Recovering 6

Chapter 5: Joey

By 9pm, I had walked home and I could hear the wails of my mother before i even stepped through the door. Slowly opening the door, I see my 9 year old brother Ollie cowering in the corner of the living room and my 11 year old brother lying on the floor covering his hands with his head as my dad relentlessly punched and kicked him and there was my mam, stood there in the corner crying but doing nothing as always. I immediately jumped into action and pounced on my da dragging him away from tadgh and throwing punch after punch at him. Falling backwards into the coffee table, a massive smash reverberated through my bones and I felt a sudden but agonising pain on my cheek, I brought my hand up to my face and felt a shard of glass protruding outwards as blood oozed out of it onto my bruised knuckles. This was a mistake because soon enough my father had gained the upper hand by me getting distracted. He pinned me to the floor and carried on his beating. I'd lost again. I'd let him beat my little brother black and blue because I wasn't here. I'd let him gain the upper hand. It was all my fault.

I heard the back door slam and everyone in the room released a sigh of relief. Barely being able to see because of the blood smeared into my eyes from my da's fists, my mam crouched next to me.
"Baby, I'm sorry, let me clean your face!" she wept.
"No! No!" I shout because she'd stood there while he beat her sons as always and did nothing. I'm glad Shannon was at Claires tonight because I dread to think what he would've done to her.
The glass was still sticking out of my face, I couldn't take this out myself. I needed to get to someone. My brain immediately went to her. The girl who's invaded my mind and won't leave. I need to get the boys sorted out first.
"Come on boys let's get you to bed and Tadgh, you need cleaning up" I say while bile rises up my throat because of my black and blue ribs.

By 11pm, the boys were in bed and sorted out, Tadgh luckily only had a busted lip and nose and a small bruise on his ribs. Luckily, i'd gotten there before he went too far, but it could be different another time.
The tiny shard of glass was still in my face and I needed to get to someone.
Releasing a sigh, I left the house and started walking the street. Maeve didn't live too far from me. I knew that from my friends aoife and casey because they were close with her and they'd mentioned going to her house before.

Peering through the front window, I see her mum fast asleep on the sofa with red rings around her eyes. She'd taken drugs. I knew that considering I spent half my time around them at Shane's and i cant say much. I see a window on the upstairs floor, open with a small light coming through it. There was no sign of a dad or anything like that but you can never be too sure. I don't think any dad would approve of a bloody and bruised teenage boy turning up at his front door early hours of the morning asking for his daughter. I climbed the garage roof and swung my legs over the window frame. There she was. Her face suddenly dropped when she saw me and my face was a mirror of hers when I saw the fresh purple bruises blooming all over her face.