by J. L. Perry
“It’s alright, honey,” I assure her. “Can you please tell me how this happened?”
She doesn’t answer, so I pull my head back to look at her. I wipe the tears from her sweet little face. “Jacinta, you can trust me. I am your friend,” I say. “Whatever you tell me, I promise it will stay between us.” She puts her head down and I can tell she is debating whether to tell me. I stroke the side of her face. This poor little girl is breaking my heart.
“Did your father do this?” I whisper.
She nods. “He was hitting my mother and I got in the way,” she replies through her tears.
I pull her back into an embrace. “Oh, honey,” I say. “I am sorry to hear that. Does it happen often?” She nods. “Why doesn’t your mother leave him?” She tells me that she is too scared to leave. God, I want to do something to help her, but I have already promised Logan I wouldn’t get involved. That is easier said than done, though. How can I possibly turn a blind eye to what she just told me?
“I am here for you,” I say. “If you need help or just want to talk to someone, please come to me.”
That makes her smile. “Thank you,” she whispers. I promise her again that I won’t say anything and I mean it. As much as I want to, I know it isn’t my place. Besides, she needs someone she can trust and I don’t want to let her down. I am going to be keeping a close eye on her, though.
We still have fifteen minutes of our lesson left, so I ask her if she wants to continue. She smiles and nods. “How about we just practice some of the easier steps for now?”
When we are done, I drive her home. She asks me to drop her off at the corner again, so I do. This time, though, I sit in the car and watch her walk down the street. I need to know which house she lives in, just in case.
She walks down about six houses, then disappears behind a large tree at the front of the property. I wait for about five minutes until I am sure she is inside, then I do a U-turn so I can drive past the house.
CHAPT
ER FOUR
Brooke
The next day, Jacinta comes in up for her Tuesday lessons. I ask her how she is feeling today, and she says, “Good.” As soon as class has finished, I discretely ask her if she can stay behind for a few minutes. Once the other girls leave the room to go and get changed, I lead her over to my dance bag.
“I bought you this mobile phone this morning,” I say, pulling it out. “I have put fifty dollars credit on it for you, and I want you to take it.” She immediately starts to shake her head. “Please, Jacinta,” I plead. “Just in case of an emergency. I will rest easier knowing you at least have a phone, just in case you need it, or even if you just want to talk me. I have programmed my mobile number and the number of the studio into it.”
As I place it into her hands, I again assure her that I won’t break the promise I made to her. I explain that I want her to have the phone as a precaution and that she is welcome to call me any time, day or night.
She already told me that her mother doesn’t have a mobile phone, and there in no landline connected at their house. It is probably her father’s way of controlling them.
“Do you have somewhere safe at home you can hide it?” I ask. She nods. “You don’t even have to tell your mother about it if you don’t want to. It’s up to you. Even if you never use it, it will make me feel better just knowing you have it.”
She puts her arms around me and hugs me. “Thank you, Miss Brooke.” I hug her back and tell her she is welcome.
She tucks the phone into her school bag and goes to get changed. She waves as she quickly makes her way to the door. The community bus the girls travel in, to and from dance lessons is waiting for them outside the studio.
I wait for the last of the girls to leave before I lock the front door. Michelle left earlier, but I want to stay for a while to go over a new dance I am choreographing.
Logan texts me as he is leaving work to see if I am home. I text him back to let him know that I am still at the studio, he tells me to wait there for him, and he will get Chris to drop him off.
Logan has his own key for the front door, so I don’t need to wait to let him in. After walking back into the studio, I turn on the music. I am going over the dance for the third time when I look over towards the studio door. My gorgeous husband is leaning up against the door frame, watching me. He has one of his sexy smiles on his face.
He looks so hot standing there in his expensive designer suit, with that huge smile on his face. I turn off the music with the remote, and run over to him. I wrap my arms around him and he spins me around. Then he gently pushes me back against the wall, bringing his lips down on mine.
****
The next few days pass by quickly. My morning sickness has almost disappeared, except for the occasional nausea. Sometimes food smells will turn my stomach, but that is it. Today is Friday, and I am looking forward to having Logan all to myself this weekend.
It is 5:00 p.m. when I leave the studio. I want to get home before Logan because he is taking me on a date tonight. We are going out to dinner and then to the movies.
Once I arrive home, I make my way to the bathroom because I want to shower and dress so I will be ready when he gets home. As soon as I put my dance bag down, I hear my mobile ringing. My immediate thought is that it is Logan checking to see if I am home yet. I am surprised when I look at the caller ID and Jacinta’s name comes up.
After quickly answering it, I can tell that something is wrong. She is crying so much, I find it hard to understand what she is saying. I ask her to calm down, and hear her take a few deep breaths.
“Miss Brooke,” she finally says, “it is my mum. I can’t wake her up.”
“What do you mean you can’t wake her up?”
“My father beat my mum and she’s unconscious.” I ask her to call an ambulance, but she tells me she is too scared to.
“Is your father still there?” I ask.
“No. He always goes out drinking after he hurts my mum. He will probably be gone for hours,” she says through her sobs.
“Is your mother still breathing?” I ask.
“Just a second.” I hear rustling around. “She’s breathing.”
“Okay. I am on my way, honey. Just stay with your mother and I will be there as soon as I can.”
“Thank you, Miss Brooke,” she sobs. “Please hurry. I’m so scared.”
I quickly run to the elevator and make my way down to the basement. Ten minutes later, I arrive at her house. After parking my car in the street, I run up to the door. I can feel the adrenaline pumping through my body.
“Jacinta?!”
“I am in here, Miss Brooke!” she calls back. I open the screen door and go inside. Her mother is lying on the lounge room floor, still unconscious. The poor thing is black-and-blue. She has blood coming out of her nose, and her lip is split. I check her pulse and it is strong.
“I have to call an ambulance, Jacinta,” I say and she nods.
While we are waiting for the ambulance to arrive, I hold her in my arms. “How long as your mum been like this?”
“Over twenty minutes, maybe more. When my father gets angry, my mum makes me lock myself in my room. I heard him screaming and my mother crying. Then, after about ten minutes, everything went quiet. A few minutes later, I heard the front door slam shut, so I knew he had left the house. My mum usually comes to my room when it is safe to come out. I waited for a while, but she didn’t come. I eventually got the courage to come out of my room and I found my mother like this. My dad hurts her all the time, but I have never seen her this bad,” she sobs. I put my arms around her and hold her. “Is she going to die?” she asks. I have no answer for her.
When the ambulance arrives, Jacinta gets in the car with me as we follow it to the hospital. Thankfully, her mother regained consciousness by the time we arrive. Jacinta and I are now in the room with her, as the doctor examines her. She is in pretty bad shape.
My phone rings, so I leave Jacinta with her mother
and go into the corridor to answer it. When I notice Logan’s number on the screen, my heart drops. Shit! With all the commotion, I’d forgotten to call him.
“Hi, hot stuff. I’m sorry I didn’t call you. I’m at the hospital.” Of course, he immediately starts to freak out. “Logan, calm down. I’m here with Jacinta and her mother.”
The line is quiet for a minute. “I’m on my way.” I try to stop him, but he hangs up before I can say another word.
I know he is going to be pissed at me because he had asked me not to get involved. Unfortunately, I will have to deal with the fallout later. Right now, my only concern is Jacinta.
The police arrived at the hospital not long after we did because the hospital had phoned them. They ask Jacinta and me to step outside so they can ask us some questions. I can tell she is frightened, so I put my arm around her.
While we are talking to the police officers, I see Logan arrive. Once we are done, the officers go back into the room to talk to her mother. We all follow behind them. Logan just stands in the corner, not saying a word. I look over at him a few times, and he is looking at Grace. He looks angry and I wonder what he is thinking.
She is reluctant to say anything at first, but the officers tell her that she needs to press charges, for her safety and her daughter’s. The officer explains that they will have to remove Jacinta from her care if she doesn’t.
“Please, mum,” Jacinta pleads. “You have let him get away with it for too long. He nearly killed you this time.” She starts to cry again, so I put my arms around her. Her mother eventually relents and tells them everything. I know she is scared of her husband, but she needs to do this. Not just for herself, but for her daughter. This is no way for a thirteen-year-old girl to live. God only knows the horror she has seen over the years.
The doctor comes back into the room and advises us that Jacinta’s mother needs to have some tests done. The officers say they will come back later and take the rest of her statement. They ask Grace if she knows where her husband is, and she tells them she isn’t sure. “I think he drinks at the local pub,” she says, and she gives them the name and address of the establishment. She also gives them her home address, just in case he is there.
As they are wheeling her out of the room, I assure her that we will stay with Jacinta. She squeezes my hand.
Jacinta is still shaking so I put my arms around her and guarantee her everything will be alright. I look over at Logan. He still isn’t talking. He’s just staring at me.
About forty minutes later, they wheel Grace back in. The doctor says she will have to stay in the hospital for a few days for observation. I ask Logan if Jacinta can stay with us. He just nods.
Jacinta asks me if she can stay with her mother, if the hospital will allow her to. The nurse says she can stay until visiting hours are over, so I ask her to call me when she is ready to leave and I will come back and get her. Her mother thanks us for everything.
Logan pulls his business card out of his wallet and gives it to Grace. “Give this to the police officers when they come back. If you are serious about getting away from your husband, I will have my best criminal lawyer make sure he goes away for a long time.” She smiles and nods her head. Jacinta stands up and hugs me before giving Logan a nervous smile. She hasn’t met him before today and, knowing what she has been through with her father, she probably doesn’t have a high opinion of males.
“Thank you for everything,” she says. I kiss her forehead and tell her I will come and get her later, then Logan and I leave.
As we walk out of the hospital, I can tell Logan isn’t happy with me. He has hardly said a word since he arrived. Chris dropped him off, so he is going home with me. As soon as we are seated in the car, he turns to me. “Would you please explain to me how this all came about,” he snaps. I know he asked me not to get involved, but how can I just ignore what is going on? I’d been in a similar position myself not too long ago. I worried for Jacinta’s mother, but my main concern is Jacinta. Her mother is old enough to know better, but Jacinta is only thirteen.
I tell Logan how I’d given Jacinta a phone. “She has no one to turn to, Logan,” I plead. “I gave her the phone and asked her to call me if she ever needed anything. When I got home from the studio this afternoon, she called me and said that her father had beaten her mother so bad that she was unconscious.”
Logan doesn’t say a word, but from the look on his face, I can tell he is still angry. I sigh before continuing, “I asked her if she had called an ambulance, and she told me she was scared because she thought she’d get in trouble if she did. Jacinta assured me that her father was no longer there. She explained how her father always goes out drinking after he hits her mother. She was scared and worried, Logan. She begged me to come over, so I did.”
“So you just went over there all by your fucking self?!” he snaps.
“What did you expect me to do?!” I ask. “Just ignore her?!”
“No!” he screams. “You could have called me, instead of running off and putting yourself in danger like that. What if he had come back while you were there, Brooke? Did you think of that?!”
“No,” I whisper, tears welling in my eyes. “I didn’t have time to really think about anything. She needed me, so I went to her.”
“Well, next time you decide to run off and put yourself and our baby in danger,” he screams “try to pull your head out of your arse long enough to think what could have happened if he’d come back!” He slams his hand down on the steering wheel. “Fuck, Brooke! I thought you had more brains than that!”
Now I was pissed. How dare he say that to me?! Now I know what people mean when they say “I saw red” because I am fucking seeing red right now. I suppose he has a point. I didn’t really think of the danger I was putting myself or the baby in, but what he just said to me has my blood boiling.
“Well, I am fine…the baby is fine…and so are Jacinta and her mother!” I snap. “So why don’t you just shut the fuck up?!” He turns to look at me, and the shock from what I’d just said is written all over his face. If I wasn’t so angry right now, I would probably have laughed.
“Excuse me?” His teeth are clenched, and I can see the anger in his eyes. I have never spoken to him like that before.
“You heard me.” I turn my head around so I am looking out the passenger side window. I don’t want to look at him right now. I also don’t want to say anything else that I am going to regret later.
We don’t talk on the drive home. He is driving fast and I can tell he is mad. I can see his hands out the corner of my eye, and his knuckles are turning white from gripping the wheel so hard.
Well, next time, don’t tell me to pull my head out of my arse!
When we arrive back at the penthouse, I don’t give him a chance to come around and open my door. I quickly exit the car, then slam the door shut. I refuse to even look at him as I make my way over to the elevator.
Once we arrive in the penthouse, I walk upstairs to the bedroom and slam the door shut. I kind of feel bad for the way I’d talked to Logan, but I am glad I was there to help Jacinta. Who knows what would have happened if she didn’t have me to turn to. She never would have called an ambulance on her own.
A few hours later, Jacinta calls me to say she is ready to leave the hospital. I am still up in the bedroom, trying really hard to calm down. It’s not really working because I am still angry. I have no idea if Logan is still here or not. Frankly, the way I am feeling right now, I don’t really care. I grab my handbag and head downstairs.
As I walk towards the elevator, I notice Logan sitting at the bar. I push the button and when the doors open, I step inside. Before the doors close, I turn around. Logan is now standing up and walking towards me. “Brooke…” he pleads as the doors close in his face. I don’t try to open them back up, either. I feel bad, but we both need some more time to calm down.
When I arrive back at the hospital, Jacinta is waiting for me in her mother’s room. She has plaster
on one of her arms, and a bandage around her head. Her face is so swollen and bruised, she is almost unrecognisable. She tells me that the police have picked her husband up. I am thankful for that because, for the time being, they are both safe. I promise her that I will look after Jacinta for as long as she is in the hospital. That makes her cry.
“Thank you so much for everything,” she sobs. “You probably saved my life today.”
“Your daughter called me,” I reply “So she is the one who saved you. She was very brave today. I am proud of her.” Jacinta’s mother looks over at her and smiles as best she can with her swollen face.
“I am proud of her, too,” she adds.
I put my hand on top if hers. “You may not believe this,” I say, “but I have been in your situation. My ex-husband tried to kill me twice. You did the right thing by turning him in today. You can start your life over now, just like I did.”
They both look at me. I think they are shocked by what I said. It’s not the sort of thing I would just tell anyone, but I want to give them some hope. I know their life will be better now. They made their first big step today. It isn’t going to be easy, but I will help them any way I can. Jacinta deserves a normal life, and so does her mother. Nobody should have to live in constant fear.
Before we leave, I assure Grace that I will take great care of her daughter. “I will bring her back first thing in the morning.” She squeezes my hand and thanks me again. Jacinta kisses her mother and tells her she loves her before we leave.
On the way home from the hospital, I stopped at McDonald’s to get her something to eat. I was shocked when she told me she had never eaten takeout food before.
Logan is still sitting at the bar when I arrive home. Jacinta’s eyes nearly pop out of her head as she looks around the penthouse. I have to smile as I look at her. It reminds me of the first time Logan brought me here. I’m sure I had the same stunned look on my face that day, too. I take her up to one of the spare rooms.