Heartburn (911)

Chapter 13

It was six day's since the tsunami and Ronnie was being discharged, her thigh was wrapped up after her skin had been sewn back together and her knee was in a new brace. Her ribs were causing her severe discomfort and so was her chest but she was stable and alive.

Eddie and Bobby had barely left her side in the first fifty hours of her recovery when she was in the ICU, Athena had to drag her husband away and Hen and Karen took the kids home with them until Carla could take them home.

She was on crutches again and her skin was littered with purple and yellow bruises, a black eye, split lip, a healing scar over her eyebrow and bruises along her stomach and chest. Eddie drove her to their basically shared apartment, there had been discussions of moving in together seeing as Eddie and Chris practically lived at her apartment anyway, and they were sorting it.

His lease was up at the end of the month and then what was left of their stuff would be moved into Ronnie's apartment. Chris and Matthew sharing a room. Sure their relationship was moving quite fast, but life was short as both of them knew.

Eddie was convinced that Ronnie was in more pain than she was letting on and knew that she was torturing herself to not worry him, but he still did. That was what a good boyfriend did.

As soon as he saw the grimace of pain on her face he picked her up bridal style and carried her up the stairs, her crutches in her hands. She smiled as she looked up at his face and pressed a small kiss to his lips. "What was that for?" He asked, as he opened the door to her apartment, instantly being met with the sound of crying.

"Thank you." She sighed as he set her on the couch, leaning her crutches on the back of the couch as he went to see who was crying. Within moments Ronnie had a crying Jade running towards her arms outstretched. "Aw baby girl, what's wrong my darling?" She asked as she pulled her into her side, ignoring the pain of protest that shot through her ribs.

"Ma-Matthew pushed me and wouldn't let me pl-play with them." The tears rolled down her face as Ronnie examined the small bruise forming under her eye. Her mother raised her eyebrow, knowing that wasn't all. "He threw the control at me." She nestled her face in her mothers neck, the woman already exhausted but unable to sleep.

Eddie came out with Carla who were both holding an arm of the kicking six year old each. "Oh dear, I thought my son was six years old, not six months old." Ronnie sighed at the sight of him throwing a tantrum. She understood that her son had special needs but that was no excuse for violence, especially towards his younger sister. "We don't hit people." Matthew stopped mid scream and stared at his mother with a look of confusion over his face.

"Why not, you let daddy." The look of anger that grew on Eddie's face was impossible to not see but he kept his calm just sending the boy to his room as Ronnie tried not to cry. Carla picked Jade up and took her to play in her room, giving the two adults time alone. All it took was Eddie to hug her into his chest for the tears to start rolling down her cheeks. 

She always hated herself for letting Harvey treat her like that but she always thought the kids never saw anything, or she hoped they did at least. But of course they knew, but she never expected her own son to say something like that.

Three hours later, Matthew, Eddie and Ronnie were in Matt & Christopher's room about to have a serious conversation. "Matthew we do not hit other people, and we don't hit girls, and we do not make excuses for violence. What your dad did to me, that's not okay and I'm sorry that you thought it was. Your dad wasn't a nice man to me and he hurt me, that's not what someone who loves you does. And I'm sorry that you saw that." He nodded and cuddled into her but didn't apologise.