“What the hell is going on, Julian? Who was that on the phone?” Emily pleaded as she followed me to the doorway.
“It was my father. I’ve got to go, now. You’ll be safe here. The only people you open that door to are Adrian or Natalie, okay? I’ll send her and Ryan over. I love you.” I kissed her once more and ran out of the door.
I couldn’t bear the wait for the lift so I took the stairs, calling Ryan on the way down and instructing him to take Natalie straight to my apartment and not to leave until I said so. Then I called Mickey, the new head of my security team, and told him to meet me at the hospital and send two others to my apartment block. It went against every one of my instincts to leave Emily without my protection, but I had to get to my mother before
he
did. Since as far back as I could remember he had been obsessed with my mother. I could recall a couple of occasions where she had finally plucked up the courage to leave him, taking me and Natalie with her, only to be dragged home again, literally. The longest we ever spent away from him was three nights and my mother finally thought she had escaped him. But he had found us early on the fourth morning. He had burst into the bedsit where the three of us were still sleeping and dragged my mother from her bed by her hair before slapping her hard across her face, over and over, whilst he screamed abuse at her. I had tried to stop him, I tried to get in between them, but I was only a young boy at the time and his powerful strike caught me on the side of my face and sent me hurtling across the room and into a trembling heap in the corner of the small room. I remember glancing up and seeing Natalie’s terrified stare. I could still picture the very look on her face. Her tiny body trembling and her eyes wide as she screamed from the corner of the bed as she watched me slumping to the ground. I knew I would never forget that look in her eyes, and I never have. That was the moment I had decided to try to keep out of the way of my father. I wouldn’t let Natalie see that ever again. I wouldn’t ever let her be afraid like that again. And I would never see that look of terror behind her eyes. At least, I thought she would never have to be afraid again, how wrong I was. I had failed her then. I had failed her when I went to school that day and left her at home to witness what must have been the most horrific scene any child could ever see. I failed her then, and that’s precisely why I had never failed her since. And I knew that I never would. I couldn’t. I knew my father would come back for my mother one day, he had always told her as much. But, what I couldn’t figure out was what the hell he wanted with Natalie. Why was he so determined to get to her?
I pulled up in the hospital car park and was greeted by Mickey outside the main entrance. “What’s up?” he asked as he shoved his hands into his pockets and raised his shoulders questioningly.
“I need someone to guard a room here at all times. I need you back at the nursery in the day so I’m trusting you to chose the best person for the job,” I explained as I entered the hospital foyer. The strong smell of disinfectant hit me instantly and I noticed the floor was glistening with the evidence of its recent mopping.
“Who are we guarding, and why?”
“My mother.” Mickey’s eyebrows shot up. “She’s a patient here for the time being and she’s being threatened.”
“By whom?” he asked breathlessly as he struggled to match my pace down the long and quiet corridor.
“His name is Daniel Mason. I’ll get you a photo. He’s not your usual sort of amateur, Mickey, be warned. If he’s anything like he used to be, he’ll be fucking smart, and always one step ahead of you, tread very carefully and never let your guard down.”
Mickey nodded slowly, seemingly processing everything I had just told him. “And why is he threatening her? More to the point, what is the threat?”
“It’s a long story, but there’s a good chance he’ll kill her if he gets hold of her. I want him found. Sooner rather than later. I don’t care who you have to drag in to do it, I’ll pay well, but I want him. Now.”
I burst through the door to my mother’s room, only to find an empty bed. The sheets were crumpled and her pillow still held its indent from where her head had lain, but she wasn’t there.
“Fuck!” I roared as my palm slammed against the wall. I took my phone from my pocket and launched the Internet and desperately typed the name Daniel Mason. Surely his image must be there, he had been a notorious criminal. And then there it was, staring back at me, the vicious face of my father. I felt sick. My stomach churned and my heart felt as if it was in my throat, constricting my ability to breathe, as I looked into the eyes of a monster. I took a deep steadying breath and sent the image to Mickey’s phone before exiting my mother’s room.
“I’ve sent you his photo. Find him,” I ordered as calmly as I could manage as I waltzed past him towards the nurses’ station.
“Is everything okay sir?” A plump girl in a far-too-tight blue medical uniform addressed me as I approached the desk. I could hear my blood pulsing behind my ears and I prayed silently that I would catch up with that man. And soon. There was no doubt about it, I would kill the bastard. And if he had harmed a single hair on my mother’s head, I would torture him slowly first.
“Where is my mother, Gloria Scott?”
“She’s in room twenty-six, sir, right this way.”
“She was in room twenty-six but she’s not anymore,” I roared, unable to calm my anger as it spilled from every pore. “Where the fuck is she?”
The young nurse blushed crimson as her eyes dropped to the floor. “Let me go and check for you, sir,” she stammered before disappearing around a corner.
Mickey was at the other end of the corridor talking to someone on his phone and I knew he had already begun his search for my father. I drummed my fingers impatiently against the smooth wood of the desk as I waited for the nurse to return. I felt torn. I didn’t know whether I should in fact be waiting for her to return or whether I already knew that she wouldn’t have any idea where my mother was. I must have gotten here too late. My father must have got to her first. Could he have taken her out of here without anyone noticing? Probably not, I concluded as I glanced around me and saw doctors and nurses coming in and out of every door.
“Sorry about that, sir,” the nurse’s voice startled me and I spun around on my heel to face her.
“Where is she?”
“She’s back in her room. Another of the nurses had taken her for a bath.”
“Thanks,” I interrupted and raced back in the direction of room twenty-six.
The sight of my mother back in the bed where she should be was more of a relief than I ever could have imagined. I noticed the cuffs that secured her to her bed once more and realised that I had been fretting needlessly. He couldn’t take her anywhere unless he took the bed with him. That was something I was sure somebody would notice. Not to mention getting past the police officer in the corner. Although, I wouldn’t fancy his chances against my father. He was so short and thin that, from a distance, he could easily be mistaken for a teenage boy who has yet to reach puberty. Although his aged face revealed more wisdom.
My mother looked much better, too. Her hair looked clean and hung smoothly around her shoulders and the colour had returned in her cheeks.
“Are you okay?” I asked as soon as I realised I had been staring at her for too long. “Has he contacted you?”
“No. Why, we’re you expecting him to?”
I couldn’t exactly tell her that he had called me and threatened to pay her a visit, could I? I couldn’t crush her like that. She looked almost happy. Her usually sad and tired eyes looked more alive than I had ever seen them. I couldn’t be the one to diminish to that brief glimpse of happiness. I would never let him near her, so she didn’t need to know.
“No,” I lied. “What have the doctors said about the assessment?”
“They want to give me some different tablets to manage the anger. And some kind of therapy.” She rolled her eyes.
“That’s great. I’ll pop out and speak to him,” I said as I stood from the bed-side chair.
“Will you come back?” she whispered. I twisted myself to get a view of her face and saw a glint of moisture in her eye as she seemingly pleaded with me.
“Of course I will, I only just got here.” I gently pressed my lips to her forehead. Her skin felt warm but unfamiliar under my kiss and I felt a thickening in my throat as I realised that that was the first time I had kissed my mother in over twelve years. I had been a terrible son. Sure, she could’ve been a better parent, or that was what I had always told myself, but now I was realising that she may have actually done her best by us. She loved us both just as much as any mother loves her child, I knew that much now. And the sheer terror that she felt of my father was obvious to me now. She should never have allowed innocent children to beaten, or to witness their mother being beaten time and time again, but now I was seeing how she didn’t have a choice. Something I hadn’t seen back then. Too young, too naive, I suppose. The same as she didn’t have a choice when my father told her to send me and Natalie to bed before dinner because we didn’t deserve to eat. What I had then seen as neglect, I was slowly realising was actually her way of protecting us. After all, if he had have caught her feeding us then all three of us would have faced the back of his hand. It was better to be hungry than to have broken bones, I suppose. Even when she took us away he had found us, so what could she have done other than try and please him the best she could? She was terrified of him, but maybe she had put up with my father because she was also terrified for her children. Maybe staying with him was her own way of keeping us safe.
“I’ll be back in a minute,” I choked as a stray tear escaped and rolled rapidly down my cheek.
I wiped a rough hand against my cheek to remove any evidence of my temporary lapse in control as I inhaled deeply. Why was I crying? What was wrong with me? It felt like the past twelve years of the love that I should have felt for my mother, but didn’t, were suddenly gushing over me all in one heavy load, and I was struggling to keep my emotions under wraps. I usually hid my emotions well, but recently I was struggling with that. I wasn’t sure if it was the calming, warming effect that Emily had on me that was bringing out my soft side or the fact that I felt so damn guilty about abandoning my sick mother when she had needed me the most. Either way, crying in public was not something I had ever done before Emily stumbled into my life, and it wasn’t something that I wanted to start now.
My mother’s doctor was standing at the nurses’ station so I quickly approached him and asked for an update on my mother’s assessments. After taking me into a small office-like room he explained how they had found nothing physically wrong with her brain whatsoever and her temperamental behaviour was most likely caused by post traumatic stress.
“So what exactly does that mean? Can she be helped?” I asked.
“What we refer to as post traumatic stress can indeed affect people in different ways. Many people will experience symptoms such as anger, anxiety and even hallucinations when they are presented with a specific trigger. Something that reminds them of that trauma.”
“So we need to find what her triggers are?” I was trying to make sense of his explanation and it seemed simple, find her triggers and avoid them and she could live a normal, happy life.
“It’s not quite that simple. Something as small as a single spoken word could be a trigger. With some people it can take more of an actual event to remind them. It differs from person to person. We believe that the man in which she keeps referring to is playing a major part as that’s when her anxiety and panic peaks, when she speaks of him. We’ve changed her medication and we’d like her to attend regular counselling sessions to see if we can get to the bottom of it.”
“That’s great, thank you for your help.” I stood and offered him my hand. He took it firmly before nodding and smiling.
“We’ll do our very best with her, Mr Scott. I’ll keep you informed,” he stated before walking out of the room.
I spent a further hour at my mother’s bedside before saying goodbye and leaving. As much as I was strangely enjoying my time with her I couldn’t bear to be away from Emily any longer. Each time her beautiful face popped into my head I felt like I was suffocating. I didn’t know what it was about Emily that made me crave her so much, but I knew I could never be without her. A mere hour was a struggle.
I was relieved to see two members of my security team outside my mother’s bedroom door when I walked out. I didn’t need to speak to them; I knew Mickey would have briefed them already so I simply nodded my appreciation as I passed the duo. I could relax now knowing that my mother would be safe from harm. My father wouldn’t get the chance to get anywhere near her. I could get back to Emily. And Natalie, shit I had forgotten about Natalie. Although given the fact that she was in fact the one in danger I’m not sure why I hadn’t gone to her first. Ryan was with her, I knew that much and he wouldn’t let anyone near her. With a bit of luck, we could find my father and get rid of the bastard before he even figured out who Natalie was.
I had to see Emily. I practically ran through the car park before jumping into the car and reversing from my space without so much as a backward glance.
I waltzed through my apartment door and seemingly startled everyone inside. Samantha was still there and was sitting beside Natalie on the sofa; both were gawping at me through wide eyes. Adrian and Ryan had also joined the party and had both leapt to their feet as the door had whacked into the wall beside it. I ignored their shocked faces. I mean, seriously, what was with the tension? All I had done was open the door a little too quickly. I strolled straight over to where Emily stood at the breakfast bar and wrapped my arms around her waist before spinning her into my heated kiss. She kissed me back but then slowed as she pushed against my chest with her palms.
“Is everything okay?” Her brows crinkled as she stared up at me and she honestly looked adorable, like a lost puppy or something of the sort. I felt my smile widen.