Apart…
The events of that day had not sunk in for Max as he looked desperately at his little brother.
What had Claire done to him? And when had she got to him? Why wouldn't he go near him. They were brothers.
"Come on mate, come home." Max tried desperately. He was not going to let Tom go in to care. He was as good as his own son to him at times. If he was his own son Max couldn't love him any more than he already did.
Every thing he did, he did for his brother. He didn't want to lose him. He had lost too many people already.
They both had. All they had were each other. And O.B he guessed.
"I'm going with them." Said Tom to him. His little brother had fear in his eyes as if he had some guilty secret and he didn't know what.
His eyes were haunted.
All Max wanted to do at that moment was pick Tom up, tell him to tell him what was wrong. What ever it was he felt sure he was going to be able to sort it all out. He was going to make it ok. He wasn't going to let his brother suffer. He never had… knowingly. He wished he had never met Claire. But he had. And he had loved her for a time. That should have been over a long time ago. The only ones who mattered were them and O.B and the fact that the three of them were together. They were not a normal family maybe but they were always there for each other. He wasn't going to let that change.
"There nice people." Tom explained. It was as if he was trying to cut himself off from Max. the effect it was having on his brother was devastating.
But so was he thought Max to himself. He was a nice guy or at least he had always thought he had been to Tom.
He had never hurt Tom. He'd never dream of it. All he had ever wanted was the best for his brother and that had always been from the day Tom had been placed in his care his number one priority.
He had never hit him. If he had ever hurt him it had been an accident. Oh this couldn't be happening.
Max's heart began to ache for his brother as he watched the seven year old take the hand of the social worker. This was wrong. When had he been so screwed up by that bitch? Why had he let her in to there lived?
He just wanted to take his brother home!
"No Tom, please!" he begged.
He wasn't going to let him go! But as his brother walked on it quickly came to light that in this matter Max had no choice.
He could feel tears starting in his eyes. There was nothing for hjim if he didn't have his brother.
In slow motion the door that separated the two brothers shut and they were apart. Max didn't believe it. His heart wouldn't let him.
Behind him he could here O.B telling him to come away telling him what he was doing was doing no good but he felt he had to fight for his brother. He wasn't just going to let him go. He couldn't.
His eyes followed Tom as the child walked away from him. He had been fine that morning when he had got up. There had been no hint any thing had been wrong with him. Max had thought it was going to be a normal day and at the end of it, he would tuck his brother in, give him a kiss and a cuddle and tell him he was safe and loved. Now that wasn't going to happen. And he felt it was his fault.
If he went in to foster care god know what sort of sicko could get there hands on him. And then what? They said it was going to be safe but he had heard the storied every one had of children being abused when they should have been taken good care of. What if some one hurt his Tom?
Why didn't he want to be with him? He felt so bitterly rejected. All he wanted to do was gather his kid brother in his embrace and protect him.
But couldn't.
So instead, as he begun to cry, Max vowed two things.
One, he was going to get Tom back, he'd fight for him, no matter what it took.
And two, Claire was going to get what was coming to her.