I nod back at her.“Nice to meet you all.Wish it was under other circumstances.”
The one Darren called his dad steps forward.“I’m here to take your statement.Would you like to tell me what happened?”
“Dad,” Darren’s voice carries a tone that’s a warning.“Why don’t you process and get the pictures first?That way she can change into something more comfortable.”
“Would you prefer that, Macie?”
My jaw is starting to kill me, and my scrub pants are stuck to the dried blood through the cut on them.At some point I guess I must have gone down on my knees.I want these clothes off.“Yeah, I would prefer that, please.”
I’m numb as they pull me over to stand in front of a wall with no identifying factors.They turn on a bright lamp, and both Nick and Ryan begin taking pictures of me.My mind wanders as I listen to them ask for me to show them all my cuts, and then they start taking pictures of my jaw, next up is lifting my shirt so that they can get a picture of the bruising already showing up on my stomach.
When they’ve taken all the pictures they need, Darren’s mom steps forward.“You need to put your clothes into this bag, now.”
I glance over at Darren.“I wasn’t assaulted sexually.”
He licks his lips.“They’ll still try to get DNA off of it, and it helps the DA to see how badly things are ripped and torn.It paints a picture.That’s what they’re going for.”
A sigh works its way out of my throat.“I don’t have any clothes to change into.”
His mom holds up another bag.“When I heard Darren talking to Nick, I asked what happened.For a good portion of my adult life I’ve worked in healthcare.Luckily I’ve been mostly in private practice, and I’ve never been assaulted, but I wanted nothing more than to help you.Here are some clothes the girls have left at our house through the years.I’m pretty sure I found some that’s going to fit you.”
It’s on the tip of my tongue to ask her how she even knows who I am, but right now it doesn’t even matter.My own mom is three states away, and I’m not about to call her in the middle of the night to tell her what went down.Which means I’m beyond thankful for Darren’s mom.“I appreciate this more than you know.Where can I change?”
Darren puts a hand behind on the small of my back, and ushers me down the hallway.He opens the door, and turns on the light.“If you need anything, let me know.You can take a shower when they leave.”
“Thank you,” I whisper.
He’s grinding his molars together as his eyes take in my face.“Whoever this motherfucker is,” he says low enough so that only we can hear.“He better hope I’m not the one who arrests him, it won’t be an easy take down if I do.”
Swallowing softly, I lift my eyes to his.The words that come out of my mouth are unexpected, but true.“Normally I would say not to do that on my behalf.But this time?Hurt him as much as he hurt me.”
Chapter4
Darren
"If you need anything, holler out.I'm going to make sure everyone has everything they need, and then I'll be back to check on you."
Macie looks through me, not at me, as she listens to what I'm saying."Thank you for all of this.You could've told me to leave."
God, her small voice guts me.Reaching up, I hook my palm around the back of her neck."You were right to come here.If you ever need anything, I want to be the person to help you, if I can.I'm right in there if you need anything."
"Okay.Thank you."
"Stop thanking me.I'm happy to do this for you."
She nods, her eyes not meeting mine.
Macie and I have kissed before.Hell we've made out before, and I know my way around her mouth.I want nothing more than to take that part of her right now and imprint myself.But that's not what she needs.Instead, I lean forward and kiss her forehead."Let me go sit with my family and try to make this move more quickly.That way we can be alone."
"Then you'll hold me?"Her bottom lip quivers, before she firms it up again.
"I'll do whatever you need."I tighten my grip on her neck, forcing her eyes to meet mine.
It kills me to leave her in this bathroom while I walk back to my living room."If the woman had a restraining order against her baby's father, his name should be on file."I've been thinking about that since Macie showed up here, that this motherfucker shouldn't be hard to find.
"Believe it or not, we're already trying to get that information," Dad mumbles, looking down at the cell phone in his hand."We do know how to do our jobs."
There's that dry sense of humor that gets Nick Kepler through everything."I know, I do know that.I'm pissed.In no way, shape, or form, should someone who works in healthcare be afraid to do their job because of assholes like him.I worry about all the people we have in our lives who work in that environment."
