Chapter 20
Stanley Jameson got 26 years in jail, not just for kidnapping Martin as he had a couple of outstanding warrants too. But it was still a stiff punishment. Victor Fitzgerald had connections in all the right places, and once a jury found Jameson guilty, he was determined that he wouldn't see the light of day for a long time.
Physically Martin was fine and his father made arrangements for the boy to see a psychologist to deal with any emotional issues the boy should have a result of his prolonged captivity.
It was the 'right thing' to do at the time, professionals would be better able to handle the situation and besides, he had a lot of other problems to deal with, he was still grieving for his pretty young wife whom he had dearly loved in his own way and was faced with the prospect of bringing up two children, for there was still Martin's younger sister to worry about.
His wife's death had come as a total shock. He had always thought her a strong woman, one of the strongest he knew, capable of dealing with almost anything. Part of Victor too was angry, so angry with her for leaving her two children for taking what he saw as the easy way out.
But none of this was ever mentioned, not to anyone. He sent Marty or Martin as he was to be now to counselling and sent Laura his daughter there too.
She had been neglected, almost forgotten about during this whole saga, spending most of the time with her Aunt Bonnie in New York. A pretty, pettish child she was missing her mother badly and only her aunt seemed able to handle the child.
They arrived back together a week later, and Bonnie offered to stay for another week or so, to help out around the house, to sort out Martins mothers personal belongings, her clothes, shoes etc….
The day before she was due to fly back to New York was Laura's sixth birthday. Not wanting the child to miss out, Bonnie organized a small party, with just close neighbors and their children. She explained to Laura that there would be presents and cake, but no balloons or decorations because they were still mourning for their Mother and it wouldn't be right, and the child seemed except this.
Privately Bonnie had wanted to throw a proper party for the child, but Victor objected and she felt it would cause less problems to go along with him this time.
Martin was expected to attend of course. He tried as much as possible to stay out of people's notice, he'd been in the papers and on the news for long enough, but naturally people wanted to talk to him.
The morning of the birthday Victor told Martin to take his sister next door to the Campbell's, as they wanted to give the little girl her birthday present.
Scowling at the retreating figure Martin took his little sisters hand. "Come on, he said. Let's see what present Mrs Campbell got you." But to his surprise she pulled her hand away.
"I don't want to." Her voice was low, so low that Martin almost didn't hear her.
"What do you mean you don't want to?" Martin couldn't help the tone of impatience that crept into this voice. He wanted to be out playing football, not babysitting his little sister.
"You always want to go to the Campbell's, she gives the bestest presents ever according to you".
"I…I don't want to go…" She said again and Martin only noticed then that her eyes were bright with unshed tears.
"Well ok, fine, it's no skin off my nose if you don't want a present." he began, hoping to goad her into changing her mind. He was walking away from her when she spoke the next sentence.
"I don't…..want to go….with you."
Martin stopped suddenly and slowly turned around. His little sister was sitting on the chair and big tears were running down her pretty face and landing in huge drops on her new birthday dress.
"What….what do you mean" he stammered, ashamed of his , don't cry like that Lolly.." he hoped that using his mothers pet name for his sister might help
Don't call me that, only Mommy called me that and now Mommy's dead.
"I know, but we're going to have a new Mommy soon, remember? And I bet Mom is in heaven and she's looking down at you in your new birthday dress, right? And she wouldn't want to see you crying…"
He wasn't prepared however, for her next words and for the next 20 odd years they were to be the only ones he could truly remember from that whole period.
"Daddy said….."She started but a sob cut her sentence in two.
"Said what, what is the matter with you…?"
"Daddy said that Mommy's in heaven because of you." He said… he said that she died cos she was sad because she thought you were dead."
It's funny the things that you remember from your childhood, odd sentences, parts of conversations, feelings or emotions that you cant really explain anymore.
Children hear everything, sometimes they pick it up wrong, sometimes they say things out of context, but they rarely get it very wrong. There in that sentence was everything Marty Fitzgerald had tried to block out, everything that he knew to be true but that everyone told him wasn't…his psychiatrist, Auntie Bonnie, even the teachers in school.
But it WAS true, it was his fault, however indirectly, however much he would never, ever want to hurt his Mom, the fact was that she had died waiting for her son to come home. He'd done that and he couldn't fix it.
He knew then that something had died inside of him, more than the shock and the trauma of the kidnap, more than the physical pain, the bruised rib, the black eye…more than the cold and the hunger, more than fear or loneliness. He had to grow up now, no more Marty, no more secret hugs.
Just Martin Fitzgerald, the cold detached overachiever.
At least this way he couldn't hurt anyone.