by Ashley Goss
“Where did Dwayne go? He just left me there to die? Are you fucking serious? Who does that? Oh wait, a fucking psycho does that!” I yell loudly.
“I need someone to go to the house and get my things. I don’t ever want to step foot inside that house again.”
“Don’t worry about that. Chris and I will get your stuff, and the cops are waiting to talk to you about the incident since we weren’t sure what happened until now.” Elijah says.
“Okay, go ahead and let them in and then you guys can go get my things. Hopefully, they will have him in custody by then. I doubt he will be home, especially after what he did to me. I don’t think he would be stupid enough to do that.” I say, being hopeful.
“Okay, we will step out, so you can talk to them.” Rachel said as she kisses me on the forehead and then walks out of the room.
“I’m sorry this happened to you. Dwayne will pay for what he’s done. I promise!” Elijah says to me while holding my hand.
I heard a knock at the door, “Hello, I am with the FSPD, and I just wanted to ask you some questions about what happened to you this morning if that’s okay?” the officer asks.
“Yes, let’s get this over with fast. I want Dwayne in custody as soon as possible, and I am pressing charges.”
“Okay first, please tell me what happened.”
“Well, he got home drunker than a skunk. I asked him where he had been, and he got upset and then rushed me, pushed me to the ground and then hit me repeatedly all over my body.” I explain to the officer.
“Can I ask the assaulter’s name for the statement?” he asks.
“Dwayne Brown,” I reply.
“Does he reside at the residence where you were picked up at?” he asks me.
“Yes, that is our apartment. I would like my things to be taken from the apartment if possible. My friends are going to get them after I’m done speaking with you. I don’t want to have to go back to that house.”
“That’s fine. I will put a warrant out for his arrest and then we will go pick him up at the residence if he is there. If not, then we will put an APB out for him around the county. We will have him in custody shortly. I’m so sorry this happened to you,” the officer says warm-heartedly.
“I need to mention that I was also pregnant and due to the extent of the abuse, I have also lost my child. I will want charges pressed for that as well, if you need confirmation you can talk to my doctor,” I demand.
“Yes, ma’am. Thank you for your time.”
“Thank you for putting that asshole in jail,” I say to him as he walks out the door.
At least they will put him away. He couldn’t touch me from jail. This gives me a little solace. I can’t sleep knowing he is just out there getting away with this. Not on my damn watch. If it were up to me, he would spend the rest of his life rotting away in a cell somewhere, far away from me.
Once he is in custody, I will be able to rest easier knowing he can’t get to me. I don’t feel safe knowing he is out there. Admittedly, he would see that I am here, and questions would be asked.
Chapter 7
Elijah
We leave the hospital to head to her house to get her things. I secretly wish that he will be there. I want him to have to face a real man. He needs a good ass beating to pay for what he has done to her. I might not know her very well, but she’s a woman. She didn’t deserve to be treated like that, like a piece of trash. He left her on the floor to die. What would have happened if we hadn’t shown up? Who did something like that? A psychopath. I’m not afraid of him. I’m not scared of anyone.
I could hear Rachel in the front seat crying. She is really torn up about the whole thing. She can’t blame herself. It’s not like any of us had known about it. It’s normal for someone who is being abused to keep quiet. They fear their abusers lashing out or finding out that they have told someone. I don’t blame her for not telling me. I just wish she would have gotten out before this happened. The good thing is that she is now ready to officially get out. It’s too bad that it had to be under these circumstances.
“Rachel, don’t beat yourself up about this. None of us knew. We can only help her now. She is going to need us now more than ever. We just need to be there for her. It’s going to be a hard-transitional period and recovery for her. I am confident that with us by her side, she will transition flawlessly with our support. Aren’t you?” I tell her.
“Yes, I am going to stay by her side. I can’t believe she has been going through this. We never had great taste in men when we were younger but now that we are older, we should. I just want to know what happened. We kept in touch while I was gone. She never made it seem like they were having issues. They seemed happy,” Rachel explains.
“Well, I can tell you that someone in an abusive relationship isn’t going to announce that they are having issues. They don’t want to attract any extra attention to themselves because if their abusers find out, then they will get hurt. It’s pretty normal.”
“How do you know?” Rachel asks.
“Well, my mom was in an abusive relationship for quite some time when I was younger. I got hit, and it was awful. It takes a lot of strength to leave someone, especially when being abused. You are scared and helpless most of the time.”
This brought back horrible flashbacks from when I was younger. My stepdad was an awful man. I never knew what my mother saw in him when they got married, but I wasn’t going to judge anyone’s happiness. I was only eight years old at the time. For the longest time, I didn’t know that she was being abused. I thought he was only hitting me. One day, my mom came home from work early, and I was in my room. I had just been beaten three or four times in the stomach by my stepdad and was crying. My mom walked into the room and immediately asked me what was wrong. When I told her, she knelt and started to cry. She said it would never happen again. She was going to protect me from the awful man, and we were going to go somewhere where he couldn’t find us.
The next morning, she woke me up when he left for work and packed all our clothes, and we headed out the door. We went to a women’s shelter and stayed there for a couple of months. They helped us escape a horrible nightmare, and I will be forever grateful to them. They showed me kindness and compassion when I needed it most. Therefore, I donate what I can to the women’s shelter here in town every year. I want to make sure that women and children that end up going through the same thing that I did have a place to go to escape their abusers and feel safe.
Thinking back to the party, I never would've imagined that this woman, so full of life, was being abused. The way her hair fell just below her shoulders. Also, how she spoke, it had been hard for me to listen without getting enchanted by her lips, soft, silky and full; just sitting there, I wanted her lips on mine.
For a man to barbarically hit her and tear up her porcelain skin, beautiful face and stomp on her spirit deserve nothing. To see her lying on the ground with blood coming out of her fragile petite body was sickening. I may not know her very well, but I’ll be damned if I will let anything like this happen to another woman, especially if I can help it. She is such a calm person. She didn’t seem like she could hurt a fly.
I just don’t understand how he could have done this to her. After all the years of being with her, this is how he treated her? This guy just needs a good old-fashioned ass whooping to set him straight. I ‘m having trouble controlling my anger right now.
We pull up to her house, and I take a deep breath when I notice another car in the driveway. Is he home?
“Do you want me to go with you?” Chris asks.
“No, I can do this on my own. Believe me, if Dwayne’s here, he will pay!”
“Be careful,” Rachels says as I get out of the car.
As I knock on the door, I am preparing myself for him to be here. I want him to be here. I want to inflict the same the pain on him that he did to her. He needs to know how it felt. He needs to understand. He should have never laid his hands on her. I’ve always promise
d myself that I would protect women from douchebags like him.
I wait a few minutes to see if someone would answer. I use her key to open the door because I hear someone moving around inside. I know it must be him. Who else would it be? When I open the door, there he is, sitting down on the couch, eating a bowl of cereal, watching TV. This sick bastard had just beat his girlfriend up, and he is just watching TV. He is a dead ringer for a psychopath. He shows no remorse for what he has just done. He turns around and sees me.
“Who are you? How do you have a key to my house?” he asks me.
“I’m Elijah. I’m here to get your ex-girlfriend’s things.” I respond.
He just looks at me confused and then says, “You must be the man that has been sleeping with my girlfriend.”
“No, I have not. I have actually just recently met her through Rachel.”
I try with everything I have inside not freak out on him. I could imagine throwing him to the ground and beating him to a pulp, but I know that it wouldn’t get me anywhere. It didn’t mean that I couldn’t dream about it.
“Don’t fucking lie to me. I’m not a moron. I can tell she is cheating on me and I know it’s you.” he says as he started to come toward me.
I start hitting him everywhere. Over and over.
“Stop!” Dwayne yells with his hands raised over his face.
“Did you stop when she asked you? Did you stop when she was begging for her life? For your child’s life?” I yell at him.
“I’m sorry. I won’t do it again. I promise!” He yells.
I didn’t stop. I know, he won’t ever do it again because she won’t be coming back to him. I guess, he hasn’t realized that yet. Promising that doesn’t change a thing.
“Sorry is not good enough for me. Sorry is not going to heal her or change the fact that she has lost her child. She will never be able to look at men the same after this. You have completely ruined her, and for that, you deserve to pay.”
I didn’t stop. I hit Dwayne repeatedly over and over until my knuckles are entirely raw, he’s bleeding from every place on his body, and I am sure he has some broken bones. Now, he knows the pain that she’s in. The pain that he inflicted on her. Maybe this will set him straight. If not, perhaps jail will. I hear the sirens coming up the street, and I know it’s the police here to arrest him.
“Put your hands up,” The officer screams at me as he rushes in the door I left open.
I put my hands above my head and tell the officer that he is the man they are here for as I nod my head toward Dwayne lying on the floor bleeding.
“What happened here?” the officer asks me while examining Dwayne.
“I came to get her things, and he attacked me. I acted in self-defense.”
The officer walks over to Dwayne and calls for an ambulance. Dwayne is bleeding bad and is unconscious.
“May I get her things?” I ask the officer.
I couldn’t forget to get the reason why I came here in the first place. My anger has taken over me, but I couldn’t help myself. He had just been sitting there in the apartment like nothing happened. No fucks given.
“Yes, continue as you were.”
I walk into the bedroom and grab the suitcases from the closet. I pack all Nikki’s clothes and shoes. I head to the bathroom to get all her other belongings and left the house with three suitcases. I’d come back and get everything else later. I walk to the car and throw the luggage in the back of Rachel’s car and get in. My blood is boiling with anger. He better be glad the police showed up, or I’d still be hitting him. He would a lot worse off if I could get just five more minutes with him. He surely wouldn’t have made it out of there alive.
“What happened?” Rachel asks as Dwayne is being wheeled out on a stretcher. It didn’t look like he is breathing. The paramedics look panicked.
“He got what he deserved!” I respond to her with a sly smile on my face. It’s the truth. No man should ever hit a woman, no matter the situation.
Chapter 8
Nikki
“Did you get my things?” I ask Elijah.
“Yes, we got most of it. We got your clothes and such but weren’t sure what else was yours. Whatever we missed, we can go back and get another day.”
“How are you feeling?” Rachel asks.
“I’ve definitely felt better,” I reply with a smile.
“That was a stupid question to ask,” Rachel says laughingly.
“So, was Dwayne there?”
“Yes, he was,” Elijah replies with a smile on his face.
“Why are you smiling?”
“Let’s just say that he got what he deserved.”
I sigh in relief. This makes me feel safer. This meant that he couldn’t get to me. I didn’t have to worry about him. I could focus on getting better. I couldn’t imagine the recovery time for my injuries. What am I going to do? I couldn’t work with these injuries, and I couldn’t afford to lose my job. Where would I live?
“Guys, I don't know what I am going to do. I don’t have a place to live anymore. I might lose my job. What am I going to do?”
“Don’t you worry about that. You can stay with us. We wouldn’t let you be homeless. We have an extra bedroom. It will make it easier to help you with your recovery too.”
“That is true. Can you imagine us as roommates?”
“This is going to be one hell of a trio.”
“Chris and I are going to take your stuff to their house. Grab some lunch for us and come back here.” Elijah said.
I could tell something is bothering Rachel.
“What’s wrong, sweetie?”
“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
“Well I was going to but…”
“Well, you didn’t. You could have told me yesterday, and we could have helped you.”
“I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you, and I can’t change that now, but I promise that I won’t keep things from you ever again.”
“Deal,” she says as she smiles at me.
“So how bad did Elijah mess Dwayne up?” I question.
“Well, let’s just say that he was bleeding as much if not more than you when he was hauled out of the house on a stretcher by the paramedics, unconscious. So, as you can imagine, bad.”
The thought of him bleeding excites me. I am glad he gets to feel some of the pain I am in. I never thought he could do something like this to me. He proved to me that he is never going to be the man that I once loved ever again. He would never be the same. I am going to be out of commission for a while. However, I am glad I would at least have some people to help keep me occupied during my recovery. I will need it.
The boys get back with lunch, and we all sit around my room laughing. Chris and Rachel tell me the story of how they met.
When it’s time for Rachel to go back home, Chris follows her. He didn’t want to be without her. It’s like their own version of a fairytale. I am so happy for her. She deserves to be happy. When you see them together, you could tell that they are not faking their affection for each other and that it is genuine.
I am a little jealous of the relationship that they have. At one point, Dwayne and I were like that. It scares me to think that people can change so fast.
“So, Elijah, tell me about your last relationship?” I ask.
“It was pretty awful. I was with Angela for about two years. When I got deployed, I was worried that when I got back, things wouldn’t be the same and I was right. When I got back from my deployment, she had already found another man. She didn’t have the decency to tell me while I was overseas.” Elijah confides in me.
“How awful. You dodged a bullet. She wasn’t going to be loyal to you. If she can’t be loyal to someone who is away fighting for our freedom, then she can’t be loyal to someone who is still around. I mean think about it. Women are sketchy.”
I never understood that. Why girls cheat on their soldiers while overseas? I get that it’s hard with them being gone, but it’s not like they aren
’t coming back. They aren’t going to be gone forever. Show them the same loyalty they would show you. I guess I have just always been a very loyal person.
This is one of my most significant flaws. I am too loyal and kind to others. I end up getting walked all over by people. Maybe, it’s time I change that.
I am starting to get tired. I haven’t slept since my friends got here. I really need to rest. I would be getting released in the morning. The pain medication they are giving me makes me drowsy too.
“Alright, sorry to ruin the fun but I’m getting tired. I’m going to take a nap.”
“No problem. I’ll be back in the morning to get you and take you back to our place. If you need anything before then just give me a call. Sleep well.” Elijah says while kissing me on my forehead.
It’s quiet, and the frequent sound of beeping puts me right to sleep.
I am wide awake at five in the morning, but I didn’t want to call Rachel since it is still very early. I get out my cell phone and start to glance through Facebook to help me pass the time. I see that Elijah is online. I wonder what he is doing up so early? I dial his number.
“Hey, good morning!”
“Good morning, how are you feeling?” he asks.
“I feel better today. I think the medication is helping more with the pain today. Why aren’t you asleep?”
“I couldn’t sleep.”
“Well, come up here and get me. We can be awake together.”
“Okay, I’ll be up there in twenty minutes.”
I must thank him for what he did for me. He showed Dwayne what he did was wrong and how it felt to be treated this way. He defended me. No one had done that for me before. I still couldn’t wrap my head around why he protected me. He barely knows me. I didn’t think after getting his beating that Dwayne would come near me again. He might not have learned his lesson, but he wouldn’t come pick on me anymore. I’m beyond grateful to Elijah. He is my hero.
