We'll Always Have Holby : part 22
We'll Always Have Holby
Part 1 ~ Part 2 ~ Part 3 ~ Part 4 ~ Part 5 ~ Part 6 ~ Part 7 ~ Part 8 ~ Part 9 ~ Part 10 ~ Part 11
Part 12 ~ Part 13 ~ Part 14 ~ Part 15 ~ Part 16 ~ Part 17 ~ Part 18 ~ Part 19 ~ Part 20 ~ Part 21
Louis looked up from the notebook, expecting it to be either his father or Maggie. The journal was an insight into his mother's world that he never thought he would have and he instinctively knew that Charlie had never read them. The pages were crisp and undisturbed; if he had read them then he would never have been able to put them down.
His face fell when he saw who his visitor was.
"I thought you were smarter than that, Lewis," Ryan spat, deliberately mis-pronouncing his name.
"Ryan..."
"We were right, we settled everything. You could have gone on your merry little way..."
"You shot me."
"Yeah," Ryan sneered, taking an unnatural pride in this fact.
"Why?"
"'cause no one gets one over on my brother."
"And you just do as you're told, is that it?" Louis said, putting the journal to one side. "Taking orders from Big Brother while he's locked up? If Steve's stupid enough to get caught then you have no hope. He's smarter than you could ever hope to be..."
"That a fact?" Ryan said. "I'm not the one who spoke to the cops." He walked over to the bed and fingered the journal. "Bit old for girly diaries?"
"Don't..." Louis began, but Ryan snatched it away from him before he could do anything.
"Well isn't this nice," Ryan said, flicking through the pages. "Letters from mummy dearest."
"Everything alright?" Charlie asked as he stepped into the room.
"Just fine," Ryan said.
"Yeah, Dad, it's fine," Louis added.
"I'd be careful with that," Charlie continued, lifting the journal from Ryan's hands. "It's pretty important to Louis."
"I can imagine," Ryan replied, his voice sickly sweet.
"You must a friend of his from school?"
"Yeah."
"Don't think I've seen you around. You and Louis been friends long?"
"You can't know all his friends, Mr Fairhead."
"True."
~~
They had told her to wait, but that was her family in there. Her family. The notion of it spun around in her head a few times before she ignored the waves of protest from the security guard and pushed open the door.
"Hey," she said, smiling at Charlie and Louis. "Looks like you've got your party after all."
"Yeah," Louis said, unresponsive beyond that.
"Not sure we've met," Maggie continued, addressing Ryan directly.
"I'm just a mate of Louis' from school," Ryan said.
"Good of you to come and see him."
"Well, have to make sure he's on the mend. We need him back at footie."
"Really?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "First we've heard of Louis being on the team."
"I wanted to keep it quiet," Louis muttered.
"Really." It wasn't a question and they all knew it.
Ryan glanced from one person to the next before saying, "Well, I think I should leave you to it, mate. We'll catch up another time, yeah?"
"Oh don't go on our account," Maggie said quickly, moving to block his exit. "I'm sure Louis is sick of seeing just our faces all the time."
"No, really, I should be going," Ryan said a little more forceful.
"It's OK, Maggie," Louis said, trying to catch her eye.
She wasn't looking, choosing to outstare Ryan instead.
"It was nice to meet you both," Ryan smiled.
"You really should stay," Maggie said, putting a hand on Ryan's arm.
As she did so the jacket which he had been clutching shut fell open, and the butt of the gun shoved into his waistband became visible. Maggie glanced down briefly, but Ryan noticed and stepped back towards the bed, his hand moving to rest on it.
"I just want to go, that's all," he said, his voice level and cold.
"And I want you to stay," Maggie replied, her voice equally so.
"Called the cops have ya?"
She shrugged, but it was a yes.
Ryan turned to Louis. "See, this is what happens when you don't keep your mouth shut. People can get hurt. People you care about even."
There was obviously no challenge in pointing a gun at a wounded kid sat on a hospital bed, so when he drew the gun it was pointed at Charlie.
"Good choice," Maggie said. "Louis' father."
"What?" Ryan asked.
"I said good choice. Threaten someone he cares about, I'm guessing so Louis will tell the police that he got it wrong? Change his statement?"
"Who the hell are you?" Ryan asked.
"I'm his step-mother," she replied, stepping forward.
Charlie instinctively flinched to stop her, but was all too aware that he once again had a gun pointed at him.
"Stay where you are," Ryan warned.
"Or what? You'll shoot him? You do that and you know security will be in here in seconds."
Ryan moved the gun so it was pointing at Maggie. "Maybe it won't be him."
"Now you're trying to scare me," she said, her voice still not betraying anything other than complete calm. "Not that it's working, of course."
"You honestly trying to tell me that you're not scared?" he mocked.
"Do I look it?"
"You're bluffing. Buying time."
"Well if you think that then maybe you should leave. But the only way you're doing that is through me."
Ryan went for his third option, pointing the gun at Louis. When Charlie flinched again Maggie's hand shot out, resting on his forearm to halt him.
"Three for three. Can't make up your mind," she said. "And we're supposed to be scared of you."
"He looks scared," Ryan spat, nodding in Charlie's direction.
"You're pointing a gun at his son, of course he's scared. But not of you."
"Of what I can do though."
"I don't think so." She very briefly tightened her grip on Charlie's arm before letting go. "Neither of us are."
"Oh aren't you?"
"No."
Ryan whipped the gun around to point it at Maggie again. "Not even when you should be in fear of your life?"
"Why should I be?" she asked. "I've had a gun pointed at me before. Only difference was then I knew that the man holding it would pull the trigger if I refused. I could see it. Know what I see when I look at you? A child. A child trying to play with the older kids because he wants to look good, because he wants to feel better about himself."
"I am not a child," Ryan protested.
"Yes you are," she countered. "And you don't have it in you to do this."
"I shot him."
"You nearly missed. You didn't mean to shoot him, did you? It just went off..."
"Shut up," Ryan snapped.
"...few inches up and you'd have missed him completely. Pure chance you caused the damage that you did."
"I'm warning you..."
"What? You'll shoot me? Go on then."
To Charlie's horror she stepped forward, closing the distance between her and the gun.
"Here," she said, putting her hand over the barrel. She pushed down, aiming for her chest. "Shoot there and you'll obliterate the major arteries to the heart. Very quick, yes, but effective. Won't even make it to Resus."
"What are you doing?" Ryan asked.
"You don't have it in you," she said.
"And what would you know?"
"More than I should," she replied, emotion creeping in for the first time. But it wasn't fear - it was sadness. "Someone held a gun to my chest, right where yours is now, and he told me to get in his car. If I refused then I knew he would pull the trigger. I knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that he would kill me there and then. I saw boys younger than you pick up a gun to avenge the deaths of their family and friends, and I saw the look on each and every one of their faces.
"I don't see that in you. You don't have it in you."
"Really?" Ryan challenged.
"Really," she replied. "I've seen fighting and I've seen those that fight. I saw a young man pick up a gun and go off to fight because he thought he had to. He didn't have that in him and he got himself killed as a result. If you pull that trigger, if you prove me wrong, then you're heading the same way."
Ryan looked up and noticed the movement of shadows in the corridor. He swallowed hard and turned his attention back to Maggie.
"Too easy," he said, turning and pointing the gun at Louis again. "Maybe I should just do what I came here to do."
"What? Kill him? If you really intended to do that then you would have waited until he was discharged. You came here to scare him, nothing more."
"He was being stubborn..."
"He gets that from his father," she quipped. She took another step further and reached out tentatively. When Ryan didn't react she put her hand on the gun, pushing it down so it pointed at the ground. "You still have the choice that a lot of those kids didn't."
"Steve's gonna kill me if I mess this up," Ryan said.
Maggie said nothing, just slid the gun out of his hand. It felt strange in her hand and for a moment she was back there in that Serbian camp, the weight of the metal in her hand after Alexander had handed it to her.
"If it were your family?" he'd asked. "If it were you, would you protect them? How far would you go? Lay down your life? Or if need be make them lay theirs down?"
tbc...
Part 1 ~ Part 2 ~ Part 3 ~ Part 4 ~ Part 5 ~ Part 6 ~ Part 7 ~ Part 8 ~ Part 9 ~ Part 10 ~ Part 11
Part 12 ~ Part 13 ~ Part 14 ~ Part 15 ~ Part 16 ~ Part 17 ~ Part 18 ~ Part 19 ~ Part 20 ~ Part 21
Louis looked up from the notebook, expecting it to be either his father or Maggie. The journal was an insight into his mother's world that he never thought he would have and he instinctively knew that Charlie had never read them. The pages were crisp and undisturbed; if he had read them then he would never have been able to put them down.
His face fell when he saw who his visitor was.
"I thought you were smarter than that, Lewis," Ryan spat, deliberately mis-pronouncing his name.
"Ryan..."
"We were right, we settled everything. You could have gone on your merry little way..."
"You shot me."
"Yeah," Ryan sneered, taking an unnatural pride in this fact.
"Why?"
"'cause no one gets one over on my brother."
"And you just do as you're told, is that it?" Louis said, putting the journal to one side. "Taking orders from Big Brother while he's locked up? If Steve's stupid enough to get caught then you have no hope. He's smarter than you could ever hope to be..."
"That a fact?" Ryan said. "I'm not the one who spoke to the cops." He walked over to the bed and fingered the journal. "Bit old for girly diaries?"
"Don't..." Louis began, but Ryan snatched it away from him before he could do anything.
"Well isn't this nice," Ryan said, flicking through the pages. "Letters from mummy dearest."
"Everything alright?" Charlie asked as he stepped into the room.
"Just fine," Ryan said.
"Yeah, Dad, it's fine," Louis added.
"I'd be careful with that," Charlie continued, lifting the journal from Ryan's hands. "It's pretty important to Louis."
"I can imagine," Ryan replied, his voice sickly sweet.
"You must a friend of his from school?"
"Yeah."
"Don't think I've seen you around. You and Louis been friends long?"
"You can't know all his friends, Mr Fairhead."
"True."
~~
They had told her to wait, but that was her family in there. Her family. The notion of it spun around in her head a few times before she ignored the waves of protest from the security guard and pushed open the door.
"Hey," she said, smiling at Charlie and Louis. "Looks like you've got your party after all."
"Yeah," Louis said, unresponsive beyond that.
"Not sure we've met," Maggie continued, addressing Ryan directly.
"I'm just a mate of Louis' from school," Ryan said.
"Good of you to come and see him."
"Well, have to make sure he's on the mend. We need him back at footie."
"Really?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "First we've heard of Louis being on the team."
"I wanted to keep it quiet," Louis muttered.
"Really." It wasn't a question and they all knew it.
Ryan glanced from one person to the next before saying, "Well, I think I should leave you to it, mate. We'll catch up another time, yeah?"
"Oh don't go on our account," Maggie said quickly, moving to block his exit. "I'm sure Louis is sick of seeing just our faces all the time."
"No, really, I should be going," Ryan said a little more forceful.
"It's OK, Maggie," Louis said, trying to catch her eye.
She wasn't looking, choosing to outstare Ryan instead.
"It was nice to meet you both," Ryan smiled.
"You really should stay," Maggie said, putting a hand on Ryan's arm.
As she did so the jacket which he had been clutching shut fell open, and the butt of the gun shoved into his waistband became visible. Maggie glanced down briefly, but Ryan noticed and stepped back towards the bed, his hand moving to rest on it.
"I just want to go, that's all," he said, his voice level and cold.
"And I want you to stay," Maggie replied, her voice equally so.
"Called the cops have ya?"
She shrugged, but it was a yes.
Ryan turned to Louis. "See, this is what happens when you don't keep your mouth shut. People can get hurt. People you care about even."
There was obviously no challenge in pointing a gun at a wounded kid sat on a hospital bed, so when he drew the gun it was pointed at Charlie.
"Good choice," Maggie said. "Louis' father."
"What?" Ryan asked.
"I said good choice. Threaten someone he cares about, I'm guessing so Louis will tell the police that he got it wrong? Change his statement?"
"Who the hell are you?" Ryan asked.
"I'm his step-mother," she replied, stepping forward.
Charlie instinctively flinched to stop her, but was all too aware that he once again had a gun pointed at him.
"Stay where you are," Ryan warned.
"Or what? You'll shoot him? You do that and you know security will be in here in seconds."
Ryan moved the gun so it was pointing at Maggie. "Maybe it won't be him."
"Now you're trying to scare me," she said, her voice still not betraying anything other than complete calm. "Not that it's working, of course."
"You honestly trying to tell me that you're not scared?" he mocked.
"Do I look it?"
"You're bluffing. Buying time."
"Well if you think that then maybe you should leave. But the only way you're doing that is through me."
Ryan went for his third option, pointing the gun at Louis. When Charlie flinched again Maggie's hand shot out, resting on his forearm to halt him.
"Three for three. Can't make up your mind," she said. "And we're supposed to be scared of you."
"He looks scared," Ryan spat, nodding in Charlie's direction.
"You're pointing a gun at his son, of course he's scared. But not of you."
"Of what I can do though."
"I don't think so." She very briefly tightened her grip on Charlie's arm before letting go. "Neither of us are."
"Oh aren't you?"
"No."
Ryan whipped the gun around to point it at Maggie again. "Not even when you should be in fear of your life?"
"Why should I be?" she asked. "I've had a gun pointed at me before. Only difference was then I knew that the man holding it would pull the trigger if I refused. I could see it. Know what I see when I look at you? A child. A child trying to play with the older kids because he wants to look good, because he wants to feel better about himself."
"I am not a child," Ryan protested.
"Yes you are," she countered. "And you don't have it in you to do this."
"I shot him."
"You nearly missed. You didn't mean to shoot him, did you? It just went off..."
"Shut up," Ryan snapped.
"...few inches up and you'd have missed him completely. Pure chance you caused the damage that you did."
"I'm warning you..."
"What? You'll shoot me? Go on then."
To Charlie's horror she stepped forward, closing the distance between her and the gun.
"Here," she said, putting her hand over the barrel. She pushed down, aiming for her chest. "Shoot there and you'll obliterate the major arteries to the heart. Very quick, yes, but effective. Won't even make it to Resus."
"What are you doing?" Ryan asked.
"You don't have it in you," she said.
"And what would you know?"
"More than I should," she replied, emotion creeping in for the first time. But it wasn't fear - it was sadness. "Someone held a gun to my chest, right where yours is now, and he told me to get in his car. If I refused then I knew he would pull the trigger. I knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that he would kill me there and then. I saw boys younger than you pick up a gun to avenge the deaths of their family and friends, and I saw the look on each and every one of their faces.
"I don't see that in you. You don't have it in you."
"Really?" Ryan challenged.
"Really," she replied. "I've seen fighting and I've seen those that fight. I saw a young man pick up a gun and go off to fight because he thought he had to. He didn't have that in him and he got himself killed as a result. If you pull that trigger, if you prove me wrong, then you're heading the same way."
Ryan looked up and noticed the movement of shadows in the corridor. He swallowed hard and turned his attention back to Maggie.
"Too easy," he said, turning and pointing the gun at Louis again. "Maybe I should just do what I came here to do."
"What? Kill him? If you really intended to do that then you would have waited until he was discharged. You came here to scare him, nothing more."
"He was being stubborn..."
"He gets that from his father," she quipped. She took another step further and reached out tentatively. When Ryan didn't react she put her hand on the gun, pushing it down so it pointed at the ground. "You still have the choice that a lot of those kids didn't."
"Steve's gonna kill me if I mess this up," Ryan said.
Maggie said nothing, just slid the gun out of his hand. It felt strange in her hand and for a moment she was back there in that Serbian camp, the weight of the metal in her hand after Alexander had handed it to her.
"If it were your family?" he'd asked. "If it were you, would you protect them? How far would you go? Lay down your life? Or if need be make them lay theirs down?"
tbc...