He couldn't leave her here.
Setting the bag down and moving in the direction of the sobs, Nick walked into the kitchen and saw that it's state was similar to the family room. Dishes were broken, pots and pans were scattered everywhere, the refrigerator door was hanging open, and Ken was sitting with his head resting on the table, appearing to have passed out.
Nick crossed the room to his mom, who was sitting on the floor with her back against the wall and her face in her hands. She jumped when Nick touched her arm. She had dried blood on her upper lip, and her right eye was swollen. Her face was drenched with tears that she hadn't bothered to wipe away.
She stared at him, understandably confused, for several seconds before speaking. "Nick? What are you doing—"
He put his hand gently over her mouth, hoping they'd be able to get out of there without Ken waking up. But they weren't that lucky. As Nick helped his mom into a standing position, he heard the voice that he had prayed he'd never hear again.
"What...the...fuck are you doing in my house?" His voice was quiet and dark—the darkest Nick had ever heard it. Ken's eyes were bloodshot as they bore into Nick's. Based on the twitching happening in the right one, Nick guessed that there was more than just alcohol in his system.
Ken pointed to Nick's mom. "Did she call you?"
Nick was still holding on to his mom's arm, and he felt her shivering.
"No," he let go of her so she could stand behind him. "Your son did. He told me you were drunk out of your mind and was terrified."
Ken waved off his words. "That kid's a pussy."
Nick clenched his hands into fists in an attempt to control his anger. He turned around toward his mom. "We're leaving."
"Like hell you are!" Ken stumbled around the table, almost falling when he tripped over a chair leg, and stormed over to Nick. He was trying to look intimidating, but it was just pathetic.
Ken pulled his arm back, aiming his fist at Nick's face, but Nick caught it in the air. "Don't."
He took a step toward Ken and looked down at him—reminding Ken that he wasn't backing down. In fact, Nick had to resist the urge to slam Ken's head into the kitchen table. The only thing stopping him were the three boys waiting for him in his car right now.
"Let me tell you what you're not going to do," Nick started, through gritted teeth. "You're not going to scare me. You're not going to treat me like the kid you loved to beat up on. You're not going to act like you should have any authority over my brothers or my mother. And you're not going to try and stop me from taking them away from here."
"I don't fucking think so! Where they gonna go? They need me!"
"You're wrong about that." Nick's voice sounded so cold, even to his own ears, that he wasn't surprised when Ken started to cower.
"Mom, go to the car." Nick didn't move his eyes off of Ken. He knew the second he turned his back, Ken would take the opportunity.
"Don't you fucking dare!" Ken pointed his finger over Nick's shoulder.
"Simon and Olly are already out there, Mom. Just go."
Ken narrowed his eyes when he realized that he'd already lost control of the situation. Nick could hear his mom's feet shuffle out of the room and toward the front door.
Nick stepped backward. "Don't follow us."
The scowl didn't leave Ken's face in the time it took Nick to leave the kitchen. He finally turned his back when he reached the hallway and grabbed Simon and Olly's bag from the floor. He continued to listen for sounds of movement behind him. He didn't hear anything by the time he exited the house.
When he got to his car, he saw the three boys in the back and his mom sitting in the front passenger seat. Before he opened the driver's door, he rested his back against it and took a few deep breaths to try to calm his racing heart.
In...and out. He felt guilt for not putting an end to this long ago.
In...and out. He felt anger that people like Ken were able to take such cruel advantage of people.
In...and out. He felt relief that, God willing, Ken would be out of their lives from now on.
In...and out. He felt joy that his son will never have to experience the fear that he and his brothers grew up with.
He entered the vehicle and put it into Drive. No one spoke. The first words came from Avery. "Who dat?"
Nick knew without looking that he was asking about the stranger to Nick's right. Nick sighed. "That's your grandmother."
Avery was silent, and Nick understood his confusion. The only grandmother that had ever been mentioned was Lynn's mom who had passed away. Nick could hear his mom crying but didn't acknowledge it. He couldn't even look at her. He knew he should feel some sympathy but just couldn't do it.
"Where are we going?" Simon asked when it was obvious that they weren't heading out of town.
"The police station," Nick answered
His mom interjected. "Nick, no—"
Nick put his hand out to stop her. "He's not getting away with this anymore."
She acted like she wanted to say more but must have realized that it would have been fruitless. Nick wasn't changing his mind.
So the five them walked into the police station and while Simon, Olly and his mom were giving statements, Nick sat with Avery until Lynn was able to pick him up and bring him home.
Lynn had been a champion since this all went down—letting his mom borrow clothes, sleeping at Cam's apartment with Avery to allow more room here. Nick isn't sure how long his family will be staying, and Lynn hasn't even brought it up.
Eventually, he knows they will go home since Ken will no longer be there. He ended up being charged with Domestic Battery and Public Intoxication. And because the cops arrested him while he was driving around aimlessly looking for Nick with an illegal gun in his car, he also got Driving Under the Influence, Unlawful Use of a Firearm and Resisting Arrest.
And since this was far from his first series of charges, it was safe to say that he would be in prison for awhile. Nick couldn't be happier about that.
When his head is finally clear and back in his present situation, he exits the restroom and sees that the light is off in Avery's/his brothers' room. He must have been in his own head for awhile.
He hears someone moving around in the kitchen and heads that direction. His mom is standing in front of the microwave, and he smells the soup she is heating up. Her face has recovered quickly with no lasting damage. The medic at the police station said she was lucky her nose wasn't broken.
His mom has barely left Lynn's bedroom in the last two days and eats all her meals alone, including yesterday, when Lynn put together a hodgepodge Thanksgiving dinner for all of them. His mom didn't join them. She may be upset or ashamed—Nick doesn't know and doesn't care.
Simon and Olly seem to not being holding a grudge against her, much to Nick's relief. They are young enough that their relationship with her may be able to come back from this. Nick, however, has only spoken to her in the last two days when it was necessary and isn't interested in changing that.
She sees him as he is turning to leave. "Nick, wait."
He freezes and slowly turns around. She motions for him to sit at the table while she carefully carries her bowl of hot soup. "I want to thank you, Nick. For helping us."
He shrugs, looking away. He didn't do it for her. She ignores the brush off. "Ken was so angry that night. I want you to know that he's not normally like that. He had had an awful day getting rejected from job after job."
Nick doesn't like where this is going. "What's your point?"
She clears her throat. "I talked to him today, and he wants money for bail."
He stands up. "Fuck no. There is no way you are bailing that motherfucker out!"
"Nick, he's my husband. I love him, and he loves me. And he's so sorry. He swore he will never do it again."
"Stop! Mom, you have to stop this!" He knows he should be quiet so his brothers don't hear, but he can't control his rage. "You can't do this to them!"
"And what about me?!? I don't want to be alone!"
Nick pulls his hair at the roots. He can't believe this woman. He is so past angry now that's he's reached a level of complete calmness. He takes a deep breath to compose his thoughts and sits down across from her. He looks into her eyes while he speaks.
"Mom, with age, and with some help from friends, I've learned a few things. One of those is that you are a complete narcissist. You only care about yourself. Growing up, you let me live with a man who continuously got drunk and hit me.
"I didn't fight back for your sake and my brothers' sake, and you didn't care. You didn't care that I stayed at Ian's five nights a week because I couldn't stand being in that house. You didn't care that the only thing I ever knew about my real father was how much you hated him. You didn't care about anyone but yourself, ever.
"It effected me in ways that I didn't even realize at the time. I wasn't able to let myself be vulnerable. I was never able to trust anyone—even people who would never hurt me—because the first person who I should've been able to trust unconditionally, betrayed that trust. I eventually sabotaged all of my relationships."
The image of Bailey comes to him, but he pushes her away. He doesn't want her in this room with them.
"But I swear to you that I will not let you repeat your mistakes with Simon and Olly. If you bail him out, or if I ever hear of you reconnecting with him, I will call Child Protective Service so fast that you won't know what happened. The only reason I haven't up to this point is because I didn't know where they would go, but I think it'd be pretty easy for me to get custody if a judge knew you were living with a drug addict alcoholic.
"After you leave here, Mother, you and I are done. You will never see your grandson again. I do not want your toxicity in his life. He has enough good people who love him. He doesn't need someone like you."
She sucks her lips between her teeth and looks down at her hands. "I understand."
Nick wasn't sure if she really did or didn't. But either way, it didn't matter anymore.