"I'm more than sure. The file was taken from the office from one our computers, Jess."
"Why would she do that? Is it possible that someone else could have gotten on to the fifteenth floor and taken it that way? Maybe someone wanted to set her up. I’m guessing it’s not hard for her to make enemies fast."
"It was Stella. There's no denying it. I got Heath to do some investigating when I started to get suspicious, and when he told me the that the file had been taken from the office, I had no choice but to get him to pull up the CCTV footage."
"Bloody hell. This is some crazy shit."
"I wouldn't go feeling sorry for her if I were you, angel. She did it from your computer. Looks like she was planning on setting you up all along."
Wow. I literally have no words. What a vindictive little cow. "After everything, she still didn't want me to have you, did she?"
"Don't worry about it. I know the truth now and I'll be dealing with her when I get a chance. I just wish I would have listened to Liss sooner. I won't lie; it fucking hurts knowing that someone you have known and trusted for so long would willingly stab you in the back and try to take away your one true piece of happiness." I look at Max and he looks utterly devastated. One thing I have learnt since I have known him, is that he doesn't give out his trust willingly, so for her to do this to him is beyond the lowest of lows.
"I'm so sorry Max. I knew she had it in for me straight from the off, but I never thought she could have the balls to do any of this to you."
"Hey, come here." I walk over to him and take his hand as he pulls me down into his lap and he tucks a strand of my hair behind my ears. "You've got absolutely nothing to apologise for, you hear? It's my fault. I shouldn't have been so fucking oblivious to it. I think because she has always been there for me, I took her actions as kindness. I should have known when she tried to sabotage us the first time."
"Have you spoken to Melissa about it?"
"Nah, she'll be too busy with Heath."
"What?" I say on a squeal. My heart sinks to the pit of my stomach. Is this why he hasn’t spoken to her? Does he know about Liss and Heath? Oh god, I really hope he didn't blow his shit at them.
"Don't act like you didn't know Jess. You were staying with her for god sake. As long as he treats her right, I guess I can live with it. I'm just pissed that they didn't tell me."
"You can't blame her really Max." Smiling at my loveable rogue, my hands entwine in his hair as I watch his face turn from worried to shock.
"What's that supposed to mean?" He asks.
"You're pretty protective, and I'm not saying that's a bad thing, but she's your little sister. She was worried how you would react."
"A hell of a lot calmer if she had of been up front about it."
"You didn't start ranting did you? The poor girl has finally snatched up the only man she ever loved and you went in all guns blazing?"
"I was pretty collected actually. I just warned him not to hurt her. Trust me Jess, I know Melissa deserves to be happy, fuck that's what I spent my whole life trying to do. All I wanted was to see her happy and to get everything that she ever wanted."
"So what's eating at you then?" I ask. Jeez, he’s one of a kind. It’s impossible to work him out.
"I dunno. I guess it's probably because she doesn't need protecting anymore. That was the one thing that I could always do right, and I always have."
"Max, I've seen the way you two are. She'll always need you and she'll always want you to protect and look out for her." I mentally pray that Heath doesn’t fuck her over, because I don’t have any doubts in my mind that Max will either kill him, or put him as close to death as possible.
"Look at you two. You really bonded while you stayed with her, hey?"
"What can I say, she made me feel at home and welcomed me, plus she's too much like Jen for me not to love her. I guess she’s a little bit like me too. She doesn’t take any of your shit."
Jess
"Yes, I understand that. All I am asking you to do is to try again. Well keep trying." I can feel myself losing the will to live with each passing second. All I want to do is speak to my mum, but her doctor isn’t around and the staff don't feel like she should be up to visitors because she keeps refusing to see anyone. It’s like hitting my head off a bloody brick wall, over and over again. "Listen, I get that you have a job to do and that patient’s rights come first, but I'm telling you to ask her again. Okay fine. If you're not prepared to do anything then I'll see you in about an hour, face to face."
I slam the phone down out of frustration and I feel like crying. Why the fuck is she being so stubborn. Does she not realise that we need to put our differences aside, especially after everything that's happened?
"No joy?" Max asks, as he comes strolling into the kitchen, still buttoning up his shirt. His hair’s still damp from his shower and his stubble glistens in the sunlight, while those deep blues are filled with concern as he looks at me.
"This is getting ridiculous. What does she want from me Max? She said she didn't want any visitors; that's fine. I gave her the space that she needed, but I'm not going to back down this time. If you're paying for her hefty hospital bills, the least she can do is say fucking thank you."
"Hey, calm down. She'll come round. All you can do is wait." He soothes. “It won’t do either of you any good to go in with all guns blazing. If anything, it’ll just add fuel to the fire.”
"I'm fed up of waiting Max. As selfish as it sounds, I need to see her so that I can get my life back on track. There's no way that I can go back to Australia without speaking to her, and the longer I leave it, the harder it's going to be."
"So what do you want to do?"
"I'm going to see her. I don't care how long it takes, I'll stay there all day if I have to. One way or another she will see me and we will talk."
"You want me to take you?"
"No, you've got enough stuff to deal with. I'll take the car, but I'll phone you when I'm on my way back. Who knows, I could be back in time for lunch and I might swing by and shout you to a romantic bite to eat. What do you say?"
"I'd love nothing more angel, just don't get your hopes up, okay. If you need me for anything, make sure you call me. It doesn't matter what it is, just call.”
"I will, and thank you. For everything.” Max has been my rock. I honestly don’t know what I’d do without him right now. All he does is support me and make sure that I’m okay. Even when he’s got his own crap to deal with, he still puts me first.
"You don't need to thank me, angel. If anything it should be me thanking you for making my life bright again."
Oh Max, if only you knew how much brighter you're making my life right now. I’ve really never known my personal life with a guy to be so good. I reach up on my tip toes and give him a kiss goodbye. “Have a good day at the office, lover.”
“The sooner it’s over, the sooner I’ll be here, back to you.”
I arrive at the unit within the hour, as promised. I haven't got a clue what I'm going to say to my mum if she finally agrees to see me, but all I can do is try. Surely she has to speak to me eventually. I know she's a stubborn old mare, but this is taking the royal piss. I told her when she arrived here that I wouldn’t let her go through this alone, but she’s not making it easy for me. Switching the ignition off, I sit for a moment with just my thoughts running through my mind. I know my mum wants me to give up, probably purely so she can say “I told you so.” But that’s not going to happen, not this time. I take a couple of calming breaths before I leave the car and walk towards the unit. Oh well, I guess here goes nothing.
The unit is just how I imagined it to look. The walls are white and pristine and the staff walk around in teal coloured uniforms. As I step through the door, I see a large open space to the left of me, which I presume is the waiting area as it's filled with plush sofas and bean bags and a few magazines are placed here and there. To the right is a set of sparking white doors and in front of me is the rece
ption desk. So far, it seems like it’s pretty easy to get around. Now I just have to convince my mum to see me. With each step that I take, I feel like I'm making three backwards, but finally I reach my destination.
"Hi, I'm wondering if you can help me?" I say, my voice shaking slightly as I look at the receptionist seated before me. I don't know if it's because I hit a brick wall with the last person that I spoke to, but her warm, friendly smile knocks me a little off guard. I was expecting to be ushered out by the security guys at least.
"I'll certainly try my best." Her deep brown eyes shine brightly at me, which causes most of my anxiety to dissolve. Why couldn’t I have spoken to this woman from the beginning?
"I'm here to see Diana Townsend."
"Okay, what's your relationship to the patient, Miss?"
"Oh, I'm her daughter." Shoot, I mentally kick myself. Maybe I shouldn't have said that. Knowing my mum, she probably would have put red markers against anything to do with me. What else could I say? Oh I’m just a neighbour passing through. Stuff like that would definitely get me thrown out.
"Could I take your name please?"
"Sure, it's Jessica Townsend." Fuck. Now I'm definitely not going to get anywhere.
"Thanks." She smiles again. "If you'd like to take a seat in the waiting area and Dr Ludlow will be with you shortly."
"I think there’s been a mix up. I'm not here to see Dr Ludlow. I'm here to see my mum, Diana Townsend." Once again, I find myself coming up short with that bloody brick wall. Why doesn't anyone around here do their job properly, or know how to listen? I may as well turn right around and head back to the car for all the good this is going to do me. Why didn't I bring Max or Jen with me? One thing I do know is that it's going to be a long bloody wait.
"I know, but Dr Ludlow would like to talk to you first, Miss Townsend."
"Miss Townsend?" After forty minutes of flicking through a couple of magazines, I look up to see a female Doctor stood before me.
"Um, hi."
"Hi, I'm Dr Ludlow and I'm in charge of your mothers care." I take her hand when she holds it out to me and give it a little shake. I imagined a male Dr would greet me, why I don't know. Maybe I'll have a bit of luck trying to get this one to convince my mum to see me. Right now, anything’s got to be worth a shot.
"How is she?" I ask eager to find out if she's improving. To be honest, I’m getting a bit miffed that everyone seems to be palming me off with any excuse. This is my mother that we’re talking about for god sake. She’s a human and whether she admits it or not, she’s only human and has feelings too.
"She seems to be doing really well. I've not been in charge of her care for long. Previously it was Dr Johnson. I think that’s who you would have spoken to previously. But from what I can see, she's beginning to open up a little and that's always a good sign."
"She is? I'd really like to see her." If she's opening up, maybe she'll be up for visitors. All I can do is hope that she'll see me.
"I know she's refused to see or speak to you before, so I want to take it as slowly as possible. You understand that don't you? Even the smallest of things could set her back again and she's come on so far from where she was."
"Yes, of course I understand. It's just; surely a familiar face would do her the world of good?"
"Only time will tell, Miss Townsend. I'll go and see her now and let her know that you're here. If she wants to see you then I'll let you know, but I can't make any promises." She smiles a warm smile at me, and I really hope that she can work her magic on my mum.
I watch as Dr Ludlow walks through the doors that no doubt lead off into the facility and all I can do is wait. Wait to see if my mother will reject me and send me packing once again.
Max
I haven't heard from Jess yet, so I can only take it as a good sign that her mum has finally decided to see her. I can see how much it's breaking her, even if she won't admit it. I think once she has been able to see and talk to her, she might get some closure, and who knows they might even patch things up and form their bond again. I sure fucking hope so, anyway. It's not right for a mother and her child to be separated like that. Shit, it's not normal for a mother and child to have that kind of relationship. From what I can remember, my mother did everything with me and Melissa. Not a day went by without her telling us both how much she loved us; that she was proud of us.
Not a day goes by where I don't think of how my life could have been if my mum was still around. Liss would have had that female company and a female role model that she so desperately needed while she was growing up, especially when she hit puberty and started to get those fucking hormones. Don't get me wrong, Daisy did a fucking fantastic job, but you could tell something was missing. Every girl needs their mum. Everything could have been perfect for us if that monster of a bastard hadn't fucked everything up and taken her away from us. He ruined everything and he hasn't even paid for it. Maybe in the eyes of the law; but never in mine. He’ll always be running free in my eyes, breathing air that he doesn’t fucking deserve.
"So, what'cha got planned, then?" I look up to see Jen and George staring at me expectantly.
"Huh?" I ask, unsure of what they want from me.
"Woah, hello. Have you even heard a word that we just said, Max?" Jen squeals at me. Shit, she doesn’t look impressed at all.
"Shit sorry. No, I didn't. My heads a bit mashed today, but shoot. What were you saying?
"It's three days until the big day. If you're going to do something then you'll need to do it fast. Bloody hell Max, you're the one who wanted our help in the first place."
"Yeah, I do." Fucking women. Why do they have to be so uptight about everything? It’s like they want shit done yesterday.
"Okay, so what are your options? Do you want to do a party? A meal? As long as there's alcohol involved you know she'll be happy."
"I'm beginning to think you've got a problem, babe." Luke says while watching Jen with puppy dog eyes. Seriously the guys fucking hooked. Who would have thought, me and Luke both finding chicks that we'd move the fucking world for.
"I just want her to have a good time. Something to take her mind off everything, you know."
"Okay, well we'll just do what we normally do then, head to the bars and get trashed. That’ll definitely take her mind away from everything." I look at Jen and watch as she frantically starts scribbling on the paper before her. Yes, if Jen’s in charge then this shit is bound to get fucking messy.
"Max, is there something that you want to do?" George asks, ignoring Jen's comment, while trying to jot down our ideas separately. Brainstorming with these guys isn't fucking easy.
"I want you guys to be there, obviously and I just want her to be happy. I want her to celebrate her birthday just like she always does, just without the drama."
“Well what do we have so far?”
"Okay, so far we have cocktails." Fuck, I'm crap at this shit. If we were back in Australia I would have been able to do all sorts with her, but here; I've got no fucking clue. I’m well and truly out of my comfort zone.
"You've never done anything like this before have you Max?" My eyes instantly fall on Jen as she smirks at me. So fucking what. Is she trying to make fun out of me, now?
"There's a hell of a lot of things that I've never done, but let me tell you this, where Jess is concerned, I’ll try every last fucking one.”
After about two hours of endless debates, we've come up with their local haunt for a night of shots and cocktails, or a meal, which of course will also include shots and cocktails. How can it be so hard to plan something? As long as Jess has a good time, that's all that matters to me. Now all I need to do is buy her that something special for her big day, and I know just the thing. I just hope that she doesn’t think it’s too much. Like I said, I’ve never done anything like this before, but for Jess; I’ll do absolutely anything.
Why did I decide to come to the goddamn town centre at fucking lunchtime, it’s fucking heaving, but I'm certain on
my destination and I try not to get worked up as I make my way down Oxford street. I notice it straight away, even from a distance. The big navy building, jumping out at me with its American and British flags flapping in the wind; loud and proud, enticing you in. Before I met Jess, never in a million fucking years would I have stepped foot in this place. I never had a reason too. Now I do, and I want that reason to remain centred in my life, forever.
I'm not going to lie. I feel completely out of my depth here and I can feel the intense heat of multiple sets of eyes on me, as I make my way through the store. I've got no fucking idea where I am going, but I'm here now and it's not like I can just turn around and walk away. That’s like walking away from Jess and that ain’t happening. Jess means far too much for me to do that.
"Can I help you, sir?" I pull my eyes away from the counter in front of me to look at the sales assistant. A huge smile is plastered on her face. “Yes, lady. You know that you’ve just hit your sales quota with me.” I think to myself. Oh fucking hell, here goes nothing.
"Yes, I'm hoping that you can. I'm looking for something special. Something elegant, pure and sophisticated. A one of a kind piece." I say, trying my best to describe Jess so that she can find something perfect to match the woman who has captured my heart.
"If you’d like to follow me, sir. I think I've got just the thing."
Jess
After what feels like forever, Dr Ludlow comes walking back into the waiting room. My hand automatically falls on my bag as I prepare to leave. Deep down, I knew she wouldn't see me, but all I can do is keep trying. Knowing my mum, when she's finally on the mend, she'd love nothing more than to throw it back in my face that I never saw her. Well not this time. I'll make every bloody effort to reconnect with her until she gives in. She’ll have no choice in the long run.
"Miss Townsend..."
"It's okay." I say to her as I pull myself up from the sofa. "I'll go, but make sure you let her know that I'll be back again in a few days. She has to give in eventually and it's not like she'll be staying here forever, is it?"
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