Streamline

by Jennifer Lane

  Jason shook his head. “No, ma’am.”

  Leo moaned from his fetal position on the floor. For once his face wasn’t bloodied after a beat-down from his father, but the jag-ged pain in his side made it hard to breathe. His wrist and ankle continued to throb.

  He could see CS sitting against the wall near his bed, mumbling something. Listening intently, Leo finally heard him. “He threw it all away.”

  “Mr. Scott?” A female voice rang out from the hallway. “This is Detective Amy Easton with the Pensacola Police Department. I order you to open this door, sir.”

  CS snapped out of his trance and moved to the door. “You can leave, Detective. We’re doing fine here.”

  “Sir, you need to let me in now. Either you open the door or we’re coming in by force. I understand your son might be hurt?” CS glanced at Leo. “He might be hurt, yes.” Ya think?

  “We need to get him some help, sir. Please open the door, and we’ll get everything sorted out. I know you were simply disciplining your son.”

  Leo heard the dresser slide across the carpet, followed by the door opening.

  “Commander, please step into the room.”

  CS slowly stepped back, and a tall, formidable woman followed him into the room. She looked over at Leo and her eyes narrowed.

  Audrey barged in behind the detective and gasped. “Leo!” She rushed over to him, sobbing. He barely registered her hand caressing his face.

  Jason stood over him with his fists jammed into his pockets, glaring at CS.

  “You son of a bitch!” his mother yelled.

  “An ambulance is on the way for your son,” the detective said.

  “Are you hurt, sir?”

  CS shook his head.

  “Do you have any weapons on you, sir?” He appeared indignant.

  “I need you to place your hands on the wall, Commander Scott.” He backed away from her. “You can’t arrest me! You leave now, and I won’t file a report with the department regarding your illegal entry, detective.”

  Slowly and calmly Detective Easton reached into her holster and withdrew her weapon, pointing it at James.

  It became dead quiet in the bedroom, and Leo couldn’t take his eyes off the gun.

  The detective’s voice was firm and icy. “Put your hands on the wall, now.”

  CS seemed to weigh his options for a moment before turning to the wall and spreading his arms and legs.

  Detective Easton frisked CS with her left hand while training the gun on him with her right. Then she holstered her weapon and yanked one arm then the other behind his back. She encircled his wrists with handcuffs as she read his Miranda rights.

  Kneeling next to Leo, Audrey continued to sniffle. Suddenly she sat back with a cry and clutched her stomach, rocking back and forth.

  His mother kneeled beside her. “What’s wrong, Audrey?” Audrey shook her head as her tears fell harder.

  Blackness clouded Leo’s vision, and he felt himself drift away.

  35. The Mean Human Daddy

  Mary watched Audrey’s face contort in pain. “What’s wrong?” she repeated. When Audrey didn’t answer, she looked wildly around the room.

  James stood with his hands cuffed behind his back. He shook his head, glaring at Audrey. “She’s pregnant.” Mary gasped. “Oh, honey.”

  Audrey lowered her head.

  Jason kneeled to grab Leo’s hand, but he barely stirred.

  “Jason, please wait downstairs for the police and EMTs,” instructed Detective Easton as sirens filled the air.

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Let’s go, Commander.” The detective led him toward the door.

  As he went, he turned to look at his wife. “Mary, bail me out.” Kneeling between her unconscious son and his whimpering girlfriend, evidence of her husband’s cruel handiwork, Mary’s eyes widened. How had she once loved him? How had she once adored this arrogant, aggressive man?

  She struggled to stand with her canes, trembling with rage. “Get him out of here!”

  As the detective hauled him away, James pleaded over his shoulder,

  “I’m sorry, Mary! I didn’t mean to hurt him!”

  When he was gone, there was a sudden peacefulness, a whooshing away of all menace from the room. Mary looked down at her son’s mangled right hand and kneeled again to hold it tenderly, finally having the opportunity to examine it. Too late. Just like James’s apology moments ago…too little and too late. Leo’s hand was cool and clammy, his skin abnormally pale. His right wrist was obviously swollen, and Leo whimpered when she turned his hand to inspect the bruising.

  “Help is coming,” she whispered, choking down a sob.

  What kind of mother failed to protect her child? What kind of mother stood by helplessly while her sweet, innocent son faced such brutality?

  She’d been ignoring the signs a long time, Mary realized with a jolt. Even her fondest memories of Leo’s childhood were tainted.

  When he’d been only four, she’d taken advantage of a day off work to bring him to the Maryland Science Center.

  She’d watched her younger son gleefully climb into the minivan, his blue eyes shining as he settled his little bottom into the car seat, clutching an action figure.

  “We going on an adventure, Mom?” he asked.

  “We are!” Mary smiled, reaching to buckle him in. “Just you and me, on an adventure to the science museum.”

  “Are we gonna see terror pens?”

  Mary chuckled. “Yes, there’ll be terrapins there. And we’ll see all kinds of fish in the Follow the Blue Crab exhibit.”

  “Okay!” His head bobbed.

  As they drove from Annapolis to Baltimore, Mary played an audio book of Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH in the cassette deck.

  Jason had simply loved that book when James had read it to him, and though it might have been a little advanced for a four-year-old, Mary couldn’t wait to introduce Leo to the wonderful world of talking mice and rats, who banded together to battle a big, mean cat and big, mean humans.

  “What’s your favorite part so far?” she’d asked as they arrived at the museum.

  Leo thought for a moment, his mouth pursed in a small “o”. He kicked his feet up and down, bouncing in his car seat. “When the rats moved Mrs. Fwisby’s house. It was scary!”

  “What’d you think would happen if the humans discovered them?” Leo gulped. “The mommy human would be nice, but the mean daddy human would hit their bottoms.” Mary had struggled to compose herself as she helped Leo unbuckle his car seat. She tried to sound cheerful. “Let’s go see the big blue crab!”

  He bit his lip. “Is it scary, Mommy?” She took his hand. “I don’t know, sweetie. If you’re scared, take a deep breath and give me a hug, and you’ll feel better.” He nodded and folded his little hand in hers. As they neared the entrance, he grinned. “Just you and me, on a ’venture!” Tears filled Mary’s eyes as she remembered just how cute he’d been, but he’d been troubled by his father’s physical discipline even then. Her eyes drifted along the length of his now lanky, muscular body, curled up next to her. He was no longer a sweet little boy — he was becoming a man. Angry bruises peeked out from underneath his shirt. She heard a gasp next to her and turned to look at Audrey.

  “I’m so sorry, Mrs. Scott.” The girl stared at the carpet. “I’ll clean it, I promise.”

  Mary could see a deep red stain, which matched an even larger coppery stain on Audrey’s white sundress. Audrey shivered.

  Mary let go of Leo’s hand and reached for Audrey, rocking her slowly in her arms. She probably should’ve been angry about the pregnancy, but all she felt was sadness and loss, particularly since it already seemed to be over.

  She remembered James’s ridiculous comment once that if Leo ever impregnated a girl, he would abort the baby himself. In a way, James had made good on his promise. The wounded cry Audrey had made upon finding her boyfriend motionless and beaten rang in Mary’s ears.

  “The paramedics
will be here any second. Hang on, Audrey.”

  Lights bounced off the lawn in a kaleidoscope of blues and reds as officers led CS to a cruiser. About to close the front door and follow the paramedics to Leo’s room, Jason caught a glimpse of a neighbor peeking out her window, eyes round. Great.

  When Jason got upstairs, the two paramedics were already examining Leo. One checked his vitals, and the other lifted his shirt, revealing deep purple bruises. “There could be some internal bleeding.” The other nodded. “Yep, he’s got a low BP and a high pulse.” He looked up at Jason’s mother. “Who did this to him, ma’am?”

  “His father,” she said in a barely audible voice.

  Another paramedic talked softly with Audrey and helped her to her feet. Jason inhaled sharply when he saw the blood on the carpet and her dress. He thought instantly of Cameron.

  His mother looked up at him. “Jason, go with Audrey — I don’t want her to be alone. Is that okay with you, Audrey?” When Audrey nodded, she added, “I’ll call your mother when I get the chance.” Audrey closed her eyes. “Please don’t tell her, Mrs. Scott.”

  “Your parents will find out about this pregnancy, you know,” she said. “It’d probably be better if you told your mother yourself. Will you call her?”

  Audrey’s lip trembled. “I’ll try.”

  “Good. Jason, make sure she calls JoAnne.” Jason nodded. He watched the paramedics secure Leo to a back-board for a moment before he followed Audrey down the stairs.

  Just a few minutes later he climbed into one ambulance with Audrey as his mother waited for the paramedics to load Leo’s stretcher into another. She struggled with the huge step up, and the paramedics pretty much loaded her in as well. The last time his mother had been in an ambulance had been her car accident. Jason prayed this trip to the hospital would end better.

  36. Self Blame

  “Okay to use a cell phone in here?” Jason asked the paramedic.

  “Yeah, but make it quick.”

  Jason turned to the patient, who paled and gripped the stretcher as the ambulance bounced over the road. “You should call your mom, Audrey.”

  “How’d your dad figure out I was pregnant?” she asked.

  He realized she was trying to distract him, but he wondered the same thing. “Dunno.” A few moments later he added, “CS seemed fine at dinner till you left the table.” Audrey grimaced. “Yeah, I got sick. Morning sickness is a stupid name for it — I’ve been nauseated all day long at times. I can’t believe I didn’t realize I was pregnant.”

  “Well, it’s not like you’ve been through this before… have you?”

  “No!”

  “Okay, okay.” He chuckled, quiet for a moment before pointing his finger in the air. “I remember! Your purse got knocked to the floor.

  CS put it back on your chair, and that’s when he started acting weird.” Audrey closed her eyes. “The pregnancy test! It was in my purse…

  He must’ve seen it.” She turned away. “It’s my fault he found out.” Jason studied her profile: smooth skin framed by wavy auburn hair, and a cute button nose scrunched with culpability. He knew exactly how she felt — he’d once again failed to keep Leo safe. Calling Detective Easton had been his last hope, and he prayed that this time Criminal Sadist would be forced to stop hurting Leo. It certainly had been satisfying to watch his father get arrested.

  “Hey.” Jason gently tilted Audrey’s chin. “It’s not your fault. CS would’ve found out eventually. He always finds out.” Audrey sighed. “We didn’t even have a chance to figure out a plan. I just told Leo about the baby at lunch today.” Jason nodded, the pieces clicking together. “That’s when he punched a wall.”

  “How’d you know?”

  “That’s what I wanted to do when…” His voice trailed off as he thought of Cam. “Never mind. You’re stalling. Call your mom.” Audrey bit her lip. “She’s got enough to worry about with my dad in prison. I don’t want to disappoint her.”

  “I’m thinking your mom would be pretty mad if you went to the hospital without telling her.” Audrey looked down, and he continued,

  “And though my mom doesn’t hit us, she’s a tough lady. Well, she used to be. She was a naval officer, and you want to do what she says.” Audrey reached for her purse and dug out her cell phone.

  “Hi, Mom,” she said just a few moments later. “It’s an ambulance siren…I’m okay, Mom.” She took a deep breath. “I’m pregnant…but I’m bleeding, and they’re taking me to the hospital.” She clutched the phone, listening to her mother. “I started bleeding about twenty minutes ago…It was a lot, Mom. I got blood all over the Scotts’ carpet.” Audrey shot a guilty glance at Jason. Then she gripped her belly with the hand not holding the phone.

  “Yes, Mom. Mrs. Scott told me to call you, and Leo’s brother is with me right now.”

  Audrey looked up and asked the paramedic, “Where are you taking me?”

  “The Naval Hospital.”

  She relayed that to her mother. “I was really hurting, Mom.

  Then it got better. Now I think…it’s starting again.” She groaned and curled her knees to her chest on the stretcher.

  “Your phone call’s over,” said the paramedic, moving in to check her vitals.

  Audrey got out a quick goodbye before hanging up and handing the phone to Jason, along with her purse.

  “We’re almost there now,” said the paramedic. “Take some deep breaths and try to relax.”

  Jason could see panic in Audrey’s eyes.

  He took her hand, and she squeezed it tightly with each wave of cramping. He was determined not to let another Scott girlfriend deal with a pregnancy by herself.

  A doctor and nurse hovered over Leo while Mary stood by, clutching her canes in the curtained-off ER station.

  The nurse had removed Leo’s shirt, exposing an array of angry bruises. The doctor now examined his torso, and anytime his palpations neared Leo’s belly, the half-conscious patient flinched. Leo groaned when the doctor squirted gel on his skin for an ultrasound, and the sound was like sandpaper against Mary’s eardrums.

  Guiding Mary to the nurse’s station, the nurse gave her a sympathetic look. “How ’bout you wait here, ma’am? Dr. Anderson will be out when he’s done with his exam.” Mary could still hear the physician speaking to the nurse. “Class two hemorrhage…hmm…eighty-five isn’t all that high…looks like some involvement of the spleen.”

  A few minutes later the physician emerged. “Mrs. Scott, I’m afraid your son has internal bleeding. As best we can tell, the source is a ruptured spleen.”

  Mary held her hand to her mouth.

  “It looks like internal bleeding, but he’s not as pale as we’d expect.

  His pulse should be higher too.”

  “He is pale, Doctor. His father’s Black.” She blinked rapidly. “And he’s a competitive swimmer. His resting pulse was fifty-two at his last physical, I think.”

  “Good to know. We’ll be taking him to the OR when they’re ready for him. For now we’re administering saline through his IV.” Mary bit her lip, and the nurse poked his head out from the drawn curtain. “The saline seems to have improved his mental status.

  Would you like to see your son before surgery?” Nodding, Mary made her way to his bedside. Leo’s eyes slowly fluttered open. He tried to focus. He attempted to sit up, but gasped at the effort.

  “Stay down, Leo,” she said. “You’re at the Naval Hospital. You passed out in your bedroom, and they brought you here in an ambulance.”

  “Where’s Audrey?”

  Mary ignored his question. “You have a ruptured spleen, and they’re taking you to surgery. You’ve been really out of it.” His eyes darted around the room. “Why isn’t Audrey here?”

  “Shh, Leo.” She took some tissues and gently wiped his sweaty forehead. “Everything’s going to be okay.” Two orderlies entered and began wheeling Leo’s bed away. He craned his neck back to look at his mother, his eyes frantic.

 
“I’ll see you soon.” She smiled bravely until he was gone, then stumbled to the waiting room and crumpled into a chair.

  A couple of hours later, Jason appeared and Mary woke with a start from her fitful sleep. He kneeled and gave his mother a much-needed bear hug.

  Leaning into his strong body was so comforting. Thank goodness he’d returned to Pensacola. “How’s Audrey?”

  “They did a pelvic exam and an ultrasound.” Jason looked down.

  “She lost the baby.”

  “Oh! And her mother isn’t here. How awful.”

  “I, uh, had to hold her hand during the exam, and it was kind of embarrassing, Mom. Audrey had me cal Elaine, but she’s not here yet.”

  “And she called her mother?”

  “Yes, ma’am. They decided to keep her overnight for observation because of all the blood loss. Where’s Leo?”

  “He’s in surgery. They’re removing his spleen.” She looked away.

  “He kept asking me where Audrey was, and I didn’t have the heart to tell him.”

  Jason rubbed his hands over his hair. “How’d this happen, Mom?

  Leo was supposed to be the good one, never getting in trouble.”

  “He is the good one. And you’re the good one too, Jason.” He looked down, and she knew he didn’t believe her. “It’s just that nobody’s ever good enough for your father. Even he himself isn’t good enough.”

  “I wonder what’s happening to him,” Jason said softly.

  Her face felt hot, and she clenched her teeth. “He’s caused so much damage. Whatever they do to him will never be enough.”

  It had been a long night.

  James rubbed his eyes, careful not to smudge his face with the ink on his fingertips. Being fingerprinted and photographed before being stuffed in this holding cell was to be expected, but he was fairly certain the full body-cavity search wasn’t standard procedure. He bet that witchy detective had put them up to it.

  Dozing men had littered the dingy holding cell as he entered, each attempting to get comfortable on the hard metal benches along the walls. The fetid stench of body odor hung over the space. Continuing his reconnaissance, James’s eyes had landed on a huge white guy across the room, and he was startled to find the man glaring at him.