Crushed

by Amity Hope

  So he had left. He never should’ve left! If he’d stayed, he could’ve protected her.

  “That son of a bitch!” he heard himself yell as he punched the dash in front of him.

  “She’ll be okay, Reece.” Beth’s voice was calm, reassuring as she sped out of the driveway.

  “You don’t know that!”

  She pursed her lips because she knew he was right.

  He didn’t want to say it out loud but what if she was already not alright? He had no idea how badly she was hurt. He glanced at the clock and then pulled out his phone.

  “Who are you calling?” Beth asked.

  “Luci.”

  “Reece, sweetie, don’t do that. They’re probably keeping her on the phone. We’ll be there in a few minutes.”

  To her credit, while he was completely freaking out, he realized that his mom remained calm. He could tell she was upset. And she was driving well over the speed limit. For that, alone, he wanted to thank her.

  “Has something like this happened before?” she quietly asked.

  “Yes,” he said. His voice was so strained it was almost unrecognizable. “Only I didn’t know until just the other day.”

  As she continued to drive, Reece told her everything that Cleo had admitted to him. Now was not the time for keeping secrets. And these were not things he had agreed not to tell. Someone needed to know about what Paul had done. He just wished that he would’ve known sooner. So he could have gotten her help sooner. He desperately hoped that now, it wasn’t too late.

  Beth listened, not interrupting or asking questions, just listened as she drove. Reece filled Beth in on Paul’s threats to take Luci away. To kick Cleo out and to never let her see her sister again. And while on some level, he knew his dad wasn’t to blame for Paul’s behavior, he blamed him for this latest incident anyway.

  When he was done, she finally spoke. Her voice was quiet but firm. “She’s going to be okay, Reece. I promise. I’ll do whatever I can to make sure of it. And Luci, too. Both of those girls have been through enough.”

  By the time he directed her to Cleo’s street, his heart felt like it was mangled inside of his chest. Everything felt mangled and aching. And he realized that the way he’d felt that day on the lawn, the last day of school, was nothing compared to what he felt right then.

  Despite the promise his mom had made, he didn’t feel any relief.

  “That one,” he said as he pointed to the small white house. They’d made it in record time but it had felt to him that it had taken forever. He’d expected emergency vehicles but the street was uncomfortably quiet. The house looked desolate. Maybe they’d already come and gone? Or maybe…had Paul come back? Had he come back before Luci had a chance to call anyone?

  He jumped out of his vehicle before Beth had a chance to put it in park. His feet pounded down the sidewalk and he could hear his mom right behind him. His phone, still in his hand, began to ring as he reached the front door.

  He glanced at it, realizing the call was coming from Cleo’s home phone. From inside the house. Instead of answering, he let himself in the front door.

  Chapter 26

  “It’ll stop soon,” she said.

  “No, Cleo, I don’t think it will,” Reece argued. “I think it’s going to need stitches.” He could barely stand to look at her. And yet, he wanted nothing more than to hold onto her. Her lips were trembling, her whole body was shaking. Her skin was pale. She had tried to wash away the blood but her face was still streaked with it. The washcloth she was holding to her head was going to need to be traded for a new one. One that wasn’t drenched in her blood.

  The phone call had been from Luci. Cleo had woken up when Luci had ended her call with Reece. She had insisted she would be okay. But she had a gash on her head that was bleeding terribly. When Cleo had stood, she’d had such an intense feeling of vertigo, she’d nearly toppled again. Luci had followed her to the bathroom, watching as Cleo found a washcloth to hold to her forehead. By the time Luci remembered she’d called Reece, he’d been in the driveway.

  “I don’t want stitches,” Cleo said.

  “I don’t want you to be so stubborn,” Reece tossed back at her. “But I think we’re both out of luck.”

  “Everyone knows that cuts on the head bleed a lot,” she argued.

  “That’s exactly why I think it should be stitched up. To make it stop!” he argued back.

  When Paul flung her, she’d hit the corner of the door frame, the sharp edge. She’d hit hard enough that it knocked her out. But she’d also ended up with the large gash on the side of her forehead.

  “Do you have any idea how scared I was?” Reece asked as he knelt down in front of her. They were in her bathroom. She was, again, sitting on the closed toilet seat. Only today, it was Reece trying to tend to her instead of Luci. He handed her a clean washcloth and grimaced when she pulled away the bloody one.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize Luci had called you. Then by the time she remembered, you were here,” Cleo explained.

  He had rushed in and Luci had met him in the hallway. She was still sobbing but pointed to the bathroom. The wave of relief that had immediately washed over him had faded slightly when he’d caught sight of her. She was awake but she was a long way from being okay.

  He shook his head as he rested his hands on her hips. “I’m glad Luci called me. But I never should have left you here alone. I shouldn’t have on Thursday, either. It was just plain stupid.”

  “Thursday he was still working,” Cleo argued. “Today…I just didn’t think he’d come home. I thought it would be better if you were gone.” She could tell he was about to protest but she cut him off. “Where did Luci go?”

  “She’s in the other room with my mom,” he said unapologetically.

  “Your mom is here?” Cleo asked. Her head was throbbing and her aches from earlier in the week had sprung to life again. If she moved at all, an intense wave of nausea hit. She wanted nothing more than to go to bed. She was pretty certain Reece wasn’t going to let her do that.

  “Cleo,” Beth said from the doorway. “Reece is right. It looks like you need stitches. And I think Luci needs to see the doctor, too.”

  “Luci?” Cleo asked as she tried to bounce to her feet. She became instantly dizzy and Reece grabbed hold of her and sat her back down. “What’s wrong with her?”

  Cleo realized she had been so out of sorts herself, she hadn’t realized Luci was hurt. Luci had been crying. But Cleo had just assumed she was still scared. That she’d been shaken up by what had happened. She felt awful for not realizing something was wrong.

  Beth moved further into the cramped bathroom. “I think she may have a dislocated elbow. She thinks it happened when Paul pulled her away from you. I need to get both of you to the emergency room.” She paused. “Reece said you were coming home to pack your bags? So you could go to your friend Emma’s? Did you have a chance to do that?” Cleo nodded and then grimaced because even that small movement sent bolts of pain shooting through her head. More tears burned her eyes. She didn’t want anyone to see her this way. Not Reece and definitely not his mom. “Where are they?” Beth quietly asked.

  “In my bedroom,” Cleo whispered.

  “Reece, go load them up, please. Then if you could come back in to help Cleo, I’ll get Luci, okay?” she asked.

  “Yeah,” Reece said as he gave Cleo’s hand a squeeze. “I’ll be right back.”

  The moment he was gone, Beth took his place and knelt down in front of Cleo.

  “I am so sorry about all of this,” she said. “I’m sorry Landon involved you and Paul in a private matter. And I am so sorry that Paul has taken this out on you. But,” she said as she took a deep breath, “I don’t want you to worry about anything right now. Reece has filled me in on what’s been happening. If it’s okay with you, once I get you and Luci in to see a doctor, I’d like to give Patty a call. I used to sit with her sometimes when Reece and Ethan were both in baseball a few years ago. Is t
hat okay with you? Can I call Patty?”

  Cleo slowly, carefully, nodded, not trusting her voice. She felt tears sliding down her cheeks.

  Beth wiped them away.

  “Cleo, since you were knocked out, I would guess you have a concussion. You look completely miserable.” Beth’s voice was full of concern. Cleo could see the same concern splashed across her face. “But I don’t want you to worry about anything. I would like to stay with you and Luci the entire time, if you’re okay with that.”

  “Yes,” Cleo said. She was surprised her voice sounded like barely more than a whisper.

  “I’m going to do whatever I can to make this situation right. I don’t want you worrying about anything. I don’t want you to worry about Luci because she’ll be okay. Or Paul because I’m going to take care of that situation, too. I don’t want you to worry about where you’re going to go. None of it. I just want you to get better, okay?”

  Cleo gave her another barely-there nod and Beth gave her a gentle hug. It was all she could do to keep herself from bursting into tears.

  “I have to say, I have never seen Reece so frantic before. It’s always been obvious that he loves you,” she said quietly as she stood up. “I just don’t think I ever realized how much.”

  “I love him, too,” Cleo said as she wiped away another stream of tears.

  “I know sweetheart,” she said with a small smile. “I think if you two can make it through what you just went through, you’re going to be able to make it through anything.”

  “Are you sure Luci is okay?” Cleo finally managed to ask. Her voice sounded so small and shaky.

  “She will be,” Beth assured her.

  “Mom?” Reece said from the doorway. “I think we’re ready.”

  ***

  Beth had been right. Luci’s elbow had been dislocated and her arm was now in a splint. During the day, she would need to keep it in a sling. Cleo had ended up with a few stitches on her forehead and the doctor determined she did, indeed, have a concussion.

  Child Protective Services had been called and an officer had also come in to speak to both Cleo and Luci. Beth had called Patty and it was agreed that Cleo and Luci could stay at the Hildenbrandt’s for a night or two.

  Patty was able to give directions to Paul’s girlfriend’s house. Beth passed them along to the officer that had questioned the girls. That was where they found him.

  Beth had done exactly as she said she would. She had stayed with the girls, flitting back and forth between them. Constantly reassuring both of them that it would be okay, that she would make sure of it.

  Cleo had been hesitant when Reece asked if she minded coming back to his house. Patty had said both she and Luci could come and stay with them for as long as was needed. But Reece hadn’t wanted her to go. He wanted her where he could keep an eye on her.

  Beth assured Cleo that Landon had been asked to get himself a hotel room. Indefinitely.

  When Cleo woke up the next morning, her head was still throbbing. She carefully scooted out of bed, careful not to jostle Luci. But she nearly stepped on Reece.

  She and Luci were sleeping upstairs. They were across from Beth’s room, in the spare bedroom. She realized Reece must’ve come upstairs sometime during the night. He was sleeping in a sleeping bag on the floor.

  Beth had assured Cleo that she would call the middle school and explain Luci’s situation to them. She would also call the high school and explain Cleo’s. Reece probably could’ve gone to school but he argued he wouldn’t be able to concentrate anyway. So Beth had agreed to let him stay home for a day. A day that both of the girls clearly needed to recuperate.

  Cleo carefully stepped around him so she could get to the bathroom. She desperately needed to take something for the agony in her head. She tiptoed to the door and let herself out of the room.

  After she’d taken her painkillers, she found Beth in the hallway waiting for her.

  “I heard you get up,” Beth said. “Were you planning on going back to bed?”

  “Not really,” Cleo told her. She knew she wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep at this point. Not with the way her head was hurting.

  “Would you mind coming downstairs with me so we can talk about a few things?” Beth wondered.

  Cleo agreed and the moment she settled herself onto the sofa, Beth covered her with a blanket. Cleo blinked at her in surprise. She wasn’t used to people doing things like that for her.

  “It’s chilly this morning,” Beth said as she settled down next to her. She looked Cleo over with a scrutinizing gaze. “You’re head is still hurting pretty badly, isn’t it?”

  “A little bit,” Cleo fibbed.

  Beth frowned but didn’t refute her and then she sighed. “I don’t even know where to begin,” she said as she fidgeted with the fringe on Cleo’s blanket. “I guess maybe with Paul. It’s too early to know for sure, but it sounds like there’s a good chance he’ll be serving time for this. I hope that’s the case,” she said forcefully. “I spoke with my lawyer this morning—,” Cleo’s confused look caused her to interrupt herself. “I needed to speak with her about Landon. As long as I had her on the phone, I found out a few other things. As I said, it’s too early to tell. But she thought there was a good possibility he’d be serving a year or more. Both you and Luci ended up in the ER. But, especially because this is not the first time he hurt you.”

  Cleo nodded in relief. Her body was still battered from the ordeal on her birthday. Add to that her recent trip to the emergency room as well as Luci’s. And things were not looking good for Paul. She had already inferred that much from what she’d overheard at the hospital.

  “As for Luci, I think we need to discuss what may happen. That is,” she said carefully, “if you don’t mind. I would like to help. But if it’s not my place, please just say so.”

  “No,” Cleo said, embarrassed that her throat was already starting to constrict. For years, she’d been an expert at keeping tears away. Now for the past few days, she couldn’t seem to stop crying. “I would appreciate your help. I want…I want custody of her. Is that possible? Do you think?”

  Beth gave her a small smile. “Reece told me he thought you’d say that. So this is what I’ve found out so far. The odds are in your favor because you’re a blood relative. But that, right now, is about the only thing in your favor.”

  A tear trickled down and Cleo hastily wiped it away.

  “Are you sure about this? Have you thought it through? It’s obvious how much you love your sister. But the reality of raising a child…” Beth paused when she noted the perplexed look on Cleo’s face. “Never mind. That was not a well-thought out question. You are well aware of what’s involved. You’ve been taking care of her for a while now, haven’t you?”

  “Yes,” Cleo firmly replied.

  “Have you thought about where you would live?” Beth wondered. “I would imagine rent is pretty high in your current home. A three bedroom house like that. That will be something that they’ll be looking at; where you will live. They’ll also want to know how you will support Luci and yourself,” she looked troubled by the last part. Cleo was too young to have to support herself, let alone a sibling.

  “I don’t want to live there,” Cleo told her. “I hate it there anyway. But I do have money saved. I’ve been preparing for this for a while. Just in case. Paul made it perfectly clear that he could kick me out at any time so…so I’ve been preparing,” she repeated. “And I’m not naïve. I know the money I have saved will go fast. But I think it’s enough to get us through until the summer. Then I can work full time.” But there was college to think of, too. And how would she work full time and go to college? Her head exploded in pain at the thought.

  Beth grimaced because she was well aware Paul’s threats manifested when her husband interfered in their lives. She had promised Reece that she would help Cleo. But the longer she spoke with the girl, the better she got to know her, the more determined she became to see her promise through.<
br />
  As a mother, she was having a hard time wrapping her head around Cleo being so young and having to deal with so much. To have to face the possibility of being kicked out of her home, at that age, made Beth furious.

  “Okay,” Beth said with a small nod. “It just seemed easier to bring the two of you back here last night. But Patty said you and Luci could stay with them until we find you a place of your own.”

  “Do you think that I really have a chance at getting custody?” she wondered. And had Beth really said ‘Until we find you a place of your own’? Cleo was sure she had. She just wasn’t sure what it meant. But it might not matter what Beth said if she really didn’t have a chance at this anyway. “Or are there too many things going against me?” She finally asked. It was hard to force out the question. She had been thinking of this day for a long time. But now that it was here, the details all seemed so overwhelming.

  Beth was quiet for a moment. Cleo got the distinct impression that she was tossing some pretty serious ideas around in her head.

  “I think,” she finally said, “that I will do whatever I can to make sure that happens.”

  “Thank you,” Cleo said. Though the words themselves seemed so insignificant. So inadequate. But she didn’t know what else to say.

  “I don’t think I’m being too presumptuous when I say that I think there is a very, very good chance that you are going to be family someday. And that means Luci would be family too. I always take care of my family,” Beth firmly replied.

  Chapter 27

  With the help of Beth’s lawyer, Luci’s guardianship status was moving along more smoothly than Cleo ever would have expected. She cringed at the thought of what this was costing Beth. But the one time she’d brought it up, Beth had admonished her for doing so. Cleo silently swore to herself that someday, when she had a real job, she would pay Beth back. Though she knew that day was a long way off, it would come.