Lay Low

Chapter Twenty-One

I could feel someone hovering over me.  I opened my eyes and saw a man.  I put my hands over my head, afraid of what was coming.

"No, no Jake, it's me, Max." He looked devastated. 

 "It's ok."  He soothed, slowly reaching an arm across the bed.  I unfurled.

"Um, sorry, I got a bit confused".

"You don't have to apologise for anything" he said firmly.

"What time is it?

"7am"

"Saturday?!"

"You slept right through. I didn't want to wake you. You are recovering from a lot of stress."

I don't think I have ever slept so long.  I yawned and stretched, unthinkingly causing myself pain.

"Ouch" I yelled as my ribs throbbed.  He handed me a glass of water and some of the painkillers I had been given at the hospital.  I drank them down and then we sat there in silence for a few minutes.

"So how are you feeling?" he asked softly, holding my eyes.

I knew he didn't mean physically.  I wasn't sure how to respond.   I had been desperate for it to stop for such a long time that it didn't really feel real.  Like maybe I had dreamt the whole thing.  On the other side of it, I felt scared.  Tony's threats still bounded through my thoughts.

"I'm not sure" I admitted. "Lots of different feelings"

"It is a bit overwhelming?"

"Yeah" I was definitely feeling overwhelmed.  I felt a tiredness sweep through me that defied the 18 hours I had just slept.

"You are safe now."

I looked at him as I noted the wobble in his voice.  I saw him struggle to contain his emotions.  He had a lot of questions.

"You haven't been in any fights have you?  Not when we first met, not at Christmas?  He did all that to you?"

I nodded.

"And it has been going on for two years?"

"The, um," I didn't know what to call it for a moment, "violence?"

He nodded.

"Yeah" I said quietly.

"Jesus" His forehead crumpled. "Jake, why didn't..."

He grappled to find the right tone; to not reprimand me in any way.  A realisation came to him.

"At Christmas, I told you off.  God, I quoted Martin Luther King to you and all along..."

"It's okay, you didn't know"

He gripped my hand.

"Why couldn't you tell me?"

I studied the bedspread for a moment.

"I couldn't tell anyone Dad.  He threatened me.  I was...afraid of what would happen." I cleared my throat. "I didn't want to end up in Care.   And then when you came back, well I didn't know if you would stay around – they said you wouldn't want me."

He frowned as he took in this information.  I could see him fighting questions and pleas.

"Well I can tell you that I want you Jake and I am not going anywhere."

He leant forward and hugged me tightly.

Pain shot through my back and I couldn't help but flinch.  I felt sad as he pulled away; I wanted nothing more than a hug from him right now.