xp_logs | Jay, Mel, Sam, & Paige

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Backdated Jay breaks the news of his decision to the rest of the family.

Jay's wings were low as he looked at his assembled siblings. "Jo's been tellin' me Mama's been gettin' worse..." He said, chewing his lip. "I been thinkin' and prayin' on it and it ain't fair to have Jo and the twins deal with that. And y'all all got lives up here... I've been thinkin' it'd be a good idea for me to go home and take care of the kids a while."

Cissie and Lewis were his babies. He was pert near their daddy, as much as Sam was their daddy before he left to come up North. And he didn't want them and Jo to have to play parent to Mama.

"Just til Mama's not all ate up," he said, defending his decision before anyone could object.

He looked at Mel, hoping she wouldn't feel betrayed.

“Jay! But-“ His sister didn’t look shocked as much as she did worried at the implications of such a move. “It ain’t safe — you know what Bobby John and his kin are liable to do.”

Paige bit her lip, unsure of what to say. “I know it’s not ideal, but we have talked about maybe bringing the kids up here. It doesn’t have to be permanent, just until Lucinda is back on her feet?”

Sam looked at Jay with an expression in his eyes that read clear with fear and uncertainty. "I don'- I don' know that they'd want to move here." He said haltingly. "Now I don'- I don' necessarily care so much what happens to Lucinda so long as the kids are taken care of but- are you sure Jay? I don' want-" His voice choked up, thinking about how he'd held Jay's limp body in his arms, about the way that Lucinda had cast him out. "I wanna know that yer okay too."

Jay pulled Mel into a side hug , rubbing shoulder to reassure her. "I'll be just fine. Can't leave Jeb to the adult can I?" He didn't want to think what could happen if Jeb, who got in too many fights, picked one with The Cabots now that Mama wasn't even around to be the adult.

And frankly, he didn't trust Jo right now. And Lizzie was off at college.

"I doubt it'll be more'n just a couple months. A year at most. I don't wanna up root the kids and get 'em into a different school away from all their friends for that."

He sighed. "I... I don't want none of y'all to feel like you gotta. I wanna do this. It's my responsibility and they're... They're my babies."

And Kentucky was his home. New York was starting to be everyone else's.

Paige had no idea what to say to that. She didn’t want Jay to go, but there really wasn’t a better option. Sighing, she pulled her little brother into a hug and said, “Be safe. And you’d better keep in touch so we know everything is fine back home. Call if you need anything.”

Jay would probably bitch and moan about how he was trying to act too much like their father, but Sam couldn't help it. He put both hands on his brother's shoulders and bent down a bit to look him in the eye. "You'll call me? If you need anythin', yeah? Money, someone to listen- if the kids need somethin' - if you need a break- you'll call me?" His voice caught on the last question- he still remembered how frail Jay had felt in his arms as he carried him to the car that Christmas. He couldn't lose him- he needed to know that Jay would talk to him.

"Y'all are talkin' like I won't keep in touch at all," Jay said, shrugging off Sam's hands. "I'll still be callin'. Hell, I'll be worried about y'all not callin' me."

Despite having shrugged Sam's hands off him, he wrapped one arm around his big brother.

"I never really belonged to here anyways, I don't reckon. I've missed my mountains. I've missed my babies. I'll be jes' fine."