Part 28

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Chapter Thirty-Seven


The door to the cell opened and Lincoln jumped up.


"How is Connor?" he asked Kramer.


Kramer looked wearily at Lincoln but seeing his worry, answered him.


"As far as I have heard, he will be fine."


"Thank God" said Lincoln. "I wouldn't have forgiven myself; he was trying to protect me."


Lincoln hadn't meant to say that out loud. There was silence for a moment.


"What happens now?"


"Are you going to press charges for the previous assault and for attempted stabbing?"


"No" said Lincoln.


"So are you charging me?" asked Lincoln. "I really didn't start it."


Kramer sighed.


"I have spoken to a lot of people at the party who say that Theo goaded you into fighting. He is also declining to press charges."


"Right" said Lincoln.


"So I am not happy about this, but I am letting you go. Your father is waiting outside. He is not happy though. You will have to explain it all to him, because I need to go to bed."


Lincoln half smiled at Kramer as they walked out.


Before they went through, Kramer stopped Lincoln. "Between you and me, I am impressed that you haven't retaliated. If some punks broke my arm, I would find it hard not to."


Lincoln looked at him astonished.


"Well, I guess I have you in part to thank for that."


"Me?" said Kramer as he opened the door.


"You give convincing threats" said Lincoln with a smile.



Sam wouldn't look him in the eye as he signed the paperwork to release him.


"Thanks Mike" said Sam to Kramer.


Kramer nodded at him and Sam began walking away. Lincoln followed him.


Sam seemed to be upset. It must have been a shock for him with both him and Connor in a fight. He looked weary.


They got in the car and Sam still hadn't spoken to him, nor barely looked at him.


"So what took so long?" asked Lincoln.


"You're brother was in hospital" said Sam through tight lips, "That was the priority."


"Oh" said Lincoln, suddenly worried again. "Kramer said it was nothing. Is he bad?"


Sam sighed. "Debs should have brought him home by now. He had to have some stitches in his head."


"Phew" said Lincoln, "Not too bad then."


Sam clenched the steering wheel.


"You think that isn't so bad?" he said, his voice like nails.


Lincoln looked at him for a moment. "You are mad at me? Have you heard the whole story from Kat? I didn't do anything."


"You lied to me" shouted Sam. "You told me, to my face, that you weren't going to fight."


"Dad, I didn't lie. I wasn't going to fight but..."


"No buts, you lied to me" Sam roared even louder, right in Lincoln's face.

Sam swerved as he lost control of the car for a second. Lincoln gripped the dash. A familiar smell became apparent to him.


He looked at Sam with a frown.


"Have you been drinking?"


"Yes, we were enjoying a night out with friends before this incident of yours" snapped Sam. "I have to concentrate now. We will talk about this at home."


Sam's tone left no doubt that he thought it was Lincoln's fault.


Lincoln folded his arms and looked out of the window.



A few minutes later, Lincoln opened the front door and made towards the stairs.


"Get in the living room, now" shouted Sam.


Lincoln sulked but went in.


Debs was sat on the sofa with a large glass of amber liquid in her hand. A rum bottle stood on the desk with the top off.


She looked at him but said nothing, taking a gulp of her drink.


Lincoln stood by the fireplace and crossed his arms. He just wanted Sam to get his rant over with so he could see Connor.


Sam pulled his coat off and threw it on the chair.


"So what the hell were you playing at?"


"Like I said I didn't do anything. This guy goaded me. He was insulting Abbie. Ask the others they were there. I didn't have a choice."


"Of course you had a choice but as usual you keep making the wrong ones" shouted Sam.


"Look, forget all that, how is Connor?"


"You care about him now?" said Debs, standing up. Her words were slurred.


"What?" said Lincoln.


"Someone had a knife" Her voice broke. "He could have been killed."


"But he wasn't" said Lincoln, "And he is okay, right?"


"If alright means having to have stitches and spending the last hour throwing up because he had had too much alcohol. I suppose you gave him that as well, did you?" snapped Debs.


"Me? I didn't! He was drunk when I got there" defended Lincoln.


"Connor is a good boy, not like you. This is your fault" slurred Debs, "I knew I was right to keep you away from my children."


"Debs!" said Sam in surprise.


"Keep me away?" said Lincoln, looking at her intently, "You kept me away? You are the reason I didn't see my brother and sisters? Are you the reason I didn't see my Dad as well?"


"That isn't exactly true" said Sam, trying to diffuse the situation.


"Mostly" she said, "I felt bad for it at first but now, well now I know I did the right thing, didn't I? Look at you. Look at what has happened since you arrived. Your mother..." Debs' face was filled with disgust.


"My mother what?" snapped Lincoln.


"Well, look at how you have turned out. Apple never falls far from the tree, does it?"


"What would you know about my mother, other than Sam preferred her to you!" snapped Lincoln.


"Hey" said Sam coming between them.


"Maybe I remind you of the choices he made a long time ago, eh?" Lincoln jabbed a finger in Sam's direction. "That you weren't enough for him!"


"Hey, hey, have some respect" shouted Sam, standing in front of him.


"Respect! She is talking shit about me and my mother - the woman you loved. I have seen all the love letters you wrote to her."


"She was just a whore" spat Debs with venom.


"Shut the fuck up you bitch" shouted Lincoln.


The blow landed across his cheekbone and the force sent him colliding with the edge of the sideboard. He touched the side of his head and saw blood on his hand. He looked up at Sam.


Sam was gripping his hand and a look of shock was plastered across his face. Debs had her hands to her face and tears in her eyes.


Not again, thought Lincoln.


Sam came towards him and he scrambled up and into the hall. He tripped and fell against the stairs.


"Oh God, Linc" said Sam, his voice quivering and tears on his face. He came towards him again, his arms wide open.


"Get away from me" screeched Lincoln.


Sam was blocking the front door so he scrambled up the stairs and threw himself into the bathroom, locking the door behind him. He slumped by the sink as he heard Sam try to open the door.


"Please open the door."


The door handle rattled loudly again.


"Go away" shouted Lincoln.


"Linc, I am so, so sorry" His voice began to break down. "Let me in. I didn't mean to. I just lost it. I am sorry."


Lincoln said nothing, but wrapped his arms around his legs and tried to stop shaking.


Lincoln heard him start to sob.


"I can't believe I just did that. It won't happen again. I love you. Please open the door."


Sam's pleas were met with silence.


Debs came up the stairs, tears streaming her face.


"Lincoln" she said, pressing her head to the door. "I am sorry. I didn't mean anything I just said. We love you, we love having you here. It has just been such a shock tonight. Please forgive me."


Lincoln still stayed quiet.


After a few minutes, he heard Debs talking to Sam.


"We need to give him some space to calm down."


"I am staying here until he comes out" said Sam.


"He is frightened Sam. He needs space."


There was silence for a moment.


Sam's voice came through the door again more clearly.


"Lincoln, we are going to leave you to calm down. When you are ready, we can talk, ok? Whatever you want, ok? I'll just be in the bedroom or we can talk in the morning..."


Lincoln said nothing. A few moments later he heard the sound of them moving away from the door.


His mind raced but before he could think, he felt an urgent need. He yanked himself up and threw up into the toilet bowl. When his stomach had stopped lurching, he curled up on the bathroom floor.


He couldn't believe this had happened again. Tears came and he let them, trying to quiet his sobs. He obviously drove people to want to hit him. He felt his cheek throb and his forehead too. He pulled himself up and looked into the bathroom mirror. He stared long at his reflection. He couldn't go through this again. He couldn't be afraid all the time like he was with Ray. As he wiped some drying blood from his forehead, anger surged in him. He wouldn't stay here and be Sam's whipping boy. He had begun to believe that Sam might be different, but he was just the same.


He waited for an hour or so until the house had been completely silent for a long while. He slowly opened the latch and slipped out of the bathroom. He crept into his and Connor's room. The side lamp was on, illuminating the room softly. Connor was asleep with a bucket by his head and a faint smell of sick hung in the air.


He grabbed his rucksack. He chucked in a few essentials, including the photo of his Mum. He found the £100 Jason had given him and quietly thanked him.


"Linc?"


Connor's sleepy voice startled him.


He put the bag down discreetly and came and sat on his brother's bed.


"How are you feeling?" he asked.


Connor answered him with his eyes closed.

"

Awful - I'm never drinking again."


"Thanks for looking out for me" said Lincoln.


"Of course; I'm your big brother" he murmured.


"Yeah" said Lincoln sadly, "Now go back to sleep."


Lincoln waited until Connor's breathing began to deepen and then grabbed his bag, took a last look around his room and closed the door quietly.


As he opened the front door to leave he saw Sam's car keys dangling, highlighted by the moonlight that shone through the side window.


Fuck him, thought Lincoln, as he lifted them off the shelf.




Luca's house was nicer than he had remembered. It was a small mid terrace in a decent area of London. Lincoln parked the car and got out into the dim Sunday morning light. He had driven around for a few hours already before he had decided where to go.


It was still early but Lincoln couldn't wait any longer. He knocked on the door. There was no answer for five minutes so he knocked again, louder this time.


Luca opened the door in a bedraggled dressing gown.


"Lincoln!" he said, surprised.


"Hey Luca" he said in greeting from under his brow.


"What are you doing here? And so early on a Sunday?" Luca looked at his watch in disbelief.


"I had some trouble" said Lincoln.


"You'd better come in" said Luca, standing back from the door.


He walked through to a compact living room.


"What happened to your face?" asked Luca, seeing him properly in the light.


"Sam hit me" he said, crossing his arms around himself.


"Jesus" said Luca, looking at him with sorrow.


Luca sat him down and ushered the story out of him. He left out the part where he took Sam's car.


"Sounds like a tough night" reflected Luca.


"Yeah. I can't believe it. We were all getting on so well the last few weeks as well. How stupid am I to think it would last? It is all ruined" said Lincoln sadly.


"Is it?" said Luca, "Why does it have to be over?"


Lincoln gave him a look.


"Why?" said Lincoln, "Because, I am not going through all that again."


"Sam isn't Ray."


"You are on his side?"


"No, no, he should never have hit you. But that doesn't mean he will do it again. It sounds like he had had a tough night as well."


"You are on his side. You are defending him." Lincoln couldn't believe what he was hearing.


"No I am not. I am just saying that he is different to Ray."


"He was drunk and he hit me - doesn't sound very different. All other details are irrelevant, don't you think?"


Luca nodded softly and paused.


"So you won't give him a second chance?"


Lincoln shook his head.


"I am not going back" he said firmly.


"Linc..."


"I am not going back and that is final."


Luca sat back with his arms out.


"Ok, I understand."


There was silence for a moment. Lincoln scratched his arm nervously.


"Look, can I stay with you for a bit?"


"Yeah, we'll work something out. Don't worry about it."


Lincoln relaxed slightly.


"I'll just go and get us some drinks hey? You must be thirsty."


Lincoln smiled appreciatively.


"Can I use your loo?"


"Down the hall, on the right."




Lincoln wiped his hands on the towel and stretched out. He was pretty tired now. He hadn't slept all night and was starting to feel the effects. As he stepped back into the hallway, he heard Luca talking in hushed tones from the kitchen and he heard his name. He peered through the gap in the door and saw Luca on the telephone.


"Yeah, he just arrived here"


"He has told me what happened. He is quite shaken up."


"I know you are sorry but you have to understand what this means to him."

Luca sighed.


"Ok, yeah, I can keep him here until you get here. See you shortly."


Luca came back out with two cups of tea after he had put the phone down.


"Do you have sugar Linc?"


He looked up and saw the room was empty. Going to the hall he saw the front door wide open.


He ran out and looked up and down the street.


"Lincoln!"


You are reading the story above: TeenFic.Net