Enduring Act (The Survivor's duet Book 2)

by Heather D'Agostino

It’s been two days, and I’m sitting on the edge of my bed holding on to a stack of discharge papers. Dr. Blake cleared me to leave this morning, and Dr. McGee cleared me last night. I’ve been down to tell Ava that I’ll see her tomorrow, and now I’m waiting for the orderly to come wheel me downstairs. Dr. Blake offered to have a cab called for me and it should be here in the next few minutes.

  “Ready to go.” A young man stopped in the doorway with a wheelchair.

  “I guess.” I wasn’t real keen on leaving. Leaving meant I had to deal with Warren. I wouldn’t have the hospital staff intervening for me anymore, and it also meant that Ava and I wouldn’t be so close to each other. Leaving also meant that I could start to move on, which was a good thing. I needed to break free and do what I wanted. I needed to start my life over, and not have to worry about Warren during every step I took.

  I lowered myself into the wheelchair, and let the orderly push me down to the front doors to leave. A yellow cab was waiting when we got there. “Thanks.” I stood, and grabbed the small bag containing the few items I had at the hospital. I climbed into the cab, clutching the paper that Cal had given me. It was my destination until I could figure things out. A safe place, a place to make a plan for Ava’s and my future.

  “Good luck.” The orderly waved as I closed the cab’s door and pulled away from the curb.

  Things looked different this time as I rode through the city. The fall colors seemed brighter, the sky bluer, the air felt crisper. It was as if I was seeing and feeling everything for the first time. That weight that I always carried around was gone, and even though I was scared of what was to come, I knew it had to be better than what I was leaving behind.

  ooooooooo

  The cab stopped in front of a gray stone house not far from where I lived with Warren. It looked like any other house on the block. Mums were growing in pots that lined the stairs leading to the front porch, a wreath made of fall leaves hung on the door, and the lawn was neatly mowed.

  “This is it, ma’am.” The cabbie glanced back at me. “Fare was already paid by a doctor.”

  “Oh, ok,” I stuttered as I opened the door. While I was climbing out, a young woman came out onto the porch. She smiled and waved at me. “Thanks.” I closed the door, and the cab left.

  “Hi. I’m Amy.” She jogged down the steps. “You must be Brooke.”

  “Yes.” I slowly climbed the steps. I still ached slightly and movement hurt.

  “Donna said you’d be coming today. Let me help you.” She wrapped her arm around my back and helped me up the steps. “We’re all happy you’re here, and anything you need, just ask.”

  “We?” I glanced around. I didn’t see a bunch of people.

  “Most of us work during the day. I had the day off. Donna usually gets here in the evening unless she has the night shift. You know Donna. She said she was your nurse.” Amy opened the door and stepped back to let me in.

  “Donna lives here?” I was confused.

  “Yeah. She runs this place. She works at the hospital to make money to keep it running. We get donations, but it’s not always enough, ya know?” She shrugged. “I’ll show you your room if you follow me.” She waved and started walking down a long hallway. “This is you. Donna put a crib in here for when your baby comes.”

  I stepped through the door and looked around. It was simple. A twin bed on one wall, a small dresser, and a chair in the corner.

  “I know it’s not much, but you can always add things. You’re fortunate Margaret just moved out last week, otherwise we wouldn’t have had space.” Amy chattered on. “If your husband shows up here, lock the door and call the police. There’s a phone in every room. In order to comply with the order of protection, he can’t be on our property if you are.”

  “I don’t think Warren will care. He didn’t want the baby,” I mumbled.

  “Maybe not, but you’d be surprised what some of these men do when they see they can’t control you. Most of them don’t care, they just want the control. When you take that away, they turn even worse. Does your husband own a gun?” Amy’s eyes looked fearful.

  “I don’t know. He kept me in the dark about a lot of things. He liked keeping me on edge.” I sighed.

  “That’s the control. Just make sure you call the police if he shows up.” Her face was stern.

  “Won’t someone be here?” I stammered.

  “Maybe. It depends on everyone’s schedule. We all have jobs. We all work different hours, but sometimes you might be here alone. Donna will help you find a job, so you’ll need to come up with a plan for that too. You need to plan out what you’re going to do if you see him public.”

  “I didn’t think of that,” I muttered as I stared at my feet. This seemed like so much work.

  “I know it’s overwhelming, but you’ll see. This is the first step to independence. In a month, you won’t even remember this version of yourself.” Amy smiled as she backed out of the room. “I’ll let you have some time to yourself. Dinner is at six, if you want to eat with us. If you don’t, there’s always leftovers in the fridge. Just heat up what you want.” She turned to head down the hallway, leaving me there in the room.

  “Oh, Brooke,” she stuck her head back around the doorway, “welcome home. I’m glad you’re here.” She smiled and then disappeared again.

  I was glad to be home too. Just knowing that I could eat dinner when I wanted was a satisfactory feeling. I could start to do things my way, and that little ember in my soul started to glow. I would feed that ember, and soon my flame would burn bright once again. Warren wouldn’t snuff me out anymore.

  Chapter 7

  Brooke

  Over the next week my schedule was pretty much the same. I’d wake up, take a cab to the hospital, and spend the day in the NICU with Ava. She was doing great, much better than some of the other babies. There was one day that I was afraid to leave. They had a baby stop breathing and called a code. It was one of the scariest things I’ve ever witnessed. The parents stood there, helpless, as they watched the nurses and doctors swarm the incubator. After a few minutes the baby started breathing again and things calmed down. Maggie explained that sometimes that happens with preemies, they just forget to breathe.

  Today was going to be different though. Today I was going back to Warren’s house to get my things. Cal had stopped by yesterday to let me know that Warren had been served the order of protection papers, and I should get my things. I was entitled to them. He suggested going by when Warren would be in the office, but also said he could come and escort me. I figured that was a good idea since I wasn’t really sure of what hours Warren was keeping at the office. The order of protection wouldn’t help me if I came to him.

  “Brooke.” Cal smiled when he climbed out of a dark sedan. The passenger side door opened and Dr. Blake climbed out too.

  “Hi.” My brow scrunched. I was confused.

  “Cal thought you might need some help. Today’s my day off,” Dr. Blake clarified.

  “Thanks, Dr. Blake.” I moved closer to the car.

  “You can call me Blake.” He smiled. “My friends don’t use the doctor part.”

  “We don’t?” Cal sounded amused.

  “You’re family, not a friend.” Blake shot a warning glare.

  “Ouch!” Cal placed his hand over his chest. “Let’s get going. I really don’t want to arrest anyone today.” Cal climbed back in just as I reached the car.

  ooooooooo

  “Thanks for doing this,” I murmured as we climbed the steps to the brownstone. I hadn’t been here since the night Warren pushed me down the steps.

  “No problem.” Blake smiled. “How are we getting in?” He glanced at Cal.

  “There’s a hide a key out here.” I reached for the little frog that was sitting by the door, produced the key that was hidden in his belly, and slipped into the lock, but the lock wouldn’t budge.

  “What’s wrong?” Cal stepped closer and attempted to turn the key.

  “It
won’t open,” I grunted.

  “That jackass changed the locks,” Blake grumbled.

  “Hang on.” Cal rolled his eyes before going back to his car. A moment later, he jogged up the steps carrying a small black case.

  “What’s that?” I pointed at his hands.

  “Our way in.” Cal smiled as he opened the case and produced several small screwdrivers. “I knew this would come in handy one day.” He slipped the tools into the lock and went to work picking it. Within a few seconds, the door slipped open.

  “Nice.” Blake nodded as Cal stepped back and let us pass.

  “What happens if he finds out you did this?” I turned worried eyes on them both.

  “This is still your house. You have as much right to be here as he does. You gave me permission to get in. He can’t do anything.” Cal shrugged. “Get your things while I keep watch.” He pointed into the house. I moved as fast as my body would allow as I shuffled toward the stairs. The scene I was met with made me skid to a halt.

  There on the floor was a blood stain along with another broken spindle. “What the hell?” Blake gasped from behind me.

  “This is his doing. He did this last time. He left the mess for me to clean,” I grumbled as I carefully stepped around the destruction. I shook my head as I climbed the stairs to our room. This would be the last time I entered this hell hole.

  I wandered inside our bedroom, and turned toward the closet. I didn’t even want to look at the bed. The dress I’d worn to dinner that night was still crumpled in a pile on the floor. Flashes of that evening assaulted me. I could feel his hands on my body as I grabbed clothes from the closet. I could hear his voice right beside my ear as I tossed them on the bed. Him grabbing my hair and dragging me to the top of the steps played like a movie in my head.

  I yanked piece after piece of clothing off the hanger. I tossed shoes on the bed with them. I grabbed things from my dresser, piling them on too. Anger boiled out of me as I stomped around the room. I could do this my way. He wasn’t here to critique me.

  “You ok?” Blake’s voice was quiet as he stood by the door, watching.

  “I’m fine,” I snapped. “Just dealing with ghosts is all.”

  “Do you need help?” He stepped forward.

  “Yes. Grab the edge of the comforter over there. I’m taking this.” I balled up the purple and gold comforter from our bed, the comforter that Warren complained about all the time. I used it as a sack of sorts to carry my things. Blake carried the bundle downstairs and I followed. I took every piece of clothing that was mine except the burgundy dress. I left it in the bottom of the closet as a reminder for Warren. He could pick it up. He could have it. It was the final straw. It symbolized me leaving, and I wanted him to think about the fact that it was his fault every time he saw that dress. I wanted him to remember that all of this was his fault.

  ooooooooo

  Blake

  I’ve never met a woman as strong as Brooke. The pure determination on her face as we carried her belongings out to my brother’s cruiser was a sight to behold. Her husband was a real piece of work, and I truly don’t understand how she lived with him for as long as she did.

  I stuffed the homemade sack into the trunk and then turned to see her standing on the bottom step. “You ready?”

  “Almost,” she grumbled. “I just need a minute.”

  “It’s ok to not be ok today. You know that, right?” I stepped up behind her.

  “I do.” She nodded. “I just need to remember how bad he was. I need to keep all of that fresh so I can fight him. Warren won’t go away without a fight. He’s not wired that way.” Her voice sounded sad, defeated almost.

  “You can do this. I’ll help you do this.” I don’t know where those words were coming from. I didn’t really know her other than the fact that she was my patient, and she wasn’t even really that anymore.

  “Let’s get out of here,” Cal called from the top of the steps. He was just starting to lock the door when Brooke stopped him.

  “Leave it unlocked.” She smirked. “I want him to worry for a few seconds before he figures out it was me.”

  I almost laughed in that moment. She didn’t look like the scared woman I’d seen several months ago. At this moment in time, she looked as if she was finally taking a piece of her life back.

  “Sure.” Cal shrugged as he jogged toward the car. “I wish I could be here when he shows up.”

  “No, you don’t,” Brooke muttered as she climbed in the car. “No one wants to be here when he shows up. I’ve seen him blow up more times than I can count, and this blow will be on a scale of Chernobyl.”

  ooooooooo

  Brooke

  It didn’t take us long to get back to the house. Amy was sitting on the front porch reading when we pulled up. She waved as I climbed out, and I realized that this house truly felt like a home should. It was the first time that I believed I’d be ok. Bringing Ava here didn’t scare me, and I didn’t have that churning in my gut that I got every time I went to the brownstone. This place felt the way I should have felt for years. This place was the new beginning I’d been searching for.

  “Everything go ok?” Amy jogged down the steps.

  “Yep.” I moved away from the car as Blake grabbed my sack from the trunk.

  “You don’t own any luggage?” Amy laughed.

  “I do, but leaving the bed in an unorganized mess is much more satisfying.” I lifted my chin in the small amount of pride I was starting to feel. Donna had told me to always be on the lookout, but in this moment, I wanted to celebrate. ‘Celebrate the small stuff’, she’d said.

  “Where are we taking this?” Blake hoisted the bundle over his shoulders.

  “The second door on the left.” I pointed down the hallway to the room I’d been staying in. As Blake walked away, I turned to Cal. “I can’t thank you enough for everything you’ve done to help. I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you.”

  “Survive.” Cal smiled. “Love your daughter. Teach her what a good man is. Be happy. Be successful. Love with all your heart.”

  “Those are things that’ll help me.” I was confused.

  “Yes, but it means I was successful if you are successful.” He held out his hand to shake. I took it, and he shook my hand softly as a smile tugged at his lips. I couldn’t help but turn away. I’d never had a man look at me like that, not even Warren.

  “Ready?” Blake cleared his throat and Cal looked over my shoulder at him.

  “Sure.” Cal laughed lightly and then turned to leave. “Bye, Brooke. If you need anything, you know where to reach me.” He waved, and then climbed into his car.

  I stood there, waiting for Blake to wave, but he didn’t. He barely glanced in my direction as they pulled away from the curb. It was as if he was mad. I knew the signs from watching Warren all those years, but I didn’t understand what he could possibly be upset about. We were successful today, and I thanked him. I stayed rooted in place over thinking everything, because that’s what I did. My head started to ache, so I moved to the porch swing. I played the events of the day over and over in my head as I tried to figure out how I upset him. It had to be my fault. These things were always my fault. Warren made sure I understood that. I’d made Blake mad, and I had to figure out why.

  Chapter 8

  Brooke

  A month has passed since I moved into Donna’s place which I learned was called Emily’s House. There’s a story behind that name, but it’s not a nice one. Emily was the first woman Donna tried to help. She went back to her husband, and he ended up killing her. Donna said she swore it would never happen again. Since opening Emily’s House, Donna’s saved over fifty women, and helped them get back on their feet. She’s helped them find jobs, and courage to make it on their own. I’m the only resident without a job, but Donna says she’s got a few ideas to help me. I’m supposed to be meeting with her tomorrow because today is a big day. In just a few hours I’ll be on my way to the hospital to pick up Ava. She�
��s coming home today, and I can’t wait.

  Donna and I went to the local Rescue Mission and with donations to the House, we’ve been able to buy other things that I needed. I was able to get assistance through the government, but Warren has already challenged that. He claimed that I was still a dependent, and he was planning to add the baby as a dependent too. I hired a divorce lawyer who’s taking my case pro bono. She said I had a better chance of getting support for Ava if I let Warren claim her. I don’t know how I feel about that, but with Warren having a steady job it will be easier to enforce child support. I just don’t want him to get visitation. After what he put me through and threatened to do to her, I can’t imagine what visits would be like.

  “You about ready?” Donna leaned in through the doorway.

  “Ready for what?” I was confused. Donna was supposed to be at work. “I thought you were at the hospital all day today.”

  “I had someone cover the afternoon for me. I thought you might want a ride to the hospital. This way you don’t have to bring Ava home in a cab.” Donna smiled.

  “That would be great.” I couldn’t help it, tears started to leak from my eyes.

  “Don’t cry on me, now,” Donna tsked. “Today is supposed to be a happy day.”

  “It is. These are happy tears. I’ve just never had anyone who cared about me like you do; not since my parents anyway.” I wiped at my eyes. Things had been so different since I moved in. I was making friends with the other women, I was learning to open up more in therapy, and now Ava was coming home.

  “All right. Well, grab the car seat, and let’s head out. I’m sure the NICU nurses will want to go over everything before you leave.” Donna led the way out to her car parked on the street. I placed the car seat in the backseat before climbing into the front.

  ooooooooo

  It didn’t take us long to arrive at the hospital. Donna let me out by the front door, and promised to meet me upstairs after she parked. I lugged the car seat along as I headed toward the elevators. When I reached them, I set the car seat on the ground and pushed the call button.