Tommy

Chapter Seven

"Please tell your mama who has done this to you?"
Like a baby, the woman cradled her almost six foot tall son in her arms. The boy said nothing, not wanting to seem like a wuss.
He could fight. Years of training with his father seemed to have an positive effect on his body. But there were just too many of them.

His mother didn't let it down. "Tell me who has done this to you," she said.

Elijah sighed. "Can I at least take a bath?" He asked, wanting nothing more than not be in a room with too many people wanting to know his business.

"Son," Harry started to talk. "Why don't you listen to your mother and tell her what happened?"

Elijah clenched his fists. "I'm not your son," was all the boy said before storming up the stairs.

"I'm so sorry," Abeni said to Harry. "He normally never behaves like this."

"No,it's fine. I think you should have a private talk with him later."

After that, they had the most awkward dinner. Abeni had put food aside for her husband and son, planning to reheat it for them. Ziva and Tommy weren't really in the conversation. Both teenagers were in their own worlds. Though they were seating much closer to each other, not even noticing it.

Eventually the dinner ended and soon Abeni and Ziva were both waving to Harry and Tommy.

"Ziva," her mother said, closing the door. "Please do the dishes and reheat the food while I'm going upstairs." The youngest daughter nodded, walking straight to the kitchen without any fuss.

Abeni walked up the stairs, hearing the water still running. "Elijah?" She asked with her ear against the door.

The boy in the bathroom looked up with red swollen eyes at the door. He sniffled, clearing his throat afterwards. "Yeah?" "Can you please come out? So we can talk." "I don't want to talk," Elijah said, sounding a bit muffled. He was ashamed of himself. He hoped his mom didn't hear him crying. He was better than that.

"Please come out," the mom then choose to beg.
"If you don't want to talk to me, that's fine. Your father will arrive home in a bit. You can talk to him then.

"NO!!" It sounded more like a roar than a word. Elijah didn't want to see the look his father would give him, knowing he was almost raped and beaten by some school boys. He wanted to keep it a secret for his father. "I'll come out in a bit," he said.

"Okay, I will be waiting."

True to her words, the mother sat down on Elijah's bed, waiting. In came her son, wearing a bathrobe around his middle. Drops of water were still dripping down his beaten body.