Chapter 28

How Much More Can I Take?

[Tori's POV]

I stood in the bathroom with my shirt up as I inspected the wound under my rib. It wasn't too delightful to see. It looked like something off of a horror movie and I knew for a fact it was badly infected. There was a small discharge coming from the wound that had a foul smell while around it was red and puffy.

I sighed. "Tori go to the doctor." I told myself as I put my shirt back down.

I walked out of the bathroom and back over to the living room just in time to catch Shiloh and Roxy coming down the stairs.

"Are you leaving?" I asked as I stood by the stair rail.

"Yeah, I'll be home a little later Tori. Is that okay?"

I smiled as I gave her a kiss on her head. "It's fine. I'm sorry your birthday morning hasn't gone so well. Please go enjoy your birthday. Have fun baby."

She smiled before Roxy opened the door for her letting her out first. "See you later Tori." Roxy said as she walked out closing the door behind her.

I sighed again as I walked into the kitchen to get more coco before I returned to the living room couch.

After about 15 minutes into a cartoon that I didn't even recognize, Jade walked in.

I immediately stood up. "Jade, I"

Jade put her hand up. "Let's just let it all go."

"Let go of the fact that you ruined the birthday morning of our daughter?"

Jade shook her head. "I…I know. Look…I'm sorry. I don't…let's just not discuss this right now."

She walked over to me and gave me a small peck on my lips that I didn't return before bringing me into a hug that I pulled out of quicker than I knew she wanted me too.

"Where have you been?" I asked as I sat back down.

She sat down beside me before she took a breath. "I found Cat."

Ugh, just the sound of her name makes me want to punch a hole in the wall.

"Found her where?"

"It doesn't matter. I got her some help."

My eyes got wide. "You did what?"

"I took her to a rehab center. She needs to get her life straightened out." She said nonchalantly as she picked her nails.

"What!? Jade you need to get your mind right! You just….wait. Let me get this straight." I started to give a fake laugh. "You just helped a bitch who almost killed your daughter and wife?" I asked calmly.

She looked over at me with slightly parted lips. "Tori it's not like that-"

"-Oh then please explain to me what the hell it's like? Because that's exactly what it sounds like."

Jade sighed again. "I found Cat, and…I was so pissed at her. So I threw her in the back seat, took her to the woods, and beat that shit out of her-"

"-Am I suppose to believe this?"

She was quiet for a moment while she stared at me as if I was crazy for asking those words.

"Yes! You are! What I'm liar now? Did I lose a trust bet?"

I just stared at her.

"What the hell are you trying to say Tori?" She asked as she turned all the way towards me.

I shook my head. "Just finish. What else happened?"

She rolled her eyes at me before she continued. "Tori….Cat, she's lost her daughter okay. That's everything to a woman. She needed help. She's lost, she doesn't know what she's doing. She sincerely wants help. I know she does, so I helped her Tori."

I can't believe this? Who is this I'm talking to?

"Helped her how!? By driving her to rehab?"

"Yes Tori. I…I promised I would help her get through this."

"Hold! Who's paying for this!?"

"Fo…for what?" She asked as she lost eye contact with me.

I stood up forcefully. "Don't you play dumb with me Jade! Who's paying!?" I stomped a foot on the ground and god she better not say it.

She sighed before she looked up at me. "I am Tori."

"Have. You. Lost. Your. MIND!?"

Jade stood up as well. "No Tori! She just wanted help!"

"She put a gun to your daughter's head! Does that mean anything to you!?"

She opened her mouth but no words came out.

"Apparently it doesn't! Since when have you cared so much to help someone!? Please tell me Jade! Now all of a sudden WE! Not you, WE! Are paying to help a crackhead who almost killed your whole family in ONE NIGHT!" I screamed at the top of my lungs before giving her a hard push in her chest.

I could tell by the expression on Jade's face that she wasn't playing anymore. She gave me that same look she gave me the day she striked me in my face and just to challenge her I took a step forward.

I dare her to hit me.

"She needed help Tori. So I helped her." She stated calmly after taking a deep breath. "She didn't know what she was doing that night. She was in a delusional state."

"I don't give a fuck if she was all the way in Florida! There's no excuse for that Jade! What the hell would you have done if she had of pulled that trigger! Huh!? Please tell me!"

Jade looked away from me. "I don't know Tori!"

"You would have killed her! She was that close! And you are helping her!? What the fuck is the matter with you!? Ugh!"

"Tori! She needed help so I fucking helped her! Okay! I'm sorry!"

"You can help her but you can't even help your own fucking family!"

"What do you mean!?"

"It's your daughter's birthday Jade! She's already been through so much and you go and kill her even more with your stupid words this morning! Then you fucking leave and go help that bitch while your daughter is most likely upstairs crying her eyes out! We need you Jade! But nooo you are so worried about Cat and her fucking needs! I told you she shouldn't have stayed here in the first place, but you still let her! Now what!? Your daughter is traumatized by what she did to her and still.."She needed help so I helped her" Fuck that Jade!"

"Tori! I'm fucking sorry okay! What do you want me to do and I'll do it!"

"You can start by packing your bullshit and getting out of this house and tending to your wife Cat who definitely needs you the most!" I yelled.

"Tori." She said in a soft voice as she put her head down.

"Jade, get out of my house."

"So that's it. You're really going to make me leave." She said as she looked back up at me.

I nodded. "That's exactly what I'm going to do. Now get your shit, and leave." I pointed to the door.

"And…and where am I going?"

"Oh you can run to Cat's house again." I said as lifted a brow and crossed my arms.

She chuckled. "You know what Tori? This is MY house. How about you get your shit and you leave."

"Fine. I will." I said as I walked passed her. "And Shiloh's coming with me."

She laughed. "Ohh no, no. Shiloh stays here. You're not taking my daughter anywhere."

"Your daughter?"

"Shiloh belongs to me."

"And what do you mean by "she belongs to you" ?" I asked as I inched closer to her with my arms still folded.

"I mean she's mine and you can't take her anywhere!" She yelled as she stomped her foot.

Tears filled my eyes as I turned for the door to feel her grab my arm and yank me around.

"Tori I'm sorry. I didn't mean-"

"Jade just let me go! I hate you!" I screamed as I tried to retrieve my arm from her but her grip got tighter.

"Jade! Stop! Just leave me alone! Be with your family! Since you love them so much! Matter of fact! Just marry Cat! You two can live happily ever after!" I screamed as I pulled harder and harder for my arm.

Next thing I know I was being thrown to the floor in which I hit my head hard before she jumped on top of me.

"I love you Tori! Okay! I don't know! I just don't know! I can't…I thought helping her would…I thought it was the right thing to do! Okay! I'm sorry! All my life I've used Cat! That's all I've ever done Tori! I used her and used her for my own good! Not once did I ever apologize to her! Not once did I ever make things up! It's been hurting me for so long and you know this Tori! So when…when I see that she needs help, I jump at the chance! I owe this to her! I know she did some crazy shit to us and no Tori I'll never forgive her for doing what she did to my daughter ever! But I can at least try to have a heart for once and help her! If there's anything I've learned from you is to have a heart! I might be doing something dumb, I just might, but it's worth a shot! I'm not just helping her for me Tori! I'm just helping her for her! She has a daughter and a son who still needs her! Think about them! Evelyn is going crazy without her family and she still has a mom. Tori….I….just want to help! I don't…I'm sorry…I…I don't know Tori." She got off of me before she put her hands to her face and started to sob hard.

I mean, I've seen Jade cry before but nothing was like this. She turned away from me as she cried harder into her own hands. "I'm so sorry Tori." She cried out.

I crawled over to her and wrapped my arms around her tight before she did the same to me. Her face went to my shoulder before I felt all her tears start to soak up my shirt and the feeling that I'm feeling for my wife right now…it's nothing I've ever felt. I've never gotten to hold her like this. I've never seen her so broken and I'm so glad that she didn't run away. I'm so glad she can feel comfortable with me holding her like this at her weakest point. Even though I was in the mist at being pissed off at her...I just can't now. And Jade is…kind of right about helping Cat. Not for Cat, but for her kids. That's the only way I'm going to…go along with this. For Kulado, for Evelyn. They need their mother, Jade's right about that, but I know Jade didn't just help Cat for them. She did help Cat for her.

Jade always use to tell me how she used Cat when we were younger. How she used her for her own good and she's been feeling so guilty ever since. She told me one night that the guilt is eating her alive. Before we lost friendship with Cat Jade would tell me how she promised herself she is going to do something amazing for her because she owed her something. And I agreed, but Jade never gotten that chance and I guess now she's still trying to live up to her own promise no matter what. And it kind of makes me mad, but I now understand where she is coming from.

I'm not going to be there for Cat. I'm not going to hold her hand through this, but…I'll hold my wife's hand only for her and for Cat's children that's it. I'll never forgive Cat. I don't know if Jade will, but I'm not, and she really shouldn't either. You aren't going to put a gun to my daughter's head threatening her life and get away with it. I don't care what kind of state she was in, I don't care how lost she was, I don't care how blind she was, I don't care if she was fucking possessed. She'll never step foot near my kids again.

I hope that one day we are all finally over and done with this….mess. I'm sick of everything. I'm sick of crying, I'm sick of worrying, I'm just sick of it all. I want to live in peace and I…I just can't anymore. There's always something…something around the corner to mess with everybody's lives and I'm tired of it! I hope this is all coming to an end soon.

Because I don't know how much more I can take….


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