Fic - Lies, Doubts and Confessions (part 4 of 4)
Title: Lies, Doubts and Confessions
Author: prehistoriccat
Rating: T
Pairing: Connor/Abby
Genre: Angst
Disclaimer: Not mine, no copyright intended
It's confession time... who is Samuel Foster and does Abby really know who killed her Step-father?
Abby had shut herself away in the office she used next to the menagerie. She needed to be alone to think about her next move and the implications of her actions. She should be at the police station; telling them what she knew and then they'd go and find him. Connor would be released by the end of the day and wouldn't have to spend another night in a police cell un-necessarily. But it wasn't as straight forward as that.
She'd already broken her family once when she told that teacher what Ste had done to her; this would tear them apart completely with no chance of repair. She had to give him a chance; the benefit of the doubt - what was it she'd said to the manager of the B&B? “Innocent until proven guilty”
She picked up the phone and called Jack. He sounded unusually perky; things were obviously going well for him at the moment. “I need to speak to you; face to face.”
“It's a bit difficult at the moment, Abs. I'm with...”
“I don't care how difficult it is!” Abby hissed. “This is important. Does the name Samuel Foster mean anything to you?”
There was a silence on the other end of the phone. “I thought so. Whatever it is you're doing or whoever you're with is not important. An innocent man is in jail right now accused of murdering Ste, and you're the only one that can help him. It's time to face up to the consequences, Jack.”
“Abby...I can't..”
“If you're not here in an hour, then I'm going to the police myself. Things will be so much easier for you if you go to them yourself rather than them having to come and find you.” Abby's voice sounded calm but inside she was anything but calm. Her worst fears had just been confirmed.
After she'd put the phone down, she felt her entire body shake. In helping Connor, she was losing Jack. Samuel Foster was the name Jack used when he was in hiding; it had been the name of a friend of their father who had passed away when Abby was eleven. She left a brief voicemail for Whitlock, simply saying she had some new information that would clear Connor and could he call her as soon as he was able. She wished she could spare Connor the grilling he would be going through right now, but she needed to give Jack the opportunity to turn himself in.
She'd agreed to meet Jack in the park. Part of her feared he wouldn't show and that she'd have to turn him in herself, but he came. His face was ashen and his eyes red and puffy from crying.
“They've got someone in custody for it?” he mumbled.
“Connor.”
“What? Abby....” Jack sat down on the bench next to her. “How can they think he did it?”
“Connor got himself into an argument with Ste and was seen on CCTV with him at the B&B. There's no way he did it though. Please tell me I'm wrong and it wasn't you?”
Jack swallowed and looked down at his feet. “I hated him too, Abby. What he did to you, what he did to me, mum...”
“Jack,” Abby said, placing her hand on his shoulder. He shrugged her away.
“He was only ever tried for raping you; he was never punished for the months of abuse and the beatings... and then for everything that happened to us afterwards. Years of being passed from pillar to post; in and out of different foster homes. You only had to put up with it for a couple of years, but I had four more years of it. He ruined our lives, Abby, and I've waited ten whole years to give him what he deserved.” Abby felt Jack's body shake and tense up. He choked down a sob and then looked up at her. “I'm sorry.”
“You've let him ruin our lives again, you idiot!” Abby sobbed.
After a silence, Jack shifted. “I didn't plan to kill him, just hurt him enough so that he understood what it felt like to be beaten. When he showed up after he got out of prison, I wanted to do it then - I should have. Then he started going on about you and how he regretted what he'd done and my blood boiled. I knew he'd come looking for you eventually once I told him you had money... so I came up here and waited for him, ready to pounce.”
“It was you that was watching our flat?” Abby said. It made sense now.
Jack nodded. “I got a bit too close I suppose. When I saw Connor putting up the cameras, I realised I'd spooked you and backed off. By some twist of fate, Ste ended up checking into the same B&B as me. All those years of hating him, Abby... I just lost it.”
She took his hand and held it tightly, forcing him to look her in the face. “You have to tell the police, Jack.”
“I can't Abby! I can't go to prison!” He stood up, and for a moment Abby thought he was going to run. “You have to help me!”
“Not this time, Jack. This isn't like running away from someone that you owe money to. For once in your life, accept responsibility for what you've done!” She pulled on his hand and made him sit down again. “The lawyer that is working for Connor is good; I'm sure he can help you too.”
“And if I don't go to the police? What then?”
“Then you'll leave me with no choice, Jack. I'm not going to sit back and watch Connor take the blame for this when I know the truth.” She bit down on her bottom lip. “Believe me, Jack. It'll be so much easier if you turn yourself in.”
“I'm sorry, Abby.” Jack stood up again, his body trembling and fear spreading across his face. “They'll realise it wasn't Connor; he'll be OK... but I can't...” He shook his head, and then to Abby's horror he ran.
It took her a moment to actually register that he'd gone, so by the time she'd got to her feet to give chase, he was already several metres ahead. “Jack!” she shouted. “Don't do this!” He didn't even turn around; he was determined to escape from her.
Abby ran at full pelt. She knew she was considerably fitter than Jack and should have no trouble catching up, but he did have quite a head start on her. He was climbing the fence at the perimeter of the park and heading towards the main road. Abby changed her route; heading instead for the main gate. She'd be able to intercept him at the crossing. When she reached the gate, she found it to be more awkward than she'd anticipated. It was deliberately set so that small children couldn't get through; it had to be pushed one way as you moved round, and then pushed back before you could get completely through. Abby groaned in frustration; it would have been quicker to just follow Jack and have climbed the fence like he did.
As she manoeuvred herself through the gateway, she could see the traffic lights change to red, and Jack dashed across the road in front of the stationary vehicles. By the time she reached the crossing, the lights were changing and she had to dodge cars that were beginning to move. A couple sounded their horns at her, and one guy leaned out of his window and hurled abuse at her. She ignored them; Jack was heading towards the crowded market place and if she didn't catch up with him she'd lose him.
Jack ran between two shops and down a rampway that led into the market area. Abby followed, hoping it wouldn't be that hard to spot him amongst the shoppers - surely at this time of day it would be elderly people or young mothers with pushchairs and small children; he'd stick out like a sore thumb. But as she reached the first group of stalls, she realised she'd already lost him.
She remained at the market for another 20 minutes, looking around in the hope she'd see Jack and persuade him to go to the police, but deep down she knew it was pointless. Jack was a master at disappearing; he'd been doing it most of his life. If he didn't want to be found, then no-one would be able to. Giving up, she made her way slowly back to her car with her head spinning. What now?
Grateful that she'd parked in a quiet street away from the crowds, Abby sat with her head buried in her hands. Jack had always expected Abby to bail him out of trouble. At school, he used to get her to beat up the bullies that made his life a misery; except it turned out that Jack had been stealing from their lunchboxes and that was why they threatened him. Even after he'd left school, Jack seemed to attract trouble and then go running to Abby for help. Connor was the only person who had ever questioned her on it - why did she keep helping Jack? She'd never really thought about it, but on reflection she realised it was because she was afraid of losing him. He was the only family she had left. That was what made this so hard.
Perhaps Connor would be OK? Whitlock had said they didn't have enough evidence to convict him, so he'd be released without charge. But there would always be an element of doubt pointed at him; and could she be around him knowing that it was Jack that had committed the crime he was being accused of? It would put a huge strain on their relationship; maybe it would even split them up. Was Jack worth losing Connor for?
She reached into her pocket to get her car keys, and her wallet fell out onto the floor. She bent down to pick it up and it fell open, revealing the two treasured photographs she kept tucked away; one of Connor and one of Jack. She loved both of them and couldn't even begin to think about losing either one of them. But she had to do the right thing; no matter how much it hurt.
The police station was only a few minutes drive away. She parked up and sat for a moment staring at the doorway. This was it. Once inside, there would be no turning back. She had to tell the truth and condemn her own brother to a prison sentence. Taking a deep breath and blinking away tears, she began to walk towards the entrance.
“Abby,” a familiar voice said.
“Jack!” Part of her wanted to hug him, another part wanted to punch him hard. “Does this mean that...”
He nodded, and his face crumpled as he began to cry. “You win, Abby.”
It didn't feel like winning to Abby. She was about to lose her brother. She clung onto him tightly and let her tears stream down her face as he buried his head in her arms. In her heart, she knew this would be the last time she'd be able to hold him like this for a long time and she clung on, memorising the way it felt.
-o-
Abby had to admire Whitlock. He'd already spent three hours with Connor for his interview and then was called out by another detective. He was briefed on the new situation and told to go and tell Connor before then being asked to sit in on Jack's interview as he gave a full statement.
She sat in the waiting room, not sure where else to go. How long before Connor would be released? Surely they couldn't keep him any longer now that Jack had confessed? It turned out that they had to wait until Jack had finished and they were satisfied with his story. It took another hour before Abby finally saw Connor's relieved face peering around the door and she ran over to hug him.
“I thought I was never going to see you again!” he sobbed, squeezing her hard.
“Don't be so dramatic!” Abby laughed. “Besides, I think you would've looked quite sexy in a prison uniform!” She kissed him, savouring the taste of his mouth and realising just how much she'd missed it.
“Don't even go there!” Connor took her hand and tugged it. “Let's get out of here, eh. I can't wait to see the back of this place. Can we get burgers on the way home?”
“Whatever you want, Connor.”
As they began to make their way out, Connor put his arm around her shoulders. “They said someone had confessed to doing it?” Abby just nodded and felt her stomach tighten. “At least this is over now and we can get on with our lives again. We should go down to the coast for a few days.”
“It was Jack.” Abby said quietly. They stopped walking and Connor looked at her.
“Your brother?”
“Yes. This is far from over, Connor.” She leaned into him and allowed his protective arms to fold around her like they had so many times before.
-o-
Epilogue
Connor walked slowly from the court building and made his way towards the car. The late Autumn sunshine warmed his face, and on any other day it would make him smile. He was counting his blessings and thanking whoever up there was looking out for him, but celebrating on a day like today was wrong.
It could so easily have been him in there; facing questioning, having his past dragged up for everyone to hear and then waiting for his fate to be decided by a group of strangers. If Abby hadn't decided to go looking for answers herself, they would never have even suspected Jack and the finger of blame would very likely still be pointing at him. But Connor was putting his own celebrations on hold; how could he be happy when Abby was so miserable?
This whole thing was tearing her apart. He'd tried so hard to make her feel better, but nothing he could do or say would change the fact that she had effectively lost the only remaining family member she had. They'd argued over silly things; the stress of the trial getting to both of them and making them snap at each other. At one point, Abby had even moved into the spare room to sleep - she said she needed to be alone to get her head around what was happening. Connor had spent a sleepless night listening to her sobs, unsure as to whether he should go in and comfort her or not. She'd said she wanted to be alone and he had to respect that, no matter how hard it was. After three nights he couldn't stand it any longer and he silently slid himself into the bed next to her and curled his arms around her. He'd expected to be pushed away, but it turned out he'd actually done the right thing for a change.
Whitlock had very kindly agreed to take on Jack's case, and his legal fees were covered by the Home Office. Abby had resisted at first; she was proud and stubborn and said that she and Jack were perfectly capable of fighting their own battles, but Lester had talked her round - apparently the Home Office were still very keen to make sure Abby and Connor were being taken care of after their year trapped in the past. Whitlock had managed to get Jack's charge reduced to manslaughter on the grounds of what Ste had put him through as a child. Listening to the various reports was extremely painful, and Connor knew Abby had nightmares as that terrifying part of her life got brought up again and again.
Today, after several long weeks, Jack was finally sentenced. They'd appealed for leniency and Jack was officially labelled “a troubled young man” before being sentenced to ten years imprisonment. It wasn't as bad as Abby had been preparing herself for, but it was still a devastating blow. Connor had tried to hold her; tell her everything would be OK, but she blanked him. All she wanted was to go to Jack.
That's where she was now. The judge had allowed her a few minutes with him before he would be taken away. Connor thought it best that he left them to it. He couldn't even begin to comprehend what their 'goodbye' would be like; he was an only child and didn't know what it was like to have a sibling. He could only offer sympathy and love - something he had bucketloads of when it came to Abby.
He glanced up into the rear view mirror and saw her standing on the steps by the door, hesitating for a moment before taking a deep breath and slowly walking down them. Even from here he could see that she'd been crying. It was not a good sign; Abby rarely cried if she thought others could see because she'd always believed it was a sign of weakness. He knew she would hate for him to make a fuss in public, so he waited for her to get into the car.
“Alright?” he said, knowing it was a stupid question.
Abby remained silent for a moment, staring ahead of her and lost in her own thoughts. Connor reached over and squeezed her hand and she finally turned to look at him. “I just want to get away from here, Connor.”
Connor nodded and started the car. “Where do you want to go?”
“I don't know. Just drive and don't stop until...” She sniffed and wiped her face. “Anywhere, Connor. I just don't want to be here.”
Connor understood. He knew exactly where to go...
Author: prehistoriccat
Rating: T
Pairing: Connor/Abby
Genre: Angst
Disclaimer: Not mine, no copyright intended
It's confession time... who is Samuel Foster and does Abby really know who killed her Step-father?
Abby had shut herself away in the office she used next to the menagerie. She needed to be alone to think about her next move and the implications of her actions. She should be at the police station; telling them what she knew and then they'd go and find him. Connor would be released by the end of the day and wouldn't have to spend another night in a police cell un-necessarily. But it wasn't as straight forward as that.
She'd already broken her family once when she told that teacher what Ste had done to her; this would tear them apart completely with no chance of repair. She had to give him a chance; the benefit of the doubt - what was it she'd said to the manager of the B&B? “Innocent until proven guilty”
She picked up the phone and called Jack. He sounded unusually perky; things were obviously going well for him at the moment. “I need to speak to you; face to face.”
“It's a bit difficult at the moment, Abs. I'm with...”
“I don't care how difficult it is!” Abby hissed. “This is important. Does the name Samuel Foster mean anything to you?”
There was a silence on the other end of the phone. “I thought so. Whatever it is you're doing or whoever you're with is not important. An innocent man is in jail right now accused of murdering Ste, and you're the only one that can help him. It's time to face up to the consequences, Jack.”
“Abby...I can't..”
“If you're not here in an hour, then I'm going to the police myself. Things will be so much easier for you if you go to them yourself rather than them having to come and find you.” Abby's voice sounded calm but inside she was anything but calm. Her worst fears had just been confirmed.
After she'd put the phone down, she felt her entire body shake. In helping Connor, she was losing Jack. Samuel Foster was the name Jack used when he was in hiding; it had been the name of a friend of their father who had passed away when Abby was eleven. She left a brief voicemail for Whitlock, simply saying she had some new information that would clear Connor and could he call her as soon as he was able. She wished she could spare Connor the grilling he would be going through right now, but she needed to give Jack the opportunity to turn himself in.
She'd agreed to meet Jack in the park. Part of her feared he wouldn't show and that she'd have to turn him in herself, but he came. His face was ashen and his eyes red and puffy from crying.
“They've got someone in custody for it?” he mumbled.
“Connor.”
“What? Abby....” Jack sat down on the bench next to her. “How can they think he did it?”
“Connor got himself into an argument with Ste and was seen on CCTV with him at the B&B. There's no way he did it though. Please tell me I'm wrong and it wasn't you?”
Jack swallowed and looked down at his feet. “I hated him too, Abby. What he did to you, what he did to me, mum...”
“Jack,” Abby said, placing her hand on his shoulder. He shrugged her away.
“He was only ever tried for raping you; he was never punished for the months of abuse and the beatings... and then for everything that happened to us afterwards. Years of being passed from pillar to post; in and out of different foster homes. You only had to put up with it for a couple of years, but I had four more years of it. He ruined our lives, Abby, and I've waited ten whole years to give him what he deserved.” Abby felt Jack's body shake and tense up. He choked down a sob and then looked up at her. “I'm sorry.”
“You've let him ruin our lives again, you idiot!” Abby sobbed.
After a silence, Jack shifted. “I didn't plan to kill him, just hurt him enough so that he understood what it felt like to be beaten. When he showed up after he got out of prison, I wanted to do it then - I should have. Then he started going on about you and how he regretted what he'd done and my blood boiled. I knew he'd come looking for you eventually once I told him you had money... so I came up here and waited for him, ready to pounce.”
“It was you that was watching our flat?” Abby said. It made sense now.
Jack nodded. “I got a bit too close I suppose. When I saw Connor putting up the cameras, I realised I'd spooked you and backed off. By some twist of fate, Ste ended up checking into the same B&B as me. All those years of hating him, Abby... I just lost it.”
She took his hand and held it tightly, forcing him to look her in the face. “You have to tell the police, Jack.”
“I can't Abby! I can't go to prison!” He stood up, and for a moment Abby thought he was going to run. “You have to help me!”
“Not this time, Jack. This isn't like running away from someone that you owe money to. For once in your life, accept responsibility for what you've done!” She pulled on his hand and made him sit down again. “The lawyer that is working for Connor is good; I'm sure he can help you too.”
“And if I don't go to the police? What then?”
“Then you'll leave me with no choice, Jack. I'm not going to sit back and watch Connor take the blame for this when I know the truth.” She bit down on her bottom lip. “Believe me, Jack. It'll be so much easier if you turn yourself in.”
“I'm sorry, Abby.” Jack stood up again, his body trembling and fear spreading across his face. “They'll realise it wasn't Connor; he'll be OK... but I can't...” He shook his head, and then to Abby's horror he ran.
It took her a moment to actually register that he'd gone, so by the time she'd got to her feet to give chase, he was already several metres ahead. “Jack!” she shouted. “Don't do this!” He didn't even turn around; he was determined to escape from her.
Abby ran at full pelt. She knew she was considerably fitter than Jack and should have no trouble catching up, but he did have quite a head start on her. He was climbing the fence at the perimeter of the park and heading towards the main road. Abby changed her route; heading instead for the main gate. She'd be able to intercept him at the crossing. When she reached the gate, she found it to be more awkward than she'd anticipated. It was deliberately set so that small children couldn't get through; it had to be pushed one way as you moved round, and then pushed back before you could get completely through. Abby groaned in frustration; it would have been quicker to just follow Jack and have climbed the fence like he did.
As she manoeuvred herself through the gateway, she could see the traffic lights change to red, and Jack dashed across the road in front of the stationary vehicles. By the time she reached the crossing, the lights were changing and she had to dodge cars that were beginning to move. A couple sounded their horns at her, and one guy leaned out of his window and hurled abuse at her. She ignored them; Jack was heading towards the crowded market place and if she didn't catch up with him she'd lose him.
Jack ran between two shops and down a rampway that led into the market area. Abby followed, hoping it wouldn't be that hard to spot him amongst the shoppers - surely at this time of day it would be elderly people or young mothers with pushchairs and small children; he'd stick out like a sore thumb. But as she reached the first group of stalls, she realised she'd already lost him.
She remained at the market for another 20 minutes, looking around in the hope she'd see Jack and persuade him to go to the police, but deep down she knew it was pointless. Jack was a master at disappearing; he'd been doing it most of his life. If he didn't want to be found, then no-one would be able to. Giving up, she made her way slowly back to her car with her head spinning. What now?
Grateful that she'd parked in a quiet street away from the crowds, Abby sat with her head buried in her hands. Jack had always expected Abby to bail him out of trouble. At school, he used to get her to beat up the bullies that made his life a misery; except it turned out that Jack had been stealing from their lunchboxes and that was why they threatened him. Even after he'd left school, Jack seemed to attract trouble and then go running to Abby for help. Connor was the only person who had ever questioned her on it - why did she keep helping Jack? She'd never really thought about it, but on reflection she realised it was because she was afraid of losing him. He was the only family she had left. That was what made this so hard.
Perhaps Connor would be OK? Whitlock had said they didn't have enough evidence to convict him, so he'd be released without charge. But there would always be an element of doubt pointed at him; and could she be around him knowing that it was Jack that had committed the crime he was being accused of? It would put a huge strain on their relationship; maybe it would even split them up. Was Jack worth losing Connor for?
She reached into her pocket to get her car keys, and her wallet fell out onto the floor. She bent down to pick it up and it fell open, revealing the two treasured photographs she kept tucked away; one of Connor and one of Jack. She loved both of them and couldn't even begin to think about losing either one of them. But she had to do the right thing; no matter how much it hurt.
The police station was only a few minutes drive away. She parked up and sat for a moment staring at the doorway. This was it. Once inside, there would be no turning back. She had to tell the truth and condemn her own brother to a prison sentence. Taking a deep breath and blinking away tears, she began to walk towards the entrance.
“Abby,” a familiar voice said.
“Jack!” Part of her wanted to hug him, another part wanted to punch him hard. “Does this mean that...”
He nodded, and his face crumpled as he began to cry. “You win, Abby.”
It didn't feel like winning to Abby. She was about to lose her brother. She clung onto him tightly and let her tears stream down her face as he buried his head in her arms. In her heart, she knew this would be the last time she'd be able to hold him like this for a long time and she clung on, memorising the way it felt.
-o-
Abby had to admire Whitlock. He'd already spent three hours with Connor for his interview and then was called out by another detective. He was briefed on the new situation and told to go and tell Connor before then being asked to sit in on Jack's interview as he gave a full statement.
She sat in the waiting room, not sure where else to go. How long before Connor would be released? Surely they couldn't keep him any longer now that Jack had confessed? It turned out that they had to wait until Jack had finished and they were satisfied with his story. It took another hour before Abby finally saw Connor's relieved face peering around the door and she ran over to hug him.
“I thought I was never going to see you again!” he sobbed, squeezing her hard.
“Don't be so dramatic!” Abby laughed. “Besides, I think you would've looked quite sexy in a prison uniform!” She kissed him, savouring the taste of his mouth and realising just how much she'd missed it.
“Don't even go there!” Connor took her hand and tugged it. “Let's get out of here, eh. I can't wait to see the back of this place. Can we get burgers on the way home?”
“Whatever you want, Connor.”
As they began to make their way out, Connor put his arm around her shoulders. “They said someone had confessed to doing it?” Abby just nodded and felt her stomach tighten. “At least this is over now and we can get on with our lives again. We should go down to the coast for a few days.”
“It was Jack.” Abby said quietly. They stopped walking and Connor looked at her.
“Your brother?”
“Yes. This is far from over, Connor.” She leaned into him and allowed his protective arms to fold around her like they had so many times before.
-o-
Epilogue
Connor walked slowly from the court building and made his way towards the car. The late Autumn sunshine warmed his face, and on any other day it would make him smile. He was counting his blessings and thanking whoever up there was looking out for him, but celebrating on a day like today was wrong.
It could so easily have been him in there; facing questioning, having his past dragged up for everyone to hear and then waiting for his fate to be decided by a group of strangers. If Abby hadn't decided to go looking for answers herself, they would never have even suspected Jack and the finger of blame would very likely still be pointing at him. But Connor was putting his own celebrations on hold; how could he be happy when Abby was so miserable?
This whole thing was tearing her apart. He'd tried so hard to make her feel better, but nothing he could do or say would change the fact that she had effectively lost the only remaining family member she had. They'd argued over silly things; the stress of the trial getting to both of them and making them snap at each other. At one point, Abby had even moved into the spare room to sleep - she said she needed to be alone to get her head around what was happening. Connor had spent a sleepless night listening to her sobs, unsure as to whether he should go in and comfort her or not. She'd said she wanted to be alone and he had to respect that, no matter how hard it was. After three nights he couldn't stand it any longer and he silently slid himself into the bed next to her and curled his arms around her. He'd expected to be pushed away, but it turned out he'd actually done the right thing for a change.
Whitlock had very kindly agreed to take on Jack's case, and his legal fees were covered by the Home Office. Abby had resisted at first; she was proud and stubborn and said that she and Jack were perfectly capable of fighting their own battles, but Lester had talked her round - apparently the Home Office were still very keen to make sure Abby and Connor were being taken care of after their year trapped in the past. Whitlock had managed to get Jack's charge reduced to manslaughter on the grounds of what Ste had put him through as a child. Listening to the various reports was extremely painful, and Connor knew Abby had nightmares as that terrifying part of her life got brought up again and again.
Today, after several long weeks, Jack was finally sentenced. They'd appealed for leniency and Jack was officially labelled “a troubled young man” before being sentenced to ten years imprisonment. It wasn't as bad as Abby had been preparing herself for, but it was still a devastating blow. Connor had tried to hold her; tell her everything would be OK, but she blanked him. All she wanted was to go to Jack.
That's where she was now. The judge had allowed her a few minutes with him before he would be taken away. Connor thought it best that he left them to it. He couldn't even begin to comprehend what their 'goodbye' would be like; he was an only child and didn't know what it was like to have a sibling. He could only offer sympathy and love - something he had bucketloads of when it came to Abby.
He glanced up into the rear view mirror and saw her standing on the steps by the door, hesitating for a moment before taking a deep breath and slowly walking down them. Even from here he could see that she'd been crying. It was not a good sign; Abby rarely cried if she thought others could see because she'd always believed it was a sign of weakness. He knew she would hate for him to make a fuss in public, so he waited for her to get into the car.
“Alright?” he said, knowing it was a stupid question.
Abby remained silent for a moment, staring ahead of her and lost in her own thoughts. Connor reached over and squeezed her hand and she finally turned to look at him. “I just want to get away from here, Connor.”
Connor nodded and started the car. “Where do you want to go?”
“I don't know. Just drive and don't stop until...” She sniffed and wiped her face. “Anywhere, Connor. I just don't want to be here.”
Connor understood. He knew exactly where to go...