After Ex Marks the Spot 2

At the top of the box was a photo of a young Ange holding a baby, he reached for it and started trying to memorize every detail. Ange smiled sadly at the photo. "My Mum took that, when you were 3 weeks old." Dom responded, "You look sad,"Ange laughed, "No not sad just tired and grumpy."

Ange took out the picture frame and reached for the photo, "I thought maybe it was time to put this with the others," nodding towards a few photos on a table in the hall that Dom hadn't noticed on the way in. He let Ange take the photo from him as he got up to have a look at the others.

The first one was obviously Ange and a teen Chloe together somewhere green with mud on their clothes both grinning wildly. Then another of Ange holding a baby he assumed was Chloe with almost the same expression that had been on his photo. And the last one was an older couple with a young girl between them. Maybe Ange?

Ange finally finished putting the photo in the frame and stood beside Dom and placed it beside the others. "There see out of the box where it belongs," she said quietly. Dom sniffed and stared at his photo alongside the others.

She pointed at the first photo of her and Chloe "Me and your sister took a camping trip in the highlands when she was 12, it rained non-stop and we only lasted a day. Got that muddy just getting back to the car," she explained. "Then that one was taken when Chloe was 3 weeks as well, I wanted one of both of you at the same age, although I must admit I was much more tired in that one. Chloe didn't sleep for more than a few hours at a time, not like you. You slept like an angel from the day you were born. It was me who couldn't sleep then."

Dom nodded towards the last one, "And that one? "That's me and my parents; I think I was about 8 or 9 back before things were difficult between us all." Dom snorted," You mean before I came along and ruined it all."Ange shook her head, "That's not what I meant, my parents and I started fighting a lot not long after that. I wasn't keen on church and it as their life and the more they pushed the more I rebelled. Having you was the final straw for my Dad but for me you were everything Dom."

"But you gave me up," Dom cried. "You left me with strangers and put me in that box! Was a shoebox all I was worth to you? What did I do that was so bad to deserve that? I've spent my entire life feeling out of place and alone because of you. I didn't even have my name, all I had was Carole. And she did her best I know she did but she wasn't you, she could never have been you."

Ange felt tears forming in her eyes as her son completely lost it in front of her. "It was the hardest decision I have ever had to make in my life; I promise you Dominic that there weren't any other choices to keep you safe. I couldn't leave my parents there wasn't anywhere for me to go at that age, my only option was to give you up. He would have hurt you and I couldn't let that happen. "She said firmly, he voice breaking at the end as her tears started to fall.

They were both crying now. "But we would have been together, like we should have been. I know you were trying to protect me and you said you couldn't have been a Mum to me but you were you were my Mum for 6 months, what did I do?" Dom begged for the answer.

Ange reached for Dom's face and moved closer and made sure he was looking at her eyes. It was important he knew this." You did nothing wrong nothing at all, you're wonderful and I'm so proud of you even though I have no right to be. When you were 5 and a half months old, my father he well he hurt my mother when he came home early and the house wasn't tidy enough for him, I'd left the laundry or something I can't remember exactly and he blamed me. But my mum, she told him it was her fault that she'd told me not to do it. She protected me and he hurt her. He said that next time it would be all of us. It made me realise that my job as your Mum was to protect you as she had done and this was the only option I had."

Dom nodded he understood that he did, it just his heart hadn't caught up with his head yet. He reached for Ange hoping that she would hold him again as she had before. As soon as she saw his arms reach towards her she pulled him towards her and wrapped him in her arms. "That shoebox has been my most important possession for your whole life; it kept all my memories of you safe. I needed that box to keep myself sane, Dom. It kept you safe."

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry I'm so angry, I'm sorry I keep pushing you, I'm sorry about saying the wrong things to Chloe, I'm so sorry, " Dom sobbed into her shoulder. "It's not your fault, you have done nothing wrong. It's my fault for not telling Chloe when she was young. And this has been a shock for all of us; it's ok to be angry and confused." Ange soothed as her tears also fell. It hurt that her children were hurting.

After a few minutes, Dom pulled away and turned around to pull himself together. Ange too took the opportunity to wipe her eyes. " Tell you what I could really use a drink right now, would you like a hot chocolate or a beige sweet tea" Offered Ange. Dom snorted, "Sure a hot chocolate sounds good."

Ange moved back to the kitchen and started the kettle boiling. Dom sat back at the table and started looking at a few more items in the box, a blue hat and his hospital tag. He wasn't really processing what they were he was too overloaded. He pushed the box away and said, "I don't think I can look through anymore today", he admitted.

Ange nodded, "That's ok it's here when you're ready." She placed a mug of hot chocolate in front of him but left hers on the counter. She smiled as she saw Dom reaching his hands round the cup as if the heat could soothe him.

"I'm going to try and call Chloe again, just want to make sure she's ok or at least leave her another message. You can go and sit on the sofa if you like. The tv remote is somewhere in there." She offered thinking maybe he'd like something to do in case Chloe picked up and she was on the phone for a while.

He nodded and grabbed his drink and headed to the sofa he could see through the door at the end of the room. Thinking Ange would probably want some privacy. He grabbed the remote and turned the TV on. It was on some comedy thing he'd seen before but he just let the noise wash over him as he sipped his hot chocolate. Ange must have put some cold water or milk in because it was perfect drinking temperature.

He just didn't want to think for a bit. Everything lately had just been so hard, so much upheaval and he felt like he was turning into a clingy basket case. He realised part of that was he was exhausted and really should be heading home otherwise he'd be in no condition to work tomorrow. He didn't want to leave without saying goodbye though. He put his empty mug down on a coffee table in front of him and just watched the TV thinking Ange probably wouldn't be long and then he'd head off.

Ange tried Chloe's mobile again but it was switched off, a clear message she didn't want to hear from her. She left a message anyway, wanting to reassure Chloe that she loved her and that she was sorry for not telling her sooner. She then went upstairs to check that there weren't any messages on her computer or the landline. There wasn't anything at all. She sighed she'd known Chloe wouldn't react well to her not having shared this before but she'd never known how to say it or wanted Chloe to compare herself to Dom and feel any less than she should. All she could do now was deal with the fallout.

She headed back downstairs thinking she'd offer Dom a lift home. She'd seen him walk into work so she didn't think he had a car, in fact she wasn't sure he could drive. Something to ask him later. She went through the kitchen and grabbed her hot chocolate intending to drink it quickly and paused in the doorway to the lounge.

Dom had obviously been very tired; he was asleep sat up on her sofa. His head tilted back awkwardly. She smiled she couldn't count the number of times Chloe had done that when she was a teenager. Always insisting she wasn't tired and then dropping off a few mins into a TV program. She still kept a pillow and blanket by the sofa now just in case she visited.

She went to grab them quietly putting her cup next to Dom's as she did. She put the pillow down and left the blanket to one side. She guided Dom down towards the pillow, he half woke up and started protesting but she shushed him and said, "Its fine Dom, go back to sleep." He nodded sleepily as his head dropped to the pillow and his legs stretched out. She grabbed the blanket and covered him.

She just stood looking at him sleeping for a moment, he looked so young like this, so unguarded. She allowed herself to watch for a moment more before turning off the telly and grabbing the cups in one hand. She backed out of the room turning off the lights and closing the door.

She left the cups in the kitchen and headed upstairs. She got ready for bed and set her radio alarm for the next day. She thought she would be too wound up to sleep but found herself drifting off quickly.

When she woke the next morning, Dom had left, he'd folded up the blanket on top of the pillow and left a note saying thanks and that he was popping home to shower and change before work. She wondered if maybe he'd felt awkward about sleeping on her sofa.

Meanwhile Dom was at home showered and ready for work, he still wasn't sure how he felt about yesterday. In some ways he felt better, although a lot of the feelings were still there and all muddled up. He usually didn't sleep well in strange places but despite sleeping on a sofa he'd slept really well. The half memory of Ange tucking him under a blanket almost a haunting image of what could have been he supposed. He hoped that he wouldn't mess things up anymore this week.