Romantic Nonsense
Chapter 12
Everything was going well, until Joann showed up. Mike wasn't even sure how she got their address, but Maddie let her in, probably because she missed having a mom. They had to put Hannah and Katie in together and Joann complained the entire time about not having her own bathroom. And Mike was not thrilled about the constant trips to the liquor store. The alcohol intake scared Katie for reasons unknown, and she was terrified of Joann. The one advantage was it caused Katie and Hannah to cling to Mike; but he would prefer it not be out of fear.
He understood Maddie wanting a relationship with her mom and wanting her babies to have a grandma, but Joann was not a good mom or grandma. Since Maddie was now married with children; Joann would not inherit any of the money and Maddie's lawyer was going through the legal proceedings for Maddie to inherit. Maddie really didn't care about it, but Mike didn't want Joann to get it, so he encouraged Maddie to proceed. One night; after Joann had been there for over a week, Mike settled into bed and watched Maddie give Oliver his bottle.
"Any idea when she leaves?" Mike asked.
"None. Its not very good hospitality to constantly wonder when a guest leaves." Maddie said.
"She's not a good guest. Maddie; I don't care what you do with that money. For all I care; upgrade your shoe collection, but she is here for money." Mike told her.
"I want a bigger house. I know this house…we're struggling to make it a home. We never anticipated the girls being here when we bought it. Maybe some land." Maddie answered.
"That would be nice but it's your money. You do what you want. If you want to put money into an account for the twin's college; or you want to have a dream closet; I am good with that. Even if you want to give a little to your mom, fine, but she will come back. It'll be never-ending." Mike warned.
"I don't know what to do." Maddie admitted before sitting down next to Mike.
"I don't either." Mike said before kissing her forehead.
"Mike; I know indecisiveness irritates you; but she's my mom. I don't feel right about just kicking her out. Just bear with me, please." Maddie said.
"I will. She just scares my girls, for whatever reason, and that worries me. They need to recover. They're so fragile." Mike told her.
"I know. I told her to stop picking at them. I thought Katie was going to come out of her skin at dinner." Maddie remarked.
"I wish I knew how to help her." Mike said.
"I know, babe. Just be patient. I am well aware of my mom and what she's doing. I will do my best to protect the girls and make sure they are comfortable and happy." Maddie promised and then gave Mike a kiss.
The next morning; Mike had to run errands and Olivia had a bit of a cold, so Maddie was keeping her out of the cold. Katie and Hannah were working on their school stuff when Joann walked downstairs carrying her martini glass. Maddie noticed Katie tense up immediately. She put a reassuring hand on her shoulder and gave her a smile.
"Is Mike picking up more vodka?" Joann asked.
"Its on his list." Maddie answered.
"You know; I would figure he would have a well-stocked liquor cabinet. There's red wine and whiskey." Joann complained.
"Mike doesn't drink a lot. He likes whiskey every Sunday afternoon with his weekly cigar." Maddie remarked.
"So boring." Joann said.
"Its normal. I like it." Maddie answered defensively.
"And I'll bet when you screw; its on your back and that's it. No variety kills a marriage." Joann said. Both girls groaned.
"Can we be excused?" Hannah asked.
"Yes. Do you mind to take Olivia? Oliver was sleeping in the downstairs bassinet." Maddie asked and Katie took the baby. Both girls walked away with the fussy baby. "First of all; I warned you about making those comments around the girls. They are fragile. Scared. Secondly; you don't need to worry about my marriage or my sex life." Maddie said.
"You have really gotten mouthy." Joann said.
"It is my house. If you don't like it, leave." Maddie commented. She was not expecting Joann to punch her across the face. She felt something crack in her cheek and blinding pain. She must have also punched her in the stomach, because Maddie ended up on the floor. Katie had screamed, but Maddie heard Mike's voice yelling at her mom.
"Get out, now! Or I will have you arrested. Now." Mike yelled.
"She's my daughter." Joann said.
"And she is my wife. You need to get out and I need to get her medical attention. Get out of my sight! Now!" Mike demanded. Maddie heard Joann grumble something and then leave the room. Mike knelt down next to Maddie and assessed her injuries. "Damn it. Katie; can you bring me the house phone?" Mike asked. He was putting pressure on her stomach and Maddie couldn't figure out what was going on.
"It hurts." Maddie sobbed.
"I know; sweetie. I know. Just hang on." Mike said before he began talking on the phone, apparently to 9-1-1. Katie knelt beside Maddie and gave her a smile, or as much as Maddie could see. She couldn't see anything out of her right eye.
"Don't worry about the babies. Hannah and I will take good care of them." Katie said.
"What's wrong with me?" Maddie moaned.
"She…stabbed you. In the stomach. Punched you a bunch. I tried to stop her, but thankfully Dad got here just then." Katie explained.
"I can't see out of my right eye." Maddie said.
"I think your cheekbone is broken. Katie; I need you to put pressure on this. Do not move the knife. Just put your hand around it like this, okay?" Mike said. He helped Katie position her hand and stood up. Maddie heard him talking to someone else, and suddenly there were a lot of voices. She knew it would make the girls nervous and she hated that for them.
"I'm so sorry, Katie. I know you don't like having so many people around." Maddie said.
"It's okay. Just stay calm. The ambulance people are here now but I'll hold your hand until they take you away." Katie said with a smile.
"Thank you." Maddie answered. There were people all around and they were assessing Maddie, talking to Mike and the girls and relatively quickly, Maddie was lifted onto a gurney and rolled out of the house. She was beginning to realize that she was in trouble, because the paramedics were moving quickly and Mike approached the gurney.
"I'll be there soon. Just hang on. I love you." Mike told her.
"I love you too. The babies and the girls…I love them." Maddie said.
"We need to go." The paramedic told Mike. He bent down and gave her another kiss before she was rolled into the ambulance. An IV was started and Maddie began struggling to stay awake. "Normally, I would say to fight to stay awake, but you can go to sleep if you need. It might help. You've got a rough recovery ahead." The paramedic told her.
"I hurt everywhere." Maddie admitted.
"You took quite a beating. Vicious." The paramedic answered sympathetically.
"My face. How bad?" Maddie asked.
"It is going to require some work. She also slashed you across the face." The paramedic answered.
"My husband…he isn't going to want to be with me anymore." Maddie sobbed.
"I don't think you need to worry about that. He was pretty attentive to you. And his daughters too. Just rest and relax. You're safe and you are loved." The paramedic told her. She could hear the sympathy in his voice and it did make her relax. And somehow she fell asleep, probably aided by some strong painkillers.