Chapter 3
With shaky hands, I finally did what I should have done at the beginning of his abuse. I dialed 911 and told them about my abusive relationship. It was hard to admit that I had allowed myself to fall into it, that I hadn’t asked for help sooner but the 911 dispatcher sounded sympathetic and I was grateful for that. She assured me that two police officers would be on their way and that I should stay put for the time being. I did as I was told, praying Michael wouldn’t come back before the police arrived.
******
Sean and Carter sat in their police cruiser together. It had been a slow day. They had been inactive for the past hour and while they were glad the city was peaceful they were getting anxious for some action. Suddenly a new assignment came in.
Carter sighed when he heard that the assignment dealt with domestic abuse. He hated low-life men who hit on women. To him, they were the scum of the earth who picked on women just to prove their dominance. It was sickening.
“C’mon we have to save this poor girl, there’s no telling what kind of condition she could be in.” Sean’s voice was full of compassion. He was sincerely worried for this woman and prayed that she was okay. Carter nodded and flipped on their police siren.
Sean put the car into gear and shot off toward the given address. He hoped they would reach the residence before the husband returned. He hoped to get the woman to safety before anything messy happened. With this thought coursing through his mind his grip of the steering wheel tightened and he accelerated just a little bit more.
******
I remember sitting there. I was hugging my knees and reciting prayers I hadn’t said since I was a little girl. I thought of my mother and father then. Were they looking down at me from Heaven? I wasn’t sure, but I seriously doubted there was a God then. If there was, why would he have let Michael abuse me? Had I deserved it?
As I evaluated my life in this way a part of me started to blame myself for the whole thing. Maybe it was my fault Michael was so angry. Maybe I was a bad wife and I had caused this to happen. I bit my lip and started to cry as the image of myself became bleaker and bleaker. I hugged my knees tighter.
I jumped suddenly when there was a knock on the door. I was upstairs, but the hard knock was easy to hear.
“This is the police. Please open up.” The loud, gruff voice sounded through my home and with shaky limbs I got up. As I walked downstairs, I passed a mirror. I could see bruises already starting to form on my face and grimaced. I wouldn’t be able to go to work for a while.
“This is the police! Open up or we will be forced to break down this door!” The gruff voice called out again.
“I…I’m… coming!” I tried to yell out, but I felt like my voice was nothing more than a whisper. I managed to reach the door before they broke it down.
The two cops looked down at me and I could see pity in their eyes. The dark-eyed one suddenly took me into his arms and whispered, “Oh you poor thing… c’mon let’s take care of you okay? Do you have any serious injuries?” His voice was sweet and compassionate. I liked him already.
I nodded and allowed him to lead me into the living room. I didn’t like that they were going to keep me in the house. I wanted to leave. What if Michael came back? What would happen then? I was afraid, but I tried to stay calm as the officers looked me over for any major injuries. They found none.
The dark-eyed cop sat down with me as the blue-eyed one disappeared into the house. I didn’t know what he was going to do, but I figured it was a part of his job and let him be. I looked at the dark-eyed cop now as he offered me a warm smile. I wanted to take his smile and wrap it around my abused body, but I couldn’t.
“I am Officer Sean O’Riley, may I ask you some questions?” He asked, looking at me. I nodded.
“Good. Thank you. First off, who did this to you?” I hesitated, but I knew I had to be honest. I had already called the cops. I had already condemned my husband. There was no point in defending him any longer. I had to think of myself and my own happiness for once.
“M…my husband.”
“And is this the first time he has done this to you?” Sean asked after writing down my answer. I shook my head. “How long has it been going on for?” I thought back.
“About a year at the earliest… but it’s been six months since he has gotten physical with me…” My voice was low and depressed. I didn’t like admitting this. I felt ashamed I had let it go on for so long but when I looked into his warm eyes I was gratified to see he wasn’t judging me at all, instead he seemed to only sympathize with me. I started to trust him.
“And what happened tonight?” I recounted the night’s events as best I could. It had been blurry, but I managed to give him something he could work with. A few more minutes passed as he asked me a few more minor questions.
“One last question: Where is your husband now?” I looked at him and thought for a moment.
“I…I’m not really sure… If I had to make a guess… I would say he is at the bar… he goes there when he is angry…” I picked at my nails in nervousness. A part of me didn’t want to rat out my husband, but another part of me wanted to see him rot in hell.
Sean nodded before grabbing one of the blankets on the couch and draping it over my shoulders. “Anything I can do for you?” He asked, a kind look on his face. I took a moment now to look at him. He looked Irish with his dark eyes, his dark hair, and his pale skin. He had long hair that was wavy and full. It looked soft to the touch and a part of me wanted to run my fingers through it. He was definitely attractive. I wondered if he had a family of his own and if they were worried about him, working as an officer.
I shook my head and we continued to sit there.
“By the way, I never caught your name miss.”
“B…Brooklyn.” I smiled softly at him and he smiled back.
“I like that.”
At that moment, his partner came back with an ice pack and a cup of tea. I hadn’t heard him in the kitchen. He was quiet. I was grateful, however, when I felt the warm cup of tea in my hands. As I sipped the warm liquid he gently placed the ice pack on my temple, where I had received my most serious blow. I winced a little.
“I’m sorry… I know it must hurt, but it will keep down the swelling.” His voice was gruff and more masculine than his partner’s.
“Brooklyn, this is Officer Carter Mathews, he has been my partner for eight years now.” Carter smiled down at me. He seemed to be a gentle giant and I smiled back.
“The house is clear, let’s just get her out of here.” Carter looked serious as he looked at Sean. His partner nodded, about to get up when there was a fumbling at the door.