An unexpected surprise

Chapter eight

They came home a week later. Melissa looked tired, she'd probably been up all night, looking over Lucca.

"Why don't you go to bed for an hour?" I asked her.

She shook her head. "I'm fine. You have work soon"

"Baby, please"

She shrugged me off, telling me she was ok.

We both knew parenthood would be hard. I'd finally got enough for us to move in to our own flat and was now working behind the bar, rather than glass collecting. I worked Monday to Friday, while Melissa worked in a cafe kitchen on the weekends.

She was taking two weeks off, before going back. She had to drop out of college but the cafe was owned by a few family friends, who took her in with glee.

I wanted her to have longer off because she was so tired but she refused. She really wanted what was best for us all.

Melissa put Lucca in his moses basket then sat, or flopped, on to the sofa.

She looked so worn out. I really hoped we'd be able to cope with looking after him. We were both 17 and living alone.

I soon left my family and went to work. Melissa and Lucca was on my mind the whole time.

When I was heading home, a man from the bar approached me. He was drunk and I couldn't really understand anything he was saying.

"Sorry. I don't understand what you're saying" I tried to go around him and go home.

He blocked my path.

"Sir, I really need to get home. Can I get past"

He just stood there and stared at me, blankly.

I sighed and went to push past the drunken man. He pushed me to the ground and punched my face.

"What the hell?" I yelled, jumping up from the floor.

A security guard from a nearby pub saw the commotion and ran over. He grabbed the man and pulled him away. Lizzie ran towards me.

"Shit, Tristan"

The security guard nodded at me and I nodded back. He took the drunken man away.

"Don't you wanna press charges?" Lizzie almost shouted.

I shook my head. I was too shocked as to what had just happened. "I just want to go home"

"Looking like that?" She asked.

I literally forgot he had punched me in the face. Melissa would freak out, big time.

Although my mouth seemed to move on its own. "Take me home, please, Lizzie?"

"Come on then" she led me to her car.

"Thanks" I mumbled, getting in.

She drove me home and dropped me off outside. I thanked her again and got out. I walked up the two flights of stairs then unlocked the door and walked in.

The kitchen light was on. Oh no, Melissa was awake.

"Tristan?" I heard her voice.

"It's me" I answered.

She walked out into the dark hallway, holding a bottle and a suckling Lucca. She hadn't seen my face.

"How was work?"

"Not bad. How is he?"

"Ok now"

"Did you get any sleep?"

"A bit" she took the bottle away from his mouth and winded him. "Go to bed if you want. We shouldn't be too long"

"Ok" I quickly kissed her cheek and went into the bedroom. Thank god she didn't see my face.

Ten minutes later, I heard her coming into the bedroom. She laid Lucca, who was now asleep, into his cot.

She got into bed at the side of me. That's when she saw my face.

"Tristan! What the hell?"

"Some drunk man punched me after work today, no biggie" I shrugged.

"That is a biggie! Why'd he hit you in the first place?"

"He was drunk"

She got up, went out the room and came back with a bag of frozen peas. She put them against my face and held them there.

I winced.

"Sorry" she kept them against the bruise for a while before taking them off. "That should keep the swelling down"

I nodded and laid with my head against her shoulder.

"Night, I love you" I whispered.

"I love you too"