Sorry for the delay in posting. My upgraded internet is anything but!.
Just as she was about to stab her husband in the back, quite literally, Kate felt Mark being pulled forcefully away from her. She watched, gasping for air as a uniformed officer manhandled her husband out of the house and into the back of a police squad car.
"You alright?" a female police officer asked.
Kate nodded as she sat up on the work surface, still breathing heavily as her body took in all the oxygen it could. "Did a neighbour call?" she asked eventually when her breathing had settled down, reminded of what had happened when her parent's fighting had been bad enough to get the police involved. It was eerily similar to what had unfolded with her and Mark that evening.
"No," said the PC. "It was your son,".
"Josh?!" Kate asked shocked. She'd forgotten about him upstairs. "Oh shit!" she exclaimed as she jumped off the kitchen surface and went in search of her son. She ran up the stairs and in to her son's bedroom. The bed was empty, the duvet thrown back haphazardly.
Remembering where she had often hidden as a little girl, Kate looked under the bed and found herself looking at a very scared little boy who was clutching her mobile phone tightly in one hand and his favourite toy in the other.
"Hey," Kate said soothingly. "You gonna come out? Everything's ok, I promise,". Josh hesitantly crawled out from under the bed and in to his mothers arms.
"Why was Daddy hurting you?" Josh asked, confused.
"I don't know, baby," Kate replied as she stroked her son's hair.
"I heard you yelling at each other and I crept downstairs and saw you was fighting,".
"I'm so, so sorry you had to see that Josh," Kate said as she started to cry before kissing the top of his head. All her life she had tried to be the best mother to her son and she thought she had totally failed this evening.
"Are you mad I called the police?" he asked.
"No, Josh, I'm not mad," Kate replied tenderly. "You're my hero," she informed him truthfully. If the police hadn't arrived when they did, she didn't think she'd be alive now.
"Can I be a superhero like Spider-Man?" Josh asked his mother, referencing his pyjamas.
"Of course," Kate amended with a smile,". "You can be anything you want," she amended before kissing her son again and hugging him tightly.
"Can I come in?" the female officer asked. She'd been stood outside Josh's room listening to mother and son after following Kate up the stairs. Kate nodded. "We'd better get you to the hospital to get checked over," she said to Kate indicating the cut on her forehead. Kate nodded in agreement again. "Is there someone we can call?" she asked. "Someone you can both stay with for a couple of days? We had to force entry to the house so the front door will need to be replaced,".
"My friend, Steve," Kate replied before giving the officer Steve's number.
With Josh still clinging to her, Kate set about packing a small suitcase with some of her and Josh's things before following the officer to a car. She noticed several neighbours' curtains twitching as she stepped outside. Her family were certainly providing a lot of drama to the street this evening.
"Steve will meet us at the hospital," the officer said as she joined Kate and Josh in the back seat.
"Thank you," replied Kate gratefully. "Sorry I don't know your name,".
"Lisa," she replied.
Kate smiled. Another similarity to the night of her parents last fight. Another time that someone called Lisa acted like a fairy godmother and helped her to safety.