We'll Always Have Holby : part 18
We'll Always Have Holby
Part 1 ~ Part 2 ~ Part 3 ~ Part 4 ~ Part 5 ~ Part 6 ~ Part 7 ~ Part 8 ~ Part 9
Part 10 ~ Part 11 ~ Part 12 ~ Part 13 ~ Part 14 ~ Part 15 ~ Part 16 ~ Part 17
Maggie caught a cab back, letting herself into the empty house. As soon as the door was shut behind her she leant back against it and burst into tears. How did it come down to this? How could he believe that he wasn't enough? It had taken every bit of her resolve to stay away, every bit of strength to keep going, and when that was gone of course she got on a plane home.
Everything had fallen apart in just over a day. One day to change life as she knew it. Wiping her eyes she went straight upstairs to their bedroom. Pulling a bag down from the wardrobe she began to fill it with clothes. If he thought so little of her, if he doubted her feelings, then what was the point? Maybe he'd be better off with someone who could share everything with him...
As she began to clear the table on her side of the bed she stopped and sat down on the mattress. The tears were flowing freely now and before she knew it she'd laid down and cried herself to sleep out of exhaustion.
~~
When she woke up there was a blanket over her. Sitting up she looked around the room in a mixture of surprise and curiosity. Her bag had been moved and done up, it was sitting on the chair in the corner of the room.
Charlie had come home.
Venturing downstairs she found him sat at the table in the kitchen, staring out of the window.
"Hey," she said. "When did you get back?"
"Little while ago. Didn't want to wake you."
"You should have done."
"So you could leave?"
"Charlie..."
"Don't blame you."
She pulled up the chair across from him. "I'm not leaving you."
"The bag would suggest otherwise."
"I was angry and upset," she said. "I came home because of you, because I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. What happened to me... It was the shove I needed, nothing else."
"I want to believe you," he said.
"I swear it's the truth."
"So what happened out there?"
"What?"
"You said that the news article was wrong."
"Yeah... It wasn't like that. Like they reported."
"So how about you tell me what it was like?" he said.
"OK," she said, taking a deep breath. "You know I told you about that village that the Red Cross took me to?"
Charlie nodded.
"Well, after that..."
She was cut off by the phone ringing and the pair of them groaned in frustration. Charlie got up to answer it, but Maggie grabbed his hand.
"I love you," she said.
He nodded and smiled at her, grabbing the phone from its cradle. "They want to speak to you," he said, handing it over.
"Who is it?"
"The police."
~~
"Want to tell me what's going on?" she asked, dropping her bag on the chair by the door.
Louis barely moved.
"OK. Why'd you ask for me and not your dad?"
"He'd go mental."
"Oh, and you think I won't?" she asked, her tone clear.
"Maggie..."
"Do you have any idea the amount of trouble you're getting yourself into?"
"I don't remember..."
"See, we all know you're lying."
"I'm not."
"Louis..."
"I can't talk to them, I can't."
"Why not?"
"Ever just want something to go away? You know you should probably do something to deal with it, but you just need it to go away all the same?"
She shot him a look.
"That's why I asked for you."
"Not going to work, Louis."
"Why not?"
"Because I'm a parent and therefore immune to attempted guilt trips on the part of children."
"Maggie..."
"You got shot, Louis, and you are very, very lucky to still be alive. Your dad and I have been to hell and back and would really like to see the guy who did this to you brought to justice. I mean, it's a small thing really, seeing the person who's responsible for putting your family through all that grief and pain, stand up and take account for it. But if you don't want to see that happen, well then we'll just forget it, shall we? Your dad and I, we'll just get on with things and forget about the fact that neither of us barely slept last night for fear and worry?"
"You knew I was fine..."
"Not the point!" she snapped. "That's not the issue here. Things happen and you have to deal with the fallout. You may want it all to go away but it doesn't. Not until you stand up and face it."
"And that's what you're doing?" he challenged. "I know there's something you're not telling us."
"Don't you dare make this about me," she responded sharply. "Why won't you talk to them?"
"Because I want this to be over."
"By letting him get away with it?"
"By not giving him a reason to come back."
"And I thought you were the fearless type."
"Maggie..."
"How's your dad going to feel about this? Knowing the guy who nearly killed his son is still out there? You're everything to him, Louis. If he lost you..."
"You don't think I know that? You don't think I'm doing this for him?" he protested. "Maggie, please... Just tell them I don't remember anything. That's it's hazy or whatever. That this happens to people who get shot."
"Lie for you?" She sighed and shook her head. "This is why Jade left you, isn't it?"
He said nothing.
"I know you love her, and all she could tell me was how much she loves you and how scared she was... I know you're trying to protect us all - in a roundabout kind of way - but you need to realise what you're risking by doing so. Hurting or losing the people who care about you, who you love, is not protecting them."
tbc...
Part 1 ~ Part 2 ~ Part 3 ~ Part 4 ~ Part 5 ~ Part 6 ~ Part 7 ~ Part 8 ~ Part 9
Part 10 ~ Part 11 ~ Part 12 ~ Part 13 ~ Part 14 ~ Part 15 ~ Part 16 ~ Part 17
Maggie caught a cab back, letting herself into the empty house. As soon as the door was shut behind her she leant back against it and burst into tears. How did it come down to this? How could he believe that he wasn't enough? It had taken every bit of her resolve to stay away, every bit of strength to keep going, and when that was gone of course she got on a plane home.
Everything had fallen apart in just over a day. One day to change life as she knew it. Wiping her eyes she went straight upstairs to their bedroom. Pulling a bag down from the wardrobe she began to fill it with clothes. If he thought so little of her, if he doubted her feelings, then what was the point? Maybe he'd be better off with someone who could share everything with him...
As she began to clear the table on her side of the bed she stopped and sat down on the mattress. The tears were flowing freely now and before she knew it she'd laid down and cried herself to sleep out of exhaustion.
~~
When she woke up there was a blanket over her. Sitting up she looked around the room in a mixture of surprise and curiosity. Her bag had been moved and done up, it was sitting on the chair in the corner of the room.
Charlie had come home.
Venturing downstairs she found him sat at the table in the kitchen, staring out of the window.
"Hey," she said. "When did you get back?"
"Little while ago. Didn't want to wake you."
"You should have done."
"So you could leave?"
"Charlie..."
"Don't blame you."
She pulled up the chair across from him. "I'm not leaving you."
"The bag would suggest otherwise."
"I was angry and upset," she said. "I came home because of you, because I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. What happened to me... It was the shove I needed, nothing else."
"I want to believe you," he said.
"I swear it's the truth."
"So what happened out there?"
"What?"
"You said that the news article was wrong."
"Yeah... It wasn't like that. Like they reported."
"So how about you tell me what it was like?" he said.
"OK," she said, taking a deep breath. "You know I told you about that village that the Red Cross took me to?"
Charlie nodded.
"Well, after that..."
She was cut off by the phone ringing and the pair of them groaned in frustration. Charlie got up to answer it, but Maggie grabbed his hand.
"I love you," she said.
He nodded and smiled at her, grabbing the phone from its cradle. "They want to speak to you," he said, handing it over.
"Who is it?"
"The police."
~~
"Want to tell me what's going on?" she asked, dropping her bag on the chair by the door.
Louis barely moved.
"OK. Why'd you ask for me and not your dad?"
"He'd go mental."
"Oh, and you think I won't?" she asked, her tone clear.
"Maggie..."
"Do you have any idea the amount of trouble you're getting yourself into?"
"I don't remember..."
"See, we all know you're lying."
"I'm not."
"Louis..."
"I can't talk to them, I can't."
"Why not?"
"Ever just want something to go away? You know you should probably do something to deal with it, but you just need it to go away all the same?"
She shot him a look.
"That's why I asked for you."
"Not going to work, Louis."
"Why not?"
"Because I'm a parent and therefore immune to attempted guilt trips on the part of children."
"Maggie..."
"You got shot, Louis, and you are very, very lucky to still be alive. Your dad and I have been to hell and back and would really like to see the guy who did this to you brought to justice. I mean, it's a small thing really, seeing the person who's responsible for putting your family through all that grief and pain, stand up and take account for it. But if you don't want to see that happen, well then we'll just forget it, shall we? Your dad and I, we'll just get on with things and forget about the fact that neither of us barely slept last night for fear and worry?"
"You knew I was fine..."
"Not the point!" she snapped. "That's not the issue here. Things happen and you have to deal with the fallout. You may want it all to go away but it doesn't. Not until you stand up and face it."
"And that's what you're doing?" he challenged. "I know there's something you're not telling us."
"Don't you dare make this about me," she responded sharply. "Why won't you talk to them?"
"Because I want this to be over."
"By letting him get away with it?"
"By not giving him a reason to come back."
"And I thought you were the fearless type."
"Maggie..."
"How's your dad going to feel about this? Knowing the guy who nearly killed his son is still out there? You're everything to him, Louis. If he lost you..."
"You don't think I know that? You don't think I'm doing this for him?" he protested. "Maggie, please... Just tell them I don't remember anything. That's it's hazy or whatever. That this happens to people who get shot."
"Lie for you?" She sighed and shook her head. "This is why Jade left you, isn't it?"
He said nothing.
"I know you love her, and all she could tell me was how much she loves you and how scared she was... I know you're trying to protect us all - in a roundabout kind of way - but you need to realise what you're risking by doing so. Hurting or losing the people who care about you, who you love, is not protecting them."
tbc...