Company Of Angels || Adam Park

three

It was well after five o'clock when I was officially released from the hospital. Mr. DeSantos had joined us just a little while ago when he got off work but even though he was there, I still remained very quiet. Mentally, I was preparing to give this statement. I didn't have a clue what to say. I wasn't sure if I actually could. Just thinking about all of the things my grandmother had done to me, frightened me. I started shaking the moment I started thinking about it and it felt nearly impossible to stop.

I wasn't as nervous about all of it until we actually got in the car. Straight from the hospital, we were going right to the police station. I fidgeted with my hands the whole entire ride there and I knew they all saw it. I knew they all saw how nervous and uncomfortable I was, but nobody said anything about it. When we arrived outside of the police station, I was pretty sure I was going to be sick. I sat in the car for a while before actually working up a fraction of courage to get out, mainly with the encouragement of everyone else...

I tucked my hands into the pockets of the pants I was wearing as I looked at the ground as we walked up to the main doors. Mr. DeSantos held them open for all of us to walk in and I still couldn't look up from watching where I walked. Rocky might have steered me in the right direction a few times, which I didn't mind. I was doing alright until they told me that I had to be interviewed alone. Well, they put it in terms of an interview which is basically was. I thought I was just going to give a statement... not get an entire interview conducted on me right then and there.

Someone came out and talked with us all for a few minutes and explained what was going to happen and all that good stuff... I don't think I heard a word of it because all I could focus on was how scared I was about being alone in that room. I couldn't – I didn't think I was going to be able to handle it. Though, I was slightly relieved when Mrs. DeSantos told whoever I was going to speaking with that they needed to leave the door open otherwise it was going to trigger a panic attack... which was the truth. I couldn't handle having the door closed right now. It sent me into a panic attack every single time. The nurses and the doctors learned that at the hospital very fast.

My nervousness got worse when I was asked to follow the police officer into what he called the interview room. I wished he had just called it a normal room. He offered me a bottle of water as we sat down across from each other at the table in there, but I declined. I looked at the door, making sure he didn't close it behind him before folding my hands in my lap. It stayed open and I felt a little better about that.

"I'm Officer Dawson. I know this probably isn't going to be easy for you but thank you for coming in and doing this. I do have to state that this entire interview will be recordered for record of the law" The officer said. I watched as he laid out several sheets of paper out in front of him and he had two pens laid out with them. "Are you ready to begin? This shouldn't take entirely too long. We should be done in about an hour."

I felt like I couldn't find my voice just yet so I nodded.

"Okay. Can you please state and spell your entire name for me?" Officer Dawson asked, one pen read in his hand and a sheet of paper directly in front of him.

"Danielle. D-A-N-I-E-L-L-E. Ann. A-N-N. Hale. H-A-L-E." I spelt out my name for him.

"Can you please state your age and birthday in the order of Month, Day, Year." He focused on the papers and not me, which made things a little easier.

"Seventeen. December 14th, 1980." I cleared my throat.

"Can you please provide me with your current address?" he asked.

"Well, I don't know Mr. and Mrs. DeSantos exact address yet." I told him.

"Okay, I'll get that from them then." He jotted a little note on a separate piece of paper. "Why did you move to Angel Grove?"