As Michelle fell back in the hallway, her head hit the wall. She slid down as the world spun.

"I should have cut your fucking balls off when yer mam died. I knew a little freak like you would never be a real man."

The word "freak" stung Michelle like a blow. The anger gave her a jolt of adrenaline. Her head cleared as her mind seemed to slow down what was happening.

Tommy grabbed the front of her dress as she scrambled away. The buttons popped off , leaving her with her underwear on full view.

"Come here ya little queer, I'm gonna beat the fuck out of ya, then your gonna sign. It will be just like the good old days, when I knocked your ma about."

Her mind processed what he had said. Beat my mother? She never knew. She remembered the bruises on her mother's arms, the black eyes. Her mother always came up with an explanation. Hit her eye on the fridge door, fell over and other explanations that a nine year old would accept.

It made sense now. The submissive behavior his mother always had around Tommy. He was beating her! White hot rage filled Michelle. She had been constantly belittled, slapped and derided, from the age of 10 when her mother died. This man was a monster!

"Come here and take yer beating, ye can't get away."

He loomed over her, grabbing for her throat. She could smell the whisky on his breath. Michelle brought both of her knees close to her chest and kicked out at Tommy's body with twenty years of uncorked rage.

The kick from any women would have stunned most men. Michelle though, was physically still a man. This coupled with the rage she felt, made the kick devastating. The stiletto heels concentrated the force of the kick into two tiny points. One in Tommy's left thigh, the other in his testicles. He screamed in an unnaturally high pitch, then collapsed on the floor.

Michelle tried to stand, but slipped back down as her kick had broken off one of the heels. She tried again and manged to stand by supporting herself against the wall. Her eyes were blurred and her blood was streaming down her face from her nose.

"I'll fucking kill yer, you cunt!"

Tommy still on his knees, with one hand holding his damaged testicles, slowly pulled himself up using the fallen telephone table. When he was upright, he put his hand in his pocket and pulled out a knife.

Michelle's eyes went wide with terror. She had seen that knife before.

There was a noise outside .

"Are you alright in there."

It was her neighbor, Sally Merchant.

"Run Sally he's dangerous." She screamed.

A figure rushed into the hallway.

Tommy half turned to see who it was. Sam's fist caught him square in the jaw. His head bounced off the hallway wall and he dropped the knife.

Sam kicked the knife backwards away from the fallen man. Tommy turned his hate filled eyes on the man who had punched him. Sam backed out of the open front door. He wanted to get this madman away from Michelle. Tommy lunged for him . Sam caught his lunge, and turned it into the Jiu-Jitsu O Goshi, a hip throw. He held his right arm as Tommy slammed into the flower bed, and put him in a wrist lock. He pulled up slightly, causing Tommy to scream in pain.

"Who the hell are you, and what have you done to my girlfriend?"

Sam glanced at Michelle as she staggered to the door. All his instincts told him to go and make sure she was alright. He knew that the man on the floor posed a danger to everyone so he kept his knees on his neck and hip.

A police car screeched to a halt, it's bright blue flashing lights and sirens blaring. Two policeman ran into the garden and shouted at Sam to let Tommy go.

"He had a knife and was trying to kill my girlfriend."

"Let him go sir, we'll sort this out."

As they helped Tommy to his feet his anger boiled over.

"Fucking girlfriend, that's my stepson . Your both a couple of queers. I'll kill the pair of ya."

Tommy's outburst and Sally's explanation convinced the police who the offender was. Another car arrived to take him away. An ambulance arrived for Michelle. She didn't want to go but Sam insisted.

They treated Michelle at the A&E at Stevenage. She had a black eye and bruising. Her nose was sore but unbroken. Sam who had followed the ambulance had brought her fresh clothes to change into. They left the hospital and headed for Hertford police station to make a statement.

Tommy was being held in the cells, and it looked like he was going to be charged with a number of things including a hate crime.

Back at their home they sat in the kitchen and Sam made Michelle the British cure all, hot sweet tea. Michelle explained that her mother died when she was ten. Tommy had tried to palm him off with relations. Since his mother was an only child it was difficult. The will also stipulated that Micheal was the sole owner of the house until eighteen. Then the house would be split between the two. His mother had intended this so Micheal would be raised by his stepfather, in the house he grew up in, then they would sell the house an both have some money.

Michelle moved out at eighteen to go to university. The house was never sold. Michelle explained that since her mother died she had never had a birthday or a Christmas. She just tried to avoid Tommy's drunken rages. After the funeral he had made Michelle burn all the girls clothes his mother had brought him in a oil drum in the garden. Tommy had made him drop his trousers and held the knife to his penis. He told him if he ever saw him dressed in girl's clothes again, he would cut the lot off.

Sam made them a simple supper of beans on toast. There was very little food left in the house, but it satisfied them both.

"I'm taking tomorrow off, I'm staying with you Michelle."

"But your job, you can't."

"I was only going to observe new surgical procedures, nothing that can't wait. You're too important to me Michelle. You been through a serious assault and need support."

She couldn't argue, she was shaken and needed to be held. They headed up to bed hand in hand, At the top of the stairs, Sam hugged Michelle for the hundredth time that day.

"If you need me just call."

"Sam, can you please sleep with me. I don't want to be alone."

She fell asleep with Sam spooning her. With his strong arms around her, she felt safe and warm.

©Leeanna19 2022