A/N: Warning: More talk about child abuse. Will also talks to Alec. How will Alec react?
Chapter Twelve
Archer looked at the photograph of Alicia Freshwell while Louisa helped Will take a drink of the protein shake Nathan made for him then used the napkin to wipe Will's lips. Archer turned the photograph back around when he turned the audio recorder back on and sat back against the chair.
"Why did you call her a bad lady?" Archer asked.
"She's bad," Alec said and Louisa moved Will's arms so he was holding Alec.
"Did she ever hurt you?" Archer asked and Alec looked at Will. Will was looking at the photograph when Alec carefully knelt on Will's thighs and placed his small hands against Will's chest. Will saw the concern in his son's eyes as Alec tilted his head to one side and frowned.
"It's ok, Buddy. You can tell him," Will said, but Alec shook his head. "Why won't you tell him?"
"I don't want to make you angry," Alec said.
"I won't get angry."
"Would you tell me if he goes and waits out in the hallway?" Archer asked and Alec turned to look at him.
"Uh-hunh," Alec said with a nod and Louisa picked Alec off of Will's lap. Will gave her a confused look then used his finger to move the joystick and the wheelchair backed up. Nathan opened the door as they left the room and Nathan closed the door. Will parked the wheelchair near the wall as he looked at the wall across from him and blinked.
"Will?" Nathan asked, kneeling down on his haunches, but Will stayed silent.
"Now," Archer said as he looked at the photograph of Alicia Freshwell then looked at Alec. "Did she ever hurt you?"
"Yeah," Alec said while sitting on Louisa's lap and her eyes went wide.
"How did she hurt you?" Devon asked and Alec held up his left hand then slapped his fingers with his right hand.
"Shit," Archer whispered and Alec giggled.
"You said a bad word," Alec said and Archer smiled, rolling his eyes.
"Yes, I did."
"Did she only do that once?" David asked.
"No," Alec said, shaking his head.
"Did she do anything else?" Archer asked.
"Uh-hunh," he said, nodding.
"What else did she do?"
"She pushed me."
"She pushed you!?"
"Yeah."
"Where were you when she pushed you?"
"I was on the stairs," he said and Louisa gasped. Alec looked at her as she realized now why he didn't want to say these things in front of Will and Alec sniffed. She saw the tears in his eyes when she held him and Archer turned the audio recorder off. Archer looked at Devon when she nodded and got up, walked to the door and looked at Nathan.
"What's wrong?" Nathan asked as he walked to her and Devon looked at Will. Will was looking at the wall when she walked to the wheelchair and placed her hand on Will's right shoulder. He glanced at her while he blinked and she went to stand in front of him.
"He needs you," she said in a soft voice as Will used his finger to move the joystick and the wheelchair headed for the door. They went into the room when Louisa stood up and walked to the wheelchair. He watched her placed Alec on his lap when Alec carefully knelt on Will's thighs and slid his arms around Will's neck. Will felt the tears against his neck as he gave Archer a dark look and Archer sighed.
"What did you say to him?!" Will demanded with a small growl and Archer leaned his lower arms on the edge of the table.
"It was more like what he said to me," Archer said and Will leaned his head against his son's head.
"This interview is over," Will said, moving the joystick with his finger and the wheelchair backed up. Archer opened his mouth to say something then closed it and watched them leave the room. He sat back in the chair as he looked at the photo of Alicia Freshwell and lightly thumped the edge of the desk with his fist.
"Will!" Louisa called as the wheelchair moved quickly by the desks and she half ran to catch up with it. The wheelchair stopped in front of the doors to the lift as she stopped to stand next to the wheelchair and he glanced up at her. "How were you going to call for the lift?"
"This is not the time for humor, Clark," Will said while glaring at her and she saw the anger in his eyes.
"Sorry," she said and gently carded the back of his head. "I know you're angry, but don't you think we should finish talking to DI Archer?"
"No," Will said, barely shaking his head and Alec sniffed. He moved back to look at Will as Will slightly arched his eyebrows up and Louisa used a tissue to wipe Alec' nose. "Unless you want to."
"I want to, but….," Alec said then went silent.
"But you don't to because what you have to tell him will make me angry."
"Yeah," Alec said with a nod and Will pressed his lips into a thin line. Louisa watched as Alec sat against Will and Will used the joystick to turn the wheelchair around. He looked at David, Devon and Nathan when the wheelchair headed back to the interview room and Archer walked out of the room.
"What's going on?" Archer asked.
"You can continue questioning him, but only if you promise not to upset him or me," Will said and Archer opened the door to allow the wheelchair to go into the room. Archer walked to the table when he sat down and turned the audio recorder back on after the others had come into the room. He looked at the photograph of Alicia Freshwell when he moved the photograph back and slid the next photograph toward Alec.
"Do you know who this is?" Archer asked and Will looked at the photograph of Alicia's mother, Jane Dewar.
"Yeah," Alec said then looked at Will. "That's the Mean Lady."
"Why do you call her that?"
"She's mean."
"Has she ever hurt you?" he asked and Alec snuggled against Will's chest.
"Yeah," Alec said in a small voice and Louisa moved Will's arms so he was holding him.
"How did she hurt you?"
"She spanks my bottom and said I was bad."
"Did she do anything else?"
"She slapped me," Alec said and Will snorted an angry sigh. Alec looked at him while Will glanced down and Alec gently took hold of Will's right index finger. Archer looked at the last photograph when something clicked in his head and he slid the photograph toward Alec so he could look at it.
"Alec, is this the bad man?" Archer asked. The look on Alec' face confirmed what he already figured out as he turned off the audio recorder, stood up, walked around to the other side of the table and knelt down onto his haunches next to the wheelchair. "Thank you for talking to me, Alec. You've been a big help."
Alec gave him a small smile as Archer stood up and looked at Will then at Alec. Nodding, Philip headed for the door when he left the room and Will used the joystick to turn the wheelchair around to face the door.
"What was that all about?" Nathan asked.
"I think he just figured out who the Bad Man is," Will said, flicked the joystick with his finger and they left the room.
Alicia typed on the keyboard while she looked at the screen then glanced over at the framed photograph and sat back in the chair. Will smiled with his arm around her waist and Rupert was standing next to him. The photograph was from their last skiing trip and the memory of that day moved across her mind. She wasn't sure why she kept the photograph after the accident, but she didn't have the heart to change it.
Reaching over, she picked up the frame as she looked at the photograph and lightly outlined Will's face with her finger.
"Stop it," she whispered when muffled voices from behind the door made her place the frame back on the desk and the door slammed open. Archer and four PCs entered the office with her secretary behind them as he looked at Alicia and she glared at him. "What the hell?!"
"Alicia Freshwell, you are under arrest," Archer said as he walked toward the desk and she quickly stood up.
"Are you joking?! Under what charge?!"
"You are charged with reckless endangerment of a child, neglect and abuse," he said, removing the handcuffs from the holder on his belt.
"Are you talking about Alec?! Has something happened to him?!" she asked, backing toward the small bookcase under the large windows.
"Yes," Archer said as he stood face to face with her and leaned closer. "He remembers who hurt him."
Alicia softly swore, placing her arms behind her back, and Archer slid the handcuffs on her wrists. She looked straight ahead as they left the office and the frame fall face down on the desk after the door closed.
Will looked at the ceiling while Nathan finished examining him and placed the medical equipment in the drawer of the small table near the bed. Nathan wrote the information in medical file then got up and walked to the door. Will kept looking at the ceiling while he left the room and Will slowly blinked his eyes. He had been quite the whole trip home as he replayed the interview in his mind and saw a small slideshow of the photographs Archer had shown them. Alicia's smiling face made him want to fold his fingers into fists as he sighed and half closed his eyes.
"Will," made him open his eyes as he glanced over at the doorway and Louisa looked at him. She walked to the bed when she sat down on the edge of the bed and placed her hand on his chest.
"Have you ever hated anyone, Clark?" he asked in a soft voice.
"Yeah, but not for very long."
"Have you hated someone so much that it starts eating at your insides?"
"Will…"
"I'm sorry," he said as he made a soft sigh and she moved her hand up and down his chest.
"No, I'm the one who's sorry. It was my idea to call Miss Sharpe," she said, lowering her head and he wanted to sit up and hold her in his arms. He snorted out a sigh and she looked at him with a confused look in her eyes.
"No," he said with a small shake of his head. "I won't let her do this. I refuse to let Alicia make us feel guilty over something she did."
Louisa could just feel his heart slamming against the palm of her hand when she moved her fingers in small circles and he sighed.
"You are amazing," she said and his eyebrows lowered as he gave her a puzzled look. "I was expecting you to fall apart and yet…"
"You have no idea what's going on in my head right now! I want to scream! I want to tear this room apart! I want to….,!" he said, becoming silent. She watched the tears pooling in his eyes and he blinked, tears rolling freely down his cheeks. She slowly moved him closer when she placed his damp cheek on her shoulder and slid her arms around him. He made a jagged breath as the tears fell and she felt his body shaking. She held him until he calmed down then carefully lowered him against the pillows and went to get some antihistamines, the aspirator and something to calm him down. A few minutes later, she rested on the bed with him with her head against his shoulder and he looked up at the ceiling. "Clark..."
"No. Don't you dare say you're fine or you're sorry," she said with anger in her voice and he softly laughed.
"I was going to ask if you're feeling better," he said and she looked at him with a puzzled look. "I wasn't the only one crying."
"You're right," she said, moving her hand up and down his chest. She glanced over at the door when she saw Alec standing in the hallway and Will glanced over to see what she was looking at.
"Hey, Buddy," he said as Alec cautiously came in the room and stood at the foot of the bed.
"Do you want to come up for a snuggle?" Louisa asked and Alec nodded. They watched him move to the other side of the bed when he climbed up onto the mattress and Louisa moved over so he could crawl in between them. Louisa sat up a little more as she carded the top of Alec' head and Will made a small sigh.
"Why are you crying?" Alec asked, looking up at Will.
"I'm crying because this has been a really bad day," Will said.
"Oh," he said as he looked down and Louisa gently lifted his chin so he looked at Will.
"I don't blame you," he said then looked at Louisa. "Or Lou."
Will became silent when he decided to tell Alec the truth and Louisa slightly arched her eyebrows up from the look in his eyes.
"Let me tell you a story," Will said and Alec snuggled a little closer. "A few years ago, the Bad Lady and I were friends. We used to live in Central London and I really liked her. But, one day, she was very rude to someone I needed to talk to and I nearly lost my job. I was so angry that I told her we were no longer friends and I wanted her to leave. She did, but what I didn't know was she left with our baby."
Will paused after Alec gave him a confused look and glanced at Louisa.
"Do you know where babies come from?"
"No," Alec said with a shake of his head and Louisa softly smiled. She carefully got up when she walked to the table and picked up Will's laptop. She returned to the bed when she sat down on the mattress and Alec snuggled against her. She typed on the keyboard when she found an age appropriate video for them to watch and Will enjoyed the surprised look on Alec' face after they watched a baby being born.
"May I continue my story?" Will asked after Louisa turned the laptop off then placed the laptop on the floor and Alec nodded. "The Bad Lady went to live with the Sad Man, but she told him not to tell me about the baby or she'd hurt him."
"That's mean," Alec said with a pout and Will barely nodded his head.
"After she had the baby, she came to my office and told me she was sorry. I told her how much I missed her and we became friends again. The thing is she would go stay with the baby and the Sad Man from time to time."
"And you didn't think that was strange?" Louisa asked.
"She told me she was working late or she was going on a business trip," Will said with a sigh and she saw the hurt and embarrassment in his eyes. He became silent for a few minutes as he looked at the ceiling then glanced at Alec. "If I had known she or the Mean Lady or the Bad Man were hurting the baby, I would have taken the baby from her."
"You would?" Alec asked.
"Yep," Will said with a small smile. "After I got hurt…"
Alec looked over at the wheelchair then at Will as he snuggled closer and Louisa cautiously moved Will's arm so Alec could place his head against Will's chest then lowered his arm.
"After I got hurt, she came to see me and I told her we could no longer be friends."
"Why?"
"Because I knew she wouldn't like the fact I wasn't able to move," he said and Alec frowned.
"I wouldn't have minded if you could move or not," Louisa said and Will gave him a sweet look.
"I wouldn't mind either," Alec said. Will swore he could feel his heart thumping hard in his chest as he sighed and looked at the ceiling. "Did you see the Bad Lady again?"
"Yes, but not for a long time. She came here with the Sad Man and told me they were going to get married. Lou didn't want me to go to the wedding because she knew it would make me sad, but I wanted to go. And I was glad we went. Want to know why?"
"Yeah."
"It was because that was the first time I told Lou just how much I like her."
Louisa felt the burn of the blush moving across her cheeks as Alec giggled and Will smiled.
"After that, we found out the Bad Lady was hurting the baby."
"How?"
"The Sad Man sent me a letter."
"Were you angry?"
"I was very angry," Will said with a small nod. "He had also sent the letter to Devon Sharpe and…"
"Miss Devon?!" he asked and Will softly laughed.
"Yeah, Miss Devon. She came here to do a test which would prove the baby was mine and I was surprised when I saw him for the first time. Do you know who I'm talking about?"
"Me!?" Alec asked, pointing to himself.
"Yes," Will said with a slight crack to his voice and Louisa saw the tears in his eyes. She moved Will's arm so Alec could sit up then he carefully crawled on top of Will, sat on Will's stomach then he placed his hands against Will's chest.
"Don't cry, Papa Bear," he said and Will coughed a laugh.
"Papa Bear?"
"Yeah."
"Why did you call me that?"
"You're furry," Alec said, patting Will's chest and Louisa cupped her mouth with her hand.
"Oh, like the papa bear in the book we're reading?"
"Yeah!"
Will closed his eyes as he tried to calm down and Louisa moved closer then started carding the side of his head. He enjoyed her fingers moving through his hair as he sighed and opened his eyes.
"I think Papa Bear needs go to sleep, don't you?" she asked and Alec nodded. Will gave them a hurt look, but knew she was right as he closed his eyes again and she got off the bed. Will sighed as he drifted off to sleep while Louisa picked Alec off Will and they left the room. Alec didn't fight her when she suggested he take a kip as well as she walked out of the bedroom and walked to the kitchen.
"How is he?" Nathan asked, looking up from updating the medical file and she sat down.
"He broken down and cried," Louisa said as she told him what happened and Nathan puffed out a breath of air. He noticed how upset she was as he closed the file and looked at her.
"Lou, this wasn't you're fault."
"I know. It's Alicia Freshwell's fault," she said, balling her hands into fists. She tried to calm down when she looked at him and pressed her lips into a slit. "Have you told Mrs. Traynor anything?"
"I was about to."
"Let me do it," she said and he nodded, getting up.
"I'm going to check on Will," he said as he left the kitchen and Louisa took the phone out of her pocket. She was hesitant about calling Camilla as she looked at the screen and her thumb hovered over the call button. Sighing, she pushed the button and held the phone up to her right ear.
"Miss Clark, why are you calling me?" Camilla asked and she heard the concern in her voice.
"We took Alec to talk with the detective who is in charge of the abuse case against the Freshwells," Louisa said, fighting the urge to bite her nails. She had told Camilla about the nightmare and Camilla agreed they should go talk to DI Archer.
"What happened?" Camilla said and Louisa started talking. The silence after she was finished was deafening as Louisa felt her stomach tightening then she heard a sigh in her ear.
"I'm sorry."
"What are you sorry about?"
"It was my idea to let Alec talk to him."
"Yes, but you weren't the one who has been hurting my grandson."
"But…"
"No! I will not allow you to feel guilty about this! If it wasn't for you, my son would be dead and we would be spending Christmas without him! We would be remembering him on his birthday instead of celebrating it! You, My Dear, are more important to me…to this family…then that bloody bitch!"
Hearing those words caused a lump in her throat as Louisa swallowed and blinked the tears from her eyes.
"Louisa?"
"I'm still here."
"Good. Now, I want you to go take care of William and Alec and tell Alec I am very proud of him," Camilla said, ending the call and Louisa placed the phone back in her pocket, got up and left the room. Nathan came out of the bedroom as she looked at him and he gave her a puzzled look.
"How did it go?" he asked.
"She's angry, but not at me," Louisa said with a sad smile and Nathan looked at the bedroom doorway.
"Will's mumbling in his sleep."
"Then I better go see what's wrong," she said as he stood out of the way and she walked to the bed. Will made a little moan as she carefully sat down next to him and his eyelids opened slightly.
"Clark?" Will asked in a soft voice.
"Yeah?" she asked, taking his hand and wrapping their fingers together.
"Just checking," he said, closing his eyes and went back to sleep. She watched him for a few minutes when she carefully lifted his hand up to her lips and gently kissed his knuckles.
