soooooooo work is delayed (not surprised), so I was able to get another chapter of this done sooner than I thought! maybe I go back to work, maaaybe I don't, but I am planning on continuing to work on this fic since Infinitely Brave has been written out toooo chapter 16ish (and roughly plotted out for 70 chapters). please enjoy! - Dee
tw: some violence towards the end, and a BIG tw for next chapter when it gets... worse. (George Harvey is a diiiiiiick)
Matthew was already home by the time she, Anna, and Charlie arrived at the house; Charlie gave her a slightly sheepish look when she turned to him.
"I might have radioed ahead, Doc."
"It's alright, Charlie," Alice smiled. "Thank you."
As Anna and Charlie went into the house to get tea ready, Matthew pulled Alice into his arms and held on tight.
"I'm alright," she whispered even as she clung to him.
"You're shaking, sweetheart."
"So are you."
Matthew kissed the side of her head before he drew back far enough to rest his forehead against hers. "When… when Charlie radioed that your father had been to see you, I assumed the worst."
"He stepped in before it could be the worst, dear."
"How'd he get into the hospital?"
"I don't know."
"Well, I will certainly be talking to the hospital about it."
Alice smiled and softly kissed him, "Let's get some tea and biscuits first, my dear Matthew. Then we can talk about what to do next."
"I just want you to be safe."
"I am… I am with you."
That got her a slight smile, "Is that an invitation to always be with you?"
"I think the higher ups in Melbourne might frown upon using police time and money that way."
"Ah, well, I'm sure we can figure out a reason to keep them happy."
"Silly man, we'll just have to be more careful going out."
"Too bad we can't arrest your father for being an arse," he kissed her forehead and kept an arm around her waist as they walked towards the house.
"No, there's no crime for being a dickhead."
Matthew chuckled as they entered their home.
"You're sure you're alright, sweetheart?" he asked her right before they joined Anna and Charlie in the kitchen.
"I'm… I'm alright physically, dearest, still a little shaken otherwise."
"Let me know if… well, I'm here for you."
"I know," she smiled and kissed him. "I know you are."
Matthew woke with a grunt when something yanked the covers off of him; he blinked in the darkness and it was then that he heard the whimpers. Rubbing his eyes, Matthew rolled over and could just make out Alice tangled up in the covers and fighting against them.
"Please don't," she cried, "please, I'll be good. Please, please, Father, I'll be good, I swear."
It felt like a knife to the heart to hear her pleading, the way her voice had grown quiet and childlike in her nightmare; he reached out and gently started to untangle the covers around Alice - pausing when she pleaded again.
"No, please, don't hurt her!"
"Alice," he whispered, his hands smoothing her sweaty hair away from her face - drawing back as she flinched with each touch. "Sweetheart, it's alright, no one's going to hurt you."
"Don't touch my daughter!" Alice blindly lashed out - the back of her hand connecting with his cheek. It startled him more than hurting him, but the sting of skin on skin snapped Alice out of her sleep and she sat up abruptly - almost smacking their foreheads together.
"Hey," he slowly reached for her - moving within her vision so she'd see it coming, his heart wrenching when she flinched even more. "Alice, sweetheart, it's just me."
"M-Matthew?"
"Yeah, I'm here."
Instantly, Alice wrapped her arms around him - almost crawling into his lap - as she cried into his shoulder; Matthew held her close, kissing the crown of her head as his pajama shirt slowly grew wet with her tears.
"He was here," her voice was so small and Matthew pulled her closer. "And I was that scared little girl again… trying to protect Anna this time instead of my sister."
"I won't let him harm you or her, sweetheart."
That did little to comfort her - as evidenced by her continued tears - but she didn't pull away; Matthew kissed her forehead as she trembled in his arms, and he laid them back down on the bed - looking up when someone knocked on the bedroom door.
"Yes?"
"Is Mumma okay?" Anna's quiet voice could barely be heard over Alice's cries.
"Come on in, Anna," Matthew gave their daughter a faint smile as she peered around the door. "Mumma had a bad dream, sweetheart."
"A bad dream like mine?"
"Yeah."
Anna crawled up onto the bed and squeezed Goose in between Alice and Matthew before she clung to her mum's back, "I'll help, Daddy."
"Thank you, sweetheart," he smoothed Anna's curls down and Alice's sobs quieted down a little as she was squished between them. When Alice grew slack in his arms, Matthew kissed her forehead - knowing she'd finally cried herself back to sleep.
"Can I stay here, Daddy?"
"Of course," he smiled and tucked her hair away from her face, "just wake me if you need anything."
"I will, Daddy."
As Anna drifted off, Matthew kept watch a little longer over his girls. He'd have to call the hospital tomorrow, see what could be done about higher security while George was in town… and heaven help the man if Matthew found him within a hundred feet of his loved ones.
Alice woke surrounded by warmth, a little too much warmth for the climbing temperatures, but feeling safe; she winced when she rubbed at her tender eyes - feeling Matthew stir in the process.
"Feel better?" He kissed her forehead.
"My head hurts… probably from all the crying," she whispered - her voice hoarse. She tried to shift on the bed, but found she couldn't move backwards.
"Matthew?"
"Yeah?"
"I can't move."
Matthew chuckled and kissed her forehead again, "Anna got concerned last night."
Peeking behind her, Alice smiled a little at the sight of their daughter clinging to her back, "Oh… I'm sorry she had to see that."
"It's alright, sweetheart, it can be scary thinking of Anna seeing you crying, but at least she knows that Mum and Dad can get scared too, and that she can come to us for anything."
"Still…"
"Alice," Matthew kissed her softly, "you don't have to be strong for her all the time… especially not right now when there's some turmoil going on in our lives. She came to be here for you just like you are there for her."
"Okay…" she kissed him, "Okay, I see your meaning… It's just still hard to shake some of the things I've picked up over the years."
"You're human, sweetheart, and constantly evolving."
"You're a good man, dearest. Did you get some rest?"
"I did," he smiled and nuzzled his nose against hers to see her smile. "I'm going to call the hospital today and talk to them about security. Do you have work today?"
"No, so I think I'm just going to stay home and finish putting away the last little bit of boxed stuff we have. Do you have to go in?"
"No," he smiled. "I was going to wrangle Anna to help me with the garden out back, it's coming along very nicely."
"Good."
She snuggled closer to Matthew - smiling when she pulled out a squished Goose trapped beneath their bodies - and listened to his heartbeat as he played with her hair in the early morning hours; Anna continued to sleep on, but Alice didn't mind until a somewhat urgent call became apparent.
"Matthew?"
"Yeah?"
"This is very nice…"
"… But?"
"I need to use the loo."
Her soulmate and fiance laughed abruptly, but he gently untangled her from Anna's tight grip.
"Go on, she can cling to me like a koala for a bit and then we'll trade."
Alice giggled when Anna subconsciously wriggled into Matthew's arms once Alice's spot vacated, but she leaned down to kiss him softly.
"Thank you, I'll make it quick."
Humming lightly as she walked out of the bedroom, Alice looked forward to the sunshine-filled family day at home after the dark of the night.
She smiled as Anna swung their hands while they walked down the hall nearly a week later; her girl had no school today, and while having a five-year-old tagging along on hospital rounds might be considered odd by other people, Alice didn't want her out of her sight while George Harvey remained in Ballarat. He'd not attempted to come after her after the last meeting, so Alice was a little on edge at how quiet her father had been, but today so far had been good. Anna could have stayed with Jean, but Alice didn't want to risk Jean and the growing Baby Blake either. Besides, Anna wanted to see a little more of what her mum did, so following along on hospital rounds it was.
Her daughter immediately brightened the mood of many of Alice's patients that day - covering the slight surprise at seeing the pathologist out and about in the hospital (Alice paid this no mind) - and she charmed all the nurses they came across; Alice explained everything this did as she did it to her daughter - who watched with wide eyes (and sometimes got to help her mum when it came to listening to things or looking at things).
"Is she wanting to be a nurse when she's older?" one patient asked.
Alice shrugged, "That's up to her, Mrs. Waller."
"I wouldn't mind coming to the hospital more if she were."
That made Alice smile, "We hope to not see you in here, Mrs. Waller, but thank you."
"You've done so well with her too, so very polite," Mrs. Waller patted her hand right as Anna came back up to her - a sucker from one of the nurses in her hand. "You stay in school, Miss Anna, you hear?"
"Yes, Mrs. Waller," Anna nodded after Alice leaned down to remind the girl of the elderly woman's name.
"Someone will be by shortly with your lunch, Mrs. Waller; Anna, say goodbye."
"Bye, Mrs. Waller!"
"Bye, Miss Anna, and to you, Dr. Harvey!"
They waved and were halfway down one of the emptier hallways when Alice spotted the man she least wanted to see; pushing Anna back towards some of her new nurse friends, Alice moved to intercept him.
"What are you doing here," she demanded of her father once he was in earshot.
"I thought we could continue our conversation without being interrupted."
"No," Alice made to move away from him and winced when George grabbed her arm.
"You will or I make a fuss," he hissed in her ear. "You wouldn't want your precious girl to get hurt, now would you?"
"You lay a finger on her and I'll-"
"What? Scream? Hit me?" He pulled her down the hallway - luckily away from Anna and the more populous area of the hall. "You'd only make it worse for your mother, or don't you care about her anymore?"
Alice bit her tongue so hard she was sure it started bleeding, and let her father all but drag her away. Maybe he'd leave if she did what he said, and maybe she could keep him away from Anna.
"What do you want?" she finally asked him when he stopped in an empty part of the hospital.
"Money, I know you have it."
"What, so you can just gamble and drink it away?"
George's hand around her arm squeezed - hard - and Alice fought the urge to squirm in his hold.
"It's no business of yours what I do with it."
"It is if it's my money that I'm giving to you."
"I know you have loads of it as a doctor, just give me some and I'll leave you alone."
Alice doubted it, past experience with him and Cora's stories of what he was like now backed that doubt up, but if it kept Anna safe…
"Mumma?" she heard Anna call and George shook her arm to get her attention back on him.
"What's it going to be?"
"Anna, no!" Alice cried out as Anna found them and ran up to shove at George's leg.
"Let go of my mumma!" her daughter paid no heed, and while Alice was proud of her daughter's tenacity, this was far more dangerous than a school bully under the stairs.
George sneered down at the girl and swiftly backhanded her - catching Alice by the throat when she surged towards him; the back of Alice's head slammed against the wall, through the pain that radiated from it, she turned to her crying daughter.
"Anna, go, run!"
Her daughter dodged another slap from George and tore down the hallway clutching her cheek as she cried, and Alice felt some relief that Anna was out of harm's way. As her father's hand closed on her throat, however, Alice's mind raced - trying to find a way out of this with little luck.
"What's it going to be, my girl? Money? Or further pain?"