Chapter 7
She had waiting in the flat wall morning.
Liz had waited till she had seen her husband go out before she had gone over to number 11. She had to be fast. She had to be safe.
The boys had been so revealed when they had seen her, but upset when they had seen her black eye. There father could be such a brute at times and it was then they didn't like him at all. Even though they never showed it a lot they loved her so much. It killed them to see her so hurt.
"I can not believe he has done this to you mum." said Andy.
"Neither can I love." she said as he shut the door.
From upstairs Steve came racing down to his mother and as soon he saw her he held her tight.
"I'm ok, I promise you both I am ok. Where's your little -!"
"Mummy!" she heard a cry.
Her face had clearly disturbed her little girl. While the boys were old enough to have a bit of an understanding of what had happened Katie didn't. Her father had never shown his anger in front of her. Liz was sure he had made sure not to do so. It was a shame he had not thought of the lads that much when they had been her age. They had been exposed to his rage when they were four. Katherine's confusion was written on her face. And who could blame her? Mummy doesn't get home with daddy then she is so hurt?
"You ok baby?" he asked and Katherine nodded.
"I was upset when you didn't come home." she admitted to her mum after a while.
"Well that's ok now, because I am here but mummy is not going to be home for a while, she is going to be staying at aunty Deirdre's." she explained.
"I want you here though mum." Katie protested. "I want us to be together." he said.
Liz knew she was going to well up if her daughter didn't stop soon. She had to make this easy.
"Then why don't you come with me and us and your aunty Deirdre can have girly sleepovers.;" she asked.
The boys looked at each other.
There father was going to be furious if he came home and he found his daughter missing. But right now where they meant to deny there mother of the small comfort of caring for her daughter.
Beside after what he had done last nigh Jim was not fit to be Katie's father.
"Yeah!" said her daughter.
"Right go on then darling, you go get your bits together baby." she said to her.
Katie ran upstairs and Liz looked at her boys.
"I am so sorry boys I know this is going to be hard for you when your father finds out he is going to be anger, but she is my little girl. I need her." she said.
"Mum we know don't worry. It think it is best she is with you," said Andy as he and Steve made a bit of a fuss of her.
"Thank you boys." she said and with in five minutes Katie had a few toys and clothes together.
"Come on then darling." said her mum as she took her head.
She had to do this. She knew it was going to be hard on him but she had to do it.
"Bye mum." said Steve and she nodded as she led her daughter away.
The flat was a lot smaller than what Katie was used to she released when she and her mummy got there.
It was strange not being with her brothers and dad. She missed them.
She wasn't sure she liked it, but she knew her daddy had been bad. She had to stay with mum.
-
"Katie wee lass come on dinner!" Jim called up to his girl. He had been in from work for five minutes and the boys hadn't told him yet. They didn't know how to. Too tell a man his daughter was gone. He was going to take badly to the news.
Looking guiltily at him both the twins felt there stomach flip. He was going to go mad when he found out. Seeing his sons were actually kind of distressed, Jim begun questioning them.
"You two alright lads?" he asked. There was a pregnant pause.
"Dad you better sit down." said Andy to him gently.
"What's going on boys" he asked as he sat down. T here was no movement from upstairs yet.
"Katherine come on!" he yelled and the boys looked guiltier. "What is it?"
"Mum came over tonight." said Andy. "She took Katherine."
-
"Once upon a time, in a far away land…" read Elizabeth as she settled her daughter in to bed. It was not going to be easy for her to settle away from number eleven. Liz wanted them both there too. It had been home for so long. Them being here it was like telling her daughter some thing was wrong. They had tried to shield her for so long and now they had to admit it. Her marriage was over. That which her daughter had depended on when she had been so scared. It had been made ok by the fact both mummy and daddy were there to hold her tight. Now it was just mummy.
Deirdre was sitting in the living room; she heard a knock on the door. It had been a nice night so far. She liked having people staying. Her god daughter was no trouble at all. Or she hadn't been any way, and she was going to get on with her best friend fine. She had got lonely alone. It was good to have guests.
Getting up she sighed and smiled as she looked In the little spare room Katie was going to occupy where the girl was looking so content in here mothers embrace.
When she got downstairs and opened the door, she wished she hadn't .
"Where are they?"
Jim pushed past Deirdre. Right now he didn't want Liz but no way was she keeping his daughter. That was not, it just wasn't never going to happen.
As soon as she heard h is rough voice Liz knew what Jim had come for.
"Give her back to me Elizabeth." Jim demanded before turning softer as he saw his daughter, but Liz had a tight hold on her.
"You ok my darling?" he asked Katie, who turned her head in to her mother. "Come on sweet heart, its only daddy. I miss you baby." he said to her. "Come to take you home to bed."
"No you did a bad thing to mummy. I want ter stay with mummy." she said as she clung to Liz.
"Jim please I am trying to get her to bed, go home!" Liz said to him.
"She's my baby. I always give her her story before she goes to sleep so I do." he insisted.
"Go home, please. We're tired." she insisted.
Getting up off the bed, Liz stood between her husband and her daughter.
"GIVE HER TO ME!" he demanded. He was shaking in his anger as he reached out his hands to take his baby daugher. It felt so wrong for him to be parted from her. She was his little rose. No one as ever going to keep them apart. It couldn't be what she wanted.
"Mummy, daddy's scary make him stop it.." That had been enough.
Jim had sworn he was never going to scare her. That had been the one thing he had sworn he was never going to do that. And yet he had.
"I'm going."
-
Liz had never released it was going to so be so hard on her own pretty much. She had Deirdre but she wasn't another parent to Katie and it meant that now her daughters care was pretty much all up to her. She wasn't going to let her husband in her life again for a very long time in fact if she had her way. That meant he was also not going to be in Katherine's.
It was as if he had become obsessed with her and she was now considering her last resort and restraining order. She had to keep him away from the two of them some how.
Had she been on her own she was sure that she would have done it already but she did have Katie to think of and as much as she had been on her mum's side to begin with the cracks were showing.
Katherine was missing number eleven. She was missing her brothers but above all else she was missing her daddy. It was no surprise to her mother. Katie and Jim had always been so close. It couldn't have been easy for her daughter to leave him to begin with.
When ever they went passed the garage on Coronation Street (which was every day as Liz had to get Katie to the health centre crèche) Katie was always looking for her father just in case. If he was there he would wave and she would look at her feet. As much as she did miss him desperately there was no doubt in Liz's mind he had petrified her that night when he had come too clamed her back as his own, she had never heard him like that. Her wonderful protective strong daddy had turned in to a monster before her eyes.
But for Katie the flat was so small. She was used to having there entire house to platy n. It was so hard for her to adjust.
"Deirdre, we are going to be late back tonight." Liz said as she realized the day.
It was time for Katie physio therapy.
The doctor at the hospital had been right when Katherine had been young. She did have aside affects of her illness, mainly her hand eye coordination. It made her rather shaky and made things harder for her.
"Come on Katie." she said as she called to her.
Running out of her room with her trainers in her hands Katie got them on but was visibly tired which wasn't good if she was tired the therapy was going to be harder than normal.
"Mummy can I go see daddy today?" she asked.
That had been the first time she had actually asked out right to see Jim. Liz knew that her fear wasn't going to last. She always had. The girl's love of her father over powered it.
"Not today sweet. You have play group and mum has work and then we have physio , and we are already late.£" she sighed as she brushed away the question and helped her daughter put her coat on.
"But mummy -"
"No Katie love, come on say good bye to your aunty Deirdre and lets be having yer." she sighed and she went over to give her aunt a cuddle.
"Have a good day sweet heart."
-
Number eleven felt cold. It didn't seem like much of a home right now.
Jim was so ashamed of what he had done. But he paying for it now. His sons had never been so cold with him and he had never thought it was possible to miss any one as much as he did his wife and daughter. And the thought of that night when he had scared her was haunting him.
Steve and Andy couldn't stand the sight of him either.
Leaving the house before there dad got down the boys watched as the mum and sister walked down the street.
"You alright Katie?" asked Andy.
"Yeah!" she smiled as she run up to him.
"You got play group now?" he asked.
"Yeah, then I got physic later on." she said as she hugged him.
"Do you? Why don't I met you there then I can go with you." he smiled.
"Daddy's normally comes." Katie pointed out.
"I know he does." said Andy. "But he cant today." he sighed. "So I am just going to have to be good enough."
-
That had been twice Katherine had mentioned Jim in one morning, thought Liz to herself. She was clearly missing him now to the point when she was getting upset over it.
"Maybe dad can take you next week Katie." said Liz as she pulled her attention off her brother. "Well see you there son." she sighed and he nodded.
Well Liz had to say the results of Katherine's abilities had been set back by the uprooting affects of the past week.
"Mum have you thought about may be coming back to the house yet." sighed Andy. He knew she was punishing his dad and she had every right to do so. If it was him he might do the same but it wasn't fair on his sister. "for her sake"
"No Andy. We are going to be staying put. You and your dad are just going to have to get useed to the fact me and your sister are not going to be there any more." she sighted. She wished she could be there for Jim but it was to hard now when she had a little one to protect. And she was stills ore. He had had no right to hit her like he had even if she had slept with Johnny. It had been a mistake. One stupid mistake. And you think she wasn't paying for it? She had lost her home, she had lost her man, she wasn't with her sons as much as she wanted to be, it was not just Jim suffering.
"but mum it isn't far I on -"
"Any of us."
-
Jim followed Liz in to the pub,
This was getting silly now. he was following e her every where and it was scary.
He kept telling her he just wanted it to make it up to her, but she didn't see how he could till he gave her a bit of space. And so maybe she was just going to have to force that on him…
-
Dear Mr James McDonald.
I am writing tot inform you that a restriction order has been placed on you by Elizabeth MacDonald, and so by extension also Katherine McDonald….
That was as far as he had got with the letter till he had been to fuming to go on. He had agreed that she could stay with her, but no way could she get the law on her side so he was even unable to go near his girl!
He was not going to let this happen.