Absolution(26)

Once again, he saw the pure hatred in Callum’s face, the sense of betrayal and anger tumbling out of him.

What the hell did you expect?



Ally sat at her kitchen table, watching through the window as the breeze lifted the leaves on the trees in her backyard. She tried to ignore the hollow, empty feeling in her chest but it refused to go away.

She couldn’t get Jack out of her head – the look of hope and relief written all over his face when he saw her standing; the sorrow as he apologised; the reluctant acceptance as Callum had landed that first punch. But what hurt most of all was the raw pain and guilt as he had walked away, bleeding.

What if Callum was right? What if he thought that, after today, there wasn’t any point in staying? What if he had gone back to Tom’s house, packed his bags and taken off again, for good this time? She may never get the chance to talk to him. After all this time, all these years of wondering, he was back, only to disappear again just as quickly?

From deep down inside of her, through the pain and the anger, a desperate need welled up. Where had he been all this time? What had happened to hollow him out like that? She wanted to tell him that she was alright, that she was happy, that he didn’t need to feel guilty about what happened. She wanted to ask him why he left, and now she didn’t care if the truth hurt more than the unsettled ignorance of the last few years.

She straightened her shoulders and took a deep breath. Last time she didn’t have any choice, she was unconscious in a hospital bed, broken and helpless. But not this time. This time she was awake and determined not to let it happen again. She deserved answers and she deserved to be heard. He owed her that.



“Hey – watch it!”

“Don’t be such a baby.”

“Some bedside manner you have there,” Callum grumbled, wincing.

Maggie handed him a beer, peering over Jane’s shoulder as she treated the cut on his cheek with antiseptic. She popped her beer open and took a mouthful before flopping down on the couch beside him.

“You’re welcome to do this yourself, you know.”

Callum frowned and pushed Jane’s hand away. “It’s fine, just leave it.”

“Suit yourself.”

Jane picked up the antiseptic bottle and medical kit and took it back to the kitchen. He stood up, and began to pace the room, taking a long swallow from his bottle. Okay, so Ally was pissed off at him. Wouldn’t be the first time. She’d get over it. In the meantime, what the hell were they going to do about Jack? He had half a mind to head over to Tom’s place right now and make sure he was packing his bags. Maybe he would anyway, on his way home.

Jane came back from the kitchen, scooping up her beer and dropping onto the couch beside Maggie.

“So,” Jane said. “Do you think he’ll stick around for a while?”

“I can’t see it.”

“No way, not after today. The truth hurts,” Callum snapped, hoping like hell he was right.

An uneasy silence filled the room.

“Can you believe him?” he demanded. “Jack? I mean, what the hell was he thinking? He just shows up here and thinks ‘I’m sorry’ will magically fix everything?”

“He came home for Tom, for the funeral,” Jane said, nursing her beer in her lap.

“Well, the funeral’s over so if he’s got any brains he’ll be out of here by morning – if he hasn’t disappeared already,” Callum said acidly.

“Don’t you want to talk to him? Find out where he’s –“

“I’m not interested in where he’s been or what he’s done. He chose to leave, no one made him go. He doesn’t get to stroll back here and try to pick up where he left off.”

Maggie frowned up at him. “I’m not saying I disagree with you, but I just think it took a lot of guts for him to show his face today. It can’t have been easy. He gets credit for that, in my book – not that it changes anything.”

“Like I said, he came for Tom’s funeral,” Callum snapped. “That’s it.”

“Yeah, I know, but he did try to talk to Ally yesterday. He didn’t have to do that.”

“And?”

“Well, I just think that if he had intended to come home, go to the funeral and then leave straight afterwards, he wouldn’t have bothered.”

“What’s your point?”

“Just that maybe he didn’t plan on coming home just for the funeral? Maybe he’s planning to stick around for a while?”