New beginnings

Chapter 6

This chapter contains a little bit of gore.

After a trip to the shops Fiddleford was ready for his appointment. He had a new white shirt and brown blazer that his sister had bought for him. They stood before the giant doors of the building. The words 'Jacob Howells solicitors' hung above them. Fidd straightened out his collar and looked over at Sarah. Her hand firmly grasping Tate's.
"Ready?" She asked before handing Tate over to his father.
"Yes" he smiled weakly taking hold of his sons hand. Together they pushed through the giant doors and found themselves at a reception desk. A giant fish tank was built into the wall. It contained millions of vibrantly coloured fish. Fidd walked up to a woman sat behind the desk. She had blonde hair tied back into a high ponytail and was wearing a black uniform. Fidd shook before her, his finger gently drumming against the wooden desk.
"Can I help you?" She looked up at him.
"Um, I have an appointment w-with Mr. Howell" he tugged at the bottom of his blazer.
"You must be Mr. McGucket" she smiled looking down at a sheet of paper in her desk.
"Y-yes" he adjusted his collar.
"Please take a seat and he shall be with you shortly" she pointed over to the five chairs pressed against the wall.
"Oh, um, my son is with me, w-would I be able to bring him in with me?" He shook with anxiety. She peered over the desk to look at the small brown haired child holding his fathers hand. She smiled.
"Yes. That should be fine" she nodded before resuming with the sheet of paper.
"Thank you" he smiled at her before leading Tate over to the chairs. Sarah followed and sat beside Fidd.
"You okay" she grabbed his hand to calm his nerves.
"Yeah, I'm fine" he took in a short but deep inhale then soon after exhaled. Tate sat to the right of Fidd, swinging his little feet back and forth.

Soon some office doors opened from across the room. A man in a black suit and tie emerged from them. He was a bald headed man with wide shoulders and long legs. He held a black briefcase by his side with brass handle. He cleared his throat and made eye contact with Fiddleford.
"Mr. McGucket?" He questioned raising his brow.
"Yes" Fidd stood up from his chair still holding hands with Tate.
"This way" he gestured into the door way from which he had just came. Fidd pulled Tate out of the chair and walked toward the man. Sarah got up and trailed behind him.

They entered the doors into a giant office. A giant wooden desk was centred in the middle of the room. A man and woman in police uniform stood beside the desk. Fidd's heart raced, were they going to take Tate away? Maybe they thought he was lying about the abuse? Mr. Howell then took a seat behind the desk in a black leather chair.
"Please take a seat" He gestured to the two seats in front of the desk. Fidd did as the man offered and sat on the chair. He placed Tate on his knee and Sarah sat in the chair next to him.
"This is constable Rogers and and PC jones. They are here because this is a case of abuse and they will need to take in some information" Mr.Howell spoke softly.
"Hello" the police officers spoke in unison.
"Hello" Sarah and Fidd spoke together.
"Mr. McGucket we just need to ask some questions about the abuse so we can file a report" the woman, PC Jones, smiled at him trying to make him feel comfortable.
"And this report of abuse may strengthen your chances in keeping the child, if you would like to have full custody of him" Mr. Howell added.
"Yes, I would like to have full custody of Tate" Fidd nodded whilst softly grasping his son by the shoulders. Mr Howell then wrote a couple notes on a sheet of paper. Constable Rogers cleared his throat.
"Mr. McGucket we are going to ask you some questions now" he pulled out a note pad and a pen.
"Was the abuse physical or verbal?" He asked.
"Both" Fidd said hesitantly "um, can I ask for my son to leave the room for these questions?" His voice shook.
"Of course" the woman nodded.
"Uh, Sarah would you mind?" He looked her deep in the eyes.
"Of course not, come on Tate lets go look at the fishies" Sarah picked Tate up and walked toward the door.
"Do you have any evidence to support these claims?" The constable looked up from his note pad. Fidd was afraid of this question that's why he had Tate leave. He nodded in response and rolled up his sleeves to show his scars and burns that had built up over the four years of abuse. The woman tried her best not to gasp ,to remain professional, but the shock was too much. She clapped a hand over her mouth and looked away. The constable just widened his eyes in surprise and Mr. Howell had a mortified expression. Fidd did his best not to cry at the sight of these hideous abrasions to his body.
"What inflicted these injuries?" The constable asked trying to keep professional.
"She did them all" Fidd's voice quivered. "The burns are from her cigarettes and the cuts are from shards of glass or knives" he held back the tears.
"We will need to take photographic evidence of these scars do you have any others?" Constable Rogers asked whilst writing in his note book.
"I-I have more on my torso and a few in my legs" he whimpered just at the thought of it.
"Are you okay to continue?" The woman asked softly patting his shoulder.
"I'm fine" Fidd nodded. The constable then pulled out a small camera and took a few photos of Fidd's arm. He then pulled his sleeves down.
"You will need to come down to the station so we can take photos of your torso" he said whilst writing in his note pad once more. Fidd nodded showing he understood.
"What about the child, does he have any injuries?" The woman asked.
"Well, um, he has a burn on his left arm, but she didn't mean to hurt him. She had passed out on the couch with a cigarette in her hand, some ash fell off and landed on his arm" Fidd stuttered.
"We will need to see this burn, Mr. McGucket" the constable said not looking up form his note pad.
"I can go get my sister"
"No trouble Mr. McGucket, I will go retrieve them" Miss Jones smiled before leaving the room.
"You also said she gave verbal abuse, can you please elaborate?" He looked up from his notepad.
"Well, I, um, she would use quite offensive words" at that moment Sarah, Tate and Miss Jones entered the room. Tate ran up to his father. Fidd smiled and placed him on his knee once more. Sarah then sat down beside him.
"You were saying Mr. McGucket?" The constable said.
"Well she would use offensive words like, um" Fidd paused and looked at his son. "Queer" he tried to whisper but everyone heard it.
"Anything else?" The constable probed.
"And a lot of swearing especially when she was drunk" Fidd grasped hold of Tate's shoulders.
"Drunk?" Miss Jones propped her head up.
"Yes, she is an alcoholic" Fidd looked up at the woman.
"Hmm?" Both men wrote down a few notes on their paper.
"May we take a look at this burn now?" Mr. Howell asked in interest.
"Yes may we please?" The constable seconded his question. Fidd nodded and looked down at Tate.
"Darlin' can these people take a look at your arm please?" Fidd asked softly. Little Tate nodded and presented his arm to his father. Fidd then rolled up his sleeve to show the red, blistering scar in his skin. Miss Jones frowned at the sight of his scar. Constable Rogers then took a few photos of his burn and wrote some notes in his note pad.
"I think we have all we need for now, come down to the station tomorrow for the photos" the constable stuffed his note pad back into his pocket and they both exited the room.

Mr. Howell then turned to Fidd and Sarah.
"Now Mr. McGucket back to the matter of your divorce. I have already began to write up a letter to send to your wife are there any details you specifically want me to add?" He picked up his pen in anticipation.
"Yes. I want full custody of Tate, all of my computers, tools and her wedding ring, it was my grandmothers" he had calmed down a bit since the police officers left.
"Okay, anything else. Financial wise?" He tapped the pen against the paper.
"Well, I haven't really thought about this, um, it is all my earnings anyway but I wouldn't want her to suffer. Half and half?"
"Half and half?" Sarah questioned.
"Fidd this woman has made both of your lives hell. She has scared you for life and you don't want her to suffer?" She couldn't believe what her brother was saying.
"Sarah I know but she is Tate's mother and how would I be any better than her if I was the one inflicting the suffering? If her money was restricted maybe she would finally quit her addictions and get a job" Fidd said with pleading eyes.
"You are a very kind man Mr. Mcgucket. Now there still is the matter of prices. I cost $1000 for a trip to court, every phone call and letter will range in costs between $20 to $100" Fidd's jaw almost dropped to the floor. He couldn't believe what he was hearing neither could Sarah.
"Could I consult with my sister please?" Fidd asked. Mr Howell nodded with agreement. Fidd then huddled in close to his sister.
"Sarah I can't afford this!" Fidd whispered.
"Look Fidd I have enough savings for maybe two phone calls and a trip to court and with all the evidence to support you I think it will be over pretty quick" she smiled " and if we set up a little business for you fixing computers, I think we can afford it" Sarah patted his back.
"So you think I should take it?" Fidd whispered.
"Yes! He seems to know what he's doing. I think you should but it's your choice"
Fidd then nodded and turned to Mr.Howell.
"I think we have a deal Mr.Howell" Fidd stuck out his hand and shook hands with the bald headed man.
"Excellent. I will get started on your case immediately. It was nice to meet you Mr. Mcgucket and miss?" He let got of Fidd's hand.
"Oh, Sarah. Sarah Mcgucket"
"Okay, if you don't have any questions you can make you way to the door" he pointed toward the exit.
"Thank you Mr Howell. Goodbye" Fidd picked up his son and carried him out of the doors with Sarah walking beside him.

On the way home Sarah and Fidd sat in silence. Tate had fallen asleep in his car seat.
"Why did you give her half? After everything she has done to you, you're still looking after her" Sarah asked looking over at her brother. Fidd gripped the steering wheel tight.
"Sarah, I'm a kind man so how can I be happy if I know she is suffering. I mean every ounce of me we would love to cut her off completely but my morals just wouldn't be at ease"
He looked up at her for a moment before setting his eyes back on to the road.
"It just, just makes me so mad that after everything she has done, you're still so kind hearted" she smiled. The rest of the car ride home was silent apart from a few snores that escaped Tate every now and again.