Chapter 6
"Kids have gone to pick up pizza for dinner; I couldn't be bothered to cook." Beanie said walking into the study where her husband was sat staring at a full bottle of whisky.
"I'm sorry." Vaughn said meaning it. "I was obtuse, out of order and completely unsupportive – I was my father." He added with a slight laugh even though it wasn't funny. "I saw on the news they closed the case, what the Yeoville's must be going through doesn't bear thinking about." He looked at his wife as he spoke. "I've struggled but you've coped."
"Hardly," Beanie replied, "You've slept; have you not seen the bags under my eyes?" She exclaimed staring to get angry, she wasn't in the mood for him feeling sorry for himself. "You drowned in whisky whilst I comforted our innocent son, I needed you Vaughn and you weren't there for me." Her voice started to break and straight away Vaughn was at her side.
"I'm sorry, I just couldn't cope." Vaughn said wincing as his wife took a step away from him.
"It must be different for mum's, as Dad you can do the brooding and drinking but mum carries on – do you have any idea how hard it was for me to go back into work knowing we were waiting for DNA, I even had them run mine to find out!" Beanie couldn't help but raise her voice knowing that the children weren't in. "You can't leave me to deal with it on my own Vaughn because I can't cope, look at me I'm a mess." She pointed to herself as her voice cracked. "He cried himself to sleep while you drank yourself into oblivion – what kind of a father does that?" She sat down on a chair and placed her head in her hands.
"I didn't know what to do, Beanie I'm so sorry, I wish I could take it back but I can't and all day I've been thinking about how I let you all down." He sat down next to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "We need to move on from this, get back to normal." He said, more for his own sake than anything else. "But you know I did consider what dad said, how much to make it go away." He admitted, "Then I thought of you and how well you know Alden and the evidence and I knew I just had to trust you."
"I'm sorry." Beanie said allowing her husband to hold her as she started to sob again.
xxx
The first thing Alden noticed when he returned home with the kids was that his mother had been crying, it only served to add to how exhausted she looked and made him feel guilty. The second thing he noticed was that his father had sobered up and was helping his mother get plates out for dinner, he was glad that the pair appeared to have sorted everything out.
"One large cheese for you and Dad, we have meat feast for me and Carsen, Belton and the girls have gone for pepperoni and pineapple, garlic breads, wedges and ice cream for dessert." Alden said to his mother as the younger ones walked into the kitchen following him, he smiled as his mother held out her hand asking for the change, he couldn't get away with anything with her. Handing over the money he followed it up with a big hug and whispered thanks into her ear, she knew what it meant and she stifled a sob.
"Mummy what's up?" Carsen asked spotting his mother's face.
"Mummy's just tired that's all," Vaughn replied, "Go have a bath, we'll save you some – promise." He added with a smile, Beanie nodded a bath was exactly what she needed, although she took up a few slices of pizza with her because she knew there'd be none left when she got back downstairs.
"Ma." Alden said following her to the staircase, she turned around and told him that it was ok, she never doubted him and he knew that. Her support had made all the difference. She quickly hurried down to give him a hug before heading upstairs.
xxx
Once alone in the bathroom Beanie finally collapsed and shed tears for everything that she'd been through those past few days, she really was exhausted and closed her eyes for just a second. She opened them to find Vaughn gently placing a kiss on her head waking her up, with a yawn she stood up and allowed her husband to help her out of the bath. He didn't say anything other than to tell her to go to sleep and for once she didn't object to what he'd told her to do.
xxx
The shrill ringing of a phone woke both Beanie and her husband, it took a few moments before she realised it was hers so she answered it with a sleepy hello. Moments later she jumped out of bed searching for clothes hanging up saying she was on her way to the hospital, Vaughn looked at her with a worried expression.
"Dad's been in an accident." Was all she said and the tears started streaming down her face, "he's been attacked and taken to hospital." Immediately Vaughn got out of bed to comfort her and start getting dressed. "I'll be fine on my own, look after the kids." She ordered but he told her she wasn't going on her own, he got dressed and went to tell Alden he needed to sort out the little ones in the morning in case they weren't back.
xxx
Mac was at the hospital when Beanie and Vaughn arrived, the detective man nodded solemnly at the worried woman who hurried through to speak to someone leaving the 2 men alone.
"Mac what happened?" Vaughn asked the older man who he'd met years previously.
"He was mugged on his way home; I heard the call and called Beanie before coming here. I'll have my best people on this Vaughn." Mac explained and Vaughn nodded biting back a comment about how good his team were if they accused his son of murder. Before Vaughn could voice his thoughts his wife came back through still wearing a worried expression with tears in her eyes.
"Severe head trauma, he's bleeding in his brain they don't know if he'll make it." She said in a whisper looking at her husband before turning to Mac, "I noticed some defensive wounds on his hands, I know my dad, and he'd have fought back so chances are there's DNA on him." Vaughn looked at his wife in wonder at how she could think of forensics when her father was lying in the next room, but then he realised that she had to think about things like that to stop her from breaking down, he suddenly understood her reactions to Alden's case.
"I'll process him as soon as he's stable." Mac nodded.
xxx