by Stacy-Deanne
The short, Asian female doctor came out. “Are you Shanti’s mother?”
“Yes.” Layla rocked, rubbing her hands.
“I’m Dr. Chin.”
“Is she okay?” She peeked into the room. “Can I see her?”
Dr. Chin pointed to the forensics nurse. “We’re examining her now.”
“She’s a minor,” Layla said. “I have every right to come in.”
“Please, wait outside, Momma!” Shanti sobbed on the bed. “Please.”
“Okay, baby.” Layla closed the door and hugged Cross.
He patted her hair. “It’s gonna be okay.”
She moved away from him. “Who are you?” she asked, pointing to A.C. “Liyah, I swear to God, your ass better not had gone to that party.” She grabbed her. “What happened?”
“Layla!” Patrick stomped toward them. “What the hell’s going on?” He pulled Aliyah from Layla. “Where’s Shanti?”
“About time you showed up,” Layla said. “You could pry yourself away from your pretty new co-worker long enough to check on your daughter?”
Patrick eyed Cross. “I could’ve asked you the same thing.”
“Stop it!” Aliyah shouted. “Shanti is hurt, and all you can do is fight?”
“What the hell happened?!” Patrick yelled.
“She was raped.” Aliyah shivered.
“Raped?” Patrick’s face dropped. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“It happened at that party,” Aliyah said. “We went to a party in Fifth Ward.”
“A party in Fifth Ward?” Patrick gawked. “Layla, you knew about this?”
“I told her she couldn’t go.”
“I went with A.C.” Aliyah pointed at him. “We left the party for a little while and…” She sobbed. “I’m so sorry, Daddy.”
Patrick held his waist. “Who did this to her?”
“My homeboy,” A.C. muttered.
Layla stood over him. “Your homeboy raped my daughter?”
He stood. “I didn’t know he’d do something like this.”
“What do you have to say, Liyah?” Layla asked. “See why we’ve been trying to get you to straighten up and realize what you were doing? I told you if you hung out with trash, you’d regret it.” Layla glanced at A.C. “I told you that you were putting yourself in danger, hanging with these thugs!”
“I’m not a thug,” A.C. said. “I feel just as bad as you do that this happened to Shanti.”
“I doubt that very much,” Patrick said. “You can get the hell out of here. But first I wanna know who this homeboy is and where he stays. When I get through with him, he’s gonna wish he was never born.”
A tall, slender-faced black man with short, wavy hair walked up. “Excuse me. I’m looking for Shanti Sham.” He took out a badge. “I’m Detective Gunner with the Houston Police.”
“Hello,” Aliyah said. “I’m Aliyah, Shanti’s sister. I called you. These are my parents, Layla and Patrick.”
“Nice to meet you.” Gunner put his badge up. “I just wish it were under better circumstances. Is Shanti still with the doctor?”
“She’s having her exam,” Aliyah said.
Gunner sized up the young man beside him. “You are?”
“A.C.” He moved closer to Aliyah. “I’m her boyfriend.”
Patrick grimaced. “Like hell you are.”
“Daddy.” Aliyah grabbed Patrick’s hand. “It’s not the right time.”
Cross held his hand out to Gunner. “I’m Cross Evers. I’m a friend of Layla’s.”
Patrick groaned as Gunner shook his hand.
“It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Evers.”
Just then, Dr. Chin walked out. “We’re done.” She gave a sympathetic glance at Patrick. “Are you Shanti’s father? I’m Dr. Chin.”
“Yes, I’m her father. What’s going to happen now?”
She moved aside as the forensics nurse passed and left the room.
“Our forensics nurse did a rape kit, and we’re going to run STD tests to make sure everything is okay. The social worker spoke to Shanti as well.”
Gunner held his hand out to the doctor. “I’m Detective Gunner.”
“Dr. Chin.” She smiled and took his hand. “Mr. and Mrs. Sham…”
“We’re divorced,” Layla said. “It’s Layla Oates.”
Patrick cut his gaze to her and then shook his head.
“First, I’d like to say I’m very sorry for what happened to your daughter.” Dr. Chin held her clipboard to her side. “It’s sad when anyone is assaulted, but to happen to someone so young…”
“I wanna talk to her,” Layla said. “I need to make sure she’s okay.”
“I need to speak to her first, Ms. Oates,” Gunner said. “I’d like to get all details while it’s still fresh in her mind.”
“She was raped, Detective,” Patrick said. “I doubt those details are going anywhere any time soon.”
“The sooner I can hear Shanti’s statement, the quicker I can get this guy.”
Layla and Patrick exchanged glances.
“She’s a minor,” Patrick said. “That means we can be present for the questioning.”
“You do realize it could be very uncomfortable for her,” Gunner said. “I want her to feel she can be as open as possible, which would be more difficult with you two in the room.”
Layla fidgeted. “I gotta see my little girl.”
Cross rubbed her back to console her.
“I just need to see her and make sure she’s all right.” Layla sobbed. “Please.”
Gunner stood aside. “Okay.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
“Shanti?” Layla tiptoed inside the freezing exam room.
Shanti lay on the bed in a hospital gown with her back to the door.
“Sweetheart.” Patrick walked up to the bed. “It’s Daddy. I’m here.”
Aliyah, Gunner, and Dr. Chin stayed by the door. Layla walked to the other side of the bed and almost died when she saw the state of her baby girl. Shanti remained in a ball, shivering. She looked at everything but Layla.
“Shanti.” Layla bent down and stroked her hair. “Are you all right?”
Shanti flinched.
“I’m so sorry,” Layla whispered. “If I could make the pain go away, I would.”
A tear fell from Shanti’s eye and onto the pillow.
“We love you so much,” Layla continued. “Just know we’ll always love you, and we don’t blame you for anything.”
“That’s right, honey.” Patrick’s voice appeared muffled with sadness. “We love you more than anything in this world.” He inched toward her. “You hear me, baby girl? It’s gonna be all right.” He patted her side. “Everything’s gonna be all right.”
“Shanti?” Gunner approached the bed. “I’m Detective Gunner. Would you mind answering some questions?”
“Detective?” She rolled over. “Why are you here? Who said you could be here?”
“I called him,” Aliyah said as she moved from the door.
“Why?” Shanti sat up with her thick hair flowing over one shoulder. “I didn’t say I wanted the police.”
“Khalil raped you.” Aliyah stood at the foot of the bed. “You can’t let him get away with it.”
“Why?” Shanti squinted. “Because you don’t want me to? It’s always about what you want isn’t it?”
“No, it’s for you. That asshole needs to be in jail for what he did.”
“Get her out of here.” Shanti lay back down. “Now!”
Aliyah’s lips trembled. “What?”
“I don’t wanna see or talk to her,” Shanti said. “Get her out.”
“Go outside, Liyah,” Patrick said.
She left, sobbing.
“Shanti, I know this is hard for you.” Gunner walked to the other side of the bed. “I just wanna help you. If at any time you’re uncomfortable…we can stop.”
“We’ll be here for you, honey.” Layla rubbed Shanti’s hair.
“We won’t leave your side.”
“No way,” Patrick whispered.
“What do you say, Shanti?” Gunner took out his notepad. “Would you mind answering a few questions for me?”
Shanti lifted her head but didn’t look at any of them. “Does my Daddy have to be here too?”
Layla looked at Patrick. He seemed jolted by the question.
“You don’t want me here, sweetie?” he asked.
“It’s just hard.” She brushed her hair away from her face. “I don’t want you to know what happened.”
“Oh honey, it’s not your fault. I want to know so I can help you.”
“It’s embarrassing.” She stuffed her face into the pillow, sobbing. “Please, Daddy. I’d rather you wait outside.”
“Okay.” He backed away from the bed. “Whatever makes you comfortable. I love you.”
She lifted her head, telling him, “I love you too,” as he reluctantly left out of the room.
“I have patients to see, but I’ll be back in about ten minutes,” Dr. Chin said. “Just let the nurse know if you need me.”
As Dr. Chin closed the door behind herself, Gunner got the chair from the corner and set it beside Shanti’s bed.
“I’m so sorry, Shanti.” He sat down. “But I promise I’m gonna do all I can to get this guy.” He got out his pencil. “I’m ready whenever you are, and if you get uncomfortable you can stop.”
Layla stood at the foot of the bed. Shanti sat up and hung her legs over the side of the bed. “Where do I start?”
Gunner got his pencil ready to write. “Why don’t you tell me how you came in contact with Khalil?”
Shanti swallowed and pressed her hands between her thighs. “I met him a few weeks ago when I went with Aliyah to her boyfriend’s. Khalil is a friend of his.”
“Okay.” Gunner jotted. “So you knew him.”
“I don’t ‘know’ him like you mean. Other than tonight, I only saw him that one time. I didn’t like him from the jump. I didn’t like the way he looked at me.” She clenched her gown. “He was always staring at me. It gave me the creeps.”
“How old is this guy?” Layla asked.
“Twenty,” Shanti said.
“Twenty?” Layla grimaced. “What the hell was he doing hanging around teenagers any damn way?”
Gunner tapped his notepad. “Tell me about the party, Shanti.”
“We weren’t supposed to go.”
“I forbad Aliyah to go,” Layla said to Gunner.
Shanti cleared her throat. “She was gonna go anyway so I went with her.”
“Why?” Gunner asked.
“Because I had this funny feeling something would happen, and I didn’t want her to go to that party by herself. She didn’t even know anyone there but A.C.”
Gunner sighed. “You went there to protect her?”
“Yes.” Shanti rubbed her forehead. “We’d been at the party for a while, and Aliyah and A.C. left.”
“Left?” Layla asked.
“Yeah. Momma, I begged her not to go because I was so uncomfortable. The place was crowded and there were all these guys drinking and smoking weed.”
“Smoking weed?” Layla sighed. “I can’t believe Liyah left you alone in that environment. Where was her head?”
“On A.C. apparently,” Shanti said.
“How did you end up alone with Khalil?” Gunner asked.
Shanti stared in space.
“It’s okay, honey,” Layla whispered. “He needs to know to help.”
“After Aliyah left, I went upstairs to the back bedroom.” Shanti dropped her head. “I called Dad a few times. I wanted him to pick me up. But he didn’t answer, so I left voice messages. Khalil came in with a beer. He’d been drinking all night.” She wiggled her fingers. “He wanted me to relax, so he tried to get me to drink. I said ‘no.’ I told him I wanted to leave, and he blocked me.”
“He blocked you?”
Rage rose within Layla.
“Yes. He said I had to give him a kiss first.”
Layla balled a fist. “That son of a bitch.”
“I was scared.” Shanti hugged herself. “I just wanted to leave, because he made me feel so uncomfortable.”
“What happened after he told you that you had to kiss him?”
She focused on Gunner. “I kissed him.” She avoided looking at Layla. “I didn’t want to, but I was scared. I just wanted him to leave me alone. I know it looks bad that I kissed him…but…”
“No.” Gunner leaned forward. “Listen to me. What happened tonight is not your fault.”
She wiped tears. “I feel like it is.”
“It’s not,” Gunner said. “I don’t care what you did in that room, Shanti. It did not give Khalil the right to force himself on you. A kiss does not excuse that kind of violence.”
“That’s right,” Layla said.
“What happened after you kissed him?” Gunner asked.
Shanti took a deep breath.
“It’s okay.” Layla kissed her forehead and took her hand. “Momma’s right here.”
“He told me to let him see my breasts, or I couldn’t leave.” She clenched Layla’s hand. “I told him I wasn’t doing that. When I tried to pass him, he grabbed me…and…he threw me on the bed.”
Layla closed her eyes. “He…he got on top of me.”
Gunner jotted. “What did he do next?”
“He started kissing me very hard, and he pulled at my clothes.” She let go of Layla’s hand. “He…he—”
“He penetrated you?” Gunner whispered.
Shanti nodded, with her head down.
“I’m so sorry, baby.” Layla hugged her. “I’m so sorry Momma wasn’t there to protect you.”
“I screamed, but he put his hand over my mouth. No one could hear me. It was so loud with all the people and the music.” Tears streamed down Shanti’s face. “I just lay there, looking at the ceiling. I kept praying to God to make it end. I kept praying.”
“Oh, baby.” Layla pulled her close. “He’s gonna pay for this. Trust me.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
Cross approached Layla when walked out of the exam room. “How is she?”
“She hates me, doesn’t she?” Aliyah asked. “She blames me. I know it.”
“What did she say?” Patrick moved in front of the others. “What did she say he did?”
Layla closed her blazer, fidgeting nervously. “I’m not gonna discuss that, Patrick.”
“What do you mean you’re not gonna discuss it?” A bead of sweat rolled off the top of his bald head. “This is my little girl. I wanna know what that asshole did to her.”
“You wanna know in every disgusting detail?” Layla huffed. “Believe me, you don’t. I couldn’t stand to hear it, and I damn sure couldn’t repeat it.”
“I wanna know.” Patrick pounded his fist into his palm.
“Why?” Layla wiped a tear. “What difference would it make? It happened, and the only thing we can do now is be there for her and make sure he pays.”
“That’s not good enough for me,” Patrick said. “My little girl was violated. This will affect her for the rest of her life, Layla.”
“You don’t think I know that?” she shouted. “Maybe if you’d answered your damn phone, then she wouldn’t be here in the first place.”
Cross put his arm around her. “Layla.”
“What are you talking about?” Patrick asked.
“She said she called you, and you never answered. She wanted you to pick her up from the party.”
“Jesus.” Patrick touched his forehead. “I must’ve turned my phone off by mistake, and I didn’t even think to check messages.”
“I’m sure.” Layla crossed her arms. “Too busy entertaining your beautiful new co-worker while our daughter needed you the most.”
“And what about you?” he shouted. “Your entire night was occupied by this,” he said, pointing to Cross.
“This?” Cross frowned. “I
have a name.”
“Not one I care to remember,” Patrick muttered.
“You know I’ve been waiting to say a lot to you,” Cross said. “But out of respect for Layla, Aliyah, and what Shanti has been through…I’ll bite my tongue.”
Patrick stood in front of him. “Why don’t you just get the hell out of here?”
“Excuse you, Patrick.” Layla stood between them. “Cross is with me, and he can stay here as long as he likes.”
“He’s not family, and he has no business being here.” Patrick turned to A.C. “And neither do you.”
“Cross supports me, Patrick,” Layla said. “Which is a hell of a lot more than I can say for you.”
“I never supported you?” He gawked at her. “Seriously? I was the one who did everything when you were never there!”
“And you never let me forget that, did you? You were always waiting to remind me how much of a fucked up mother and wife I was.”
“Stop it!” Aliyah shouted. “We’re in a hospital.”
People watched the scene as they passed.
“Shanti is hurt.” Aliyah wailed. “I’ll never forgive myself.” She bent over in tears. “Never.”
A.C. hugged her. “It’s okay.”
“It’s not okay,” Layla said. “You were so busy being selfish and trying to hurt me that you never thought about your sister.”
Aliyah looked at her with teary eyes.
“She said you left her at that party alone.”
Patrick glared at Aliyah. “Is that true?”
“Yes, it’s true,” Layla said. “She left her there to be with him.” She pointed to A.C. “Because he was more important than anyone wasn’t he, Liyah? More important than protecting your sister who got hurt for wanting to protect you!”
“I’m sorry.” Aliyah cried. “I wish I could take it back. I swear.”
“Well, you can’t.” Layla tried to hold herself together but grew angrier the more she looked at Aliyah. “Because of your selfishness, Shanti will have to live with something horrible for the rest of her life. You should be ashamed of yourself, Aliyah.”
“I am.” She cried into her hands. “Daddy?” She reached out to him, but he turned away from her.
“Daddy, I’m sorry.” She hugged him from the back. “Please.”