At The End
Jan. 24th, 2012 02:53 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
intheheartTitle: At the End
Rating: PG-13.
Summary: No more second chances.
Date: October 2017
AU: Straight
Notes: none
WARNING for domestic abuse.
When Gina got home from the store, laden down with groceries, Caty and Beth were screaming, Leah cried soundlessly, Grant stood over her older children with his hand in a fist, and a huge, puffy bruise was rising on Robbie's cheek.
She froze in the doorway.
"Gina," Grant snapped. "Finally. Where the fuck have you been?"
Breathe, she ordered herself, and tried to keep calm. "At the grocery," she replied. "It was crowded."
"Obviously," he muttered. "I'm going out. Shut your brats up." He moved away from them and grabbed his coat.
"Wait a moment," she said. "Wait a moment. What happened to Robbie?"
Grant tossed a contemptuous look at her. "He fell," he said, then pushed past her out the door, knocking her into the frame and probably bruising her shoulder. A minute later, she heard his car start up, but it wasn't until it roared out of the driveway that she felt she could move again.
She dropped the groceries, ran to her children, went to her knees and gathered them into her arms. Beth, with the resilience of the very young, stopped crying almost immediately, and after a few moments wandered away. Caty stopped at about the same time, which meant that the noise had bothered her, nothing more.
But Leah took longer to calm, and even when she stopped crying, she clung to her mother, shaking. And Robbie... Robbie did not cry at all, did not even allow her to hold him, only stood at a slight distance and looked at her with big blue eyes that were far, far too old for him.
"Robbie," she said. "Robbie, what happened to you?"
He shrugged, still holding her eyes. "I fell," he said.
"Robbie," she said, again, and this time, he looked away.
"I did fall," he said. "Beth fell down and she started to cry, and Dad told me to shut her up but I couldn't make her be quiet. Then Caty started crying 'cause she was scared, and..." He shrugged. "I fell."
"He grabbed Robbie," Leah said suddenly, lifting her head from Gina's shoulder. "On his arm."
"Show me," Gina said, her voice as gentle as she could make it with the rage simmering in her.
Robbie hunched his shoulders, but he lifted his short sleeve, and she saw the bruise, rough and dark already, symmetrical. His father had grabbed him, and probably thrown him down. His father.
Her son dropped his arm, folded both arms over his chest, and looked anywhere but at her. "I couldn't make Beth be quiet," he said, again.
Grant had laid his hands on her child, and he'd made her baby feel like that. And she... she had failed to protect him.
No more of this, Gina thought, breathless with rage, at him and herself. No more.
"Robbie," she said, forcing her voice to stay gentle. "Can you take your sister and go play with Beth, please? I have to make some phone calls."
His eyes snapped back to hers; whatever he read there had him nodding, slowly. "Okay," he said. "Come on, Leah."
Leah left her arms reluctantly, and almost ran to take her brother's hand. So afraid, her babies were so afraid, and Grant had made them this way. Gina stayed on her knees until they'd left, then stood, slowly, and moved to the back window to watch them a little more.
Beth sat on the swing set in the backyard, making a few desultory efforts to propel herself. She brightened when Robbie and Leah came outside, and made obvious demands to be pushed, muffled by the kitchen window. Robbie looked down at Leah, shrugged, and went to push her, while Leah took her place on the swing next to Beth. And Caty lay on her back in her playpen in the kitchen, staring up at the ceiling, fascinated by the plain white swirls of paint. Her babies, her poor children.
Grant would never touch them again.
She went to the phone, picked it up and dialed, and listened to it ring, repeating that to herself. Grant would never touch them again.
Her mother picked up on the third ring, sounding bright and cheerful. "Caravecchio household," she said. "Susanna speaking."
"Hi, Mom," Gina said, and wasted no more time on formalities. "Can the kids and I come stay for a few weeks?" Just until she found a job and an apartment, but she needed something for now, because she was not staying here another day.
She could practically hear her mother blink. "Of course, sweetheart," she said, recovering quickly. "We'd love to have you. Is Grant going out of town for a while, then?"
Gina smiled tightly. As if she cared anymore. "I don't know," she said. "Not that it matters. I'm leaving him."
An appalled silence held court for a few moments. Then her mother said, "Gina, you must be joking."
"I'm not," she said, and laughed mirthlessly. "I'm so not. Can we still come stay?"
"Of course," her mother said, "but Gina, darling, have you really thought about this? You married Grant for better or worse. You can't just leave when things get hard."
"Mother," Gina said, very patiently, "if I'd left Grant when things got hard, I would have left after Beth was born." She looked out the window, watched Robbie wincing from the strain on his arm as he pushed Beth. "I wish I had."
"I don't understand," her mother said, sounding bewildered. "You two always looked so happy together. Are you sure you know what you're doing?"
"He hits me," Gina said, and breathed out. "He hits me, and he says things to me. I always gave him a second chance, because he's my husband and I thought I owed it to him. I told myself it was okay because he always was sorry, afterwards, but they all are, aren't they? And it isn't just me anymore, Mom. My girls are scared of him, and he hurt Robbie. He hurt my son. I'm done giving him second chances."
For the second time, an appalled silence clogged the line.
Finally, her mother said, "Come down here. Bring your children. We'll talk then." She hung up.
And while that didn't bode well, it meant escape in the moment. Right now, Gina couldn't think of anything except the moment.
She hung up the handset, went to the playpen, and picked up Caty, balancing her youngest on her hip. Then she went out to the yard and called her children toward her. Leah took her brother's hand as they came, her eyes frightened.
If she had anything to say about it, none of her children would ever look like that again.
"Get your things," she told them. "We're going."
Rating: PG-13.
Summary: No more second chances.
Date: October 2017
AU: Straight
Notes: none
WARNING for domestic abuse.
When Gina got home from the store, laden down with groceries, Caty and Beth were screaming, Leah cried soundlessly, Grant stood over her older children with his hand in a fist, and a huge, puffy bruise was rising on Robbie's cheek.
She froze in the doorway.
"Gina," Grant snapped. "Finally. Where the fuck have you been?"
Breathe, she ordered herself, and tried to keep calm. "At the grocery," she replied. "It was crowded."
"Obviously," he muttered. "I'm going out. Shut your brats up." He moved away from them and grabbed his coat.
"Wait a moment," she said. "Wait a moment. What happened to Robbie?"
Grant tossed a contemptuous look at her. "He fell," he said, then pushed past her out the door, knocking her into the frame and probably bruising her shoulder. A minute later, she heard his car start up, but it wasn't until it roared out of the driveway that she felt she could move again.
She dropped the groceries, ran to her children, went to her knees and gathered them into her arms. Beth, with the resilience of the very young, stopped crying almost immediately, and after a few moments wandered away. Caty stopped at about the same time, which meant that the noise had bothered her, nothing more.
But Leah took longer to calm, and even when she stopped crying, she clung to her mother, shaking. And Robbie... Robbie did not cry at all, did not even allow her to hold him, only stood at a slight distance and looked at her with big blue eyes that were far, far too old for him.
"Robbie," she said. "Robbie, what happened to you?"
He shrugged, still holding her eyes. "I fell," he said.
"Robbie," she said, again, and this time, he looked away.
"I did fall," he said. "Beth fell down and she started to cry, and Dad told me to shut her up but I couldn't make her be quiet. Then Caty started crying 'cause she was scared, and..." He shrugged. "I fell."
"He grabbed Robbie," Leah said suddenly, lifting her head from Gina's shoulder. "On his arm."
"Show me," Gina said, her voice as gentle as she could make it with the rage simmering in her.
Robbie hunched his shoulders, but he lifted his short sleeve, and she saw the bruise, rough and dark already, symmetrical. His father had grabbed him, and probably thrown him down. His father.
Her son dropped his arm, folded both arms over his chest, and looked anywhere but at her. "I couldn't make Beth be quiet," he said, again.
Grant had laid his hands on her child, and he'd made her baby feel like that. And she... she had failed to protect him.
No more of this, Gina thought, breathless with rage, at him and herself. No more.
"Robbie," she said, forcing her voice to stay gentle. "Can you take your sister and go play with Beth, please? I have to make some phone calls."
His eyes snapped back to hers; whatever he read there had him nodding, slowly. "Okay," he said. "Come on, Leah."
Leah left her arms reluctantly, and almost ran to take her brother's hand. So afraid, her babies were so afraid, and Grant had made them this way. Gina stayed on her knees until they'd left, then stood, slowly, and moved to the back window to watch them a little more.
Beth sat on the swing set in the backyard, making a few desultory efforts to propel herself. She brightened when Robbie and Leah came outside, and made obvious demands to be pushed, muffled by the kitchen window. Robbie looked down at Leah, shrugged, and went to push her, while Leah took her place on the swing next to Beth. And Caty lay on her back in her playpen in the kitchen, staring up at the ceiling, fascinated by the plain white swirls of paint. Her babies, her poor children.
Grant would never touch them again.
She went to the phone, picked it up and dialed, and listened to it ring, repeating that to herself. Grant would never touch them again.
Her mother picked up on the third ring, sounding bright and cheerful. "Caravecchio household," she said. "Susanna speaking."
"Hi, Mom," Gina said, and wasted no more time on formalities. "Can the kids and I come stay for a few weeks?" Just until she found a job and an apartment, but she needed something for now, because she was not staying here another day.
She could practically hear her mother blink. "Of course, sweetheart," she said, recovering quickly. "We'd love to have you. Is Grant going out of town for a while, then?"
Gina smiled tightly. As if she cared anymore. "I don't know," she said. "Not that it matters. I'm leaving him."
An appalled silence held court for a few moments. Then her mother said, "Gina, you must be joking."
"I'm not," she said, and laughed mirthlessly. "I'm so not. Can we still come stay?"
"Of course," her mother said, "but Gina, darling, have you really thought about this? You married Grant for better or worse. You can't just leave when things get hard."
"Mother," Gina said, very patiently, "if I'd left Grant when things got hard, I would have left after Beth was born." She looked out the window, watched Robbie wincing from the strain on his arm as he pushed Beth. "I wish I had."
"I don't understand," her mother said, sounding bewildered. "You two always looked so happy together. Are you sure you know what you're doing?"
"He hits me," Gina said, and breathed out. "He hits me, and he says things to me. I always gave him a second chance, because he's my husband and I thought I owed it to him. I told myself it was okay because he always was sorry, afterwards, but they all are, aren't they? And it isn't just me anymore, Mom. My girls are scared of him, and he hurt Robbie. He hurt my son. I'm done giving him second chances."
For the second time, an appalled silence clogged the line.
Finally, her mother said, "Come down here. Bring your children. We'll talk then." She hung up.
And while that didn't bode well, it meant escape in the moment. Right now, Gina couldn't think of anything except the moment.
She hung up the handset, went to the playpen, and picked up Caty, balancing her youngest on her hip. Then she went out to the yard and called her children toward her. Leah took her brother's hand as they came, her eyes frightened.
If she had anything to say about it, none of her children would ever look like that again.
"Get your things," she told them. "We're going."
