Chapter seventy eight

As I sat waiting, and willing my phone to ring; or should that be praying, I had a real bad feeling Maddy was in trouble, and the more I tried telling my brain she was ok, the more my muscles tensed and my anxiety grew. My concentration staring at the phone left me looking through burned blurred eyes.... then a knock came at the door. I all but ran to answer it, talking aloud as I opened the door, "well it's about time where you been?" I was not ready to see my soon to be ex wife Dorothea stood on the other side.
The hostility in my voice told her she was not welcome.
"What you want Dorothea?"
"To talk, nothing more, you owe me that don't you?...... Please?"
I relented and moved to the side to let her pass, but could not stop myself being sarcastic. " what ? you need another whipping? one not enough. you need a whole bunch?"
"Ok, enough jon, I'm not proud of myself I over reacted and got what I deserved"
"Dang right you did, thought you were at ER anyway?"
"I did, I'm bruised that's all, a few tynlenol until the swelling goes down and alls good"
" And just what the fuck were you doing at the gate house?" I started moving back to the den, with rushing so fast to get to the door I'd left my cell.
D followed me, "well if you hold up I'll tell you?"
I reached the den and quickly checking to see if there were any missed calls,  there weren't so with my butt resting on the desk I turned to look at D,  " so talk?"

As D started to speak my cell vibrated and started to ring, I looked at the caller and saw Maddison's name. I held up my hand to stop her and walked out of the den to the hallway to take the call.

"Maddy where the fuck are you? are you ok?"

"Hi, yeah I'm fine, just a slight problem with the car but its sorted, I'm bout five minutes from home..."

"I was worried, why didn't you call?"

"I have called... I'm a big girl don't stress ok, I'll be back in a few minutes, I'm just stopping at the drug store to get my script anything you need?"
"at 12.45am?"
"Yeah its when its  quietest.. so you need anything?"

"No, I'm good,  look I know your a big girl but stay safe and hurry back ok?"  

"Ok, I promise..."

I ended the call but still I had an uneasy feeling, for the life of me I had no idea why... I walked back inside the Den.

D started in straight away, "That was her wasn't it?"

"Yeah, what of it?" my tone told her to be careful, instead of bitching she hanged her tactic...

"Why she out so late anyway?"

"She took the kids back to my mom's.."

"Whoa there, you let a stranger take my kids in a car?"

"Drop the bullshit Dot,  she's no stranger..."
"Maybe not to you, but she is to me.. how could you Jon?"
"How could I what? you don't care abut the kids, you never have, there have been a bargaining tool like everything else in your life...."

"how can you say that?, I've always been an excellent mom, that hurts, sure i'm no angel but I love my babies..."
she turned her head away so I wouldn't see the tears falling.
"Stop already, your full of croc D, you know what I'm saying..."
she spun back round to look at me, a fire and hatred in her eye's that had never been seen before,
" and all the years I was bringing up the kids like a single parent? what about those times eh? was I bargaining with them then."
I'd heard enough, it was clear she wanted to start a fight, "look you said you wanted to talk, so either talk or leave, I've no more time for this crap..."
"Oh Mr Big man, calling the shots eh?"
this time my Italian temper joined the party as I screamed back
"D, STOP, I DONT FUCKING NEED THIS RIGHT NOW"  I walked to the door as she stood and blocked me from leaving...
with a sneer on her face, she looked at me and asked, "Don't you want to know what's been going on here all day and night then?"