Shorts Series: Alternate Universe - Kai’s What If - 2037/2038
A few hours had passed, and Jessica found herself pacing in her living room, mind replaying the day’s earlier events with Kai. He had barely touched the food she’d set out, but she’d managed to coax a few bites out of him. Enough to keep him grounded, though the act of eating itself seemed almost foreign to him, his mind elsewhere, darker.
Kai had been different. The haunted expression in his eyes, the quiet heaviness in his movements—all of it left Jessica unsettled. This was not the man she remembered, and yet, as she looked at him, she still saw glimpses of the old Kai beneath it all. A Kai she wanted to forget… one that broke her as broken he seemed himself. There was a fragility there now, something that made her feel a pang of protectiveness mixed with a need to understand what he’d been through.
Jessica’s mind flickered back to a few hours earlier, another conversation… convincing him to take another sleeping pill. Look… she knew it wasn’t an end all be all. It wasn’t the an easy fix - but it was one that Kai clearly needed. He looked tired… despite sleeping the entire day before… he just looked… so tired.
“Look, Kai… please. Just one more. It’s not much, but it’ll take the edge off,” she’d had urged him, watching as he hesitated, his gaze flickering between her and the small white pill in her hand.
It was a long moment before he finally relented. Fighting sleep and food for the most part. He took his time - going back to his daughter… watching her… and then finally he took another pill.
Now, hours later, Jessica sat alone in the dim light of the living room, her laptop screen illuminating her face as she combed through more articles. Every headline, every snippet of information she found only added to the tangled mess of questions forming in her mind. She was piecing together the puzzle bit by bit, but there was something here—something unsettling.
One news article, in particular, had captured her attention, a publication from a smaller, local outlet. It was technically obituary with slightly more information about her than the previous article had provided - discussing safety measures. Her name was Skye, and honestly, there was something oddly haunting about the photo. A familiarity to her… but Jess couldn’t place it. Maybe it was her eyes? Her smile? The crinkle in her nose?
Jessica’s mind reeled, an eerie sense of realization settling over her. Scarlet. Could she…? The details fit too well: Scarlet’s age, Kai’s sudden appearance, the secrecy surrounding the child’s identity, the fact that the mother of this kid was nowhere to be found. And Kai’s quiet grief as he spoke of Scarlet’s mother—it was all starting to fall into place.
Hours had slipped by, and Jess found herself debating whether to go back to Kai’s room. It had been six, nearly seven hours since they’d last talked. The baby had woken briefly for a feeding but now slept soundly once more. And she couldn’t ignore the nagging urge to discuss what she’d found…
Finally, she made up her mind. She carried a tray with something simple—fruit, oatmeal, and water—and quietly slipped into Kai’s room. He was there, lying on his side, eyes closed.
Part of her didn’t want to wake him… but the other part knew he needed to eat anyways. Walking towards the bed, Jess hesitated for a second before finally sitting down on the edge of the empty side of the bed; before placing her hand on his shoulder.
“Kai…Hey,” she said quietly, setting the tray on the table beside him. “Thought you might be hungry.”
She waited until his eyes opened - looking at her… and, choosing her words carefully, wondering how much to say.
“Kai,” she began gently, her voice a low murmur in the quiet room, “I’ve been looking into… well, more of the news. “There was an article… about a maid. A young woman, with a child. She… she was pregnant when she… when she died. Hit-and-run.”
Kai’s eyes darkened, his gaze slipping away as if he couldn’t bear to meet hers. But she pressed on, her tone soft but steady. “Am I wrong in thinking that this maid is… was Scarlet’s mother?”