Chapter 16
"Come on Maddy, don't be shy." Justin urged pulling her hand.
"I'm not shy." She argued. Yet here she was resisting on meeting his mother. He had to go talk to Rosa alone and discuss a lot of things with her but Maddy couldn't be there.
"Well then, come on."
"Is she mean?" Maddy wondered, as they stood on the porch.
"Maddy, she is the nicest woman you'll ever meet, next to your mommy." He reassured her.
"Even nicer than Grandma Pat?" She asked. Justin guessed that was Rosa's mother.
"It's a possibility. Now I'm opening the door." He opened the door and the living room was empty. He guessed she was in the kitchen anyway. He hadn't told her about Maddy. Or that he was bringing her here. All she knew was that he had been seeing this girl Rosa and now he needed some help.
"Mom, I'm here." He announced.
"In the kitchen sweetie." He looked down at Maddy and smiled, then took her hand.
"Don't worry about it. Everything will be okay."
"Pinkie swear?" She held out her pinkie.
"Pinkie swear." He linked her pinkie with his own.
"Okay, let's go." She smiled. When they walked into the kitchen Lynn had her back to them, as she was looming over the oven.
"Mom I want to introduce you to someone."
"Oh you brought a fri--" She stopped mid sentence as she whirled around and saw her son with a child. "Well hello there. My name's Lynn. What's your name?"
"Madaline but people call me Maddy. You can call me Maddy too."
"Why thank you Maddy. I just finished making these cookies, did you want to have some and go watch TV for a few minutes?"
"Sure." Lynn gave her a plate with three cookies and Justin turned the TV on for her, then walked back into the kitchen.
"Justin I hope you have not kidnapped that adorable child?" Lynn warned sternly.
"No mom. Of course not. You remember me telling you about Rosa?" Lynn nodded. "Well thats her daughter." Lynn's eyes widened in shock.
"Justin she's at least 5 maybe 6. How?"
"Mom Rosa's married."
"What?! You're having an affair with a married woman? Oh my God, I did not raise you to be like this."
"Mom, control yourself. That is why Rosa didn't want to date and she told me we couldn't numerous times but I didn't listen to her. But one day I was at the park and saw Rosa and Maddy together, then Maddy called her mom and I totally tripped out on Rosa. Then she told me she was married and I ignored her."
"I still don't understand, why you have her?"
"Rosa's husband is very abusive. He beat her up really bad one night. She came to my house with Maddy, if she didn't have Maddy I wouldn't even have been able to recognise her mom."
"What a monster, where is Rosa now?"
"She's still in the hospital, she's going to be there for another two weeks. I'm watching Maddy for her."
"What?"
"There's no one else. All Rosa's family is in England and we can't give Maddy to her father. He almost hit her."
"How could he?"
"I also moved all their stuff into my place."
"What? Justin you can't decide these things for Rosa."
"Well I'm not going to let her go back to him. She can stay with me at my place. Her and Maddy will be safe there."
"Do you still want to pursue her?"
"I don't know, like I know I am definitely still attracted to her and we have this connection and she's such a great person and a great mom. Oh and Maddy she's the most wonderful thing ever. Mom you have no idea."
"Curly," Maddy said walking into the kitchen, "can I have a drink please?"
"Sure Maddy." Justin opened the fridge and pulled out some milk and poured it in a glass for her. "Here you go."
"Thank you." She walked out of the kitchen.
"You let her call you Curly?" Lynn wondered amused.
"It's a really long story but ya she can." Justin smiled. "Oh but my whole point for coming here, I have to go talk to Rosa at the hospital but I can't have Maddy come along, so I wondered if I can leave her here for a couple hours. I'll try to be as quick as possible."
"Sure sweetie. This is a big problem you've undertaken. And to add it to your lifestyle, wow son. But she can stay here."
"Thanks mom." He kissed her cheek and walked into the living room.
"Maddy," She looked up at him, "I'm gonna have to go for a few hours. I won't be gone long. So you're gonna stay here with Lynn, okay sweetie?"
"Okay." She held up her pinkie, making him remember her promise. He nodded his head and smiled. Lynn looked back and forth between the two confused.
"I'll be back soon." He kissed her forehead and left.
~~~~~~~~~~
He casually walked into her room, lightly knocking on the door before he entered. He froze as he walked in, Rosa was in the process of changng her hospital gown. Her back was to him and he caught a good glimpse of all the bruises he caused her.
He didn't say anything but walked over to her quickly. She just watched him over her shoulder, keeping herself covered. 'What was he doing' she wondered.
He looked at her back and lightly touched his fingers to her bruises, hoping it would somehow take all the pain away. She backed away from him, embarassed that he had seen this.
"They don't hurt anymore. They just looked really bad." She spoke. She finished doing up her gown and walked back over to the bed.
Her hair was tied up above her head, she was pale in all the places she wasn't black and blue. He noticed marks on her neck. The asshole had tried to choke her.
"Yes I know, I'm not a pretty site, please stop looking at me like that."
"I'm not. I just can't believe that someone could do this to another person. It's unthinkable."
"Well it happens. You didn't bring Maddy today?"
"No."
"Where is she?"
"With my mom. I have to speak to you without having her here."
"I wondered when we were going to have this talk. You start." He took a seat in a chair next to her bed. It was the first time she had focused on his appearance. He looked very handsome today. He was dressed in casual blue jeans, a green tee and a baseball cap. It may have been very normal but she thought he looked wonderful.
"When you are released from the hospital, what are you going to do? Where are you going to go?"
"Uh...I don't know. I can't go back."
"Damn right you can't." Justin stated.
"But I have no where else to go and I'd have no buy a house. Doesn't that take time? Where am I going to go?" She paniced.
"My house."
"Your house? No, I can't. We couldn't possibly intrude like that."
"Blah blah intruding. You're doing it."
"Are you sure? I wouldn't want to bother you."
"It's fine."
"When would I get my things. Jonathan will definitely be waiting."
"Taken care of. Me and Maddy moved you two in yesterday." Rosa looked astonished.
"What if I said no?"
"I would have forced you." Justin smiled. She glared at him in a playful way. "Anyway, do I still bring Maddy to school? I know they're off shrike."
"No, Jonathan might wait for her or go take her. I don't know why he would but I think he would want too."
"Okay that's not a problem but I have a little one."
"What is it?"
"I have to go to L.A. after tomorrow for a week. I was wondering if it was fine-"
"-if you took Maddy? Away from me for a whole week? I forgot you were some famous singer." Her face fell.
"My boss says its fine but I just need your okay."
"Well where else could she go? Oh God moving to America had to be the worst the thing I've ever done."
"So I can take her?"
"Yes. But be careful and what will you say when people ask about her?"
"That she belongs to a friend of mine, that is having a few problems right now."
"Sure make me sound like an alcoholic." She mumbled. He smiled.
"I'll make sure that they don't think that."
"Thanks." She smiled.
"So what do they have to eat in this place?"
"Oh God, nothing good. You must save me before I wither away to nothing." He had noticed that she did look thinner.
"I'll head to the cafeteria and find you some good stuff."
"Chocolate, I need chocolate."
"Okay, chocolate." He laughed as he left the room.
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