Thank you for the reviews.
I am so sorry for this chapter. You might want to re-read the previous chapter after this (because you all enjoyed it so much). I was almost crying as I wrote this and not in a good way... What the hell have I put this kid through?
The first part is set during Chapter 13 of WR, WM. The second part is set after The Boxing Day Tradition (Chapter 29 of this) and was slightly mentioned last chapter...
Can I apologise again?
Father Figure
"Tommy! Open this door now!"
Tommy pressed himself against the door as strongly as he could. If he was a little quicker, he might have been able to pull his desk across the door, barricading himself in, before his father had reached his bedroom door.
"I swear to God Tommy, if you don't open this door right now, you will be in big trouble!"
He didn't fall for that. He knew that he was already in big trouble. He was waiting for the abuse, waiting for his dad to tell him that he was a waste of space. He hadn't heard his mother's footsteps following them, meaning that the door was the only thing stopping his dad.
Tommy hoped for his mother's sake that his dad wouldn't start to say the things that he would say when it was just the two of them. It wasn't for her to know that his father had wished that he had never been born.
He held the book as close to his chest as he could. He wasn't going to let his dad have it. It was about time he started standing up for his mum. It was time he started to protect her. He knew his dad was getting worse. It was only a matter of time before they had a repeat of that Christmas and there was no Philip around to save his mum this time.
But there was Eddie.
Tommy knew that the book wasn't safe at home. He knew that as soon as he left his room, his dad would turn it upside down to try and find it.
There was one place that it would be safe and someone that would look after it.
He had to take it to school and give it to Eddie.
"Adam, leave him alone." His mum said, rather breathlessly.
"Look at what you have raised."
"I can't be doing this tonight."
"He was a good boy who did everything I told him to before you sent him to that school. It is just bad news."
"I think you should look in a mirror and stop blame Waterloo Road for all your problems."
"I am not taking that from you."
There was a bang on the wall next to his door. He had no idea with it was just his dad's fist or whether it was his mum. Tommy wished he had Eddie number. Maybe he could have texted him his address so he could save his mum. His mum who always took the blame for him.
"I think you need to sort out your priorities Rachel. You're letting a school get between us again."
He heard his mum's sobs after the front door slammed closed and he knew that he was close to tears as well. He felt her lean against his door and slide down it.
"Keep it safe Tommy." She whispered.
"I will."
Eddie knew that even though Tommy looked like he was enjoying himself Christmas Day and Boxing Day, there was still something on his mind. He had hoped that it had just been the worry that Christmas was different from how Adam had it. It was the reason why Eddie actively encouraged Rachel and Sophie to go out when they mentioned about the sales. He hoped that Tommy might tell him while Rachel was out.
"Eddie?" Tommy said half an hour after Rachel and Sophie left.
"Yes."
"Have you got a minute?"
"For you Tommy, I have all the time in the world."
Eddie was certain that he was taken aback by that. It was something that he had noticed when they had time together, just them two. Like he wasn't used to another male giving him such positive attention. And even though Tommy wanted to talk, Eddie could tell that he was hesitant about it.
"Sophie said that I should talk to Mum about… what happened between me and Dad."
"Okay."
"But I… I can't do that to her. I can't allow Dad to hurt her anymore."
"I understand."
"Sophie said to tell you."
"Do you want to tell me?"
"I don't want to burden you with it. I don't want to tell you and you think that you have to tell Mum."
"Look, I'll only tell your mum if I believe that it is in her and your best interests. And I will tell you beforehand if I do decide to tell her."
Eddie knew that he just had to let Tommy think over it. The boy was like his mother so much that he knew that Tommy would tell him in his own time.
"I… I know that Dad was the reason behind Mum's injuries after that Christmas. I… just put the blame on Auntie Melissa because I had hoped that Mum had realised what Dad had done. Now I realise that I was five and didn't know how complicated things were between my parents. It was when I started to… want to be with Mum more than Dad. Mum always had the time for me. Dad... Dad didn't.
"I asked Mum recently about whether she wanted to have more children, whether she wanted me to have, at least, a brother or sister. She was quite honest, saying that she wasn't sure Dad ever wanted children. I… I didn't have the heart to tell her that I knew that he didn't want children. Or maybe it was just that he didn't want me as his child. That started when I was seven. Mum had just completed all the refresher courses that she needed to do to become a supply teacher in Scotland and… she had taken this job, a maternity cover job. It meant that she had to do parents evening and it was the first time in a long time it had just been me and Dad for the evening.
"I can't even remember what I did that was so wrong," Tommy said, his voice breaking as he tried to hold back the tears. "Well other than being born. He was late from picking me up from school, ranting and raving about how it was meant to be Mum's job to pick me up and she was being selfish. He may have just had a bad day at work."
"That is no excuse to take it out on you."
"He would have taken it out on Mum. It was the first time that he said that he wished that I had never been born. That things were great between him and Mum before I was born and I ruined everything for them. He basically blamed every argument that they had on me. I went to school the next day and… I went over to these boys in my year. They were the sort of boys that thought that they were way older than they actually were and as tough as nails. I… I don't know what I was doing when I started to annoy them but they beat me up and the school called my mum in. I had never been happier to see her.
"She didn't take on another long term cover for two years. Again she was at parents evening and Dad was shouting at me again and… it was the first time he… he something to me that I… I imagine he did to Mum. I would like to say I remember what I did wrong again but I don't. He picked me out of my chair by my collar and threw me against the wall. He was shouting about something but I was just so scared of him. I started crying and that was the next thing he had a go at me for. He told me that he would toughen me up. That no son of his was going to be a wimp.
"I hid the bruise on my back from Mum and the teachers and my friends. I stole a notebook from school and I wrote down what happened. I don't know why I did it, it helped me to try and forget that it happened. You know when I asked to go to the police station and I went in alone." Tommy waited from him to nod. "I handed over that notebook to them. It's what was given over to the jury when it was decided that I wasn't going to answer any more questions at the trail. I wrote every argument between them and everything he said to me. It may have only been what happened in the last three or so years but it must have helped, mustn't it?"
"Of course it did Tommy." He sighed. "Come here."
Eddie opened his arms and he was grateful when Tommy walked into them and hugged him tightly. He could feel Tommy's tears on his T-shirt. Not that Eddie wasn't close to tears as well. How did such a decent boy come out of all that misery?
"I know it is easy for me to say and hard for you to accept," Eddie said. "But we are here for you. Me, Sophie and Philip. I can promise you, I am glad that you were born. You have brought so much light to your mother's life, even if you don't realise it. Adam was a jealous man, we know that now. You are wanted here, Tommy."
"I just wanted him to stop."
"I know. And he has now. He can't hurt you in prison and we will prepare for when he gets out. You and your mum are my number one priority now."
"The night I took the scrapbook off Dad. I wanted to text you. I want you to save Mum then."
"I can guess. It will get better."
"I know."
"And you can talk to me about anything. Okay? I want you to be as open as you want to be with me."
"Okay."
"And thank you, Tommy. For telling me."
Eddie pulled him tighter to him, hoping to show Tommy that he was there for him and he wasn't about to let him go. If anything, it made Eddie hate Adam just that little bit more and become a little bit more protective of the young boy he was currently hugging.
If only Eddie could promise that he would never have to see Adam again.
Again... I am so sorry for that... Maybe go back a chapter... back to the happiness