Million Love Songs(80)

At the station, we sit together in the waiting room – Tom getting paler by the minute.

‘Do you feel sick?’

‘A bit,’ he admits.

‘What about that eye? Is it hurting?’

‘Throbbing,’ he says. I move his fringe aside to have a proper look. His eyebrow is cut and is thick with dried blood. ‘We’ll put some ice on it as soon as you’re home and get you some painkillers.’

‘Thanks, Ruby.’

Maybe we need to take him to A&E to get him checked over, but that will be Joe’s call.

Then Joe arrives and he has a face like thunder until he sees the state that Tom is in, then he crumbles. Tom stands up on shaky legs and Joe takes his son into his arms and crushes him into a bear hug.

‘I’m sorry, Dad,’ Tom says, crying again.

‘No harm done. But you and I need to have a talk when this is sorted.’

Tom nods.

‘They want to take DNA swabs,’ I tell Joe. ‘They’ll be with us shortly. Is Daisy still at home alone?’

Joe shakes his head. ‘I phoned her and told her to go next door and wait for us. We’ll pick her up when we get back. Neither of them are going to make school tomorrow.’

An officer arrives and takes Joe and Tom into the depths of the station. So I wait round, drinking tepid brown water that’s supposed to be tea from a vending machine, until the police have finished with Tom.

Midnight has long gone when they both reappear and relief lifts my heart. I feel grimy from just sitting here.

‘How did it go?’

‘Tom gave really good descriptions of the lads,’ Joe tells me. ‘The pictures aren’t great but it seems they might be known to the police already. That might help to catch them.’

‘Are you feeling OK?’ I ask Tom.

‘Knackered.’ He does look fit to drop. ‘Every time I move my mouth, my lip splits open too.’ There’s fresh blood there when he touches it.

‘Let’s go home,’ Joe says and takes my hand. ‘This has been too much excitement for one night.’

‘Should we go to A&E?’

‘I don’t think so. I’m not sure either of us could stand it now. I’ve had a good look at him. I think he’ll live to fight another day.’ He hugs his son to him and Tom winces, but bears it stoically.

‘I’ll be off,’ I tell him. ‘Glad there’s not too much damage done.’

‘Come back with us,’ Joe says. ‘We at least owe you tea and toast.’

‘I wouldn’t say no to that,’ I admit.

I watch Tom and Joe as they walk across the car park, Joe’s sturdy arm slung round his son’s slight shoulders. I hope that Tom has learned his lesson from this awful experience. Then I jump into my own car and follow them back to the house.





Chapter Seventy-Three





I take Tom inside while Joe goes to collect Daisy from their neighbour’s house.

‘Do you want something to drink?’

He nods.

‘Hot chocolate would be my go-to drink at moments like these,’ I tell him.

He tries not to smile and split his lip open again, but there’s a glimmer of one. ‘Cool.’ Tom eases himself into a chair at the kitchen table, clearly hurting all over. ‘There’s some in the top cupboard.’ He points in the general direction and, with a bit of rummaging, I find it.

‘A nice hot shower will make you feel better too. Get all that blood off you.’

Then he puts his head on his arms and bursts into tears. I abandon the chocolate and go to comfort him.

‘Hush, hush. It’s all done now.’ I sit down next to him and stroke his hair. ‘It’ll all seem better in the morning.’

‘Nothing’s been right since Mum left,’ he sobs. ‘I keep wishing she’d come back.’

That brings a lump to my throat.

‘How could she leave us for him? Mums don’t do that. There’s nothing wrong with Dad either. Some of my friend’s dads are real knobs, but my dad’s not. He’s OK. What does she want?’

‘Sometimes people just fall out of love,’ I offer as I hold him tightly. Yet I realise that it sounds rubbish. ‘Of course, you’re going to miss her, but she’s still your mum.’

They all act so hard and grown-up, yet inside they’re still frightened children who want their mother and my heart goes out to him. It’s been an awful trauma for him and no one can make him better like a mum can.

I hear the front door open and Tom quickly wipes his eyes on his filthy, bloodied T-shirt. A few seconds later, Joe comes in the kitchen with Daisy. She bursts into tears when she sees the extent of Tom’s injuries. I move over so that she can wrap her arms round him.

‘I told you not to go out, idiot,’ she wails.

He doesn’t argue back.

‘I’ll put some toast on,’ Joe says. ‘I don’t know about you lot, but I’m starving.’

I have a hollow feeling in the pit of my stomach too. I’m not sure that it’s hunger, but giving it some toast can’t hurt.

So I pitch in and make hot chocolate for Tom and Daisy while Joe fiddles with bread. Joe and I have tea when I really think that at least a double Jacky D is in order. The night has left its mark on all of us.