*Please note that this chapter describes situations of domestic violence and abuse*

For the next few days, they continued as they had been doing for the last few days. After work, Alice and Matthew and would go back to Mycroft Avenue, eat dinner, relax in the living room and make their way to bed afterwards. It was the Thursday night when they were lying down, kissing on the sofa. Matthew's hands were buried in Alice's hair and Alice's hands were slowly working their way up Mathew's back. Matthew took his hands from her hair as he unbuttoned the top button of her blouse and he started kissing the top of her bra. If anyone had seen them at that point, both of them would have been so embarrassed with the state they were actually in. Matthew's sweater was on the floor along with Alice's shoes. Matthew's shirt was pulled out from his trousers and Alice's blouse was lying open at the top and no longer tucked into her skirt. As Matthew went to slowly move himself over Alice, he tried to position himself in between her legs but her tight-fitting skirt was getting in the way. Matthew went to try and move the offending garment when suddenly, Alice panicked. It was all a bit much and she almost knocked Matthew off the sofa when she sat up. Matthew looked at her in shock, but she helped him back on to the sofa, got up in floods of tears and ran to the bathroom where she proceeded to lock the door.
As fast as he could, Matthew went after her. He could hear her trying to stifle a heart-breaking sob behind the door. Matthew was the first to speak "Alice? Alice? Talk to me. Please sweetheart." Matthew heard nothing but sobs from the other end of the door. He heard a noise, that sounded like Alice had just slide down the bathroom door and thud to the floor. "Alice? Open the door? Please let me in. Tell me what I did that was wrong? Alice?" He heard nothing but sobs for the next five minutes but then, he heard silence and waited in anticipation to see what would happen next. He heard movement at the other side of the door. By this point, he was sitting rather uncomfortably on the floor outside the bathroom. He was currently thinking how much his leg hurt but his mind shifted from this thought when Alice opened the bathroom door. She looked awful: red rimmed eyes and red nose from all the crying. Her face was blotchy from the tears and as he took in the sight of her, he tried to get himself off of the floor. Alice reached down to give him her hand and as he took it, she helped him to stand up. Matthew wouldn't let her hand go. She tried to remove her hand from his grasp, but he held tight and took her to the kitchen, which was the closest seat.
He sat her down at the table and made some hot chocolate. He loved that Alice had a sweet tooth and he wanted something to do with his hands while he decided what he was going to say to her. Matthew sat two mugs of cocoa on the table and sat down next to Alice. He leaned over to take her hand and she flinched. Matthew's heart was breaking. Breaking for Alice and breaking for him. He didn't know what was wrong and so, he didn't know how to fix it. Matthew moved his hand closer to Alice's on the table. He didn't touch her hand, just left his sit there so close but without actually touching, leaving the choice to her. He looked at her and saw a beautiful bird with broken wings. "Alice? Talk to me please. You know I'd never hurt you intentionally. Tell me what's wrong. Please?" he pleaded with her. It took Alice a few minutes to realise he was still there. She moved her hand over his and started to talk. "Matthew…I…Matthew there's something I should tell you. It doesn't appear that you're going anywhere, and I need to explain something to you…you already know some of this story, but I'll start at the beginning." Alice proceeded to explain how her father had beat her and her sister when they were children. One day, when she was 12 and her sister 6, Alice had been sent to the store to buy some milk. When she came back and turned up the path to their house, Alice could hear shouting and screaming. She looked over to the neighbour's house to see the face of Mr Marshall looking at her and mouthing the words "I'm calling the police". Everyone on the street knew Alice's father was a monster, but he always managed to talk his way out of whatever was happening. Alice had seen far too many social workers and welfare people in her then short life, but she had a feeling so bad that she thought this time was different to the others. With fear and adrenaline pumping through her veins, Alice entered the house to find her father in the middle of the living room. She could see he was drunk and was mad. Mad as hell and madder than she had ever seen him before. She had no idea what had started the shouting, but she knew there was no point in trying to establish the cause because her father was passed the point of no return. He had long since forgotten what the original reason for his anger was. Alice looked at the terrified face of her mother and sister. Her father had clearly already started his venom and abuse as she could see the blood dripping from her mother's lip as she sat on the floor cradling her head. Alex Harvey had clearly punched her mother on the face, at the very least. In the middle of the room was her father, with his hands roughly gripping her sister Marjory's arms. She could see he was hurting her, but Marjory was trying her best not to cry. Alice could see the fear on her sister's face. Alice still, to this day, cannot believe what happened next. Alice explained to Matthew that she asked her father what was going on, trying to take his attention away from Marjory. He turned to her with such rage and shouted "are you fucking stupid Alice? Are you? Can't you see that your mother and your sister need punishing?" Alice looked back at her father and foolishly asked why. On this, he manhandled Marjory to the side and as he did, she fell and hit her head on the metal hearth of the fireplace. Alice watched as her sister picked herself up and held her now bleeding head with her hand as she slumped down the wall. With another swift movement, Alice's father lunged towards her and knocked her to the floor. He started punching her hard on the face and torso and when she tried to fight back, he just gave her more of what she had already received. The only time Alice's mother actually fought back to her husband was that day. Rhonda Harvey picked herself up off the floor and ran towards her husband. He jumped off of Alice and left her lying bleeding and in pain on the floor. Alice was too scared to move in case the pain made her pass out and she never woke up again.
Alice's mother started hitting her father around the head with her fists, but it was fruitless. He was too big and too mean for her mother to be able to make any difference to the situation. In some way, Alice was proud that her mother finally broke and tried to show that mean bastard what for. Alex Harvey picked up the poker from the fireplace and just as he raised it above his head and force it down onto her mother's head, the police rushed in. It was just a few seconds too late. In one corner lay Alice's sister Marjory, bleeding from a wound in her head. Where she had once been holding the gash, she now looked like she was unconscious. As Alice looked over, she still saw blood dripping from her head, and in her childish way, she thought that she must be ok because the blood was still flowing. She looked over to her mother who was now lying on the floor in the opposite corner, but Alice knew something was badly wrong. Her father was looking in absolute shock, still holding the poker from the fireplace. Alice lay as still as she could as the police came in and put her father in handcuffs and took him away. They were safe. They were all safe now. This was the last thing that Alice remembered.
Next thing she remembers is waking up in a nice clean hospital surrounded by a doctor and a nurse. It smelled clean and of antiseptic and not at all like the house she had been brought up in. The nurse was being so kind to her and the doctor explained that she had a few broken ribs, collarbone and that she had a number of cuts, gashes and bruises over her torso, face and scalp. He told her she would need to stay in hospital for at least a week as she was going to need some strong painkillers and they wanted to keep an eye on her just to make sure they hadn't missed anything. In the sea of information, Alice looked at the doctor and asked about her mother and her sister, but the doctor looked to the nurse and both of them looked to Alice. It was the doctor who spoke first. "There are some policemen who would like to speak to you" he said, "they are just speaking to the doctor in charge of the ward, but they'll be in to see you when they are finished." They both left and she closed her eyes to try and wish the pain away, but it didn't work. She wasn't sure how long it was between the medical staff leaving and the policeman entering the room, but she knew some time had passed. Two straight faced policemen sat down on the chairs at the side of her bed. "Listen honey," the older of the two said "we've got some bad news." Alice looked at the policeman and wasn't sure if he was one of the men who turned up at the house earlier that day. She looked at him as he continued to explain the situation. He held her hand as he told her that her mother had died due to a head wound caused by the poker used by her father. He told her that her sister Marjory has been alive when they had brought her to the hospital, but she had hit her head on something… and at this Alice said "it was the hearth. My father pushed her, and she hit her head on the hearth." She could see the policeman wasn't finished yet and he opened his mouth to tell her the rest of the sad tale. Alice's sister Marjory had died due to a blood clot that had formed on her brain after she had hit her head. He told her that it was fast and that she would not have been in pain. Lastly, Alice asked if her father was now in jail and asked, again in her childish way, if he was never going to hurt her again. The older of the men looked at her and said "honey, he's never going to hurt you again." He told Alice how, when they were taking her father from the car to the police station he ran and tried to escape. The police ran after him and told him to stop but he kept running. One of the police officers had shot him in the process and unfortunately the shot had caused his death. In one God awful day, Alice had lost her whole family. The only family she had ever known, no matter how bad a situation she had been in, she knew nothing else, and all that she knew was gone. Alice cried herself to sleep and when she woke, she saw the doctor from before asking her about her pain. She said that she was in a lot of pain and for the next few days, she fell in and out of pain killer induced sleep.
Alice took a deep breath and looked over to Matthew; she looked to him to see his response. All she saw was Matthew, reaching over to her and resting his hand on top of hers. "Alice? I'm so sorry that you had to go through such a thing." He reached his hand up and cupped her face, rubbing the tears with his thumb. "Alice, do you want to stop? Would you like some water?" Alice looked at Matthew and said, "you don't want to leave?" Matthew took her hand in his and said "Alice? I love you. I'm not going anywhere. None of this was your fault. None of it. You know my father was a drunk and mean to me, Vera and my mum but Alice, it was nothing compared to the shit you've had to deal with. What happened after the hospital? Where did you go?" Matthew looked Alice straight in the eyes and said "Alice, you don't need to tell me these things now but I do want you to know that, no matter what you tell me, I am not going anywhere."
"Matthew? I need to use the bathroom, but will you make some tea and we can talk more in the living room? That is, if you want to?" Matthew reached over again to take her hand and said "I'm listening. I'll get the tea and see you in the living room." As they both got up to do what they needed to do, Matthew turned and said Alice's name; when she turned around, Matthew leaned in close to Alice and lightly kissed her on the cheek. He whispered, "I love you Alice Harvey" and walked over to fill the kettle. Alice looked over her shoulder and took a deep breath; she knew then that Matthew was going nowhere and her trust in him grew. She couldn't believe, that after all of these years, someone would want her, love her and want to take care of her.
When Alice returned, Matthew had two steaming mugs of tea and some biscuits on the coffee table. Matthew turned around when he heard her coming and said, "come on love, I managed to find some biscuits in the tin." Alice sat down next to Matthew on the sofa and she lifted her mug of tea and picked up one of the biscuits. She leaned on Matthew's arm as they both sat in silence and drank their tea. When they were finished, they placed their empty mugs back on the coffee table and snuggled back together on the sofa.
"I don't remember much of that week in the hospital." Alice said, looking towards Matthew, as if telling him she was continuing her story. Matthew never said a word, just pulled her closer and kissed her forehead. Alice settled down into Matthew's embrace and continued with the rest of what she wanted Matthew to know. Alice explained how she was sent to a care home for a few years and then, when she was almost 15, she was sent to the foster home of Dr and Mrs McNaughton. Alice explained how she was glad: some of the workers in the care home were slap happy and how some of them would punish the children for insignificant things, like not cleaning their shoes properly or not folding their clothes properly. When Alice reached the foster home, she found an older couple in their 50s; he was a surgeon and his wife worked in a haberdashery shop. Alice liked and loathed the place with equal measure. The house had a library with books: more books than Alice could imagine and books on many subjects, with a special section on medical texts. When the doctor was out, Alice would read the medical books and there, she found her calling. Mrs McNaughton never said anything; she knew Alice would spend all of her time in the library when her husband was out. When the doctor was home, he was usually angry and would drink. He shouted at his wife; he shouted at Alice and sometimes, he spoke with his fists. When Alice was 17, Mrs McNaughton and Alice were in the house; the older lady in the kitchen preparing and Alice in the library reading. The doctor came home early, catching Alice with one of his medical texts. He started shouting at her about asking permission and how he had not told her she could touch his books. Mrs McNaughton had heard raised voices and came running from the kitchen: when she arrived into the library, she found her husband hitting Alice on the side of the face with the rather large medical textbook that he had grabbed from her. Mrs McNaughton put Alice to bed and went downstairs to deal with her husband. Alice had no idea what happed, but Alice spent the next week at home and wasn't permitted to go to school: the black eye and bruise on her left cheek probably played a big part in that. The next week, when Alice was coming out of the bath, the doctor walked into the bathroom. Alice had just been stepping out of the bath when the doctor opened the door. "No" she said "no…" The doctor stepped closer to Alice and was just about to grab the towel from her when Mrs McNaughton found them. Alice thought, at the time, that Mrs McNaughton would be angry at her; that she would have her sent back to the care home but Mrs McNaughton took her husband by the arm and disappeared into their bedroom. Alice dried herself and dressed as quickly as she could and went to "her" bedroom and packed her two suitcases. Alice could hear raised voices, where she heard Mrs McNaughton tell her husband she was sick of him. Sick of the years of putting up with his anger and drinking. Alice heard her say that he had become a mean man in the last few years of their marriage and that he had no right to lift a finger to "that child". Alice thought she meant her, and when the conversation continued, she knew it was her. Mrs McNaughton told her husband that Alice had had a crappy life and he was only adding to that crappy life; she proceeded to tell him that they were going to help Alice. Alice waited for what seemed like hours, before the doctor and his wife called her downstairs for dinner. During the meal, the doctor explained that he and his wife had discussed what had been happening and that he was extremely ashamed of the man that he had become. Knowing that Alice was smart and worked hard, they offered to cover her costs for her to study medicine, if she applied and was offered a place.
True to their word, Alice brought them an acceptance letter for a place to study medicine at university in Melbourne, the McNaughton's paid for Alice's accommodation and fees until she finished. She never saw them again after she left for university; only received a regular cheque to cover her costs. Alice worked hard and had a part time job working as a secretary for a funeral director. It suited Alice: she didn't need to deal with people at all. She dealt with the appropriate paperwork and sent out letters requesting payment and it covered the extra costs of university life.
"Matthew? I worked hard for years: I became so driven to finish my studies and find a good job. A job with a salary that would mean I would never need to rely on anyone ever again. I did it but…I…" Matthew looked to Alice, lifted her chin so that she would be looking at him. "Talk to me Alice, you know you can tell me anything." Alice knew he was genuine, and she moved her head back into place on Matthew's chest. "Matthew, I wanted nothing to do with anyone; all of the boys on my course were not interested in me for anything other than helping with their assignments. When I realised that was all they wanted, I stopped talking to them all together. After that, I was the Ice Queen and they would make fun of me. I just ignored it. The thing is Matthew…I…the dating thing…the…I…" she looked up to Matthew and he said nothing, just held her close and let her continue. Alice rested her head again on his chest and said "Matthew, you are the first man who has shown any interest in me. Well, any interest that I trusted. Before you…I…you…Matthew? I haven't done this before. I'm 42 years old and I haven't done any of this. I'm scared I'll disappoint you. I…I'm scared you won't want me when you see me underneath these clothes. I…" Matthew looked at Alice and moved her so that they were both sitting up and he looked at her. With one of his hands, he took one of hers and with his other hand he cupped her face. "Alice, I love you; so very much. Let me just say, if this is the first time you have kissed someone, you are mighty fine at it and a fast learner!" Matthew laughed gently trying to lighten the mood. "We can set the pace for this relationship Alice. All I ask is that you talk to me and I will promise to talk to you. I worry too, you know. What about my leg? What if it puts you off? What if the scars I have received in the line of duty are too ugly for you and you don't want me?" Alice began to cry; she lifted her free hand and covered Matthew's hand on her cheek with hers. "Matthew, no. I love you. I want this. I want us and I am happy that you want it too. You do want this? Don't you?" Matthew looked at Alice and leaned in for a soft kiss. "Alice, when we are both ready, we will do this. For now, I think we should go to bed and get some sleep." They both got up from the sofa and readied themselves for bed. As Matthew reached over to switch off the bedside lamp and pull Alice into an embrace, Alice leaned close and said "Matthew, thank you. Thank you for listening to my story; thank you for staying and thank you for being you. I love you." Matthew leaned into Alice and kissed her soundly on the lips. "Thank you, Alice. Thank you for trusting me with your story and thank you for loving me and allowing me to love you. I love you Alice; never doubt that." They fell asleep quickly and didn't wake until Matthew's alarm clock woke them the next morning.