“Absolutely. And you can stop me at any point and let me know if I need to kick Dan out of the room. He won’t be offended. I promise.” I smile at the small joke. She opens the door to let them know they can rejoin us.
Dallas takes his place in the chair next to me, offering his hand again, and I take it graciously. He places the other on top with a smile before turning to the cops again, waiting for whatever questions they have for me.
“Okay, Abby. I want to first start out by letting you know that you do not need to answer anything you’re not comfortable with. Just say next, and I’ll move to another question. You are also welcome to have a lawyer present if you choose. That sound okay?” Dan asks.
“Sure.”
When I don’t say anything further, he opens his notepad. “Great. I’m going to start with today and then we can backtrack to any information after I get the lowdown for the day. So, from this morning, when you woke up, can you tell us what happened?”
As I walk the officers through the day’s events, I start to stumble when I get to the point of Sam luring me out of the building. “I know he hit me, and I fell backward, hitting my head. I’m not sure how exactly all of that happened because it happened so fast, but I remember things getting fuzzy after that. I know Dallas showed up and scared him off and then we ended up here.”
They both jot down notes, looking up briefly to listen. “Thank you for walking me through that. I know replaying that can be hard. I’m very grateful Dallas showed up when he did.” Dan smiles at Dallas, who smiles back. The officers continue their questions, focusing on the relationship between Sam and me leading up to this.
It’s almost surreal to relive all of this in such a short period. I’ve known for a while, especially once the physical abuse started, that this relationship was turning toxic and abusive. But as I provide them with all this information, I’m now realizing just how bad things have been, and for how long. How did I let myself get here? Where did I go wrong? The tears that trickle down my cheek are quickly wiped away by Dallas’s delicate hand. He continues the circles on my hand, soothing and reassuring.
Olivia finds the tissues and offers me the box. “How are you doing?” she starts. “Nope, don’t answer that. I said I wasn’t going to ask that.” She shakes her head. “I know this is a lot of questions, and you’re doing great. I know walking through all this again is hard. Just know you’ve got a crew standing with you in this.” She nods at Dan and Dallas.
Someone knocks on the door. I expect to see a nurse ready to check on my vitals again. I can’t get any peace in this place. My arms are like pin cushions. Confusion strikes when a lady I don’t recognize, who also isn’t in scrubs or a white jacket walks in. “Hi, is this Abigail Cooper’s room?” she asks peering around the officers. They step aside to let her in. A smile spreads across her face when she sees Dallas. “Hi, honey,” she says, moving across the room to give Dallas a hug.
“Hey, Mom.” He hugs her tightly. She’s much shorter than he is but probably a few inches taller than me. Her caramel brown hair and light skin match Dallas’s almost perfectly though Dallas seems tanner, probably from spending so much time in the sun. Her navy blue business suit and black heels scream corporate.
Dallas’s mom turns to Olivia, greeting her sweetly, “Hi, Olivia. It’s been a while, but it’s good to see you.” They all shake hands before she moves back to Dallas’s side.
Dallas addresses me this time. “Abby, this is my mom, Trisha. I called her because she’s an attorney and will know a lot more about how to handle this whole situation.”
Trisha moves closer. “It’s nice to meet you, Abby. I’m sorry it’s under these circumstances. I apologize for interrupting the officers’ investigation.”
A lawyer? I hadn’t even thought of needing one. There’s so much that I haven’t thought of yet. So many people. Why so many people? I feel like I’m getting so many people involved in this that I never intended to. Though, I never intended any of this to become public knowledge. I thought I would take this to my grave. As my heart beats faster, the steady beep of the machine grows rapidly, alerting everyone in the room. It’s one thing for my pulse to increase while I’m explaining the hard parts, but I’m not even talking right now.
“I think we’ve got enough information for now,” Olivia says, closing her notepad and stuffing it into a front pocket on her vest. She nods toward the door, encouraging Dan to follow her. “We’ll be out here if you need anything. I’ll let you know before we leave for the day.”
“Thanks,” I stammer, still in shock from Dallas’s mom showing up. When I look back, they stare at me like they’re waiting for something. “Look,” I start, but Dallas cuts me off.
“I’m sorry I sprang this on you. I was trying to be proactive, and I was pissed off, well still am, and I didn’t know who else to call, and I didn’t know if you had any family that could help or if I should call them or—”
“Dallas,” I say, trying to stop his rambling. “It’s fine. I’m just ... a bit overwhelmed.” I’m not sure if that’s a lie or the truth. Or both. Either way, I know for a fact that my mind can’t keep up with itself.
“Abby? If I may. I’m an attorney who specializes in violent crimes. If you choose to cooperate with the charges being brought against your ex, they will assign you to a random county attorney or you can hire one yourself. Now, you don’t have to choose right now, but if you’ll allow it, I would be honored to represent you and support you through this.” She pauses and takes a step closer, folding her hands in front of her. “I want you to know that I understand how terrifying all of this is, not directly from your perspective, but I’ve dealt with too many cases similar to yours. Just know this. People like him don’t change. You have to put yourself first in all of this.”
My head is spinning with all this information. The last thing I want to do right now is see that asshole again. Would pressing charges do anything? Sam has money. He’d probably be able to hire anyone he wanted, and a good one at that. It’s also going to make him even more upset. He’s already mad that I left him. I don’t want to give him any more reason to seek me out again. And I don’t know how to put myself first anymore. I tried that and now look where we are.
“I need to pee,” I say, changing the subject.
Trisha smiles. “I’ll be in the hall if you need me.” She squeezes Dallas’s shoulder before leaving us alone with the beeping machines.
When I finally face Dallas, he looks frustrated. “Abby, you know I’m not going to force you to do anything, but please consider her offer.” He moves to the other side of the bed and presses the call button on the remote without giving me a chance to reply.
“Yes?” a lady’s voice sounds from the small speaker.
I sigh before saying, “Hi, could I get some help? I have to use the bathroom.”
“Sure thing. Someone will be right in.”
Once the nurse gets me unhooked from what I can be unhooked from, she helps me stand. One of my hands grips her arm while the other holds tightly to Dallas. I take a few slow steps just in case something hurts, but when I feel confident that I can walk mostly normally, I let go of Dallas and allow the nurse to help me into the bathroom. She gives me a few instructions on how to maneuver with the IV rack and tube attached to my arm and signs to watch for with the head trauma before leaving me alone in the bathroom.
For the first time, I look at myself in the mirror. My right cheek is bruised the worst it’s ever been, starting at my cheekbone and arching around my temple. I run my tongue over the small cut on my swollen bottom lip. My hair is tied into a messy ponytail. A few stray hairs poke out awkwardly from the white gauze wrapped around my head. I lift my arm to try to smooth them out, but an audible wince escapes me as the pain from my ribs rips across my chest.
“Abby? You okay?” I hear Dallas call from the other side of the door. “Do you need help?”
