Chapter 56
MAYA
Liv and Jay went home shortly afterwards with Liv squeezing me tightly as she was going, making me promise to call her at any time during the night and telling me that she would leave her phone on.
I sat down again beside Elliot, holding his small hand inside my own. I traced my fingers over the pudgy dimples of his knuckles, then through his silky hair. His face was so bruised, I ached to see his beautiful features so battered. I willed him to hold on.
Not long afterwards, I heard heavy footsteps enter the room behind me.
I assumed it was Hugo returning but I was taken aback when I turned around to see two members of An Garda Síochána, one male and one female, standing there.
They looked so incongruous with the surroundings. I immediately stood up.
‘Are you Mrs Laurence?’ the male asked, taking off his hat.
I nodded meekly.
‘I’m Detective Hartley and this,’ he gestured to his colleague, ‘is Garda Johnson. I’m very sorry to hear about your son’s injuries.’ He paused and I knew there was more coming. ‘I was wondering if we could have a word with you about the circumstances of the accident.’
I began to panic. Why were they here? Who told them to come? Had Liv and Jay reported what had happened? But I had just seen them off; surely they would have told me if they had spoken to the Gardaí?
‘My-my husband isn’t here – should I get him?
’ I stammered, desperately scrabbling for time.
Should I lie like Hugo had done or was I supposed to tell them the real story?
The truth could land Hugo in deep water but I knew I too could end up in serious trouble if I was found to be lying to the Gardaí. I also wanted to do right by Elliot.
‘It’s okay. We’d like to talk to you first. I know you’re very worried about your son so I promise we won’t take long.’
‘Okay.’ Blood was thumping so loudly inside my ears that it was difficult to understand him.
‘Firstly, we want to assure you that this is standard procedure when a child is injured and the circumstances of the accident don’t correspond to the injuries sustained. We have to investigate situations like these out of a duty of care to all children.’
I gulped, swallowing a lump that felt like concrete wedged in my throat. Hospitals and Gardaí were so far removed from my daily life and it felt as though I was spinning inside a terrifying vortex that wouldn’t stop.
‘Can you tell us a little more about what happened tonight?’ Garda Johnson asked.
‘He-he fell,’ I began, knowing this bit at least was true. ‘Like we told the doctors.’
‘And how did he fall?’ she continued.
To cover for Hugo or not. This was my dilemma.
It all hinged on what I said next. If I lied and got found out, I could find myself in serious trouble with the Gardaí but if I told the truth, Hugo could go to jail.
My mind raced ahead with so many doomsday scenarios, all of them equally as terrifying.
Our family destroyed. Elliot’s childhood ruined – that’s if he survived.
Elliot being taken into care. Elliot visiting one or maybe both of his parents in prison.
If I told the truth, our family would be torn apart for sure.
If I lied – if Hugo and I stuck to the same story – there was a chance it could still be salvaged.
In the heat of the moment, I made a split-second decision, hoping it was the right one.
‘He woke up and fell down the stairs; he must have been sleepwalking.’ I stuck to the story that Hugo had used.
Guilt tore through me. I hoped I was doing the right thing by my son.
Hugo wasn’t a monster. He loved Elliot. What had happened this evening was a freak accident.
I knew that despite everything, Hugo didn’t deserve to be held to account for assaulting his son.
‘We heard him scream and we rushed out and found him on the floor at the bottom of the stairs.’
‘But when the paramedics arrived, they said they found him in the kitchen?’ Detective Hartley stated.
Damn it, anyway, why hadn’t I foreseen this obvious hole in my story? ‘H-Hugo c-carried him into the kitchen because Liv and Jay – our-our friends were in there and they are both n-nurses.’
‘He moved a child with a possible spinal injury?’ Garda Johnson asked, wide-eyed. ‘Couldn’t you have called them out of the kitchen to attend to him where he fell?’
‘W-we weren’t thinking straight… We just wanted to get him h-help. If you’ve ever had a child in an emergency, you’ll do whatever you can.’
‘And you’re certain that that was the exact turn of events this evening?’ Detective Hartley probed, holding my gaze. I forced myself to eyeball him back even though I was terrified he could see right through my lies.
‘I promise you, that’s what happened. We would never hurt our son.’
‘Very well,’ Detective Hartley said, replacing his hat. ‘We’ll leave you be for now but we’ll be in touch if we’ve any further questions. Thank you for your time, Mrs Laurence. We hope your son makes a full recovery.’