Page 48 of Natalie's Nighthawk

“He would have been perfect for you, Natalie,” Debra went on. “Handsome, successful, wealthy.”

“He lost all that to the drugs,” Natalie said simply. Hating what her mother was saying. She felt like she was close to hyperventilating. She didn’t want to have this conversation. Not now, not with an audience. She closed her eyes to concentrate on steadying her breathing. Graham’s warm hand covered hers, and she latched on, needing the lifeline he provided.

“Only because you abandoned him,” Debra insisted.Oh,God!Just keep breathing. She said it over and over again to herself. She would not let her mother push her over the edge.

That’s when Maddie had had enough. “He tried tokillher!” That shut her up. She gaped at Maddie, then at Natalie.

It was their father who spoke first. “What do you mean, Madison?”

“I mean exactly that!” she yelled. “He was angry she had flushed all his drugs. Tens of thousands of dollars worth of drugs. He was deep in debt to his dealers. They convinced him to sell for them. He had it hidden all over the house. Natalie flushed it all. When he found out, he hit her. She threw his ass out in the street, and I, for one, had never been prouder of her!”

“Hear! Hear!” Graham cheered under his breath as he squeezed her hand under the table.

Natalie hoped Maddie would stop there, but she was too angry. It was time their parents knew everything. She met Maddie’s eyes across the table, her sister’s gaze fierce. Ready to do battle on her behalf. “But he wasn’t done with her. The suppliers were threatening him. He had to replace all the money lost, or they’d most likely kill him, but at that point, he had no money. He blamed Natalie for his downfall. Which was complete bullshit!”

“Watch your language, young lady,” Debra admonished.

“Seriously, Mother?” Maddie rolled her eyes.

“Debra,” William said slowly. “Let her talk.” He turned back to Maddie. “What happened?”

“We had the locks changed and took out a restraining order. We took every precaution, but he succeeded in talking our neighbor into letting him into the house. When Natalie came home, he was here. He jumped her, beat the shit out of her. I … could hear her screaming,” Maddie broke off for a minute, her voice thick with emotion. Natalie noticed David had reached over to cover her hand in comfort and support.

Maddie took a sip of water with a trembling hand. “I called the police then ran to see what was wrong. I found her on the floor. He was on top of her. Strangling her. Killing her.” You could hear a pin drop. Everybody was quiet listening to Maddie tell the horrific story. Even Debra was silent.

Maddie told them the whole story. The strangulation, the knife, the fear. Natalie listened quietly, staring at her plate. She couldn’t tell her parents any of it, leaving Maddie to tell it all. The shame was there again too; she really hadn’t wanted Graham’s family to know.

But Maddie finished it. “I … I was losing her. She collapsed, dropped like a rock. In all the chaos, no one noticed the blood at first. He’d stabbed her. In the side, just as she fell.”

She turned to William. “God, Dad! She wasn’t breathing. I thought … I thought she was dead,” Maddie started crying, still very upset at what they had gone through. It was then Natalie noticed that not only was Graham holding her hand, but so was his mother. Both offering solace.

To his credit, William had gone to Maddie and was patting her on the back as she sobbed. “She saved my life, attempting to slow the bleeding until the paramedics arrived. I owe her everything,” Natalie finished quietly, meeting her sister’s eyes across the table.

“Me too,” Graham stated, squeezing her hand.

“Where is that man now?” William asked, eyes wide in shock and fear for his daughter’s safety.

“Jail. Maddie and I testified at his trial.”

“Thank God,” William intoned.

Debra gasped. “There was a trial? That means media coverage.” Debra was irritated. Her horror wasn’t for the fact that Natalie had been attacked. She was only outraged that her daughters had been connected with a story like that in the media. “Couldn’t you have figured out a way to send him to jail without involving yourselves?”

Maddie erupted again. “Hekilledher! Natalie was dead for nearly five minutes!”

“I understand that. But people will talk. What will my friends think when they find out about this?”

“Debra,” William admonished.

“That’s it, Mother. Get out!” Maddie yelled.

“You can’t kick me out! I’m your mother!”

“She’s right, Maddie,” Natalie interjected, her voice surprisingly steady. “You can’t kick her out.” Then she straightened her spine and looked her mother directly in the eye. “But I can.” Debra gasped, her hand flying to her throat, aghast that her daughter was speaking to her in such a manner. “This is my home. You are no longer welcome. Please leave,” she finished bravely, and it felt good. She’d finally stood up to her wretched mother.

“After all we’ve done for you over the years, this is how you treat us?” Debra was outraged, but the floodgates were open now, and there was no closing them.

“What have you done for us?” Maddie joined in.

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