by Vivian Wood
The teenager grinned sheepishly.
“It’s fine,” the teenager replied with an embarrassed grin, “I didn’t fall down this time, but - hey, doc, what happened to your face?”
Poppy sighed. Maybe her bruises were exactly as obvious as she feared. She decided to use sarcasm, that favorite weapon of all teenagers.
“I’m an MMA fighter on my off days,” she replied, earning a grin from Cherise. “Are you still taking the meds I put you on last time? Tell me how they’re working out.”
A few minutes later, Poppy heard a knock at the door but, busy editing Cherise’s chart, didn’t look up. She only became aware of Penny’s presence when she heard a small gasp.
Penny was standing by Cherise’s bed, holding a cup of water and another, smaller cup with medications. She hastily averted her eyes when Poppy looked up, but not quickly enough to hide the shock on her face.
Poppy gritted her teeth. This wasn’t the first time she’d had to hide bruises, but she hadn’t done it since she was a teenager, and she had forgotten how embarrassing it was to be visibly damaged. If she ever saw Will again, she’d kick him in the balls for making her remember.
The thought made her feel slightly better. Holding onto it, she finished editing Cherise’s chart, dispensed orders to Penny for bloodwork and medications, and moved on to her next patient.
The next few hours passed in the reassuringly comforting blur of hospital routine. Poppy hadn’t run into Penny since, and nobody else had made any comments about her face. She checked her watch and decided she had time to eat lunch.
On her way to the doctors' lounge, Poppy saw Penny coming out of another patient’s room. Before she could make her escape, Penny had zoomed up to her and grabbing Poppy firmly by the arm, maneuvered her into an empty room.
“What happened to your face, Poppy?” she asked without preamble.
“What does it look like?” Poppy fired back angrily.
Penny’s expression softened.
“It looks like someone beat the living hell out of you,” she said, gently touching Poppy’s eye socket.
Poppy winced at the touch, light as it was.
“It was Will,” she said.
“Will?” Penny’s brow furrowed in confusion. “I thought maybe Ryan, or your dad. I mean, I can’t believe Will would...”
“Really? You can’t believe Will would punch me? Did he seem like such an upright guy when he was fucking you behind my back?”
Penny’s mouth gaped open.
“Poppy, I’m so-”
“Shut up,” Poppy interrupted her. “Will told me all about how he cheated on me with you, right after he gave me a black eye, and you know what, Penny? If you want that asshole, you are welcome to him, but just know that this- ” she gestured to her face, “is what you might get.”
Poppy stood there, breathing angrily through her nose in short bursts, waiting for Penny to deny sleeping with Will. To her surprise, Penny’s face crumpled, and she launched herself into Poppy’s arms.
“I’m so sorry, P,” Penny sobbed, “I’m the worst fucking friend! I didn’t know Will was like that! I just saw you and Ryan together, and it seemed so obvious you two were in love, and then Will... I mean, he made me feel sorry for him. I only slept with him once, and I felt so bad about it after, but I never, I mean, I had no idea he was like that. And your poor face!” she wailed.
Poppy tried to escape the hug, but Penny had some sort of guilt-induced death grip on her.
Despite her anger, she thought Penny was spot-on about one thing: she and Ryan had been in love. And she knew from experience exactly how manipulative Will could be when he put his mind to it.
“Can you forgive me, please?” Penny was asking. “I don’t deserve it, but can you? And then we can go and find Will, and beat the shit out of him!”
Penny fumbled in her scrubs pocket, and pulled out a Taser, which she held up to Poppy’s face.
“I can use this on him!”
“Shit! Penny, why do you have that here?” Poppy exclaimed.
“Because some of the people we get in here are so crazy!” Penny said, giggling.
“Uh, okay, I’m starting to think you’re a little crazy, too,” Poppy said, but she smiled at Penny.
“Maybe, but I’m still your friend, right?” Penny asked.
Poppy considered it. Penny had betrayed her, but she obviously felt terrible about it, and Will was, after all, a slimy, manipulative sleazebag. She couldn’t really blame Penny for being fooled by him, not after he’d fooled Poppy for so long. She’d found Penny’s offer to use her Taser on Will to be oddly touching, too.
“You’re still my friend,” Poppy replied.
Penny hugged her again, gently this time. Poppy’s stomach growled loudly, making both women laugh.
“Let’s go get some lunch before somebody comes looking for us,” Penny said, tucking her Taser safely into the folds of her scrubs.
They were headed to the break room together when a scribe came up to Penny.
“Um, someone’s looking for you,” the scribe said.
“Who? No, never mind, don’t tell me. The doctors will just have to wait until after I get lunch,” Penny said, brushing the scribe aside.
“No, not a doctor. It was a guy. Not a patient, either,” the scribe added unhelpfully.
Penny looked around and spotted Will standing outside of the staff lounge. She nudged Poppy, who spotted Will and darted behind a supply cart full of IV bags.
Penny walked up to Will.
“What are you doing here?” she asked him.
Will smiled at her. He’d taken care in dressing, had shaved and splashed on a costly cologne. More than a few female staffers eyed him as they walked by, but their glances didn’t linger once they spotted the bruises mottling his face.
“I thought you might like to go out and get lunch with me, Pen,” he said, reaching for her hand.
“I brought mine today,” Penny replied rudely.
Will’s eyes narrowed.
“Hey, I don’t know what crap Poppy’s been feeding you, but I broke up with her. The engagement was a mistake.” His voice softened, and he added, “I knew she wouldn’t be a good wife to me, and I kept thinking about you... we have so much in common, you know?”
“You and I have jack shit in common,” Penny said loudly, causing people around them to stare.
Will tensed. Penny could see him struggling to contain his temper. More people were staring now.
“That white trash bitch got to you, huh? Well, fine. Whatever. I don’t care about her, or you either. I’m having a script optioned by Netflix, for Christ’s sake - I’ll have more women than I'll know what to do with! I gave Poppy a huge ring, too, but it wasn’t enough for her. It was enough for her dad, though. You should’ve seen his eyes bug out when I told him I wanted to marry his daughter. He had dollar signs in his eyes!”
Will laughed meanly and took a step toward Penny. By this point, everyone on the hospital floor was watching Will rant.
“I figured since she grew up watching her dad beat her mom up, Poppy would understand how to act right. But she never appreciated all I was offering her. My ring was in a puddle of yogurt, like trash! Then I thought, maybe she just needs to be slapped around a little bit to get it, ya know? So I gave her a black eye to match her mom’s.”
“Yeah? Looks like she gave it right back to you,” Penny sneered as she gestured at Will’s bruised face.
Will’s face reddened.
“Call the police, Rob,” Penny said to an orderly, not taking her eyes off Will, “and stay there, Poppy,” she added, seeing her friend come out of hiding from behind the cart. A group of doctors came forward, grabbed Poppy, and pushed her behind them.
“You can call the police, but it doesn’t matter. I’m never going to let that bitch go. If they arrest me, I’ll make bail and find her. And if you try to get in my way, I’ll beat your ass too, just for fun,” Will sneered.
“Rob, pleas
e tell me you got that footage,” Penny said.
Will’s head whipped around in confusion. Rob waved his cellphone mockingly.
“Yeah, asshole, I got you streaming live right now. I bet that’ll make your bail go up!”
“Not to mention the effect on his Netflix contract when they see this footage,” Poppy called out from behind her human shield of doctors.
Will roared angrily and charged at Penny. Then he stopped mid-step and fell, convulsing, to the ground.
“Nobody touch him,” Penny ordered, unnecessarily.
When Will finally stopped writhing, two police officers rushed up and cuffed his hands behind his back. Then they led him, cursing, into an elevator, while the entire floor cheered and hooted.
One of the cops, a tall muscular redhead, paused by Penny, who was hugging Poppy tightly to her before he boarded the elevator.
“Nice work, ma’am. If you get tired of nursing, you should think about becoming a police officer.”
He winked at her as the doors closed, and the staff hooted some more.
“And you said I was crazy for bringing my Taser,” Penny said, smiling at her friend.
“I was wrong,” Poppy laughed.
“So, we’re square now, right?” Penny asked.
“Almost,” Poppy replied, “but you have to do just one more thing for me.”
“What’s that?”
“Help me pack? Ryan and I are moving to Newark.”
Penny grimaced, “I hate helping people pack.”
“Yeah, but you have to help. You’re my friend,” Poppy said.
“Damn straight.”
34
Ryan
Three months later
He picked up the last box and started downstairs. Poppy’s neighbor leaned against the doorframe at the second landing. “She’s lucky to have a strong man like you,” she said as she held a wriggling little dog in her arms. “Moving with all these stairs, hell, I’d rather just stay.”
Ryan smiled at her. “I’m the lucky one.”
“Oh, Lord. Here we go,” she said with an eye roll. “Nah, I’m just playing. Young love is a sweet thing.”
He wedged the last box into the van, nestled between Poppy’s other boxes and his own that carried what meager possessions he’d picked up since re-entering civilian life.
The neighbor had followed him to the van. “What you kids gon’ do in Newark?” she asked.
Ryan looked at Poppy, plonked down in the passenger seat with the door open as her long legs dangled. He couldn’t help but smile. How did I get so lucky?
“Ryan got a job with WitSec, and I got a new internship lined up. Miraculously,” she said with a sigh. He smiled at her. She’d worried endlessly over whether or not she’d get that unexpected opening at the Newark hospital, but he’d known she’d nail it. She never gave herself enough credit.
“WitSec?” the woman asked.
“Witness Protection,” Ryan said.
“Oh! Are you… you’re the feds?” she asked.
“I wouldn’t say that,” he said with a laugh. “US Marshals. Not the CIA or anything.”
“What about you, baby?” the woman asked Poppy. “What you gon’ be doin'?”
“Working with kids with metabolic disorders,” she said. “I never could decide all through med school between my two favorite specialties. It’s nearly impossible to find an internship that covers both, and yet… here it is.” Poppy held out her hands like she couldn’t believe it herself.
He couldn’t ever remember seeing her this happy before.
“Well, you kids be safe. God bless you both,” the woman said.
As they went into her apartment for one last check, Poppy ran her fingers across the windowsill. “I can’t believe this is it,” she said. “It’s crazy, but part of me is going to miss this old place.”
“There’s something to be said for the familiar,” he said as he came up behind her and hugged her.
“What time’s your mom arriving again?” he asked her.
Poppy checked her phone. “Her flight’s supposed to arrive at eight,” she said. “We should have plenty of time to get there before her.”
“Enough time to stop in Wilmington for that deep dish place?” he asked.
“You’re insatiable,” she said.
“Only for you.” He could feel her eye roll without having to look. “Honestly though, are you okay with this? Your mom staying with us?”
“I think so,” she said. “Are you? I mean, I know it’s awkward. We’re just now moving in together, and she—”
He shook his head. “It’s perfectly fine with me.”
“I just, ugh, I don’t know. Even with the restraining order against my dad, what if he… I don’t know. And only eighteen months in jail, I still can’t believe that. After all the years of hell he put her through—”
“It would have been a lot less without your testimony, Pops. That’s just how the system works.”
“I know,” she said, as she stared at her cupped hands. “It’s still not fair. And it took her so long to get over being mad at me about ratting him out… I just hope it all works out okay.”
“It will.” He spun her around to face him.
“It’s just—I mean, she came to us because she had nowhere else to turn,” she said. “That can’t be easy, asking your own kid for help.”
“She came to you because she loves you,” he said. “You know that.”
“Yeah,” she agreed. “Maybe. I still feel bad about the whole thing.”
“Don’t you ever feel badly about it,” he said, and lifted her face to him. “You did the right thing, a brave thing, and even when your dad gets out there’s no way in hell he’ll find her. Or you.”
“Promise?” she asked.
“Promise.” She looked at him with total trust. It was a responsibility he was happy to burden.
35
Ryan
When Poppy had told him she wanted to report her dad for domestic abuse, he'd wanted to support her—but only if she was really ready for it.
“That’s great, Pops,” he’d said. “But why now?”
“Honestly?”
“Of course.”
“Because of Will.”
Ryan had bristled. “What do you mean?”
“Some of the stuff he said to me that last night… I don’t know, it put what my mom goes through into a new perspective I guess. I mean, it’s not like I think it’s my job to protect her. Or wasn’t, at least. I know I couldn’t have done anything as a kid. But now…”
“Are you sure you’re ready for this?” he’d asked her. “Have you talked to your mom about it?”
“No,” she’d said sharply. “I know she’ll just deny anything’s wrong, make excuses for him.”
“It’s going to be a tough road if she’s not on track for it.”
“Even if she gets mad at me, even if I don’t know, she never forgives me… I know it’s the right thing to do.”
He'd beamed at her, and had been right by her side when she'd gone to the station in her mom’s county to file the report.
“You got evidence of the abuse?” the officer had asked.
“You’ll know when you see her,” Poppy had said quietly.
The officer had raised her brows. “You know, that’s not always enough. Not if she’s not going to admit it—or press charges herself if an officer approaches her.”
“It’s all I can do,” Poppy had said.
“And what about you? He ever touch you? Statute of limitations is going to be long past for you to press charges against him yourself. But if it goes before a judge, your testimony might be a big help… ”
The officer had trailed off and looked at Poppy curiously. “Pops?” Ryan had prodded.
“Yeah. He used to hit me, too,” she’d said quietly.
“You willing to go on record with that?”
Poppy had looked at the officer, then to Ryan. He'd nodded at her, told her it w
as okay with his eyes.
“I can do that,” she had said.
“Alright then. Sign here. And here. We’ll dispatch a car later today. This the best number for you? I’ll give you a call when it’s done.”
Ryan had been impressed by how quickly the police had moved, but maybe that was how things happened in a small town. They never got the details of exactly what happened at the house, and Poppy never questioned her mother about it. All they knew is that the same day the police were dispatched to the house, her father was arrested.
Even though her mom had pressed charges, she'd still been at the police station and bawled as her dad was processed in the system.
Ryan was elated for Poppy, but it wasn’t all smooth sailing. He’d been at Poppy’s side when her mom had called the day after the arrest. “How could you?” her mom had screamed so loudly into the phone even he could hear her.
“Mom, I’m sorry! I did it for you! I didn’t want to see you—”
“Why couldn’t you mind your own business? What am I supposed to do now?”
Poppy had started crying into the phone, and Ryan had put a protective arm around her. “You want me to talk to her?” he had mouthed. He couldn’t tell if she'd nodded or not, but she'd handed the phone to him.
“Mrs. Baker?”
“Ryan? What on earth… what are you…”
He could hear her mom try to pull it together on the other end of the line. Even then, with her husband in jail and as her daughter fell apart, she wanted to put on the show of the perfect housewife. “Poppy did it to help you. I know just how hard it was for her to make that decision. I hope you won’t be mad at her for it.”
“Ryan, thank you for trying to help, but this really isn’t any of your concern—”
“Actually, it is,” he’d said. “Now that Poppy and I are moving to Newark together, we—well, we wanted to invite you to come live with us. For as long as you like.” Poppy had picked her head up off his shoulder and looked at him in wonder.
“What? Poppy didn’t say anything about—”
“I know, I’m sorry. I ruined the surprise. She was going to tell you soon, but then things got a little crazy…”