Chapter Thirty-Five
Maya
It took the police over an hour to take my statement, I thought they would never leave.
As we’re in a different area, it wasn’t Bernie that came to see me, I wish it had been though.
After so many months of him helping me through all this mess, I feel much more comfortable with him.
I didn’t have that same safe feeling today.
Gracie got discharged whilst I was being interviewed so the gang are all waiting for me and Tommy downstairs to head back to his place. Tommy squeezes my hand as we walk down to meet them, giving me the comfort I need.
We hear a commotion as we enter the lobby, but can’t quite make out where it’s coming from. The closer we get, the voices get louder and more irate. That’s when I realise who it is causing the scene.
My mother.
“Where is she?” she slurs.
She looks a mess, her clothes dirty and baggy with muck covering her shoes. No different really to how she had looked when I was younger, the closer we get the more intense the smell of alcohol becomes as I sigh;
“Mum? What are you doing here?” I ask warily not knowing what mood I would be greeted with today.
“There you are, the hospital rang to say you were in here and I rushed down here to see you,” She says with a dramatic flair and a wobble, barely managing to stay upright.
“I came to see you, of course. This is the second time in the space of a year you’ve been hospitalised by some man.” She turns her glassy eyed stare onto Tommy. “Is it you? Do you keep hurting my daughter?”
If looks could kill, my mum would have dropped down dead in an instant from the look that Tommy is giving her. I don’t give him chance to react, he’s angry enough right now with everything going on, never mind adding my mum into the mix.
“Mum! This is Tommy, you remember him from when we were younger? He would never hurt me.”
“Of course you would say that love. I will help you escape him, come home with me. We can go back home together, where you belong!” She demands. As if I have ever belonged in her home. Does she not know how many times Tommy has rescued me from her before?
“She is not going anywhere with you,” Tommy says cooly.
“And who do you think you are to dictate what she does?” She snarls.
Tommy takes her in, looking her up and down slowly. “The man who loves her. The one who has always protected her. From you.”
Fuck me, as much as I hate what’s happening right now, the way he is acting is a major turn on. I love it. My mum, not so much.
“Don’t be ridiculous. She has never needed to be kept away from me,” She huffs, wobbling still as the alcohol is clearly taking more of a toll on her body now.
She looks so old, her skin sagging from the amount she has abused her body. I’ve haven’t seen her since the last time I was in here and only heard from her when she needs money because she’s blown it all on booze.
“Oh I beg to differ. What about the times you brought random men to the house who would scare her and hurt her? Or the times you left her for days with no food and no clean school clothes? I was the one who was there for her. Not you. Now fuck off back to the hovel you crawled out of,” he barks at her, unable to control himself anymore.
My hand is still held tightly in his, the anchor to my sanity, like he always has been.
“Mum, please leave, you’re not wanted here. Go and clean yourself up then maybe we can talk. I’m fine and I’m safe with my friends.”
“You’re not that safe. Look at what keeps happening since you’ve been around him. I need you to come home so I can look after you!” She cries. My mother has never wanted me around, so there has to be another reason.
“What is it this time? Money? A man? What is it that’s making you act like this?” I ask flatly. Knowing there is always a motive to these outbursts.
“I… I need help with the house, I can’t do it alone.
I need you Maya, and I think you need me too.
” Her voice shakes as she admits this. How weak of a human to need to come crawling to their daughter for help, after everything they’ve put her through.
I have always done it though, always ran back to her when she needed me, even when my memory was lost and she came begging for money.
But not anymore.
“I can’t help you anymore. You have done so much to me over the years, it’s dragging me down.
I can’t keep doing it mum,” I say, the fight leaving me.
As if I don’t have enough shit to deal with, adding her into the mix is something I don’t have in me.
“Get yourself cleaned up for once and be a mum to me. I can’t keep being the one to do it all, Tommy is the one that has always been there, the one who I have always ran to, to get away from you.
I love him, and if you’re against him, you’re against me too. ”
Her expression quickly changes, morphing into a look of what can only be described as pure unfiltered hate.
“You will regret this!” she says before spinning on her heel to leave the room. The only problem being that she’s way too drunk to achieve it, resulting in her swaying and knocking into a stranger. “Get out of my way!” She yells at them before finally exiting the hospital.
As soon as she is out of sight, my body sags as the strength it took to stand up to her leaves me. Tommy wraps me up in his arms, burying my face into his chest.
“It’s okay, I’m here. Let’s get the fuck out of here,” He says calmly.
“Yeah, I could use a lie down, that was one hell of a night.” My head whips up as Max interrupts. I had completely forgotten that the rest of them were still here. I hadn’t even glanced at them as we entered the room.
All the girls have tears in their eyes as they study me. Fallon in particular is in a right mess.
“Maymay… I didn’t know,” She gasps on a sob. “I’m so sorry. I knew it wasn’t great, but I didn’t realise how bad it was at home, or how much you needed Tommy. I am so, so sorry.” Tears trickling down her cheeks hot and heavy now.
“You didn’t know because I didn’t tell you. Honestly, I never even told Tommy, he just figured it out for himself,” I say as my own tears brim my waterline. I try to give her a smile so she knows I don’t think bad of her, but I can’t even fake an expression right now.
“Come on, the cars outside,” Max says as he grabs onto Lucy and Fallon, directing them to the exit.
“Gracie,” I say, turning to look at her. She looks so unwell, her usual perfect look is dishevelled and she has heavy bags sitting under her eyes. “I’m so sorry, this is all my fault.”
We step towards each other at the same time with open arms. I hold onto her tight, relieved to know that she is okay and doesn’t seem to hate me.
She leans back to look at me, wiping the fallen tears from under my eyes.
“Maya, I could never blame you for this, it is completely out of your control. Don’t ever think that, please.
” She gives my arms a gentle squeeze. “They are going to get him, they have to.” I don’t know if she actually believes that or just willing it to happen.
The drive back to Tommy’s house is quiet, nothing at all like when we were last in this car. My eyes are so heavy, it’s been well over twenty-four hours since I last slept.
As if reading my mind, Tommy turns to me taking in my tired expression. “When we get back, I think we all need to sleep this nightmare away.” He shifts around to look at the others. “Takeaway and shit films tonight?”
“Hell yes. Is it possible to be hungover when we haven’t even slept yet?” Blair dead pans before stifling a yawn. Everyone in this car looks like they’re ready to sleep for a week.
“I feel the same, it was such a good night before dick head had to come and rain on our parade,” Lucy sulks.
“It really was! One good thing came out of the night, Fallon got to see doctor love,” Gracie sings the last part, making us all laugh. So, I wasn’t the only one to notice.
“Shut up. There is nothing going on between me and Dr Smyth.” Fallon’s face turns beetroot red as she defends herself.
“We never said there was, but you just did,” Blair adds, snickering. She must think we’re blind to believe that.
God the love I feel for this lot makes my heart want to burst out of my chest. I’m over tired and over emotional too, which isn’t helping the soppy feelings but it’s true. I love them all so much.