He held out his hand. “I’m Tim.”
“Emma Simpson,” she said, taking his hand in hers. It was strong and he had a firm grip. We made out a year ago at a dance club and then I ran from you like a crazy person. She assumed he didn’t recognize her. Emery was glad; she was mortified by her behavior. She went back to holding Lucas.
Lucas signed that the policeman was staring at her and she laughed. Then he signed that he loved her. A tear rolled down her cheek; her heartbreak was on repeat for this kid. He was so sweet despite his circumstances. She squeezed him and whispered in his ear, “me too.”
The nurse came back in the room and went over to Tim, looked at his veins, then wrapped a rubber strap around his muscular bicep and stuck a needle in his arm. He didn’t flinch at all.
“See Lucas, nothing to it,” Emery said while stroking his shaggy brown hair.
“Okay ma’am, you’re going to have to take your sweater off.” The nurse moved to her left side. Emery froze, then looked at Lucas and sighed.
“Can we do my right arm?”
Lucas held her right arm tightly and shook his head.
The nurse looked at her expectantly.
“Okay, okay. Lucas I’ve got to take my sweater off, all right?” Dread crept up her entire body like fire ants stinging her skin and spreading within seconds. She pulled her right arm from Lucas’s grip and tried to focus on the fact she was doing this for him; she wouldn’t do this for anyone else. She took off her thin green sweater, happy she’d pulled it on over her pajama top, which was a pink tank top that said brilliant across her boobs.
She closed her eyes as the nurse wrapped the rubber strap around her left bicep and then remembered Lucas was there. She smiled and opened her eyes. Emery was used to the crescent scars that were scattered up and down her left arm; they’d actually faded over time and were just raised, puckered white skin now. She kept her eyes on the needle going into her arm and didn’t look at anyone’s face.
Lucas signed, asking her where her scars came from. She shook her head. He asked again.
“Pretty cool tattoos, right?” she lied and it tasted bitter in her mouth. She snuck a glance at the cop to see if he’d noticed the scars in the shape of her bite. She didn’t miss his eyes on them and then the floor.
Lucas narrowed his eyes at Emery’s explanation and shook his head no. Emery wasn’t about to tell him those were her bite marks. There were over fifty marks where she’d bitten into the flesh of her arm to stop herself from screaming. The marks ran up and down her forearm and served as a constant reminder of him and what he did. But nobody needed to know that.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
A Little Somethin’ Somethin’
Lucas’s hair fell over his eyes as he fell asleep, his face turned peaceful, and she crept out of the room. She’d stayed with Lucas as long as she could before she needed to get home to change for work and get a temporary order from the court to remove him from his home. He couldn’t continue to stay there if there was abuse.
As she was trying to shut the door quietly she heard a conversation to her right that was hushed yells, if that was even possible. Their voices were so strained she was sure they would break. She glanced over and saw it was Officer Tim and a nurse. The nurse had her hand on Tim’s forearm. Emery quickly turned and started down the hall to the exit before they noticed her. She had her hands full and was trying to maneuver the files and her bag so that she could open the door. This was her first time with a kid in the hospital and she hadn’t known if she needed to bring her file or not, so she brought everything.
“I’ll get it,” she heard from behind her.
“Thanks.” Relief filled her and she turned to smile at her helper.
Tim hadn’t put his uniform shirt back on and was standing in his t-shirt and black pants holding the door open for her.
She walked outside and made her way to her car.
“Emma,” he called from behind her.
She kept walking like she hadn’t heard him. His steps echoed in the empty parking garage behind her and her anxiety spiked to a level she hadn’t felt in a very long time. Black spots filled her vision and she knew what would come next.
“I’m sorry, I’m in a hurry,” she said curtly. “I need to shower and get to court to get the proper paperwork filled out for this.”
He put a hand on her arm to slow her. “You were really amazing with him.”
“Oh.” She was automatically calmer. It was an eerie and unsettling serene feeling that made her uncomfortable. “Thanks. I just know he must’ve been so scared.”