The birds circled above Justin’s head and across the small lake, the sun kissed the surface of the water as signs of spring surrounded him. It was late April; the awakening of the Earth’s cold winter slumber. But in his heart, the frost and tough winds remained.

Silently, he counted upon his fingers. Five. It was month number five… the divorce would be final within weeks.

Randy had practically already moved out, leaving most of the house pretty bare. Justin remembered watching with stubborn eyes as his father placed item after item into the cardboard containers, without the slightest hint of emotion. And his mother the same way. She had done things for those couple of days she never had in her entire life. Knitting, origami… she even finished an entire book of cross-word puzzles.

It still hadn’t made sense. Years and years of knowing and loving each other, yet… neither one could look at each other or even acknowledge the other person.

Lazily shuffling his feet across the grass he slowly walked home, for the thousandth time he mentally prepared himself for what ever was waiting for him at home.

“Smile,” he whispered as he opened the door and added, “you’re on Candid Camera.”

He followed the smell of chicken into the kitchen, where Lynn was piling wings onto a plate.

“Hi baby,” she smiled, “Dinner’s ready.”

He slumped into his chair as she placed the platter before him.

“What’s with the sad face, hm?” she asked, removing her glove to stroke through his hair.

“I don’t know Mama,” he sighed. “I don’t wanna talk about it.”

Lynn nodded her head, fighting to stay strong as her son’s spirit seemed to be dying before her eyes. Deciding now wasn’t the best time she discreetly scooped up the divorce papers lying next to his elbow.

“Baby, I know it hasn’t been easy… but let me tell you that you are a strong little boy, and you have helped me through this more than you think.”

<i>It? … This?</i> Why couldn’t she just say it?

“I promise you though, things will get better for us,” she placed a firm kiss on his cheek. “Let’s just eat up right now, and maybe play some games later on… how about it?”

Six million, three hundred thousand, ninety-two. Or so it seemed to Cassidy as she counted the tiles on the ceiling in the hospital lobby. She had been there for hours in the smelly, quiet room without even knowing what was going on.

She watched that morning has her mother took long deep breaths on the couch with Simone as her father paced around frantically. All of them were then rushed quickly to the hospital, the whole commotion happened so fast. What in the world was happening?

Remembering her mother exclaim “My water broke! My water broke!” over and over again didn’t make any sense.

“How do you break water?” Cassidy asked to herself.

Simone came back out to the lobby, with two cups of jello in her hands.

“Yuck,” Darrin scowled at the jiggly concoction. “I hate hospital food.”

“Well, you two haven’t had breakfast yet,” Simone told him as she handed them spoons, “When we’re done here we’ll get you somethin’ much better.”

“Gramma,” Cassidy said, trying her best to swallow the salty-rubber-flavored mass, “What are we doing here?”

Simone chuckled, wiping at her granddaughter’s chin. “Waiting for the stork to arrive, hun.”

“The… stork?”

“She means mom’s having a baby. Duh,” Darrin stated, with a roll of his eyes.

“Be nice,” Simone warned before turning her attention back on Cassidy. “Your mother is having the baby today! Aren’t you excited?”

Cassidy nodded, somewhat understanding. “I guess. But Gramma?”

“Hmm?”

“I don’t think it would be very nice if I threw up on the baby. No more jello,” she shook her head and grabbed her stomach.

“Okay, baby,” Simone laughed, “no more jello.”

“Randy, I… I can’t do this alone,” Lynn whispered into the phone. Justin was crouching over the coffee table putting together a jigsaw puzzle. “I know you’re busy, but I think it would mean more if you were here.”

“Mama, I’m almost done!” Justin called.

“I’ll be right there, son,” she said back. “Look, we both agreed that if it got too much for one of us, the other would step in to help. It’s for him… I know. I don’t want to either. Alright, see you in a bit.”

Lynn hung up the phone, and returned to see Justin had almost solved the entire puzzle on his own.

“All by yourself, hm?” She sighed, sitting next to him.

“I just can’t figure out if this is the dog’s butt, or his face,” he said, examining a piece in his hand.

She half-smiled, taking it from him. “Sometimes we don’t know where things fit. But you just have to remind yourself that no matter what… everything is always gonna be a whole, and eventually… you’ll get the big picture.”

She reached for his hand, placing the last piece in and completing the puzzle. Justin looked up to his mother, urging her with his eyes to explain.

“I’m talking about life,” she said. “Sometimes it feels like the pieces are missing, and we think too soon and try to fit everything in the right place because we wanna figure everything out. We forget that there will come a time when everything fits, and we’ll have our answers.”

The doorbell rang and Lynn got up to get it. Justin was surprised as his father entered the house, a stern and uneasy look upon his face.

A knot in his stomach began to tighten. Every time his parents sat him down to talk, something horrible always came out of it. Justin could almost predict the order of events; the scene looked all too familiar.

“Hi buddy,” Randy grinned weakly. “How’ve you been?”

Lynn parked herself next to him on the sofa, folding her hands together in her lap. It was then Justin was certain something was happening.

“I’m okay.”

Randy shifted uncomfortably, sensing that Justin was preparing himself for some bad news and for that he felt like a ton of bricks landed on his shoulders.

“Son, your mom and I wanted to–”

“Talk to me.”

Randy looked to Lynn, who seemed to be just as surprised. “Y-yeah… um, we just wanted to remind you–”

“It’s not my fault.”

Lynn decided to take it from there. “Well, Justin, you know with everything going on we just really wanna make sure you understand that we–”

“Care for me and want me to know we’re still a family,” Justin finished again. He almost felt bad for his behavior, but the anger in him wasn’t dying down one bit. “What did you want to tell me?”

There was no way to beat around it. No way to avoid it, the way they had in the past. Someone had to say it, plain and simple.

Randy took a deep breath, spilling out the words he never thought he’d have to say in his life. “Justin, you’re mom and I are officially divorced.”

There it was. Like a thousand building crashing down and a million bombs going off inside of him, there was news he had been led up to finally hear after all these months.

His entire body went numb, a bed of cold sweat crept upon his pale skin. The phone rang, cutting the dead silence of the room.

“Hello? Yes,” Lynn said quietly, “Okay, we’ll be right there.”

Justin and his father turned to her as she strolled back into view.

“Guys,” she said, “we gotta go to the hospital.”

Through the long, dim hallways Simone led Darrin and Cassidy to their mother’s room. Cassidy gawked in curiosity at the throngs of people dressed in light blue clothing filing in and out of doors. She had never been to a hospital, but she could already tell she didn’t like them.

Walking into a room at the end of the hallway, she found her parents chatting with one another about the small bundle wrapped up in a blanket lying in her mother’s arms.

“Hey guys,” Joyce beamed, “Come here and meet your sister.”

Darrin made his way to the bed, reaching his hand out to touch the baby. Jim, noticing the trouble Cassidy had seeing over the bed, picked her up so she too could get acquainted with the new addition to the family.

There, enclosed in a spongy white blanket, was her sister. Her cheeks seemed to be flushed, as if she had been kissed by a pink rose. Her eyes, like two shiny pennies and hair soft as silk. The low, gentle breaths escaping between her tiny lips as her eyes met with Cassidy’s.

“What’s her name?” Cassidy whispered, still amazed.

“Audrey Maree,” Jim said. “You should say something to her. You two are going to be spending lots of time together.”

He set her down next to her mother, as Joyce lifted Audrey up.

“Hi Audrey,” Cassidy said, able to hold the baby’s entire hand within her own. “I’m your sister, Cassidy.”

The baby cooed, squirming in Joyce’s arms.

“She’s quite fond of you,” Simone said with joy.

A nurse entered the room as Lynn and Justin followed her inside.

“We’re here,” she smiled, making her way to the bed. “How’s the baby?”

“Good,” Joyce smiled, holding the newborn with pride.

“She’s a beauty,” Lynn nodded, gently tickling Audrey’s arms, “Hi honey, I’m Auntie Lynn. And this is Justin.”

Justin tip-toed over the bed, marveling at the pint-sized girl gazing up at him.

“She’s pretty,” he said, “and small.”

Audrey gooed and gawed at him, reaching up to touch his nose.

“It’s pretty big, ain’t it?” Cassidy giggled.

“Be nice,” Simone warned again.

“Where’s Randy?” Jim asked, pouring himself a cup of orange juice.

“Oh, um… he had to go. You know, stuff to take care of,” she responded. “I’m sure if he could have made it, he would be here.”

Justin could see his mother’s sudden unease, and he felt his own. It wasn’t fun for him to have to watch Lynn lie through her teeth as she tried to cover up what she really felt inside. And it hurt him even more that he had to hide his own.

Audrey wiggled, pulling on his fingers. He couldn’t help but smile at her.

Things were changing drastically. But one day he’d see the big picture… right?