Hiya, hope you liked the last chapter. Here's a new one, enjoy and REVIEW please, I love reviews :D
luv yas xxx
PS SOME VIOLENCE IN THIS CHAPTER
"Sammy, you want me to make dinner?"
"No thanks, I made a stew earlier, after Indy went for her nap."
"You cooked? This should be fun." Steve sneered.
"Hey, don't eat it if you don't want to." She opened a cupboard and pulled out the only decent pan they owned. Running some water in, she set it to boil and hauled out the sack of potatoes from the larder. Steve came up beside her and pulled her sideways to him but she wriggled away, trying to get back to the dinner.
"Aren't I good enough?" He asked, grabbing her wrist.
"Steve, I'm trying to make dinner. I'll give you a hug in a minute."
"Can't it wait?" He whined, pulling her wrist again, this time making her knock the potatoes on the floor.
"Steve! Can't you just wait!" She bent down and picked up the fallen vegetables but suddenly her head was yanked up, pain searing through the roots of her hair as he held a handful of her honey curls in his fist.
"You wouldn't last without me. I want to make you see what it's like to be ugly." Sam looked up and saw the pot of bubbling water nearing as he held her head over it. The heat hurt her eyes and she knew exactly what he was going to do. Struggling she stuck her hands out in front of her to stop him. The pot dropped, splashing its contents onto both of their legs. Sam screamed as he spun her round and pushed her against the side of the oven.
"That hurts." She said, tears collecting in her eyes. The heat on her back was intensifying and the smell of burning fabric snaked to her nose. She could feel the pain creeping over her left arm and she screamed again, this time louder.
"Shut up." He yelled, throwing her across the room. Crying, she curled up, holding her arm and feeling the heat still there even after the flames were extinguished.
"Shut up bitch, you'll wake your brat baby!"
"She's your child too."
"She wouldn't even be here if you'd listened to me. I don't know why I waste my money on you." She glared at him and continued investigating her arm, grimacing at the pain.
"I was distracted by my baby."
"The pan slipped?"
"Yeah, and I reached across the cooker to catch it. That's how my sleeve caught fire." Sam bit her lip and sighed. The doctor clearly didn't believe her but there was nothing she could do with Steve breathing down her neck. Indy let out a squeal and she spun round, taking the baby from Steve quickly.
"Could I speak to you alone Ms Taggart?" She began to nod but Steve laid a hand on her shoulder.
"We've been together for 10 years. Anything she needs to know, I should know."
"Mr Curtis, please. I need to speak confidentially with Samantha." Dr Basham leads Steve out the door and turns back to Sam.
"I need you to answer me truthfully Ms Taggart-do you feel safe at home?"
If he's treating you like I treated you
Or if he's cruel. I'll be the last to know
"Dad, can I have ten bucks for a school trip?"
"Daddy can you do my shoes?"
"Dad can I have coco pops?" I turn and look at the kids crowded in the door frame then laugh.
"Max, can you fetch me my wallet, Freya come here and I'll do your shoes and Alex-you can if your sugar is ok." The boys disappear and Freya leaps onto my lap. She sings a song about a cat whilst I lace up her new shiny shoes.
"All done, little one."
"Ta." She hugs me then tears off to find some breakfast. Max comes back with the wallet and I tuck ten bucks into an envelope and watch him as he puts it in his book bag.
Meredith toddles in the door, smiling and plants a sticky kiss on my knee cap. I laugh and pull her up onto my hip and we wander round the house half tidying, half playing.
"You ready guys?" I yell at ten to nine. The twins run out of their rooms, and Alex trudges out grumbling.
"Why can't I drive to school? I have a car?"
"That car is not safe for a scrapheap. I don't know why I let you get it!"
"Cos you felt sorry for me after mom abandoned me-her only child without a father." He frowns.
"Oh yeah, I remember now." I answer and walk off, fed up of his self-pity routine. At first I felt sorry for him, left here without his mom but whereas everyone else has resigned themselves to the sad fact that every day the chance she'll return grows smaller, he clings to self pity and insolence. I'm finding him harder and harder to control these days. Unfortunately I find myself wondering if it's in his genes because he's turning into a Steve-clone.
We pile into the car and I drop them off to the respective schools until it's just me and Meri left.
"Come on Merry Meri, time to visit Dr Goober." I sigh and begin the drive to my therapist.
"I'm sorry Dr French but daycare couldn't take India today."
"That's okay." I put the car seat down with my sleeping baby inside and sit myself down. My therapist surveys me over her glasses, a twist of grey hair falling from the bun.
"How have you been?"
"Okay. Tired."
"Have you written anymore letters to Luka?"
"What, you mean pages and pages of writing he never gets to see because my controlling 'boyfriend' literally locks me in my house?" I cry, immediately regretting it. Indy wakes up and begins to cry and Dr French raises her eyebrows and writes something down. My day is getting worse, as I winch when Indy grabs my burn.
"Have you hurt yourself Samantha?" I chew on my lower lip and bounce the baby before speaking.
"Yeah, I burnt myself." She carries on looking until I crack. "Okay, fine. Steve got mad and…held my arm over the cooker. Happy? Satisfied you managed to squeeze that out of me?"
"No, not really. Because I can tell that you aren't planning on doing anything about it."
"How can I? I have a child with him."
"I vaguely remember you saying a few weeks ago that you're not sure it's his." I shrug and look away. "Don't close up Sam, I want to help you."
"No, you are employed to analyse me."
"At first, maybe. The whole incident with punching that patient intrigued me. But once I'd met you and spoken with you a few times I came to realise how vulnerable you were. Now, I actually want to help you, because you deserve to be helped for once in your life."
I don't know why I start crying but I do, and it feels good.
GO ON, press that button and make me smile.