Fifty One
Nathan brought over a few hot drinks as we sat with Thalia in the lounge area. Most of the guests had left the house. Other than our friends it was only Thalia that stayed to talk with us.
Turning my head, I winced when I heard the sound of banging coming from the kitchen.
" Do I need to calm him down?" I asked Nathan with an anxious look.
He shook his head. " I don't think so," He replied. Well that's assuring I thought to myself.
Nathan sat down after handing us our drinks.
" I can't express how sorry I am that you are going through this, Skylar. I had no idea Henson would go to this level" Thalia began to say.
I shook my head. " It's not you that should be apologising " It should be Henson.
"Still, I feel like I should take at least some of the responsibility"
I'm sure she thinks that but she really has nothing to apologise for.
" I'm also sorry that I couldn't be of much more help" she added.
"Well maybe you can" Nathan spoke up.
Thalia turned to Nathan with her curious eyes.
" If you're comfortable, maybe there is something that we can tie Henson down with. It's hard for us to accuse him of causing harm to Skylar and Damon"
"But maybe you can give us something credible"
I was a little taken back by his request. That's a lot to ask from Thalia even if she was willing to do that.
" Did he hurt you at all?" Yvonne asked. Ben, who sat by her side, reached over and squeezed her arm. This didn't go unnoticed by Thalia.
"Did Henson hurt you?" She asked, turning to Yvonne.
"He wanted to, " I answered.
Thalia closed her eyes very briefly as she registered my words.
" I'm so sorry, fuck I never knew that Henson would stoop this low. But to be honest Henson was never violent, not until I had my abortion"
This was what I feared.
" He wanted the baby but I just couldn't. My family has a history of miscarriages and honestly I hated how the baby was conceived. It was not what I wanted" Her voice seemed to quiet down towards the end.
I was concerned by her words.
" It was forced, " Charlotte quickly added. Stating what was on all of our minds.
" I didn't remember the night it happened. That week I couldn't find my pills and I'm sure he did it without my consent "
I felt sick at her words. Knowing that someone would even think about doing that to something they supposedly loved.
The issues that Henson had, ran deeper than any of us imagined.
" Did you tell anyone at the time" Nathan asked.
She shook her head. " No, well I did tell my therapist at the time but I'm not sure that's any help"
" Your therapist would have recorded it, we might be able to use that as evidence with your consent of course."
" You want me to accuse him of rape?" Thalia questioned.
Nathan looked around at us all. " This is all up to you but if you really want to help Skylar then this is probably your best chance at getting him arrested so that more questioning can be done"
As much as I hate to admit it. I think Nathan was right. But I didn't want to put Thalia in that position, to remind her of that time in her life which I'm sure she doesn't want to remember.
" It's up to you Thalia. You don't have to do anything if you're not comfortable " I explained to her.
I wasn't about to use her pain to go after Henson, especially if she wasn't comfortable with going back to those memories.
" Could I have the night to think it over" She said. I nodded instantly, I think it would be the right thing to do, to let her have the night to think it over. Since it was a big decision for her.
Thalia sat back, sending a small smile my way. It was definitely a forced one but I could only imagine the emotions she was going through right now.
The sound of the kitchen door opening caught my attention. Adrian stepped out, his arm rubbing his shoulder.
Damien followed next. His eyes locked on to mine and I honestly think I choked a little at the intense look he was giving me.
Instead of walking over to me, he stepped out and headed to the hallway. The door closed behind him and the whole room was silenced as it slammed shut.
" Did he hurt you Adrian?" I asked.
Adrian shrugged his shoulders. " Nothing I can't handle but I think you should talk to him. He's kind of emotional about it all"
I turned my head to the door, releasing a deep sigh.
" Okay I'll go. Can you make sure Thalia feels at home and set her up in the small bedroom" I asked him.
He gently squeezed my shoulder and walked back into the lounge.
I patted down my hair and walked down the hallway in search for Damon. I stopped at the office door and took another deep breath. We were the furthest away from the others now and hopefully that would mean that nobody would be listening into our conversation.
If I was going to even get that.
I know that Damon isn't going to be happy with my actions tonight but he couldn't shut me out.
I didn't even bother to knock as I pushed the door open and stepped inside. The first thing I noticed was that the room was dark. The moonlight from outside lit up half of the room. With a small desk lamp in the corner of the room.
Damon stood at the window, looking out to the garden. I could very faintly hear the others downstairs. It was a relief that I could hear some laughter. I'm sure Adrian was doing the most to make Thalia feel the most welcomed.
" I thought I was next" I bravely said, breaking the silence.
Damon didn't react, only the slight shake of his head.
I walked around the room and stood just by the desk.
My eyes moved to the small frame on the table. An almost blurry picture of us from when we were in school.
" It's probably better that I don't say anything, " Damon said quietly. Quiet enough that I nearly didn't hear him.
" Just be angry at me, I'm not dealing with silence " I said, not wanting to play games. We needed to remain strong and not let Henson get under our skin.
" You're asking for trouble Sky"
I can't ignore the fact that it hurt hearing him use my name instead of the endearments her normally uses.
" No I'm asking for a conversation, I'm getting tired of talking to your back Damon"
Damon instantly turned around. I watched as he kept his eyes to the floor but eventually lifted them to meet mine.
They softened instantly.
" You scared me tonight baby"
My chest warmed at the way he called me baby. I'm now understanding why Adrian said Damon was emotional.
Damon didn't want to be angry at me but there was a foreign emotion behind those eyes of his that I just know he's trying to figure out.
" I was protected Damon, nothing bad was going to happen to me not with Adrian by my side"
Damon turned his head, his lips pursed. " I would never feel completely sure that nothing was going to happen to you, not unless I'm the one protecting you. You added risk to a situation none of us knew what would happen"
I hated this. I hated being spoken down to like this. It wasn't something I favoured especially from the mouth of my boyfriend.
" I couldn't just stand there. He wanted to see me, If I hadn't. He would still be standing there now" I said, coming to my own defence.
"I'd stand there all night if it meant you were safe" he bit back.
I groaned in frustration before moving around and coming to stand in front of Damon.
" You're an idiot sometimes, I'm right here Damon fucking look at me" I practically screamed. I hated that I raised my voice but it was hard to understand Damon in this moment.
Damon spun on his heel staring me down. " I'm looking, fucking hell baby I think you forget sometimes how precious you are to me. I've seen people vanish from my very eyes and I won't make the mistake of losing you too"
Damon gripped my hips harshly. Pulling me tight against his body.
" hey guys, are you good"
I breathed deeply as the door to the office opened. Revealing Adrian with a a cautious look between us two.
Damon tightened his hold on my hips. " Fucking fine" Damon grumbled not even sparing his a glance.
I slowly turned to face Adrian. " We're good, is everything okay with Thalia" I asked him.
"Oh yeah, all good it's just that we can hear you from in there "
That didn't surprise me.
" Sorry, we'll be a few minutes" I told him, hoping that he'd let me manage this, manage Damon the best I could.
Adrian finally left after sending a cautious stare in Damon's direction.
" You have to be nicer to Adrian"
All he was ever doing was trying to help and now he was being punished for that.
" I'm nice enough, he should have followed my instructions and not let you leave that fucking room"
I turned my head, annoyed with the same thing over and over again.
Damon grabbed the back of my neck keeping me in place.
" Why are you making this so hard for me?" he asked, his thumb coming round to lift my chin up.
I shook my head wanting to get out of his hold but it wasn't surprising that he held me in place. I had no choice but to look up into those green eyes of his.
" It's not me that's doing that Damon '' I replied hoping he would stop thinking for one second and realise that.
" We are all safe, just be thankful and stop giving Adrian such a hard time " I grumbled, already knowing that this conversation was going nowhere. Maybe our emotions were still running high.
This time I pushed his hand away from my face and stepped to the side of Damon.
" I'm going to go back to the others. We're the hosts after all" I said, already reaching for the door but this time it was Damon's voice that stopped me.
" You want to help him, I won't be a part of that Sky"
My breath hitched. I knew what and who he was referring to. I turned on my heel and faced him.
" What do you mean Damon, he needs help and so does Thalia"
Damon crossed his arms over his chest. " Then they can get professional help, it's not our responsibility "
I continued to stare at him.
" I know you have such a big heart baby but Henson has made both of our lives difficult why would we help him"
I bowed my head." Because it's the right thing to do. He was your brother and anyone can see how troubled he is"
Damon Shook his head, coming to stand in front of me again. " He stopped being my brother weeks ago, Sky. You need to respect me and my decision "
I expected his to touch me, to force my eyes up at his but he simply moved out to the side and exited the small room. Leaving me standing there.
I heard his footsteps walking down the hall. I thought he'd go back to join the others but the sound of the main door closing and the revs from a car had me running to the window.
I watched as Damon's car drove out of the driveway and onto the road.
I completely understand why he's made this decision but I hoped that he would want to at least try.
What if Henson never stops. If there's even a small chance we can get him on our side, wouldn't that be the better option.
I took a few minutes for myself before making my way back to the others in the lounge.
Adrian was the first to walk over and wrap his arms around me.
" He just needs to be alone for a bit. He'll be back" He whispered into my ear.
I didn't feel great about Damon leaving so suddenly, knowing that he was probably frustrated with me but we did need to talk properly. He needed to understand where I was coming from.
The girls helped get Thalia settled in the spare room as I laid on the sofa. Charlie and Adrian were chatting about today's events as I laid my head down and felt my eyes closing.
I just hoped that by the time I woke up again, Damon would be back.
After what felt like hours, I opened my eyes to a dark and empty lounge. I sat up and lifted the soft blanket off my legs.
The lights were off and the house was completely quiet. I checked the time on my watch and saw that it was already 4.58 in the morning. How I managed to sleep for that long amazed me.
My mind went to Damon, wondering if he came back to the house last night.
I walked through the lounge and into the kitchen. Slightly taken back by Lucas standing in my kitchen staring out to the garden in his own world it seems like.
" Good morning" I whispered, walking over and reaching for an empty glass on the table.
After sleeping for that long my mouth felt extremely dry and dehydrated.
Lucas turned to face me. I noticed the small cup in his hands. I wasn't too surprised that he was already up and drinking his first tea. Old habits tend to stick around.
" Morning Sky, sleep well?" He asked.
I nodded as I poured some water into the glass.
" Considering the amount of hours I slept for I guess you could say that" I said, turning around and leaning my back against the kitchen counter.
" You're here early?" I stated, wondering what the plan for today was.
He nodded, taking a small sip from his cup. " I have a few things to do today so thought i'd drop by "
"Were you looking for Damon?" I asked him.
Lucas held my eyes for a few moments. " I know he's not here, don't worry about that Sky"
I was thankful, That means I don't need to explain the situation with him.
"Does that mean you know where he is?" I asked. Hoping that I could be reassured.
" I really couldn't tell you but don't worry about Damon, he just needs time to calm down after the events"
Looks like that was the only reassurance I was getting. But it was better than nothing.
"Come Sky, let's sit outside and talk" I followed him silently.
I was thankful for the warm morning sun. I simply pulled a blanket from the small cupboard next to the patio doors. Placing it over my legs. Even though it was warm, it was still windy.
" Were you surprised last night?" I asked Lucas instantly. He sank into his chair, placing his cup down in his lap.
" Was I surprised that Henson showed up?" I nodded. Lucas knew Henson for many years. I'm sure he had a strong feeling.
"No, Henson would have welcomed the opportunity and that's exactly what he did" Lucas replied.
I sighed. " I just don't know what to do about Henson anymore"
Lucas reached over and gave my arm a comforting squeeze. " I'm sorry this is holding you back Sky, I really wish that it didn't turn out like this"
"It's not your fault" I reassured him. Lucas couldn't be to blame for any of this. This was all down to Henson.
Lucas leant forward, his fingers brushing through his short hair. " I should've done better to avoid it though Sky"
This time I placed my hand on Lucas's shoulder. " How could you have, This is Henson and Henson alone. "
" Henson would never be a leader. If you have Henson and Damon standing in a line, Damon is always the one to be picked" He goes on to tell me.
It wasn't like I was new to that idea. Damon was a born leader.
" I ignored the fact that Henson had connections in the army. I believed that he could handle life as a soldier. Given the huge responsibility but I could never be more wrong"
I wasn't going to sit here and let Lucas believe wholeheartedly that this was his fault.
" That's your job isn't it. To believe that the men that sign up are prepared to risk it all for the people they are protecting."
I wasn't sure about the army, I only knew little bits from what I've learnt from Damon.
" You're not supposed to be their therapist are you?" I posed the question.
Lucas smiled subtly. " No, I guess I am not. But Henson was a red flag in a sea of green"
I narrowed my eyes, slightly confused in his words.
" I have a teenage daughter, don't ask" He chuckled.
That made a lot of sense.
"Henson really needs help. I don't want to fight him too hard and I've told Damon I want us to try and get Henson help"
He nodded. " I know you do Sky but that's not your responsibility. I'm already working on it so don't worry about it too much."
I sighed deeply. In the back of my mind I knew that he was right and that meant that Damon was too.
Henson has made our life very difficult. Ruined my pleasure of enjoying Damon being back home. I haven't been there for my family all because of Henson.
" Damon wants to protect you, he wears his heart on his sleeve Sky so please, really listen to him and respect that he will do everything and anything to keep you safe"
I knew that he was right.
" I just want him to care. To look out for someone who looks to him as a brother. Albeit dysfunctional" I mumbled the last bit.
Lucas smiled warmly over at me. " He does. But brothers don't inflict pain like this and sometimes it's impossible to forget"
I sat back in my seat. Lucas really was a wise man. Something with a lot of experience and knowledge. I am glad that Damon has someone like him in his life.
Just as our conversation was ending, I noticed that there were more people waking up in the house.
I was hoping that Thalia would finally have an answer for us all. I could put my focus on that, just until Damon finally comes back home.