Oh, How Lovely~ Lams

20.

"Nana!" Philip cheered as they walked to John's mothers apartment. He was very close with his grandmother, since he spent so much time with her while John worked. That, of course, was before Martha came around. Now Philip was staying with her every night and hated it.

John walked with his son in his arms, ready to go to his moms. He wanted to see her, not having almost all week, as well as spend time with Philip. He hadn't had much alone time with him since anytime he was home, Martha was there too.

John just allowed himself in his moms house with his key. "Aye, mama!" John said, closing the door and locking it back before putting Philip down.

"Nana!" Philip squealed when Eleanor walked into his sight, running up to her for a hug.

"My boy!" Eleanor smiled as she picked up her grandson, covering his faces in kisses. Philip squealed and giggled, enjoying this.

Eleanor laughed softly as she stopped, still keeping Philip in her arms.

"Hola, hijo. Long time no see, yes?" She said, having missed both her son and her grandson. Since Martha was around, she didn't get much time with either of them anymore.

"I know, mama. I just been busy, ya know? I been workin a lil more since Martha's back cause she's an extra mouth to feed and she's just a pricey woman." John explained, sitting on the couch, his mom following and sitting with him.

"Mmm." Eleanor said, clearly not having it. "Why doesn't she get a job? She's a perfectly capable adult." She said, playing with Philip as they spoke.

John sighed softly. "She's trying to bond with Philip so she wants to stay home, mama. I gotta give her time, ya know?"

"But she's taking away from your time with the son you've been raising." Eleanor tried to explain to John.

"She needs time with lil man too. He needs his mama, mama." John said, picking Philip up and putting him in his lap.

"I think he was doing fine before. He doesn't seem to like Martha very much." Eleanor frowned, wiping some stuff off of Philip's cheek.

Eleanor looked at John and furrowed her eyebrows. She grabbed his chin gently to inspect it closer. John tried not to flinch when she did so.

"Are you wearing makeup?" She questioned.

John tried not to panic when she asked this, trying to think of an excuse. "Oh, yeah. Mars wanted to try that shit on me earlier."

Eleanor looked at him for a moment, like she was trying to figure out if he was telling the truth or not.

John tried to keep his panic down. Eleanor got up and went to the other room, coming back with a make up remover. "Take it off then." She said, not buying into it.

"Mama, come on." John laughed nervously.

"Take it off, John." Eleanor said sternly, truly worried about this.

"Look, Mama, I had to break up a bar fight last night and got hit a couple times. It really ain't nothing." John said, starting to wipe off his face.

"oh mon Dieu! Hijo!" Eleanor said, taking his chin and looking at the few bruises that were under the make up. She observed them for a moment before shaking her head.

"Mary!" Eleanor called for her youngest daughter.

"Yeah, mama?" Mary said, coming out of her room with her earbuds in.

"Mi amor, can you take Philip for a while?" Eleanor asked, sitting back beside John, who tossed his head back, not wanting this conversation to occur.

"Yeah, I got him." Mary said, picking him up. "Come on, pip. We can watch some movie." She said to him, taking him to her room.

Eleanor waited until they both had left before looking at John. "John, I work in an Emergency Room. I know how to tell how the time span of bruises. Most of these on your face are from different occasions." She said, pushing some hair out of her sons face.

"Mama, I'm alright." John assured, not wanting to have this conversation.

"John, is Martha hurting you?" Eleanor asked, watching him closely. John and Eleanor had always been very close, since he was born. She could always tell when he was lying. He never got away with anything.

"No, mama, she ain't doin anything to me." John tried to assure, sucking in his lip a bit, one of his lying tells.

Eleanor's eyes softened, really upset since she realized he was lying. "John, I know she is, hijo."

John looked down at his lap, starting to tear up. "Mama.." He let out a broken sob.

"Oh, bebé..." Eleanor said, her heart breaking a bit as she pulled her boys into her, holding him comfortingly.

"I don't know what to do, mama!" John cried into his mothers shoulder.

"Just breath, hijo. Mama's got you." Eleanor said, kissing his head.

Once John calmed down a bit, he explained everything to Eleanor.

"It started about a month ago. I made her mad cause I had been talkin to Lex and she started shoving me into the wall and I hit my back. And she was throwing things and it hurt Mama!" John held back a sob.

"Let me see your back, baby." Eleanor said gently. John sniffled and nodded, pulling his shirt off.

"Oh, baby!" Eleanor gasped at the scars and bruises practically covering his back. She wanted to cry. She wrapped her arms around his head and held him close. "Mi chico..." She said, holding her tears back since she knew this was about John.

John sat back up after a moment and Eleanor grabbed his face gently. "Baby, you can't stay with her. Please, for me and for Philip and for yourself, leave this girl." She said.

"I can't, Mama, I love her. And I can't take lil man from his mama." John said, putting his face in his hands.

"Mi hijo, I know it will hurt but you can't stay. What if she hurts you worse? What if she hurts Philip? I mean, baby, she doesn't even spend time with him. She hits you when she's mad... she could put Philip in a hospital." Eleanor explained.

"I don't let her stay with lil man alone." John shook his head. "I won't let anything happen to him."

"Then he isn't really seeing his mother anyways, baby. Please, I know it's hard but you have to let her go." Eleanor said.

"Do you remember when you were little, Henry would get mad at me a lot and he would hit me. And you were always there. You would always step in between us and you'd act like my protector. You've always been that way. You always protected the ones you love at your own expense. And now you need to think of yourself. It's time that you be protected, hijo." Eleanor said, rubbing his cheek.

"I know I gotta but I don't think I'm strong enough too." John said, his voice cracking a bit.

That hurt Eleanor to hear. "Mi amor, you are the strongest person I know. Ever since the day you were born, I have known you were. You are the best father and just so young. You always stand up for everyone. I would probably still be with Henry if it weren't for you and that's because you stood up for me, baby. You are so so much stronger than you realize. You can do this."

John nodded softly. "I'm just... so scared, Mama."

"That's okay, baby. But I have your back all the way. I'm always gonna be here for you, mi hijo."