Katie looked forward to Tuesdays more than any other day of the week, as it gave her the chance to spend much-needed time with her mother. The kids were busy at school activities and Randall worked overtime, so she had the entire day and most of the night to spend with her mom. She couldn’t wait to do so today.

“Katie!”

Her mom ran down the steps that lead to the big colonial house. Although Katie hadn’t grown up here, she loved the home just as much as if she had.

“Hi, momma!”

Launching herself into her mother’s open arms, Katie almost burst into tears with the security she felt in her embrace.

Pulling away, Annie Sullivan turned her head slightly to look out of the corner of her eye at her daughter. Then she frowned at what she saw.

“God, Katie,” she whispered, as her top lip began to quiver. “I’m calling your brother.”

“What?”

“I’m calling Justin so he can look at you. Check and make sure you’re alright.”

“Mom.”

What was she going to say? She hurt more than anything, and she also felt ashamed at the life she now found herself trapped in.

“Let’s go inside. How long do we have?”

Dumbfounded Katie just stared at her mother.

“Come on honey, we don’t’ have much time. How long do we have?”

Annie jarred Katie from the trance she seemed to be under. She was still standing on the front porch where she’d only made it a few steps. Not waiting a moment longer, her mother turned from Katie as she linked their fingers together to guide her into the house. She didn’t bother stopping to get the answer she needed as they made their way inside. She just held on to Katie’s hand the entire time.

When they reached just past the threshold, Annie unlinked her fingers from Katie’s and hastily made her way through the house until she was standing in the kitchen, on the phone with Justin.

Making her way inside the grand Victorian, Katie barely had a moment to fully comprehend what was happening before she heard her mother in the distance.

“Justin, hurry. She needs you.”

That was all Katie could hear as her world seemed to fade away with the pounding in her head. Her face was still on fire, and the tears that threatened to fall made themselves known in waves down her cheeks. She hiccupped a gasped cry when her mother suddenly wrapped her arms around her, seemingly out of nowhere.

No one knows, she’d told herself this entire time. But how could she think that no one had known? Oh, God. They all knew. How long had they all known for? How did they find out what I was trying so hard to hide?

“It’s really not that hard to see, honey,” Annie said, as if in answer to her silent questions. She stood just a few feet from Katie, making her jump. “We just were waiting until you came to us, but now…” She paused, taking in the sight of her daughter.

Katie was obviously underweight and pale, and her cheek was red from where a hand had recently struck her. Annie assumed it was a hand, due to the visible print left on her daughter’s face.

After several minutes of just looking at Katie—not staring, just looking—Annie finally asked, “Are you done yet?”

Tears streamed down Katie’s face, but Annie knew before the answer even before the words came out.

“Yes”, she whispered, more to herself than anyone else. She needed to be done. She had to break free from this terrible prison she’d found herself in.

“Finally.” Breathing a sigh of relief, Annie kissed her daughter on the forehead before looking upward toward the heavens. “Thank God. Why don’t you sit until Justin gets here?”

“No!” Katie exclaimed out of nowhere.

Without another word, she stood up in the doorway of her mother’s kitchen, waiting to see what would happen next. Anything at this point had to be better than what waited for her once she got home.

“Okay, just…”

Just what? Just stand? Just get comfy?

She was about to say, “Just give me a minute,” but the words wouldn’t leave her lips. She was stuck in some sort of limbo, as though she was experiencing an out-of-body experience.

She realized her life was at a crossroads at this moment. Everything that was about to happen would dictate the rest of her life, and the thought paralyzed her—not out of fear, but of relief.

Her mother seemed to realize the extent of her injuries after noticing the effort it took Katie to stand in one place. Her daughter’s back hunched slightly forward away from the wall. Watching her sway a little from side to side, Annie worried the severity of Katie’s injuries might be even more serious than she could see.

“How bad is it, Katie?” Annie asked in a soothing tone that only a mother could give.

That’s one thing she knew she could count on with her mother, no matter the situation. She was eager to make things better, and she could put her own emotions in check as she assessed the situation.

“Never mind,” her mother continued. “Just relax until Justin gets here.”

“Mom…”

“It’s okay, honey. We will figure it out. Let’s make sure you’re not too injured first.”

Awestruck, Katie just looked on as her mother made tea and gathered ice packs from the freezer.

“MOM!” Justin’s booming voice startled Katie, making her jump, then groan, as the pain radiated throughout her body.

Making his way through to the kitchen, her brother stopped in his tracks as soon as he saw her.

“Jesus, Katie.”

He dropped his bag on the floor and walked slowly toward his sister. Without saying another word, he gathered her carefully into his arms and kissed the top of her head.

No longer able to hold back any longer, she cried into his chest and continued to cry for what seemed like hours as he held her tight.

“Jus…”

She started to speak, then stopped, unable to utter any coherent words as the hysteria took over.

“Shush, it’s okay. We’ll figure it all out.”

Above her head, he pointedly looked toward his mother and asked, “How long do we have?”

“The afternoon, at least. It’s Tuesday, so we have plenty of time—unless he gets suspicious.”

Pulling away to look into her eyes, Justin lowered his face so he was eye level with his sister.

“Listen to me, Katie. I need you to understand a few things before we begin.”

She blinked back the tears that continued to fall, and Justin calmly waited as she pulled herself together enough to continue with what needed to be said. When the last sniffle sniffled and the last tear fell, he touched her face lightly against her cheek.

“Are you finally done with all this?”

He spoke to her calmly, making sure she grasped every word. Taking a moment to wrap her mind around what he was saying, Katie nodded in determination.

“Yes.”

The power that one word evoked instantly released the shackles that had become her life for longer than she would have thought possible.

“Good. Then let’s begin.”

Turning away to instruct his mother, Justin left Katie to start the preparations.

They had a plan, was all she could think as she watched the two of them pull out things from the corners of the room and move across the house, removing more items here and there. Her entire family knew what was happening to her, and they had a plan. Why did they wait so long to tell me what it was?

“We couldn’t, honey,” her mom answered, as Justin made phone calls. He had walked out of the room as soon as he began talking to whomever was on the other end of the line.

“What do you mean, you couldn’t?”

Anger began to rise in her from the depths of her soul. How long had they had this plan? She realized that all this suffering could have been avoided if only they had clued her in whatever it was much sooner.

“You had to want to go, Katie. We couldn’t do anything but plan until you were ready.”

Eerie as it was, her mother had always been very good at reading facial expressions in other people. When it came to her children, however, she was an expert.

What?!

“Ready? What do you mean, ready?” Her chest heaved from the effort to contain her frustration. “I’ve been hurt for so long, and you wouldn’t do anything until I was ready?”

Justin, still in the other room, turned his head from the phone in his hand as he walked back toward them. He was aware that he needed to jump into the conversation before any more harsh words were said between them.

“Katelyn Elizabeth, listen to me, and listen good.”

That got her attention. No one ever called her by her full name, or even used her full first name, unless there was a damn good reason.

“Yes, YOU. You had to be ready to leave him and never ever look back.”

Their mother spoke with all the compassion in the world, but her tone also rang out with authority, given the severity of the situation.

“Katie,” Justin chimed, trying to lend support.

“We had to wait for you to realize that it was never going to change, or get better, or be anything other than what it is.”

Tears spilled again as she took in what her mom and brother were saying.

Justin waited, watching as the conversation seemed to no longer need words. He could tell she wasn’t upset with the family; she was more upset with herself for being in the situation in the first place.

It wasn’t until she nodded her head that their mother turned and left the room.

“Katie, I need to check to make sure you’re not too seriously hurt.”

He picked up his bag from the floor where he’d dropped it and began to guide her toward one of the back bedrooms.

“I know.”

“Listen to me. I need you to know and understand something first.”

She tilted her head to the side to listen to what he had to say.

“I will not judge. I will not look at you other than as my little sister. I have done this before.”

At that, her brows scrunched together.

“I mean, I have dealt with incidents like yours before and know how to handle them. We need to collect evidence.”

“NO!” Her head shook violently and her hands grasped at his arms.

“Katie, listen to me. We have to document everything he did to you. As a medical professional, I am also obligated to do so.” Taking a breath, he continued. “Please, honey.”

Her fingers tightened around his arm with such force that he knew there would be bruises, but he didn’t care. This was his sister. His little sister. She needed him to be strong for her. After several long minutes and a near panic attack later, she agreed with a nod.

“Okay?” Justin wouldn’t let her off the hook that easy. He had to be sure she understood everything that was about to happen.

“It’s done.”

With those words, Annie entered the room, taking in the scene before her.

“Katie, it’s going to be okay. I promise.”

This was as serious as it got, and now a promise from her mother had confirmed that it would all turn out all right. Her mother never made promises lightly.

Katie’s brows creased together as she regarded the older woman. “What’s done?”

“Listen, honey, we have been preparing for this for over a year. Waiting for you to be ready.”

Ready for what, she still didn’t understand, but she trusted her family to take care of everything.

“Ready for what, Mom?”

Annie didn’t reply.

Justin, however, drew her attention toward him again.

“From this point on, everything will go very fast, but we want you to know we have this all under control. I need you to go into Mom’s bedroom so I can examine you and discover the extent of your injuries.”

“Justin, please.”

Katie’s head was about to explode from the information coming at her in every direction.

“Now, Katie.”

Stern yet comforting, Justin knew she was at the cusp of a meltdown, but they didn’t have any more time to lose if they wanted to enact the plan right now.

Turning, she made her way down the hall to the back bedroom, sorry for the fact that her family had been put in this situation to begin with. Sorry for the fact that she was so embarrassed as to what had happened to her. Sorry for all the lives that would have to change in this moment. Most of all, she was sorry for falling for the wrong man. Wrong in so many ways she never knew were possible.

 

***

 

Justin walked out the door of the master bedroom about an hour later. Pain was etched across his face as he made his way toward his mother, who sat at the counter island in the center of the kitchen.

“She okay?”

“She will be.”

“How bad is it? Will she be alright to travel and do what needs to be done?”

“Mom…”

Staring out the window across the room at the bird that rested on the branch just outside, he couldn’t bring himself to share with his mother the horrific scene that he just witnessed upon examining his sister. Even though he couldn’t go too in-depth with the examination—it was his sister after all—he was still able to generally assess the carnage at the hands of his piece-of-shit brother-in-law. He had also made sure that he had all he needed so she would be able to safely make the journey that lay ahead.

“That bad?”

His head just shook as tears silently fell from his eyes.

“Worse.”

It was all he could get out before his voice broke and he managed to catch himself.

“God.”

Gasping, Annie slapped a hand across her mouth to silence her rage, something she knew Katie didn’t need at the moment.

“How did she get here?”

She was astonished at the strength her daughter still had in her after all the abuse she’d endured for far too long.

“She may not realize it, but I’m pretty sure it was sheer determination on her part.”

Her injuries were worse than he could have imagined. With several bruised if not broken ribs, as well as welts that spread across her lower back and ass, Justin had nearly vomited from the scene across her body before he’d composed himself long enough to continue the exam.

He was sure with x-ray’s they would discover plenty more injuries, past and present, that they had yet to find on her body. The handprint on her cheek, even though it stood out the most prominent, was only superficial compared to some of the other wounds he’d discovered.

“I want to kill the bastard,” Annie spat as her eyes narrowed.

“I know. Me, too.”

He continued to watch the sparrow on the branch, certain that if he kept his eyes focused on something incredible long enough, it would somehow void the carnage he had just witnessed.

“I never realized it until now, but you never liked him, did you?”

“Nope. He tried to butter me up, but I knew something was off with him the first time I met him.”

No matter how hard Randall Kirkland had tried to get on her good side, he was never able to do so. Now Justin realized his mother’s gut feeling had been spot-on.

“We’re not out of the woods yet, though. Are the plans started?” he asked as he returned his focus to his mom.

“Yep. The house will be sold by the end of the day, and your brothers, sisters, and their families are ready to go as well.”

“Who’s ready to go?” Katie asked as she entered the room, pulling her sweater over her head, careful to avoid her face as much as possible.

Rising from the stools, her mother and brother turned and looked her way, compassion spread across their faces. She’d spent a little extra time after Justin left the room to wash her face. Now it was free of all the makeup that had covered the bruising. It had taken some time to compose herself before she returned to them for further instructions

“We all are,” they said in unison.

“What do you mean?” She looked at them curiously.

They turned to each other, deciding on the extent of the details of the plan they should tell her.

“Just tell me already! I’ve made up my mind. I’m leaving him for good, so tell me what’s next!”

Taking in a deep breath, her mother let it out slowly before she gestured for her to sit down at the table. Justin followed behind them, both of them not saying a word.

“I’m going to tell you what I can right now, but understand something first. You are not going to get the entire plan until after we’ve made most of our journey.”

“What do you mean? Why not?”

“I’ve done this before, honey. I’ve helped women escape. I’m damn good at it, too, but success in these situations depends not only on the woman leaving, but on the execution of the plan by those that can handle the situation.”

“Mom, I can handle the situation just fine. I’ve been through enough hell to know I want the light at the end of this tunnel, and I want it now.”

“I know, honey, but we can’t take any chances. Right now you are an unknown quantity that may turn at any point. Until we have fully executed a major hurdle in our plan, we can’t include you other than to keep you protected and well-hidden.”

“But the kids…”

“Are not yours.”

“The house…”

“Is not yours, either.”

“My stuff…”

“Can be replaced.”

“What about my life?”

“You only have what he gave you in that area, too, honey. Let’s face it. It’s time to go.”

“What about you guys?”

Justin decided it was his turn to speak, and cued his mom that he would be taking over the conversation with a gentle head nod in her direction.

“We’re ready to go, Katie. We were just waiting on you.”

“The phone call earlier?”

She looked pointedly at her mother, expecting an answer, but she didn’t realize until that very moment that she wasn’t going to get one.

Annie just regarded her daughter with a soothing smile.

“Time to go, Katie, Justin.”

With those words, the room suddenly erupted in chaos as several men stormed through the house. Katie just sat and took it all in. Boxes were assembled before her eyes, furniture was moved out to awaiting cargo vans, and items were bubbled and packed away.

Whenever she tried to stand and help them, they would ask her to relax and let them do what needed to be done. Unable to sit any longer as the pain radiated throughout her body, she just stood and watched as they continued to pack the house up, removing box after box.

When more people she didn’t recognize started invading the house, Katie became more uncomfortable and embarrassed to be the sole reason for all these actions.

“Katie, you okay?”

Kneeling next to her as she sat on the last sofa in what used to be the living room, Justin looked at her with so much concern in his eyes that she just wanted to cry again.

“I’m sorry.”

“Shush, it’s okay.”

He brushed some stray strands of hair away from her face.

“No, it’s not.”

He looked at her, trying to figure out the extent of the truth she could handle. Seemingly assured with what he saw in her, he decided it was okay to lay it all on the table.

“No, it isn’t, but it will be okay. I promise you it will.”

Her tears continued to fall unencumbered as they trickled down her face into her lap, seemingly at their own accord. She sucked some much-needed air into her chest, but couldn’t get enough and started to gasp. Over and over she cycled through gasps for air mixed with shaky puffs and rocking back and forth. Several minutes passed without any relief.

“Relax, Katie. You’re just having a panic attack.”

Justin held her hand as she continued to struggle through the effects the panic had on her body.

Fuck, is that what this is?

Her body begun to shake uncontrollably as the chaos around her continued unaffected by what was going on just a few feet away.

“Just breathe, honey. Relax and breathe,” Justin chanted over and over while continuing to hold her hand, rubbing his thumb across it in circles, trying to sooth her.

“Can’t,” she said as she gasped for more and more air.

“Mom! Do you have that paper bag we stowed for just this occasion?”

“Yes, honey. I’ll get it.”

Annie ran toward the bag that lay on the front porch.

Were these people for real right now? Didn’t anyone seem to be concerned she couldn’t breathe? What kind of a doctor was Justin that he wasn’t at all concerned that she was turning blue?

“You’re not turning blue, and you know I wouldn’t let you not breathe.”

Crap! She said that out loud.

“Yes, you did.”

Crap. She had said that out loud, too.

“Katelyn Elizabeth! Stop saying crap!” her mother chimed in as she handed Justin the paper bag.

Her mom placed the puffed-out bag in her hand as Justin instructed her on how to hold it. She took several deep breaths that calmed her so she could breathe normally again. After several minutes, her breathing steadied and she was able to calm down.

“Better?”

“Yes, thank you.”

“Good, now let’s get you up so the guys can take the couch.”

“Okay.”

She guessed that was the extent of her meltdown in front of them. They seemed to mean business, and refused to waste time on little things like breathing.

“Um, Mom?”

“Yes, honey?”

“What should I do?”

“Well, if you’d like, you could help pack up the kitchen with Earl.”

“Okay.”

Okay? Was anything okay? Would it ever be okay again?