A/N: I'm so glad I was reviewing my story today. Somehow I skipped a chapter when posting the last few of them. This is the real Chapter 18. It may make the seque to Ch 19 more understandable. Once again...my bad.
As she watched her elderly mother advance with purpose, Mary meekly sat down and could only nod as her mother began to speak.
"Your behavior of late has been disgraceful to say the least. The worst of all of it is she wasn't even the one you were mad at but the one you chose to take your frustration out on"
Mary was puzzled. "Mom, what are you talking about?"
Meamaw sat in front of your child. "Honey, I understand where you were coming from. Your baby boy has his orderly life collapse around him over the course of a few weeks. He shuts you out and you are at a loss on how to help him. Then you get a dumbass call from a mean spirited busybody who doesn't know her ass from a hole in the ground and you latch on it.
"Momma, I did not—"
"You did. You have and now you've screwed the pooch, young lady. Not only have you alienated your younger son and his girlfriend, you may have done the same thing to Missy and her family judging by the looks on their faces"
Mary could say nothing as what her mother said hit a nerve before sinking in. "I just want to help my baby, Momma. I don't know what else to do. I am so ashamed"
"You should be. You owe everyone who was here an apology for your behavior today. You owe Shelly and Amy another apology for your stunt with her medication. When they picked me up, they couldn't stop apologizing because it was due to a last minute stop they couldn't put off. It makes more sense now as those two must have rushed to the pharmacy before it closed before coming my way. She must have been afraid of everyone's reaction if she said anything. It seems she was justified, at least about you."
Before Mary could think, Meamaw went off again. "And what was all of that crap Shelly got about getting his priorities straight after Amy punched Junior? Our Shelly did what we taught him over the years when most thought he wasn't paying attention…defending his girl"
The elder woman inhaled to calm herself down, but it was for naught. "Honey, Junior touched your other son's girlfriend in an overly familiar way without permission. When she told him to leave her alone, he did it again. Frankly, I'm glad Amy is not the type to put up with shit like that. Would you let Missy put up with that? Your daddy and I taught you to do the same thing if someone ever did that to you, so why is it okay for Junior?"
"I just saw my boy injured, but what he did was not a way for a gentleman to treat a lady"
"You're damn right it's not!"
At that moment, Mary could only hear the words of her son, mother, and boyfriend ringing in her ears before heaping amounts of guilt swept over her to the point of nausea. "Mother, you're right. I'm going to wait here for the two of them to come back so I can apologize to them-"
Meamaw stood in front of her daughter and pointed her finger. "No, young lady, you're not. You've put those two through more than enough and they deserve a peaceful house to stay in tonight before she has to go back and teach up north Tuesday. You are going to Ron's tonight and taking that piece of shit grandson of mine with you. You've coddled him for so long, Mary. You say he is disadvantaged compared to his brother and sister, but the only disadvantage he has is you keeping him from facing up to what he does. That stops now, you hear"
Mary nodded in agreement before another thought came to her. "Mom, I can't leave you here alone"
"No, I'm going to stay with your daughter tonight. I will leave with them when they get back. You are going to get a bag and then go to the ER and sit with your no-good son. You will not come back before at least tomorrow night if the two are ready to face you and you will have a sincere apology for both of them from you and Junior. Whatever you two get is what you deserve"
"Mom, just come with me"
"I don't want to. Frankly, I don't want to be around you either tonight. I didn't raise you to be the rude brat you have been"
"I'm so sorry for how I acted with Amy. I thought I was protecting my son. Can't you see that?"
"No because if George's momma had called me saying stupid crap like that about you I would talk to you before going all half-cocked on him. To make things worse, you humiliated that poor girl when you threw those pills out for the whole world to see"
Meamaw sat up but continued to watch her child. "You may have had good intentions, but you put your son in a shitty position. As your daddy would say, you bluffed a two pair as a full house and you lost"
There was silence that became suffocating before Mary finally spoke up. "Do you think he'll forgive me?"
The elder woman was honest with her only daughter. "I don't know, but you need to give them their space right now. Now hurry upstairs and get out of here before they return"
The two ladies separated before Meamaw went into the downstairs guest room she was staying at to collect items for herself.
Ten minutes later, Mary came down with a suitcase of items looking very sad. It was then that Missy returned with her husband and baby.
"I'm going to say goodbye to Meamaw, Richie. Can I have Noah?" When she got her son out of her husband's arms, she walked over to her grandmother. "Ready to go?"
"Yes, Honey" As Missy turned around, Meamaw yelled back. "Young lady, don't be rude. Say goodbye to your mother"
Her mother was not someone she wanted to be around, but she would do anything for her grandmother. "Bye, Momma"
Mary walked up closer. "Missy, baby, I'm sorry for how I acted"
"Well, thank you, but I'm not the one you owe the apology to. Oh, by the way, Junior will no longer be welcome in my home until he makes a sincere apology to Amy and Shelly AND gets his shit together. You have pulled his britches up for too long. It's his turn now"
Missy turned and walked out with her family. Meamaw turned to her daughter. "Make sure the door is unlocked for Shelly and Amy"
"I will"
"Good. Hope Junior feels better but tell him it serves him right for being a damn pig"
Meamaw walked to the truck and got into the front seat after Missy climbed in back with Noah after securing him. Mary followed by getting into her car and leaving.
It wasn't until Sheldon left the porch that his hand started to throb from hitting Junior. He didn't even bother to look at it since his focus was finding Amy where Missy said she left her.
When he got closer to the tire swing, he saw his girlfriend there and walked quicker.
Amy didn't see her boyfriend as she was in a daze thinking about her mother with a face of dried tears that finally fell as her thoughts had continued to darken. Of all the things Carrie Fowler had done and said, nothing topped what she did with Sheldon's mother. She tried to measure up to her mother's expectations and tried loved her, but it was never enough. She didn't know what to do right now.
It wasn't until she heard her name did she come out of her thoughts and turned to Sheldon.
"I'm sorry for how my mom was with you, Amy. I gave her the business and I think Meamaw did, too. She said Mom and Junior are going to Ron's tonight. We will have the house to ourselves. If not, we can find a hotel until you leave for Michigan"
Amy climbed out of the tire and faced her boyfriend. "I don't want to come between you and your mother, Sheldon"
"You won't, but she was wrong Amy" Walking to his girlfriend, he took her in his arm and gave her a comforting hug. "Are you okay?"
"I will be now that you are here"
"I love you, Amy Farrah Fowler"
Those three words were not something her boyfriend would toss out casually, but she had to be honest. "I love you, too Sheldon. I have a lot of things to think about" Amy hesitated but stood her ground. "We also have a lot to talk about"
"I know"
Amy pressed further. "I don't think I want to wait until Tuesday morning to leave, Sheldon"
Sheldon's heart hurt from her words, but he remembered Meamaw's advice. "Okay, I need to be a good boyfriend and get you a hot beverage."
Amy chuckled in spite of herself. "Sure, Sheldon"
He helped her out of the swing. When she grabbed his hand for support he hissed in pain. When Amy saw his hand swelled with bruised knuckles, she felt instant guilt. "Oh Sheldon, I'm so sorry you hurt yourself"
Sheldon's pain was through the roof, but he didn't care at the moment. "It's okay. I've wanted to knock Junior on his butt for years. I'm sorry you had to go through that with him"
"I'm okay, Sheldon. Now he knows what happens when you touched me where you shouldn't." She saw his hand again and winced. "Come on let's get some ice for that hand"
"But I have to make you a hot beverage"
"How about this?" Amy said. "You can make the hot beverage with your left hand, but let me take care of your right hand?"
Sheldon pondered for a minute. "Fair enough"
The two walked back to the house together