I started the engine and said, “I’m sorry that Mrs. Daniels had to leave you tonight, Bud.”
“It’s okay. She had a family emergency,” he answered, looking towards the diner. Something had momentarily caught his attention, causing him to turn back in his seat to get a closer look. A few seconds passed, and then he turned back to me and said, “I think it was something bad. She was crying.”
“Yeah. She wouldn’t have left you unless it was really important. As soon as she called me, I came for you. I’m really sorry it took me so long.”
“It was okay. I knew you’d come,” he said with confidence, assuring me that he knew I wouldn’t let him down. The kid never ceased to amaze me. Even when everything went to hell in a handbasket, he could still see the positive side of things.
I slowly pulled out onto the highway and headed towards home. My chest ached with worry, so I took another deep breath, trying to settle my nerves. I watched Wyatt start to fiddle with the zipper of his jacket, seemingly unfazed by whatever happened. I hated to bring it all back up for him, but I needed to know what happened to him at Michael’s house tonight. Taking another deep breath, I tried my best to steady my voice as I asked him, “Can you tell me what happened at your Dad’s tonight, Bud?”
He looked away from me, peering out the window, and with very little emotion he said, “He got mad, so I left.” His little shoulders dropped in defeat as he thought back over what had happened. I hated seeing him look so unhappy. I just wanted to reach over and hold him, hug away the hurt that he was feeling, but we were still several miles from home.
“Why did he get mad?” I prodded.
He shrugged his shoulders and answered, “I don’t know. He was talking on his phone with grandma and then he started saying all these really bad words. When he hung up, he threw his phone on the table and started yelling at me.”
“What was he saying to you?”
“I can’t remember,” he lied. He always remembered everything – every little detail, every single word of every conversation. I knew he remembered exactly what his father had said. I just didn’t know why he wouldn’t tell me.
“Is that why you left?” I questioned.
“Yeah. You told me to leave if anything bad happened.”
“You’re right. I did.” I gently squeezed his hand and said, “You did the right thing. I’m so very proud of you.”
He looked over to me and asked, “Can I play my game when I get home?”
“Yeah, you can play, but just for a little while. You’ll need to take a shower before bed.” And just like that, he was done talking. There was so much more that I wanted to know, like how he got those bruises, but I decided not to push it further right now. He’d been through enough tonight.
As soon as I parked the car in the driveway, I turned to him and asked, “Can Momma get a hug?”
Without answering, he reached over, slipped his arms around my neck and squeezed. “Love you, Momma.”
Still holding him tight, I said, “Wyatt… you have bruises on your arms.”
Looking down at the bruises, he pulled away from our embrace and said, “It’s not that bad, Momma.”
“I’m a little worried about it. Can I take a picture of them? I just want to make sure it doesn’t get any worse,” I asked, as I reached into my purse and pulled out my phone.
“Okay,” he answered, holding out his arms for me. As soon as I took a couple of pictures, he jumped out of the car and ran towards the front door. I looked down at my phone to make sure the pictures were clear, knowing I’d need the evidence if I wanted to keep Michael away from Wyatt. Once we were inside, Wyatt spent a half an hour playing his game, then he informed me that it was time for his shower. After I got him situated, I decided to call Mrs. Daniels. I wanted to see how her husband was doing and let her know what had happened with Michael.
“Hello?” she answered.
“Hi. It’s Wren. I just wanted to call and see how your husband was doing.”
“He’s going to be fine, dear. He had one of his spells with his blood sugar, but they were able to stabilize him.”
“I’m glad he’s going to be okay. Do the doctors know why it happened?”
“His diet. The man is so damn stubborn. I’ve been telling him to watch what he’s been eating for weeks, but he just wouldn’t listen to me. Always sneaking little treats behind my back. Now, he won’t have a choice,” she explained.
“Well, hopefully he learned his lesson today,” I said teasingly.
“Doubt it. He’ll never learn,” she laughed. “I’m just sorry that I had to leave Wyatt like I did. I was just getting ready to call you. Was everything okay with Wyatt when you got there?”
“No… it wasn’t. I’m still not exactly sure what happened, but Wyatt ended up running away from Michael’s house.”
“What do you mean he ran away?” she shrilled.
“Something happened with Michael. I can’t get Wyatt to tell me what happened, but it was bad enough to make him run away. I found him at the diner a few blocks away from Michael’s house. He seemed okay, but he has some pretty big bruises on his arm,” I told her.
“What kind of bruises?” she asked.
“It looks like Michael may have grabbed him, but I’m only guessing. I hate that he won’t tell me what happened.”
“Wyatt’s a smart boy. I’m sure he’s just scared, but he’ll talk about it when he’s ready. Just give it a little time,” she said, trying to reassure me.
“It’s just so hard. I feel so guilty… like this whole thing is all my fault,” I started. After wiping the tears from my eyes, I continued, “I’m his mother! It’s my job to protect him from things like this,” I sobbed.
“Don’t do this to yourself, Wren. None of this is your fault. It’s an awful situation, but you’ve managed to make the best of it.”
“I just hate that Wyatt has to go over there at all. I’ve got to do something.”
“One thing at a time, Wren. First, you’ve got to get Wyatt to talk about what happened there tonight.”
“I’m not sure how to do that. He tends to keep everything bottled up inside, especially when he thinks it’s something that will upset me.”
“Is there someone else he could talk to? Someone that he trusts?” she questioned.
“He might talk to Jenny, his behavioral therapist. She’s been amazing with him. She’s the only person I can think of that might be able to get him to open up. I’ll tell her what happened and see what she can do.”
“Good, I think that’s a great idea. I’ll go into the office tomorrow and file an incident report on what happened tonight. The judge won’t be happy about this at all. Hopefully, we can get the visitation suspended or, at the very least, reduced,” she explained.
“And I took pictures in case you need them.”
“Good. Absolutely, send them to me as soon as you can.”
“I’ll do it now. Thank you for everything. You’ve been a godsend to me and to Wyatt.”
“Oh, Wren… try not to worry, OK? You’re a wonderful mother, and Wyatt’s so lucky to have you as his mom.”
Just as I was hanging up the phone, Wyatt darted out of the bathroom, running across the hall as he held a towel around his waist. Once he made it to his bedroom, I gave him a few minutes to get dressed before I went to his room to tuck him in. He was already under the covers when I walked in.
“Did you brush your teeth?” I asked.
“Yep, and I hung up my towel,” he proudly responded.
“Well, look at you being all grown up.”
“When I get older, I’m going to get a Dive tattoo, and I’m gonna have a beard. A big one.”
“Is that right?” I smiled. His eyes sparkled with wonder, and I knew that he was thinking about the biker from the diner. I couldn’t believe after everything he’d been through tonight, he ended up at a table eating with a guy from some motorcycle gang. He was the toughest looking guy I’d ever seen, and he was looking after my child! Surprisingly enough, he didn’t frighten me or Wyatt. I thought back to the moment his hand met mine, and I gently brushed the tips of my fingers over my palm, trying to hold onto the memory of his touch. There was something comforting about his presence that I didn’t understand. I should’ve been scared that he might do something to hurt Wyatt or me, but I just didn’t feel that way at all. After my experience with Michael, I’d learned what danger directed at me felt like, and I didn’t get those feelings from Griffin.
“And I want a leather jacket like Griffin’s.”
“Yeah, his jacket was pretty cool. So how exactly did you end up meeting Griffin?” I asked curiously.
“I was waiting for you outside the diner. He saw me when he drove up, so he came over and waited with me. Then he got hungry and asked if I wanted a cheeseburger. I told him no. Then he said they had chicken nuggets,” he explained.
“Chicken nuggets are your favorite.” I couldn’t believe that this complete stranger went out of his way to make sure Wyatt was safe. I couldn’t imagine what he must have been thinking, waiting out there with such a young child at night.