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He winks at me, and I shuffle around him to the bed, avoiding the nurse’s knowing dark brown eyes. It feels like I’m back in school and about to get sent to the principal’s office, though I’m not at all sorry for my behavior this time.
* * *
Hours later, we still haven’t been able to reach my mom, and I’m impatient to go home. I’m tired of the poking and prodding from the nurses, and I’m mentally exhausted from worrying about Mom and whether or not she’s safe or if she’s hurt. Not knowing is killing me. The guilt of leaving her, of not understanding her sooner, is killing me faster.
Wyatt tries his best to distract me while we wait to be discharged, but my mind is spiraling with a barrage of what-ifs. Mama returns to my room with the changes of clothes she offered to pick up from home for us. I smile gratefully as I walk to the restroom to change.
I hear Wyatt kiss her cheek and greet her. “Hey, Mama. Who’s th—”
“Dolores!”
I lose my balance as I turn, my center of gravity thrown off by my large baby bump. I would have fallen if Wyatt hadn’t been standing close by to steady me. There’s a blur of color and light, and then I’m swallowed up in a hug.
“Oh my god, I found you! I found you!” The woman’s voice instantly brings me to tears, and I wrap my arms around her.
“Mom? Oh my god, Mom! You’re here!” We’re both crying as I try to pull away to see her, but she won’t let me go yet.
“Oh, baby, my baby. You’re ok. You’re safe. I’m so glad I found you, and you’re safe.”
We don’t part until I’m sagging with exhaustion, and Wyatt gently pulls me from her arms and sets me on the bed.
Mom stands in front of me and smooths her hands over my cheeks and hair. Her blue eyes, so much like my own, are red-rimmed and shiny with tears. I take her in, searching for any bruises or cuts, but her skin is smooth and unblemished, and she isn’t holding herself as if she’s in any pain, though I know all too well that not all pain can be seen on the surface.
“How did you find me? Are you ok? I was so worried about you, and when we couldn’t get ahold of you, I thought the worst might have happened and…and I’m so sorry for leaving you!” I break down in tears again, and she wraps me in her arms for another hug, though it’s awkward with me sitting on the bed and my belly between us.
“Shhhh, shhh. You have nothing to be sorry for. I hated not knowing where you were, but I was so relieved you got away. Terrified but relieved. I only wish I could have followed you sooner.”
“I’m sorry! I should have woken you up and made you go with me, but I was so scared you would make me stay or tell Dad or…I didn’t even say goodbye,” I finish miserably with regret.
“You did what you had to, baby. I was so happy when I woke up and found out you’d left and that you were smart enough to leave your phone so the bastard couldn’t track you.”
“What happened after I left?”
Dropping her voice, she says, “Your father flew into a rage when he got home and figured out you ran away.” She looks off to the side, reliving the memory before she straightens her spine and gives me a fierce look, one of strength and determination.
She’s a survivor.
A warrior.
“After he got back from filing a missing person’s report on you, he took his anger out on me, and I…I ended up in the hospital after a neighbor heard us screaming and called the police. It was pretty bad, but with all eyes on us, thanks to the news covering your case, I was able to get someone to finally listen and help me.”
I reach for her hand and squeeze it, needing to feel the solid weight of her and remind myself she’s here with me, finally safe after so many years of abuse. Wyatt pulls up a chair close to my bed so she can sit. She gives him a small smile when she sits and takes a few deep breaths before continuing.
“I don’t know if you know this, but I did try to leave him before.” At this, she closes her eyes, tears spilling down her cheeks. “I made the mistake years ago of trusting the wrong person to help me—one of the other cops he works…worked with. He told your father, and his abuse escalated from there. That’s when he put in the house alarm and started tracking our phones. He told me the next time I tried to leave, he would…he would kill you.”
She was protecting me from a worse fate. All this time, I resented her for not leaving, but she stayed with him to protect me.
The guilt I feel is crushing.
Mom breaks down into sobs, and Wyatt’s mama, who had been standing silently to the side as Mom told her story, hugs her around the shoulders, lending her strength to continue. Wyatt stands like a pillar of support next to me and rubs my back as I wrap my arms around my belly. I would do anything to protect our baby, too. Anything at all.
“At the hospital, a social worker helped me come up with a plan to finally escape him. Since he couldn’t threaten to hurt you anymore after you ran away, I pressed charges and refused to bail him out. I knew eventually he would get out before his trial—his partner probably bailed him out. So I left the hospital as soon as I could, sold my car, and bought a new one with cash to make sure it couldn’t be tracked like the social worker advised me to do. I packed it full and left. I also had my cell number switched to a new phone, one he didn’t have a tracker on. I was hoping…one day…you would call me and let me know you were safe.”
“I couldn’t remember your number, and I was so scared Dad would be able to trace me if I called the house line.”
She nods and smooths back her graying, shoulder-length hair behind her ears. “That’s what I thought. I searched all over for you while also trying to avoid the cops out searching, too, since the news said you were seen at a couple of different truck stops along the highway. I was worried sick about you and just had to pray you were safe with whoever was helping you.” She turns to Wyatt, giving him an assessing look. “I assume that was you?”
He nods and holds his hand out to shake hers. “I’m Wyatt Roberts, Dolly’s fiancé. And this here is my mama,” he says, pointing to her beside Mom. She squeezes Mom’s shoulder and tells her to call her Mama as well, much to everyone’s amusement, lifting some of the heaviness in the air.
