But Jack ignored his wife’s plea. He didn’t notice the ring on Mira’s finger, either. All his attention was on his son. When he spoke, it was in that cold, rough whisper that had always came out when he was furious with his children – in a way, it was worse than yelling.
“Ulric, how could you have been so stupid? You … look, I don’t want to know the details, but weren’t you being careful at all? For god’s sake, we had this talk with you!”
He could feel his old stutter creeping in, he was so distraught, and it made him even angrier. “And you’re in the past. You might be altering all our lives. Dammit, didn’t you think?!”
Reminding himself to keep meeting his dad’s eyes, Ulric keeps himself still. That was something he recognized, that whisper. Right now, though… He glances toward Mira briefly and gives her a quick squeeze.
“Of course I thought.” He’s looking at the screen again, keeping his voice level. “About everything. Why I came back, why I’m here… and why I’m coming back.” When it was time, that was. “When we’re all coming back.”
Mira started trembling a little. There was that angry tone she was bracing herself for. She could already feel this conversation heading toward a bad direction. And what could she say right now? Mira squeezed him tightly as it pained her to hear Ulric’s own father calling him stupid. And it made her feel even worse. They way Jack had worded things made her feel more like a fuck buddy rather than Ulric’s girlfriend – something so far from the truth. They loved each other dearly.
Staring to feel a few stinging tears forming at the corners of her eyes, Mira quickly turned her head to hide herself from wiping them away. If this conversation escalated, it was best to move Joey to a different room. So Mira got off the couch and picked up a very confused Joey. “Just gonna take him in his room…” she informed Ulric quietly.
“Mama?” Joey asked as Mira scooped him up along with Minion in her arms. Mira simply hushed him softly and told him things were okay. She walked off with the little guy and would return fairly soon.
Jack felt a sharp pang of guilt as he watched Mira carry the baby out into the other room. She’d tried to hide her tears, but he knew well enough what that gesture meant. Damn it, it wasn’t her fault the poor girl had gotten involved with a boy from the future. And he heard Ulric’s words – that they were all going to come home, permanently, by the year’s end.
But he’d already said his words. He couldn’t back down in front of his own child. He’d already been much too lenient with Gail and Ulric when they were growing up, and he knew it. There was no choice but to stand his ground.
“And what happens in the meantime? That’s almost a year from now, Ulric. Look how much you’ve already messed up the past! Who knows what else you could do in that time!” Jack groaned, rubbing his temples, his eyes tightly closed. “I’m not saying you should abandon Mira. You did this, you have to take responsibility for it. But … Ulric, you can’t do this. You’re going to destroy your future. In more ways than one."
He knew in his heart that it wouldn’t really be that terrible. If they did bring the baby back to the present, he and Katelynn would help take care of it, just like they’d been planning to help with Joey. But that wasn’t what he felt Ulric needed to hear.
Jack Maple 