Chapter 42

Michael's POV

"Do you really think this is a good idea?" Bill asked as we pulled up in front of Maeve's house. My eyes scanned the small house that used to be a home for me too. At least for a while. Memories came flooding back into my mind, from us dancing in the kitchen, Maeve reading while softly stroking my hair softly or me watching her sleep peacefully. All these memories only tightened my decision.

"Yes... I don't want to be separated from her for one more day!"

With a single sunflower in my hand I walked up to the front door, where I knocked a few times but there was no answer.

"There's no car in the driveway, I bet she's not even here." I heard Bill comment.

"Do you still have a key?" I asked knowing Bill practically lived here a few months ago while Maeve needed help when her arm was broken.

"What's on your mind?" Bill looked at me with an raised eyebrow, his eyes were discreetly warning me that I was crossing a line but he still reached for his keys.

"I'm just leaving the flower in the kitchen for her, it needs water."

Bill sighed before letting me in. I was quick to grab a vase, that I filled with water from the tab and as I turned around and proceeded to place it on the kitchen table, I noticed something strange.

"BILL?" I called and he came running into the kitchen.

"What is it?"

For a second I was unable to speak, my hand pointed to the table. An uneasy feeling started to form in my stomach as I spoke "Maeve's bag is here."

"And?" Bill questioned. "It's her house, full of HER things."

The feeling of something being off rose but I couldn't quite make out what was wrong and the next thing I knew was that my hands roamed through her bag.

"Michael!" I heard Bill protesting behind me. "You're invading her privacy!"

My search came to a quick end as I pulled out her mobile phone and held it up for Bill to see with a look of 'I told you' on my face.

"She forgot her phone, nothing suspicious, Michael you're crossing a line-"

"No, Bill, you don't understand!" I interrupted him. "The children are at Neverland. She would NEVER EVER leave her phone unattended when they aren't with her, would she?"

"Okay, it's not typical for her to leave her phone but that doesn't proof anything."

"Let us at least check upstairs..." I couldn't wait for him to answer. The feeling inside of me was still present and the only way to ease it was to follow my instincts.

While walking up the stairs I told myself we'd find Maeve, sleeping peacefully in her bed despite my gut feeling. She probably had a well deserved rest day today and was sleeping in late.

Please let her be asleep.

"Come on, Mike. Is this really necessary?"

We were standing in front of Maeve's bedroom door that was slightly opened. I chose not to answer Bill but when I slowly opened the door further, we both knew it was a good thing we came here today.

Maeve's clothes that I recognized from yesterday were spread on the floor in tatters. The door of her closet wide open, clothes and even some compartments were laying in front of it. It looked like someone ripped it's contents out.

"Oh my god" I whispered and covered my open mouth with my hand.

"Michael" I turned to Bill who kneeled on the floor. In front of him were broken pieces of glass and I noticed him holding up a picture.

It showed Maeve and I before we started dating. I grabbed the photo out of his hands and took a closer at it.

The memory that picture held came rushing through my mind. It was during the rehearsals for the bad tour where Maeve would regularly check up on me. We were sitting on the edge of the stage, a plate packed with food and two forks between us. We were so deepened in our conversation that we didn't even notice the picture was taken. This picture used to be at my bedside table in Hayvenhurst, I couldn't remember the last time I saw it but now I know, Maeve had it.

"There's blood on it" I noticed some red stains on the frame. "Where is she?"

My eyes scanned the messy room searching for any kind of clue of what happened yesterday after she left.

She likes to sleep in the bathtub. I remembered what Nicolas told me once and the embarrassing look on Maeve's face when she admitted to sleeping in the bathtub.

"Of course" I whispered and stormed out of the room but when I stood in front of the bathroom I hesitated, I wasn't sure if I wanted to see what was behind that closed door.

My eyes shifted to the handle where I spotted the same dark red spot as on the frame.

Bursting through the door I was surprised to meet a clean and normal looking bathroom, it was the same as always and as I looked around, searching for any kind of evidence that Maeve was in here, my eyes met the bathtub where a small red stain, shaped like a fingerprint, caught my attention and when I stepped closer, my gaze reaching further than just the edge of the tub, I widened my eyes in pure horror. For a moment I froze, my heart scattered in a million pieces at the sight in front of me.

Maeve laid completely naked in fetal position in the bathtub and although her eyes were open she didn't seem to react to anything at all.

There was dried blood covering a great part of the side of her head and from what I saw her nose also had dried blood in it.

"BILL! CALL AN AMBULANCE!"

I fell to my knees, my hands reaching for her but as soon as they slightly touched her skin, her body shot up, scooting away from me as far as the tub let her.

Her breathing immediately picked up, she panicked. Her blood shot eyes stared deadly at me. Her skin was pale and when I noticed some bruises on different parts of her body and face, I gulped hard.

What happened to my wife?

"Maeve, it's just me, Michael" I told her with as much calmness in my voice as I could come up with, trying hard to subdue the feelings I went through in this exact moment. It hurt me seeing her like this and at the same time it made me angry.

"What's going on, Michael?" I heard Bill's footsteps coming closer.

Quickly I slipped my hands out of my jacket and placed it over Maeve's naked body.

Since the first touch triggered such a reaction from her, I tried to not touch her at all this time. She still flinched and I even heard a small whimper coming out of her mouth.

*****

"And you found her like this?" One of the doctors asked me as they wheeled her into the hospital.

I was about to answer but I was interrupted by Maeve yelling as several people were standing around the stretcher, trying to do their job, trying to help her.

"NO!" She yelled and started fighting with all the strength left in her body against the hands that tried helping her. She even kicked one of the doctors faces.

"STOP! EVERYBODY TAKE A STEP BACK!" one of the doctors yelled and immediately everyone took a few steps back.

Maeve breathed heavily and gripped tight onto the blanket they had put over her naked body, she tried hiding. Her eyes switched back and forth between all these people in panic.

"Dr. Robinson?" I looked over at the person who was speaking. The nurse was pointing to her own neck and the doctor who was just talking to me started nodding.

"I've noticed" she said before looking at me and then back at Maeve. "We have a possible code pink!"

Without any further explanation nearly everyone silently left the room, leaving Dr. Robins, a nurse, Bill and me.

"What's going on? What's a code pink?" I asked but the woman didn't answer. Her expression held worry as she looked behind me and nodded, as I turned around and saw two security coming my way.

What is going on?

"Mr. Jackson? We just have a few questions for you, would you please follow us?"

*****

Code pink.

When I found Maeve in the tub the first thing I asked myself was 'who did this to my wife?" And the second question was 'why?'.

Code pink stands for 'victim of domestic violence', I realized that when the police started questioning me. It broke my heart because never ever would I touch my wife like this.

"Mr. Jackson?"

In the empty waiting room where they kept me with police guarding the door, I had nothing else to do than to think. And for the most time I kept pacing back and forth, wondering what happened and who did this to her. At some point I collapsed at one of the chairs, it's been hours since someone talked to me.

My head lifted slowly. Dr. Robinson came walking towards me, she sat down next to me as I straightened my back und looked at her, patiently waiting for her to say anything.

"I don't think you did that to your wife." She stated.

"How is she?" I asked.

"She completely freaked out when you left the room... it took her some time to calm down" she paused and looked at me.

"Mr. Jackson, someone did this to your wife and... and I'm not sure if you already thought of this possibility but several signs indicate that your wife has been sexually abused."