Chapter Forty-One

I wake up bright and early the next morning, all that was racing around my head was what I will tell Tristan. But not only that, I also had to work out what I was gonna tell Cody! I know if I tell him what I wanna do he won't let me, but this is something I need to do not only for myself, but also for Tristan. I don't want him getting out of where he is and having to find out that I've moved on, yeah he might have plotted to kill me but I still care about him enough not to put him through that. I was sitting in the kitchen when Cody runs down the stairs, he had a folder tucked under his arm while rummaging through stuff. I watch him for a few seconds, I thought I had more time to think of an excuse of where I'm gonna be today. "Have you seen my keys?" He asks looking through a pot on the side, why would his keys be in there? I get up from my seat walking over to the shoe rack, he gave me his keys last night and while I was in my mini breakdown I put them there. Thankfully, they were still there so I pick them up and hand them to him. He thanks me while looking through the folder, he seemed like he was in a rush. "I won't be here today, I have this huge meeting coming up where all the higher ups in the pack go over everything that's happened in the pack over the year. This meeting is the meeting to prepare us for the other meeting" he says placing the folder down to get something else, he said meeting a lot in that one sentence. "Well it seems like you're gonna have a busy day" I smile taking a sip from my drink, he looks at me smiling before rummaging through stuff again. "I'm sorry I can't be with you today, trust me I'd much rather spend the day with you than be in a boring meeting room" he says putting something in his pocket but starts scanning the room again "are you sure you're going to be okay today, you know after what happened yesterday?" He asks still frantically looking around the room, I look at the counter and spot the folder from before which I hold up. "I'll be fine, like I said that's all in the past now" I smile where he clocks the folder in my hand, he walks over taking it with a smile "you just focus on this important meeting for the other important meeting coming up" I smile as he comes around to stand next to me. "If you need me I'm only a mind-link away, I love you" he smiles placing a kiss on my lips. "I love you too now go, you don't wanna be late" I smile as he nods before running out the room, as soon as I hear the door shut I sigh. Well at least I don't have to make an excuse up, hopefully I would have gone there and got back before the meeting finished. I look down at my phone where the confirmation text came from the clinic cane through, now it's all finalised I have to go. I gulp the last of my drink before grabbing my coat, it's gonna take me around 40 minutes to walk there. Normally, I get Justin to drop me off but obviously that can't happen. I decided to go out the back just in case people see me and want to talk, I walk out the back fence and into the woods. Lucky for me, the clinic was just outside of my dads town, so no one could hold a gun to me when I left. Along the way my mind starts to think, I guess being alone and just hearing the sounds of nature really gets the mind working. Memories that I thought I forgot about start to fill my brain. "You did amazing today Erika, I really think we have enough to put those two away for a very long time" my dad says as we walk back into the house, the police station starts to get annoying when you're there for hours on end. I walk into the kitchen dumping my stuff on the counter, my dad hasn't left my side since he found us. He kept going on and on about how long he thinks they'll get, how I will need to get a hold lawyer to help me and how I'm gonna have to be strong in court. "I don't think I wanna press chargers" I say which shuts my dad up immediately, he turns to look at me so dumbfounded. "They just tried to kill you and you don't wanna press charges, you must be joking with me Erika" he says still stood in the kitchen doorway, yes I knew how crazy that sounded. "Tristan isn't well dad, you even said it yourself that he's been struggling with his mental health. How is putting him in prison gonna help him? It isn't! What he needs is to be taken into a specialist clinic, with professionals that will know how to help him" I say trying to justify my reasoning for my decision, while my dad just paced up and down "it's not your decision dad, it's mine and I decide to not press charges. He will get sent away for treatment, where he can get better and not locked up in a cell. Yeah he might have tried to kill me but I still care about him, I'm gonna make sure he gets the best help" I say which does finally make him stop pacing, at least he was getting his steps in! "What if he doesn't want to go and get help?" He asks placing his hands on his hips as he spoke. "I'm gonna talk to him, he'll listen to me and I'll explain that the best place for him would be at the clinic getting help" I say which my dad just scoffs at turning around, I get up from the counter walking passed him "once again this isn't up to you!" I say running up the stairs leaving him to shout my name. My dad wasn't the only person that was against me pressing charges, everyone I spoke to would tell me how I was making the wrong decision. But deep down in my heart I knew I was doing the right thing, it wasn't about people paying for what happened, it was about making sure that nothing like that happened again. If you're wondering why I didn't press any charges against Martha, it didn't feel right for Tristan to be sent to a clinic and her to be sent to jail. Once again, people didn't take that decision very well but I didn't care. Me and Reece were sat in the kitchen eating cake when the door knocks, my dad was actually home for once so he ran to the door. I look up at Reece to see he had chocolate on the end of his nose which makes me laugh. "What are you doing here, you don't have the right to even stand near where my daughter lives" I hear my dad say from the front door, I send a worried look to Reece before we hear another voice. "I know I don't but I just need to talk to Erika, please" Martha's voice says from the same place, I sigh getting out of my chair and start to make my way out the kitchen. "You don't have to you know" Reece says who was still at the counter, I send him a little smile nodding before walking out the kitchen and towards the front door. As I reach the living room, Martha was stood outside with her parents, while my dad was blocking her from walking into the house. She looks over clocking me walking over to her, her face lights up which does make my dad turn to look at me. "Erika, I just wanna say thank you. I know what I did was wrong and I really regret it now and I'm sorry" she rambled on as my dad moves his arms so we could see each other, I come to a stop beside him while I also feel Reece stood behind me. "I didn't do it for you, trust me I wouldn't care less if you were sat in prison right now. I did it for Tristan, he needs help and he won't get that help if he's there" I say which does take her by surprise, I really wouldn't care if she was locked up "but I'm too nice of a person, it wouldn't sit right with me if Tristan got sent to a clinic while you had to pay for what you did. But don't think for even a second that this means that it can go back to how it was, you tried to kill me" I tell her which does make her look to the floor, yeah I hope she's feeling bad. "If I could turn back the clock and make it all different, I would" she says but I shake my head, that was all words. "But you can't now if you don't mind, me and Reece were enjoying some cake" I tell her before turning to walk back in the kitchen, I pass Reece taking my finger and wiping the chocolate from his nose. Before I knew it I was outside the clinic, from the outside it looked like a fancy mansion. Or a holiday getaway as Tristan calls it. I walk back into the police station, I could have done this yesterday but I wasn't gonna spend another second in this place. My dad leads me down the corridor and into a separate room, I wait outside the door for a second to collect myself. After a few seconds I open the door, where Tristan was sat at the table in handcuffs. "Erika! Oh I'm so glad to see you" he says as I make my way into the room, my dad walking in closing the door behind us "I kept asking if I could see you but everyone told me no, I knew you wouldn't let me stay in here" he says happily, I take a look back at my dad who sends me a smile. "I've came here because we need to talk" I say taking a seat across from him, he nods all happily placing his hands on the table "I don't know if they've told you, but I've decided not to press charges" I tell which obviously was new news to him, he cheers happily reaching over to take my hands but I move back. "I knew you wouldn't want to do that, I knew you would understand that Martha tricked me! It's always gonna be me and you Erika!" He cheers but I shake my head at him, that wasn't where this was going. "I'm not pressing charges, but I do want you to go and get some help and a specialist clinic" I say which does make his face drop a little "you need help Tristan, you haven't been right for some weeks and now this. You need to start looking out for yourself and this clinic will be the best place for you" I smile just hoping he wouldn't have a freak out over it, my dad was in the room still. "But that would mean you and me would have to be apart" he says looking sad as he went, I sigh knowing I'm gonna have to start lying. "I will visit you as much as I can, it's a place where you're gonna get the help you need" I smile reaching over and taking his hands, as much as I really didn't want to. "Than after I get out, we can be together again, okay I'll go!" He cheers happily, holding my hands really tightly "it'll be a holiday getaway!" He cheers happily once again, I turn taking a look at my dad who was still leaning against the wall. With a big sigh I make my way into the building, for a long awaited meeting.