“I’ll go,” Radleigh said, turning away from me and blocking my way.
“I really don’t want you near Jessica when you’re in this mood.” I tried to slip around him but he grabbed me and pushed me so my back hit the doorframe, not hard, but forceful enough that my eyes widened in shock.
“So now I’m not fit to take care of my own daughter?” he snarled, and I flinched.
What. The. Hell?
“Radleigh, please,” I said, trying to remain calm.
“I’ll take care of her.”
He let go of me and strode to Jessica’s room, leaving me in the doorway of our room, my heart beating fast. Jessica’s cries grew louder and I quickly pulled myself together and rushed into her room where Radleigh was holding her close to him. It was clear from his stance why Jessica was crying harder – he was so rigid and so angry that she must have felt it. Her little arms reached out for me and as I stepped forwards to take her, Radleigh stepped back.
“Radleigh, give her to me.” My insides withered as Jessica’s face crumpled up, her arms still stretched towards me.
“Leave us alone. I said I’ll take care of her.”
“You’re scaring her!” I snapped, then instantly regretted it when Jessica’s arm dropped down to her side. Now neither of us were making her feel safe and she sobbed harder. “Please.” I adjusted my tone accordingly, trying to fight back tears at seeing our little girl so distressed. “Please just let me take her.”
Instead of handing her to me, Radleigh pushed past me and headed down the hallway to the stairs, Jessica’s cries echoing off the walls.
“Where are you going?” I chased him down the hallway but he was already at the bottom of the stairs, shoving his car keys in his pocket.
“Out! I’m taking her out for a drive to calm her down.”
“I don’t want you driving anywhere in this state! Please! Let’s just put her back to bed, okay?”
The desperation in my tone didn’t seem to register in his brain because he was already opening the door as I raced down the stairs, slipping as I reached the bottom, and landing on my arse with a thud. Tears sprang to my eyes again and my stumble allowed Radleigh the chance to slip outside. By the time I’d gotten myself up Radleigh had already strapped Jessica into her car seat and was about to get into the driver’s seat. The speed at which he moved told me the last thing he should be doing was getting behind the wheel of the car and I yelled his name, running across the gravel drive towards him. Even though the doors were closed, Jessica’s cries still managed to pierce the night air and tears fell down my cheeks.
“Radleigh, stop!” I begged, but if he heard me, he showed no signs of it. I reached the driver’s side door, my hand just touching it as the tires screeched and he pulled out of drive at an abnormal speed, flicking gravel up into the air. “Come back!”
It was too late. He was gone; driving like a maniac with our screaming daughter in the back. He didn’t have any of her things with him. No blanket, no bottles, no nappies. No soft toy to comfort her. My first instinct was to get in my own car and go after them, but it was a little late for that. Besides, what good would chasing him down actually do aside from maybe making him angrier?
On shaky legs I ran back to the house, trying to figure out the best thing to do. I wanted to call the cops on his ass, but that would probably be as effective as me going after him myself. I wanted him calmer. I wanted him home so his furious driving wasn’t putting Jessica in danger.
Was this my fault? Did I make him this mad?
Don’t go there, Leah. He was already mad when you got home, and you being late home is not an acceptable reason for him to behave this way.
For lack of other options, I went to the living room and snatched up the phone. I hit speed dial one and waited. It was getting late but I knew Mitch would at least still be up.
“Hello?”
“Deanna! I… I…”
“Leah?” Panic was clear in Deanna’s tone, likely due to my inability to speak. Because what was I going to say to her? Your son’s being a complete prick and driven off at a hundred miles an hour with our baby in the car? “Leah, what’s wrong, honey?”
&nb
sp; “I… It’s Radleigh,” I choked out, then taking a breath, I added, “I just… we kind of had a fight, and he’s… he’s totally flipped out, Deanna. Jessica was crying and he just… he took her! He got in the car and I don’t know where he’s gone, and… he was going so damn fast I’m scared he’s going to kill them both!”
“Okay, honey. Calm down. Tell me what happened.”
I took a moment to compose myself then explained in the briefest terms what we’d talked about, and about how he’d been acting weird for the last few days. When I was done, Deanna said, “This doesn’t sound like Radleigh at all. I understand that my son can be a moody, self-centred pain in the ass at times, but driving off that way? No.”
I debated telling her about how he’d hurt me, because I knew she and Mitch would kick his ass for it, but I didn’t care about that right then. I cared about him potentially driving him and Jessica into an accident.
“I don’t know what’s wrong with him, Dee,” I said, my voice wobbling. “I can’t stand him being this way.”