone who knew Peyton could tell that she was all him. She has some of Taylor’s attitude and slight traits in her personality but her nature was every bit of her dad’s.

Her rebellious temperament, her musical ability, her wild ways are all Peyton. He slowed down a lot after meeting Taylor. In many ways she saved him too. Taylor always credited Peyton for her happiness but he claimed that he was a changed man because of her. He gave up his heavy drinking, drug use, partying and women just for her. He told me all about his past life before Taylor while we were on tour. In fact, his past life was eerily similar to his daughter’s present life.

We became really good friends and I looked forward to having him as a brother-in-law. I already saw him as the brother I never had. Damn, Peyton if you never left, Taylor would still be here and if Taylor was still here your daughter would be okay.

There’s no time to play the blaming game. All is how it is and there’s no changing that. We have to learn how to deal with the present without falling down…and if we fall we need to learn how to pick ourselves up. If not for ourselves, for someone who cares about us. I wish Taylor would have known that. I wish I would have told her that the day I visited her a little after Peyton was born. Maybe those words could have saved her life. She always thought highly of my opinions and advice.

The pain that I’m feeling isn’t showing any signs of letting up anytime soon. My thoughts race a 

million miles per hour leaving me sitting at the edge of my bed with tears falling from my eyes. And the pain never goes away...

Character Profile From RED: Jackson Caldwell

December is finally here which means that I have a new character profile for you all! This character is far from a stranger and although he's not one of the main three characters, he's just as important to the RED Tragedies series. Anyone who read A Tragic Heart knows him as Taylor Caldwell's big brother but in RED he's so much more than that. Not only is he Peyton's (Hayley) uncle but he plays a major role in RED. He's another character who gets his own POV at times. He's a rockstar, a confidant, brother, uncle, extremely hot...he's Jackson Caldwell!

Full Name: Jackson Gabriel Caldwell

Birth Date: January 19, 1990

Gender: Male

Age During RED: 36-38 years old

Eye Color: Brown

Hair Color: Black/Dark Brown

Height: 5'11

Weight: 168 lbs

Relatives: Taylor Caldwell (sister-deceased), Henry Caldwell (Father), Eva Caldwell (Mother), Kristen Caldwell (sister), Tyler Caldwell (brother-deceased), Mason Taylor (ex-brother in law), Peyton Hale Giordano (brother in law-deceased), Peyton Hayley Giordano (niece), Grayson Caldwell (son), Charli Caldwell (daughter)

Relationship Status: Single/Divorced

Interests/Hobbies: Singing, Guitar, Piano, Playing on stage with his band, Songwriting, Spending time with his family, Women, Recreational use of herbs (occasionally) 

Positive Character Traits: He's loving and would go to new heights to protect the ones he love. Jackson is the cool uncle/brother that everyone wants. He's very laid back and hates confrontation but he will fight if it comes to that. Jackson is/was Taylor's guardian angel on earth. 

Negative Character Traits: Sometimes he can be "too cool" and not make the right decisions. For example, there are times he was/is too lenient on his sister and niece. 

Choice Quote From RED: "Stop crying, forget your mistakes, and move on!"

So that's it for Jackson! For those of you who are familiar with him I hope this got you a little more excited to read about him in RED. For those of you who didn't know him until now, I hope you feel like you just met Jack for the first time. RED will be out this Winter (I get the edited manuscript back this week! Yay!) which means there is still time to catch up with A Tragic Heart. It's the first part to the RED Tragedies series, with RED being the second. Thanks for stopping by and getting to know the characters in my head. :-)

By the way, if Jackson was a song he'd be Radioactive by Imagine Dragons!