Take Three Girls. This is about 2 girls and one woman (myself) and their very different route to become the women they knew they should be. It was going to be called Take Two Girls, but an on line friend (she knows who she is) and the girls bullied me into the name change. Some poetic licence has been used to help the flow of the story but not very much.

This episode is the aftermath of the frantic phone call I received and is one of the darkest times of Kate’s young life – so be warned. There is a slight lightening of the story caused by Kate's hair.

The scene that greeted the two of us – well I have never seen anything like it and hope and pray I never will again!

Wayne was stood leaning on the fireplace face bruised with blood coming from his nose he was holding a blood splattered poker.

Kate was sobbing in a corner also bruised with her clothes ripped to shreds.
Jan was sat up her face puffed up and her nose obviously broken.
Helen (Kate’s mum) was laid on the floor partly on her side breathing very noisily dark blood seeping out from the back of her head.
Finally Kate’s dad was curled into a ball at Wayne’s feet groaning, from what I could see he had been badly beaten.

“Kate” I said quietly. She looked up and flew to me clinging onto me sobbing her heart out babbling, “Our Wayne saved us aunty Av! Our Wayne saved us.”

The ambulance drivers came in looked around and immediately called for more help.

I took my jacket off and put it around Kate’s thin shoulders to give her some modesty. The paramedic arrived quite quickly; the ambulance technicians pointed out Kate’s mother as being the main cause for concern.

Then the plods arrived and immediately turned a controlled crisis into total mayhem! Putting Wayne into handcuffs, taking charge and generally being a pain in the butt.
They made the mistake of trying to separate Kate and myself and got told in no uncertain terms by me to F*&k off!
Finally someone from the police arrived who seemed to know what they were doing and sorted out witnesses and as such they started to piece together what had happened.

Helen and Jan were taken to hospital – Helen was in a very serious way. I spoke to the policeman in charge and got his permission to take Kate to Hospital after we had given initial statements.

The Taxi driver could go after telling his part of the story; but when Kate and I emerged to board an ambulance her was still there he said to me, “Best of luck Luv here’s you luggage and handbag!” In my rush to get to Kate I had simply left them in the taxi but the driver before following me had locked his cab.

I smiled wanly and thanked him then I took my handbag and asked him if he could drop my case off at my neighbours for me then I asked him, “How much do I owe you for all that?” He grinned telling me, “Search me luv the metre’s broken it’s on the house – now you look after the young un.”

Kate’s dad who had caused all this mayhem was taken to hospital under police guard – not that he was going anywhere fast as Wayne had broken both his knee caps with the poker and had also gave him sundry other broken bones.
And Wayne well he was also packed off to hospital also under police guard!

What a bloody mess this had turned out to be! And what an absolute shit life Kate was having! I personally felt so helpless and inadequate but I was now more determined than ever to be there for her – whatever!

I hugged her to me in the ambulance then I noticed something shocking I spluttered, “Katie your hairs pink!” She gave me what I could see was her cheeky grin, though with puffed and bruised lips it looked more like a grimace, “Yeh d’you like it?” she lisped.
“No it’s horrible – what possessed you?” “Mum hated it as well” she managed to say before breaking down sobbing, “How’s mum! Aunt Av how’s me mum?”
I hugged her to me telling her, “Look love we’ll get you fixed up in casualty then we’ll find your mum and you can see her – ok?” She nodded miserably.
We arrived in A & E to see Helen being wheeled away connected to all sorts of machines. Kate made to follow but I kept a firm hold on her telling her we’d find her mum.

In casualty we were put into a cubicle luckily next to Jan, while a nurse cleaned Kate up I went to see Jan.
Her face was very swollen and very bruised while I was there her husband Steve arrived along with her son and daughter. I left them alone promising to go and visit her when she was sent to a ward.
I went back to Kate and she was having stitches put into a gash on her temple, she had a couple of stitches in her lip and the nurses had cleaned up most of the blood off her face they had also given her a set of scrubs to wear as Her clothes were in tatters.
I retrieved my jacket it was a bit of a mess. Katie gave me a lop sided grin saying, “Sorry for the blood aunty Av.” I gave a rueful grin saying, “It’ll come out love.”

We sat there quietly waiting for the results of her X rays me cleaning the dirt and remains of the blood from her face and body she looked cute in the slightly oversized scrubs but I could see she was desperately worried about her mum.

There was a commotion in the reception and I recognised the voices. I said to Kate, “Carl and Pete have arrived I better go and get them before they are arrested for a breach of the peace!”
I got the lopsided grin in reply and went and told the two of them who were being a right pain in the ass at reception to shut up and come and see your sister.

They followed me like two tame grizzly bears (I was going to say lambs but that just wasn’t the two of them).
Kate was really comforted to see them and sat between them and after she had stopped sobbing she was ready to tell the story of what had happened.
I stopped her and said, “Katie let me get a policeman to write this down it’ll save you telling it twice – OK?”
I went and found the police and told them what was happening so a really pleasant young WPC came back with me to take down the story.

I’ll précis the tale here. Kate was on her way home with Jan, when they reached the house they could hear raised voices when they went in Kate’s dad was screaming at her mum saying it was all her fault!

From what Katie told us her dad had just lost his job through still being drunk when he turned up for work and was blaming it on Helen.
Jan being Jan tried to calm him down but he was well pissed and Jan got a punch in the face for her troubles.
Helen tried to stop her husband and she also got punched in the face, then Katie tried to stop him and she got a good few punches and slaps.
Jan and Helen had recovered and tried to stop him hitting Kate. Jan got another punch to the head and went down again. Helen got similar but this time when she fell she hit the back of her head on the edge of the fireplace.

Katie dad then turned his attention back to Kate but Wayne had arrived home and burst in on the scene hitting his dad trying to stop him.

Wayne had received a punch to the side of the head, which had knocked him down so Katie’s dad was now free to continue taking his rage out on Kate.
Unfortunately for Wayne’s dad Wayne recovered quickly, grabbed the poker and set about his dad finally knocking him out by hitting him on the side of the head.

This was when the taxi driver and I burst in on the scene. Of course it took a lot longer than this for the police to take what in effect was a statement off Katie.
At the end Katie signed the statement and the police left.
We were still waiting for the doctor and the x-ray results. Carl growled, “I’m going to kill that bastard!”

By now I had had my fill of violence and I snapped at him, “NO YOU WON’T! YOU’LL LOOK AFTER YOUR SISTER!” He looked at me saying, “But-----------“ I cut him off telling him in no uncertain terms, “THERE’S NO F*&$ING BUTS ABOUT IT” then I calmed down a bit and finished, “Look Carl for the time being you two are all Katie has – and Wayne think about the two of them”

He looked at me steadily then slowly shook his head saying, “As usual Avril you’re right. But I’ve told you before nice girls don’t swear.”
I snorted at that saying, “And I’ve told you before I’m a woman not a girl never mind a nice one!”

The doctor arrive then and we were free to leave Kate luckily had no broken bones. We went and found Wayne who was in a cubicle close by.
We found out that Kate’s mum was in surgery getting pressure on her brain released this was caused by a bleed in her skull.

Wayne was still under police guard but had given his statement to the police. He also had nothing broken so was heading for the cells. I phoned my solicitor and filled him in telling him to take care of Wayne and get him bail.

By now it was seven in the evening we waited outside the ICU for Kate’s mum to arrive. I took the chance to visit Jan who was now settled in a ward. I spoke to her she was quite cheerful considering she had a fractured eye socket, a broken nose and a broken jaw along with sundry bruises – and she was full of pain killers!

She was very worried about Kate so I told her she was safe, a bit battered and bruised but safe.
Jan had no recollection of anything after the second time she had been knocked unconscious so I filled her in on what Kate had said.

Telling her I’d be back tomorrow to see her I went back to Kate and her brothers.

June Kate’s social worker was there and she was telling Kate that she would have to go into temporary care – now after what the poor girl had just been through this was the last thing she needed!

I saw red and barged straight in saying, “June Kate is going to live with me till all this is over and her mum’s better!”
June opened her mouth to argue but I steamrollered her telling her, “June there’s no more to be said KATIE STAYS WITH ME – UNDERSTAND!” I was seething! Shaking with rage and indignation (and I think the affects of the adrenaline levels in my body)

June looked at me steadily finally saying, “Ok Avril if you are certain..........” I butted in “June I’ve never been more certain about anything in my life. Katie stays with ME!”
Seeing that there was no point in arguing June left telling me that she would phone later.
Someone came to see us to tell us that Helen would be in theatre for a few hours longer also they said that she was poorly but fighting.

Carl took charge saying, “You Pete get down to cop shop and look out for Wayne. Here’s the key for me flat you two stop with me!” I gave Pete the name of my solicitor who should be at the police station by now.
Carl turned to me and Kate saying, “Kate you go home with Avril and get some sleep you can come back here tomorrow. Mum should be better by then – OK?”

Kate was about to argue when Carl said very quietly, “Kate please go with Avril there’s no sense in all of us being knackered when mum wakes up.” Kate simply nodded and turned to me.

Carl then said, “Our Kate! What the f*&k have you done to your hair?” He’d just noticed!

I phoned my neighbour (who was looking after my dogs) hoping she hadn’t gone to bed, explained what had happened and asked her to put the dogs back into my place as they usually help Katie to settle down.
Then Kate Hugged Carl saying, “Phone aunty Av if anything happens – ok?” He tousled her hair saying, “Your hair looks crap! And yes I’ll phone Avril if there’s any change!”
He then hugged me and whispered, “Thanks for being there Avril, I’ll phone tomorrow morning unless anything serious happens – but I spoke to a doctor and mum’s critical!

“Jesus Christ!” I breathed I was shocked.
Carl looked at Kate and said very quietly to me, “If the worst happens the lass is going to need you something rotten!”

Even though I was shaken I had to put a front on for Kate. I composed myself turned to her and said, “Come on Love let’s get home the dogs are waiting for us.”

We got a cab home and were greeted by the dogs and as I had hoped these two total idiot canines (where Kate was concerned) distracted her a tiny bit from her troubles.
And as for me my mind was in turmoil as to the future for this poor, poor girl.

Everybody Hurts