Chapter 4
Cat was awakened by a persistent banging. She bolted upright and scanned the room. Where was that noise coming from? She scooted out of bed and pulled on her robe. Carrying a baseball bat she got from Seth’s room, she crept down the stairs. As she tiptoed through the living room, she heard the banging again. Someone was pounding on the kitchen door. She reached into the kitchen and turned on the light before she stepped inside. She could see Art through the back-door window. He struggled to hold something in one arm while he banged on the door with the other.
Cat ran over to the door and opened it. She muffled a scream when she saw what he was holding, or rather, who he was holding.
“She’s hurt,” Art said. He dragged Billie inside and laid her on the floor.
Cat’s medical training took over as she examined Billie. “Please carry her to our room, up the stairs and at the end of the hall. I need to get her clothes off to see the extent of the damage… and please try to be quiet. I don’t want to wake the kids.”
Art lifted Billie and carried her up the stairs to her room. Cat followed behind. She took a deep breath to regain her composure before she entered their room and closed the door.
“Lay her on the bed and help me remove her clothes,” Cat said as she collected her medical bag from the desk in the corner.
Within minutes, they had her clothes off. When Art saw Billie’s battered body, he ran into the adjoining bathroom. Cat heard him vomit into the toilet. When he returned to the bedroom, Cat was examining Billie’s eyes with a small light, testing the responsiveness of her pupils.
“Why didn’t you take her to the hospital?” Her hands shook as she examined Billie.
“She refused to go. She made me promise to take her home.”
Cat’s eyes filled with tears. “What happened to her?” she whispered.
Art knelt by the side of the bed and took one of Billie’s hands in his. “She tried to drown her sorrows in one of the seediest bars in town. Some creep had her in the alley and beat the shit out of her. I hope to God nothing else happened, but she was partially unclothed and the man had his pants down around his ankles when I found them.”
Cat gasped as the knowledge of what Billie might have endured sunk in. “Art, I need to see if she’s been violated. Please go into the bathroom down the hall and soak some white towels in hot water while I examine her, okay?”
Art nodded and rose to his feet.
While he was gone, Cat spread Billie’s legs and examined her for signs of sexual violation. When it became obvious Billie had escaped that horror, Cat lowered her head to the bed and cried silent, thankful tears.
Moments later, Art returned with the towels. “Was she…”
Cat shook her head.
Art released a breath and wrapped his arms around Cat. He hugged her and kissed her on top of the head. “
What can I do to help?” he asked.
Cat handed him some of the towels as they worked together to clean the blood and dirt off Billie. When they rolled her over to examine her back, Cat almost passed out at the sight of the welt marks crisscrossing her back and shoulders.
She cried as she washed the angry red stripes on Billie’s back. “My God, she must have been terrified.”
“Cat, let me finish here, okay? Go make us some tea while I clean her up.”
Cat nodded and rose to her feet. She shuffled out of the room and came back later with two cups of hot mint tea. She handed one to Art, placed her own on the nightstand, and resumed her examination. Noting the large bruise on Billie’s side, she pressed the palm of her hand into it to determine if there were any broken ribs. Billie moaned at the contact.
“Help me to sit her up. I need to wrap her ribs. I don’t think anything’s broken, but she’s pretty well banged up.”
After a few more minutes, they had tended to all of Billie’s wounds, wrapped her ribs, and rubbed salve into the welts on her back. Cat slipped a clean flannel nightshirt over Billie’s head and laid her on the bed. She pulled the sheet up to cover her just above her breasts. She leaned over, brushed a stray lock of hair from her forehead, and motioned Art out of the room ahead her.
She carried second cups of tea to the table for her and Art and placed her hand on his arm. “You should have taken her to the hospital.”
Art studied the contents of his cup and glanced at Cat. “She wouldn’t go. She insisted I bring her here. She said if she was going to die, she wanted it to be in your arms.”
Cat was startled. “She said that? Her injuries aren’t severe enough for her to die.”
“I know. I think she went to the bar on purpose, hoping someone would put her out of her misery.”
“No. Billie has too much to live for to have a death wish.”
“Does she? She doesn’t think so. She thinks she’s lost you and the children for good. I think she went to the bar fully aware this could happen.”
“If that’s true, then she’s more unstable than I thought,” Cat said.
Art extended his hand to her, palm up. Cat willingly placed her hand in his. “No, I don’t think so. She’s not unstable, just distraught. She thinks she’s lost the most precious things in her life. I think she just gave up, not wanting to live without you and the kids.”
“You saw the photographs.”
Art sighed. “Yes, I did, and like I said on the phone, I don’t blame you for being angry. But maybe, just maybe, there’s an explanation for all of this.”
Cat raised her eyebrows. “I know what I saw. Hell, even you admit the photographs are incriminating.”
“Yes, they are, but Billie was adamant about her innocence. In fact, she was pissed at me for jumping to the same conclusions you did.”
Cat stood her ground. “What other explanation could there be?”
“Did you ask her for one?”
A cloud of regret fell over Cat’s mind. “No, I didn’t. I just reacted. Maybe I should have let her explain.”
“Billie said you called her some pretty hurtful names.”
“Yes, I did. I called her a name appropriate to the situation.”
Art squeezed her hand. “You don’t need to forgive her yet. Give her time to heal and let her explain before you decide to open your heart again. Okay?”
“I don’t know if I can trust her.”
Art nodded. “I understand how you’re feeling, but do you want to spend the rest of your life wondering?”
Cat shook her head.
“Then give her a chance to explain. Do it for her. Do it for you, and for the kids. If you still feel this way after her explanation, at least you’ll know. All right?”
Cat closed her eyes. “All right.”
Chapter 5
Cat checked on Billie one more time before climbing into bed with Tara for the night. Within moments, she fell into a light sleep, her subconscious mind listening to Billie in the next room. Before long, sounds of moans and protests woke her up.
She rose from the bed, careful not to disturb Tara, and went to her own bedroom. She checked in on Billie and saw her twisting in the bed. Her head thrashed from side to side and sweat poured from her hairline while a bead of moisture formed on her upper lip. A string of protests came from her throat.
“Brian, no more. Please. I promise not to do it again. Please, no more.”
The fear and pain in Billie’s voice filled Cat with remorse. What hell Billie must have lived through while married to Brian.
“My God, what did he do to you?” Cat whispered.
Cat ached as she stood in the doorway and watched the keeper of her heart struggle. Unable to stay away, she approached the bed and crawled under the covers. She pulled Billie into her embrace and held her tight while reciting soothing words of comfort into her ear. Soon, Billie settled down and fell back into a deep sleep.
Try as she might, Cat couldn’t let go of the pain in her heart as she waited for Billie to calm down. When she was sure Billie was sleeping quietly, she slipped
out of bed and rejoined Tara for the rest of the night.
Cat was awakened the next morning by Seth. “Mama, Mom’s here. She’s in your room and she’s hurt,” he said.
Cat got up and ran her hand through her hair. She saw Tara was out of bed. “Where’s your sister?”
“Tara’s downstairs watching cartoons. Sky’s with Mom.”
Cat took him by the shoulders and lowered her face to his. “Seth, Uncle Art brought Mom home last night. A bad man beat her up, that’s why she’s hurt. She’s going to be fine, honey. All right?”
A string of emotions crossed Seth’s face. “Are you and Mom still fighting?”
“No, we’re not fighting. Mom just needs time to recover from her injuries.”
“Is she staying with us?”
Cat cupped one side of his face with her hand. “I don’t know what’s going to happen. We’ll take it one day at a time and see, okay?”
Seth nodded and hugged her. “I won’t let her hurt you, Mama, I promise.”
“I don’t think you have to worry about Mom hurting me, or any of you for that matter. True, we might fight now and then, but there’s never been any hitting—never.”
“I know,” Seth said, “but Dad used to hit Mom, and—”
Cat pulled him close and agonized over what he had witnessed between Billie and Brian at such a young age. “I know, but please don’t worry.” She kissed him on the head. “I care a great deal about your mom. Trust me when I say that. We just have some things to work out, but I promise you, no hitting. Okay?”
“Okay.”
She ruffled his hair. “Go watch TV with your sister. I’ll be down soon to make breakfast.”
Seth scampered out of the room. Cat headed toward her own bedroom. She pushed the door open and saw Billie lying on her side, curled around a still sleeping Skylar, who must have crawled in with her in the middle of the night. Cat leaned on the doorframe and stifled a sob with her hand.
Full of aches and pains, Billie held Skylar in her arms and headed toward the kitchen. She stopped in the doorway and watched the scene before her. It was a day like many others. Cat held a spatula over a tall plate of pancakes. “Who wants more?”
Seth and Tara held out their plates.
“Me too, Mama,” Skylar said, announcing their presence.
Cat looked up. “You’re awake,” she said. “Sit. I’ll get a dish for you.” Billie noticed that her gaze lingered only momentarily. She was almost certain she felt the chill emanating from Cat’s cold shoulder.
She winced as she walked toward the table. She placed Skylar in her seat and sat down in the empty chair beside her. She opened her arms to the older children. Both of them rose from the table and approached her warily.
“It’s all right. Come here.” She tried hard to stifle a painful grunt as they ran into her arms. She wrapped her arms around them and held them close. With a kiss for each child, she sent them back to their seats to finish their breakfast.
Gingerly, she rose to her feet once more and approached the counter where she poured herself a cup of coffee and refilled the cup Cat was drinking from. She carried them to the table.
Cat followed her with a clean plate and utensils. “Sit. Help yourself.” She placed a stack of fresh pancakes and sausage in the center of the table.
“Thanks, but I’ll pass on the food.” Billie drank her coffee in silence, while noting the nervous glances Seth and Tara shot in her direction.
“Mom, what happened to you?” Tara asked.
Billie paused for a moment before answering. “I ran into someone last night who wasn’t very nice. Let’s just say he got a few more punches in than I did.”
“Is he in jail now?” Tara asked.
“I don’t know. I don’t remember much of what happened.”
“Well he belongs in jail. Hey, pass the pancakes, will you?” Tara said to her brother.
Billie sipped her coffee as she listened to the children chatter about their plans to go to the park with their friends, Stevie and Karissa, later in the day. As she watched her family interact, she prayed to whatever God was listening that Cat would allow her stay.
After the children finished eating, Billie rose from the table and helped Cat clear away the breakfast dishes. As usual, Billie rinsed them and handed them to Cat, who arranged them in the dishwasher. As the last dish was loaded, their eyes met and held for a moment. A frown crossed Cat’s brow. She looked away, grabbed the dishcloth from the counter, and washed the table.
“Cat,” Billie said.
Cat continued to wash the table. “Billie, please. Not now.”
Billie lowered her chin to her chest and sighed. She pushed herself off the counter she was leaning against and headed back to their room. Several minutes later, she was dressed and descending the stairs to the living room. She went to each child and kissed them. She told them each she loved them and would see them soon.
Cat, who had been downstairs in the laundry room, carried a laundry basket of clothes up the cellar stairs into the kitchen just as Billie reached for the doorknob. All three children were standing in the doorway between the kitchen and living room, crying. Billie also had tears rolling down her cheeks.
Cat stopped short and said, a little more sternly than she intended, “Where the hell do you think you’re going?”
Confusion masked Billie’s face. “You said—”
“I said I didn’t want to talk about it. It’s too fresh. I need some time to deal with it, okay? I didn’t mean for you to leave. You’re in no condition to go anywhere.”
Tara wiped the tears from her face, walked over, and took Billie’s hand. “Wanna watch Barney with us, Mom?”
“Barney! Barney!” Skylar chanted as she jumped up and down.
Instead of the traditional groan usually invoked by any mention of the purple monster’s name, a grin crossed Billie’s face.
“I’d love nothing more than to watch Barney with you, sweetie.” Billie allowed herself to be led to the living room by a daughter on each hand.
Cat sat down into a kitchen chair and dropped the basket of clothes on the floor. A pair of small arms circled her neck as Seth hugged her.
“Thanks, Mama,” he said. He kissed her cheek, released her, and ran into the living room to join his mother and sisters.
This is not going to be easy, Cat thought.
Chapter 6
Cat walked through the living room on her way upstairs, carrying a pile of folded clothes to be put away. As she passed by the couch, she observed Billie’s long form surrounded by children. Billie sat on the couch, watching a purple dinosaur dance across the screen. Skylar was on her lap, wrapped in her arms, and Seth and Tara were book-ending her. Each held onto an arm and leaned into her. Cat’s heart ached at the thought that this loving scene could be nothing more than a farce.
Moments later, Cat reminded the children to get ready for their trip to the park with Stevie and Karissa. “Come on guys, you need to get dressed. Jen will be here to pick you up in a few minutes.”
Three excited children jumped up and headed for their rooms to get dressed, leaving Billie on the couch alone.
Billie noticed Cat had dragged the vacuum cleaner out earlier. She held her ribs, struggled to her feet, and plugged the machine in. She stepped on the foot pedal to turn it on and began to vacuum the rug. Seconds later, the vacuum shut off. She turned around as fast as her injuries would allow and saw Cat standing behind her with the electrical plug in her hand.
“What are you doing?” Cat asked.
Billie shifted her weight to one hip and narrowed her eyes. “What does it look like I’m doing?”
“I didn’t ask for your help.”
“I wasn’t aware I had to have permission to do chores in my own home,” Billie said.
Cat threw the plug on the floor and stomped out of the room.
Billie took a deep, painful breath and sighed. She bent over to pick up the cord, plugged the vacuum back in, and finished c
leaning the rug. She wrapped the cord around the built-in holder on the vacuum and rolled it into the hall closet. The whole time, she could hear Cat banging dishes around in the kitchen.
Billie walked to the kitchen and stopped in the doorway. “Cat, we need to talk.”
Cat stood at the sink with her back to Billie. She raised her hands out to the sides. “Not now. Leave me alone. Please. This isn’t a good time.”
“Not a good time?” Billie said, her voice tinged with anger. “When will it be a good time? Tell me that much, will you?”
At that moment, Jen burst through the kitchen door. “Hey, neighbors,” she said in her usual cheerful manner. The expression changed on Jen’s face as she took in the scene before her. “This is not good,” she said.
“I’ll get the kids, Jen,” Cat said. “They should be just about ready to go.” She tossed the dishtowel onto the kitchen table and left the room.
Billie shifted from foot to foot and avoided Jen’s gaze. Jen was their closest friend, but this situation was too personal to share. She felt Jen’s hand on her arm and winced at the contact. Still, she avoided her gaze.
“Billie,” Jen said.
Billie allowed Jen to take her chin in hand so she had a full-on view of the cuts and bruises.
“My God. What happened?”
“Stupidity. Mine.”
Jen buried her hands in the back pockets of her jeans. “Want to talk about it?”
“Yes, I do, but the one I need to talk to isn’t talking to me.”
Jen gasped. “Cat? Tell me Cat didn’t do this to you.”
“No, she didn’t.”
The sound of children coming down the stairs drew the attention of both women.
Billie placed her hand on Jen’s shoulder. “This is something I need to work out with Cat. Taking the kids today is good timing. I’m hoping I can get her to sit down and listen to me while they’re gone.”
Jen nodded, her attention diverted to the kids who scampered into the room—all except Seth. “All set?” she asked.
Unchained Memories Page 3