CHAPTER 5
October 23, 2013
Demi Jacobs sat very still in her lounge room. Her blue slippered feet rested on the dark wood coffee table she had fallen in love with the moment she had seen it at the local furniture store last year. In all honesty she shouldn't have bought it, they couldn't really afford it since she had quit her job in advertising a few months beforehand.
Demi hadn't gone to the furniture store to buy anything that day; she had gone to help Victoria pick out a new bed for Amanda. As they looked at rows of beds, wooden ones, white bunks and even a princess bed with fairy netting all around it, which ended up the one they chose, Demi had continued to wrestle with herself over the coffee table.
By the time she and Victoria had walked the entire span of the store she had decided she was going to own it. Why shouldn't her and Ben have something nice for a change, she had reasoned.
Victoria didn't have more than Demi, and it wasn't like she needed to prove anything. Somehow it seemed as though Victoria and Danny did have more. Or maybe it had just been Demi had always felt that there was something missing between her and Ben. Whatever it was, it had made her determined to buy that damn piece of furniture, as if that may have been the very thing they had been missing all along.
The silly thing about it all, was if she were at the furniture store at this very moment, she would have walked right past it uninterested. These days she didn't care about having nicer or even better things than everyone else.
It was amazing how much had changed in the past year. But the biggest most life altering changes hadn't happened slowly over the entire course of the year, or nine months like being pregnant with Trevor had. They had happened in in a matter of seconds.
It was almost 9am and Demi had just finished giving Trevor his second feed for the morning. The tiny 2 month old lay contented in the crook of her arm in a milk induced slumber. She couldn't help but smile at the trickle of milk dribbling from his tiny rose bud lips, snaking its way down his chubby little pink cheek. Demi, not daring to move in case she woke him, couldn't take her eyes off of Trevor, it was no secret, she was smitten.
Ben, dressed for work, smelling like he had taken a bath in aftershave sat down beside her. Being careful not to wake Trevor admired the little miracle in his wife's arms.
"He is so perfect, is he really ours?"
"I hope so," Demi joked, still not taking her eyes off of the tiny baby.
Ben edged closer and outstretched his left arm wrapping it around his wife, pulling her closer he let his hand drape casually over her shoulder and slightly onto her chest. Demi cringed at his hand and at the wedding ring on his finger.
"What do you think you are you doing Ben?" She accused shaking his arm from her and taking her feet down from the coffee table to move away from him.
"Jesus Dem, I was just trying to show some affection, ever since Trevor come along you're like some friggen ice queen. You practically bite my hand off if I come within five feet of you."
"Oh gee, big man, blame our problems on the tiny two month old. Why not choose the easy target, after all he isn't big enough to defend himself."
"Problems, Dem why don't you just get it off your chest, you got problems honey, let's put them right here on the coffee table." Ben said thumping her precious coffee table with his fist, causing Trevor to jerk involuntarily.
Glaring at him as she held Trevor even closer to her chest she hissed through clenched teeth, "Well lover boy, I'm real glad you offered."
Demi's face was bright red as she sprung from the lounge, still glaring fiercely at Ben, but at the same time trying to stay steady enough not to wake the tiny person in her arms.
Leaving the room she gently whisked Trevor into his crib beside her bed, putting his covers over him and caressing the top of his tiny downy head, before flying back into the lounge room.
As she hurtled up the passageway towards Ben she pushed up the sleeves of her favorite wincey pajama top with pink and blue elephants on it. Glaring at her husband, she growled, "So you want to talk, let's talk about the day I went into labor with Trevor!"
Ben opened his mouth, drew in a big breath ready to say his piece.....when the phone screeching Fur-Elise cut right into the middle of their conversation.
Demi was closest, she grabbed it harshly from its cradle stabbed her finger hard onto the answer button. Her face betraying her as she breezily sang "Hello" into the receiver and waited for the person on the other end to make their introductions. While she waited she glared at Ben through half closed eyelids, and screwed up her face. Her way of telling him their little talk was far from being over.
Ben quietly stood watching Demi, with his fists clenched tight and under his breath he quoted his mother's words exactly, the same words she had always said to his father when they had fought "It will keep baby, it will keep!"
Demi gasped loudly into the receiver, "No!" she had gone suddenly pale, the complete opposite of the scarlet color her face had been moments ago, when she had been so angry at Ben.
"Oh my god Danny, how, why, I am coming right now!" she was crying. As she hung up the receiver shakily, she looked over at Ben, her eyes red and watery, clearly her anger from moments ago was now forgotten.
"What is it Dem, what's happened, is Danny ok?" he asked walking towards her.
"No Ben he isn't, Emily was choking when they went to get her out of bed this morning, so they rushed her to the hospital and she is in intensive care.....and then they arrested Victoria.
"Victoria, arrested, why?"
"Yes Ben, Victoria has been arrested, I don't know why, how the hell would I know why?"
Demi turned her back to Ben and looked up to the ceiling, raising her hands above her head and begged, "What the hell is going on!"
Ben was there right beside her, she stiffened as he asked quietly, "Do they need anything?"
Turning back to face Ben Demi sniffed, "I'm going to the hospital now to see what I can do to help."
Ben stepped a little closer to her and put his arms around her in a big bear hug and nuzzled his face into her soft dark brown hair that smelled of baby powder just like Trevor did.
"Dem, I'm sorry....do you want me to drive you?"
Struggling to get free Demi said, "No, Ben I don't need you, it's getting late, shouldn't you be going to work or whatever it is that you do?"
As soon as the words were out of her mouth she felt almost guilty, but then she reminded herself he deserved everything she could ever dish out and more.
Ben unclasped his arms abruptly, stormed out of the room, grabbing his briefcase by the front entrance, before slamming the heavy wooden door so hard the whole house shook. Moments later she heard a faint cry echo through the house from her bedroom, he had woken Trevor.
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Demi rushed into the Emergency room holding tightly onto the bar of Trevor's capsule, trying not to swing it too much as she hurried through the automatic doors. She paused scanning the practically empty emergency room. Danny and Amanda were sitting just off to the corner on a small couch. Her heart broke seeing them there huddled together still in their pajamas, they looked so afraid. They needed her.
Demi was exactly 7 minutes older than Danny, when she was born she had been the biggest and healthiest of the two. When she was older looking through baby pictures, she had asked her mother why Danny was so much smaller. Her mother had explained that even in utero her brother was kind and selfless and had made sure that she got the most, even if it meant that he had barely got anything.
When Danny was born he was almost a pound lighter than she was, after her mother had explained everything to her Demi had made a vow to watch out for her brother. Her mission since then had been to make sure that Danny always had enough. It was the least she could do for him considering she had almost starved him to death in the womb.
When she reached them Danny looked up at her bewildered, shifting Amanda to the side he got up and hugged his sister tightly.
"Dem, I'm so sorry for bringing you here like this....I just didn't know who else to call...they just come in, put cuffs on her and dragged her away."
"Shh it's ok Danny, you did the right thing calling me," she said rubbing his bare back, "What about Emily, what happened?"
"The nurse said her brain has got swelling and they have to take the pressure off it, I don't know, she could...we just don't know..." he began to sob and angrily wiped at his eyes with his clenched fists.
"It's ok, everything is going to be ok Dan - do you want me to wait here with you?"
"Danny shook his head. "You don't need to be here, there isn't anything any of us can do here....just wait...
"What do you say I take Amanda home with me, we can get her out of her pajamas. Her and Trevor could watch some cartoons for a while?" Said Demi looking at Amanda, who was still cowering in a little ball on the couch.
Amanda shook her head and wriggled closer to Danny, "What if they take my daddy away too, then I won't have anyone left."
Danny began to cry again, this time turning away from them, his back quivering as he let out sobs.
Demi put her hand gently on Amanda's leg. "Amanda, nobody is going to take your dad away, I promise. Victoria will be home soon, you'll see - she may even be on her way home now. Come on sweetie, you must be hungry?"
Amanda looked up at Demi her eyes were still wide and frightened, "I am just a little bit hungry...but I want to stay with my daddy, he is so sad....
Danny turned around to look at Amanda with bright red swollen eyes and gave her a quivery smile.
"You should go Amanda, I will come get you soon from Auntie Dem's, just as soon as I hear..." he broke off mid-sentence, and took a sharp breath to stop another sob escaping.
Demi took Amanda's hand and pulled her off of the couch, "Come on, let's go and get you all sorted out, who knows I may even have a special treat for you..."
Reluctantly Amanda crawled off of the chair, still looking at Danny, her eyes pleading with him to let her stay.
"Go on Amanda, go, be good for Auntie Dem," said Danny hugging the young girl, and then gently pushing her towards his sister.
Demi took Amanda's hand, in the other she took Trevor's capsule and led them both to the car. Her mind was in turmoil, what happened - it must have been bad. Danny was in a state, she hadn't seen him cry in forever. Not since they were kids, when he fell out of the tree house they had been building and broke his arm. But this was completely different, there was a different pain etched in her brother's eyes.
Demi decided to buy Amanda and Danny some fast food to take their mind off of things. She gave Amanda her colored box of food straight away to keep her occupied while she dashed into the shops and brought them both something to get changed into. She couldn't just leave Danny at the hospital in his boxer shorts and nothing else, could she.
Amanda was sill eating her meal as they pulled up at the hospital.
"Stay there with Trevor, I will only be a second while I give your dad some clothes to wear, we can't have him in his pajamas all day can we."
Amanda looked out of the window towards the hospital where she knew her father was inside all alone, and then she looked up at Demi.
"Ok Auntie Dem, I will wait here with Trevor for you."
Demi jumped out of the car quickly, dashed across the car park and into the hospital. Danny was huddled in the same place on the couch staring at a big screen television up on the wall.
She gave him the bag containing clothes and then the paper bag containing some food they had bought.
"Thanks Dem, I don't know what I would do without you....
"Any news?"
Danny shook his head and attempted a quivery smile.
"I have to run the kids are in the car, if you hear anything...call me, ok."
"Ok"
Demi dashed back to the car. Once inside she sighed, looked in the rearview mirror at Amanda and thought to herself that she still didn't really know what was going on, not exactly anyway. Why was Victoria being arrested, how had Emily got swelling on the brain?
She sighed, starting the engine, her questions would just have to go unanswered for now. It was almost lunchtime and Trevor would be looking for his next feed soon.
As she began to pull out of the hospital her mobile phone began to ring. Fumbling in her purse she quickly answered it, "Victoria, Oh my god are you alright?"
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