/// Chapter 6 ///

Diane sat with her head in her hands, for three hours she had been sat in this interrogation room. It was a green cement walled room, not enough room to swing a cat in, one wall had a mirror on it but Diane had seen enough Law & Order episodes to know that it was no ordinary mirror, on the other side that "Mirror" were cops and the D.A watching her making up their minds on what they were going to charge her with and talking about Hank's condition.

Diane felt herself with a seething anger she had never felt before 'the son of a bitch' she thought to herself

"So is he fuckin' dead?" Diane called out to the unseen detectives. Diane was conflicted, on the one hand she hoped the dirty bastard was lying cold on a medical examiner's table but she didn't want Isabel to have to live with it the rest of her life. She may have been a fucked mother but she knew the type of person Isabel was, the type who would let Hank's death, no matter that the asshole had tried to rape her, her guilt would eat at her till she did something stupid, sometimes the morals of good people were fucked.

Diane looked at the blood on her hands, like someone would look at their hands if they had just gotten their nails painted. Maybe she should feel bad but she didn't, she felt guilty as hell that she had let it get this far, she felt angry she hadn't been the one to actually stab him but she didn't feel about Hank getting stabbed, she felt the opposite. Diane was rejoicing, for her babies that no longer had to look over their shoulders looking for the man who made their lives a living hell.

Michael, Isabel, Max and Amelia wouldn't have to deal with him now.

Yesterday, hell even eight hours ago Diane would of sobbed, the man she had loved was hurt and possibly dead but it had all changed the moment she had awoken to see Isabel's vacant eyes, bloody hands and open pants. Like being splashed icy cold water Diane's blood had froze in that moment, disgust and hated swam through her veins like venom eating away at all her love for Hank killing it off faster then her mind could process that she had loved a monster who had tried to rape her daughter.

Where was the justice in life? Her children, her babies, the ones she had given birth too and the one she hadn't had seen no justice before Hank Diane had considered herself a very religious woman but when Philip had died she lost her faith, how could there be a god who would take away a young father who had his whole life ahead of him, who was an amazing husband and an amazing father. [i If only it had been me…Philip would never of let someone hurt his kids like this, I'm sorry my babies [/i

The door to the interrogation room swung open and in walked a woman with blonde hair pulled into a swinging ponytail high up on her head, if you had seen her in the street you would have known she was a police woman by the hard look on her face and the way she carried herself, behind her walked a tall man with broad shoulders he wore a smile but Diane could tell he was the one to watch if you pissed him off.

"Detectives O'Lachlin and Smith" Said the blonde detective pointing to herself as O'Lachlin. Pulling out a chair O'Lachlin sat on it back to front and Diane had to resist the urge to roll her eyes, obviously O'Lachlin was the "bad guy" and any minute now Smith was going to speak up with a "good guy" speech…

"Ma'am I don't think you realize just how much trouble you're in, now we just want to sit and talk and then you can tell us what happened" ...'something a little like that'

"I don't think we need to talk about it Smith, she already said she did it" Standing up off the chair O'Lachlin moved around to get up in Diane's face.

"What? Did you find out he was having an affair, diddling some little trollop" Diane's eye flashed in anger, beyond pissed. Detective O'Lachlin laughed leaning back so she stood propped against one of the hideous cement walls.

"That was it, wasn't it? He was fucking someone else so you got into a fight, that's where you got the bruises on your face and in a jealous rage you grabbed the scissors and decided to teach him a lesson" O'Lachlin said cockily as if she knew everything which only served to piss Diane off more.

"Do my bruises look fresh to you? Surely in your line of work you have had a few bruises, if you had you would know that this" Diane paused angrily pointing to her face "Is over twenty-four hours old, why don't you go toddle off and check my medical records, this shit was how Hank was! For twelve years I put up with it, broken bones, stitches, bruises… you may also want to check Michael Guerin, Max and Isabel Evans's record as well, I snapped today and you know what I would do it again that fucking prick had it all coming to it " Diane ranted.

"Hank was an abusive drunk and he was always drunk" Diane shook her head at the detectives, she knew it wasn't going to be hard to make them believe it was her that had stabbed Hank.

"Ok well we're going to need you to tell us the whole story so we can put it in your statement" Detective Smith said poised with pen and paper to write down the incident.

Silence filled the car as Max and Michael roared down the freeway, neither knew what to say to each other. Max's mother had supposedly just stabbed Michael's father. The man that had abused them for most of their lives was finally getting some of his medicine but Max couldn't help but be angry for the way it had been extracted on him. Max felt guilty for being happy that Hank was hurting and that his sister, brother and mother were all hurting as well because of it. Max had taken the call that Diane had made just before the police had arrived to take her in, the phone call and the scene that continued after it replayed in Max's mind over and over again.

//Flashback//

"Hello, who is it?" Max said as he picked up the phone, knowing it was bad news. Max had felt it in his bones; something bad had happened he had felt an ominous feeling that had chilled him to the bone about fifteen minutes ago. Please let Isabel and Amelia be ok Max silently prayed.

"Max? It's me…I don't have long, they'll be here soon so just listen" Diane said calmly, Max knew by the tone in her voice not to interrupt.

"Hank's been stabbed, he deserved it. I need you and Michael to come home and look after Isabel. She didn't mean to do it, Maxie you need to make sure she comes through this, it wasn't her fault, let her know I love her. I love you all. I have to go, the police are here. It's my fault and I'm going to tell everyone that, don't say anything different. I'm sorry sweetheart, tell your brother and sister, for everything" Diane pleaded and then the line went dead.

Max let the phone drop, when his eyes began to burn. His baby sister had stabbed Hank; His mother was going to prison. Max slid down the wall and rested his head in his hands as he began to cry. Could nothing go right for his family? The front door slammed and Max looked up at the entrance of Michael.

"Fuck, what happened this time?" Michael said once again cursing his father.

"How badly is Isabel hurt? He didn't touch Amelia did he? I'll kill him if he did!" Michael swore throwing his jacket onto the couch. Max shook his head sadly as he tried to force out the words that had shaken his world and was sure to shake his brother's as well.

"Isabel stabbed him" Michael's face went pale and he fought to draw in the air he needed to breathe. Max watched as the emotions flashed across Michael's face sadness, fear, terror, elation, anger.

"Fuckk!!!" Michael screamed in rage as he turned to the wall and punched out, leaving a hole in the wall.

"This is my fault, I shouldn't have left, I should have stayed and looked after her" Michael ranted as he angrily ran his fingers through his hair. Max didn't stop to correct Michael because he part of him felt the same, rationally he knew it had only been a matter of time before someone hurt Hank but never would Max think or wish it was Isabel.

"They won't send her to jail. I won't let them, it's his fault, he deserved this Isabel wouldn't hurt someone unless he gave her no other choice, I'll tell them" Michael said as he began to pace.

"They don't know it was her, Mom said that she did it" Max sighed, how come their lives were always so fucked up. Michael looked at Max in a mixture of confusion and a hopeful wonder.

"She's taking the blame?" Max nodded

"She said to tell you she was sorry and that she loves us all" Michael felt the tears begin to prickle and he took a deep breath to clear them, now was not the time to let this out. Clenching his jaw Michael looked up at the ceiling.

"We need to go home" Michael nodded and went to grab a bag for their stay as Max did the same.

//End Flashback//

Max sighed again as he stole a quick glance at Michael; who hadn't said a word since they set out on the road.

"Maxwell stop sighing" Michael angrily muttered, turning in his seat to look at Max.

"What exactly is it you want from me?"

"Tears?, That prick doesn't deserve my tears he has beaten me till I couldn't see out of my eyes cause they were so swollen and he's done the same to you and Isabel and not to mention your mother." Michael ranted

"He fucking deserves it for what he's done to all, I'm fucking overjoyed that he's hurt…are you happy now? I am a horrible son" Michael sighed brokenly, leaning back into the chair.

"Thanks" Michael said quietly, knowing that Max had made him yell, to get him to let it out so he didn't let it completely fuck him up. The only good thing in to happen in Michael's life was Isabel and Max and he thanked whoever was out there for them everyday.

"Your not and your welcome" Max nodded as they went back to their silence.

TBC