Hi! Sorry it's been a long time. Christams and exams have just got in the way lol! Anyway here's the next chapter so hope you like it! It's quite a bit this time and I'll try and get a bit more up soon. Enjoy! Luv Hxxx
They pulled up on there drive and Sheelagh ran quickly in the house, shutting the door to bide herself some time.
"CONNER, DECLAN, SIOBHAN," she shouted upstairs.
No answer, there was no-one home.
"Oh st," she thought as the door clicked open and Patrick walked in. He walked slowly up to her and she backed away into the living room until he had her pinned up against the wall.
"You never answered me," said Patrick quietly, "Are you having an affair?"
Sheelagh didn't answer, she just stared at him trying to stay strong.
Patrick hit her, but she didn't even flinch.
"I SAID ARE YOU HAVING AN AFFAIR?"
"NO," shouted Sheelagh back at him, and added quietly as he turned away, "But I wish I was sometimes."
"WHAT?" shouted Patrick, as he swung round and slapped her. The problem was Sheelagh wasn't scared of him, so she slapped him straight back.
"Can you blame me? I mean who wants to stay with a men who beats her to death every night and day," said Sheelagh.
Just then the wierdest thing happened, it was like they'd swapped places. Sheelagh was dead strong and powerful, and Patrick broke down to the ground in tears. Sheelagh didn't know what to do. She never thought this would happen. Maybe Patrick just needed some love, he was in a stressful job and everything. So she knelt down next to Patrick and put her arm round him.
"I'm sorry Patrick. I... I... I'm sorry."
But Patrick turned with that evil look in his eye. It was all an act. He pushed Sheelagh and she hit her head on the wall behind her.
"HA! See you not strong are you? You're a women Sheelagh, you'll never be strong."
He hit her round the face and Sheelagh fell further to the floor.
"Now don't you EVER do anything like that again, do you hear?"
Patrick got up and started kicking sheelagh in the head and in the stomach.
"Because if you do, it will be worse. Much worse."
Patrick stopped, stood back and just looked at her layed with her head in her hands, crying, weak, helpless.
"Well," said Patrick holding out his hand to Sheelagh, "I think that will do for now don't you? I think it's put you back in your place." Sheelagh accepted his hand and he pulled her up and sat her on the coach. "What's for tea?"
"Um... I... er, I dunno. I don't think there's anything in," said Sheelagh trying to compose herself. " I'll go to the shop"
Sheelagh got up and went outside, she walked down to the end of the road and got out her mobile.
"Des, its me Sheelagh. Where are you? I need to talk."
Sheelagh was stood at the door to Des's flat unsure if this was the best thing to be doing, but she needed to go somewhere, she needed to talk to someone and Des was one of the only people who she could trust.
She knocked and a few seconds later Des appeared at the door looking worried.
"Are you ok?" he said.
That was it the trigger, Sheelagh just burst into tears and Des covered her in a massive hug.
Ten minutes later, she was sat on Des's sofa with a cup of tea just finishing explaining what happened...
"And so, I don't know what to do Des. I don't want Patrick to keep beating me, but then if I leave him I'll be disowned by the Cathlic Church and probably most of my family."
"But I'm sure if you explained to them what happened they'd come round."
"No, they'd tell me that I'm lying, which is another sin and then they'd disown me even more than they already had done. What would you do Des?"
"Well, you ought to put yourself first for once in your life. Patrick can't keep doing this. You need to get out before he puts you in hospital. Your always thinking about other people and what the consequences would be for them, and, and thats why everyone loves you Sheelagh. But it puts you in dangerous situations yourself. Put yourself first for once and don't worry. I'm sure people will understand."
Sheelagh looked up at Des and hugged him,
'"Thanks Des," she said. "Maybe you're right. I can't put up with him. Thanks."
Sheelagh kissed him on the cheek and Des turned red.
"So," Des said after an awkward silence, "Are you going to report him?"
"No, I could never do that he doesn't deserve it. I'm not even sure I'm going to leave him yet. I'm going to have to go home tonight and he'll probably beat me a bit more but I'll decide for sure later."
"Well whatever you decide to do, I just want you to know I'm always here for you."
"Thanks Des. I knew I could count on you."
Sheelagh hugged him and then left.
Sheelagh was on her way back home now. She was too tired and too emotionally drained to cook and she knew that if she did it would all be wrong in Patricks eyes. She'd been to the Chinese and got Patricks favourite, now he couldn't complain, and she had an excuse for how long she'd been.
While she was walking, she started to think about whether she should leave Patrick or not. She couldn't live with Patrick any longer, it was killing her. She had to leave him but how could she? No, she had to put herself first for once like Des said.
"You could never do that," said a voice inside her head.
"You're not able to hurt someone like that," said the voice again.
"You're not strong enough to do that Sheelagh, you're a woman!" said the voice that sounded just like Patricks.
"No!" shouted Sheelagh who quickly put her head down as someone in front looked around at her.
"No," she thought. "I will not let Patrick do this to me. I have a right to freedom and I can't let Patrick controll me all the time. I have friends who care for me and they will help me through this. I have Des."
This lead her into deep thought about Des. She really liked him. I mean really, really liked him. Actually maybe it was more. He was so sweet and so different to what she first thought him to be. It just shows how wrong a first impression can be. He was made out to be a one night stander, a womeniser, and not to be trusted. But he'd just proved today that he could be trusted.
Slowly, but surely Des was filling her thoughts and dreams. Night and day she found herself thinking of him, like a silly little school girl with her first crush. And she wasn't sure what it meant. Was it... was it love?
Des was laid on his sofa at home, his eyes closed and his mind racing in thought about Sheelagh. She was so brave to be putting up with Patrick, and Des just wanted to give him a taste of his own medicine and hit him back. But he could never do that, he knew that if he did, then Sheelagh would never be able to love him. What he couldn't believe though, was how Sheelagh said she could never hurt Patrick when he's hurting her every day. Sheelagh needed to get away, and when she decided the time was right, he would be there for her and would stand by her. And even if Sheelagh said she could never love him, then he would still stand by her as a friend, even though that was no way what he wanted.
All he wanted to do was to hold her hand while strolling down a beach, to feed her strawberries in a posh hotel, to kiss her lips and never break away, to hold her tightly in the pouring rain underneath a starry night sky and never let her go. But most off all, he just wanted to tell her that he loves her and for her to say it back.