Helpless

Chapter 5: Telling the Parents

My eyes darted behind Conner to see Hudson standing in the doorway to our bedroom with a frightened look on his face.

"Hey, kiddo," Conner said nervously. He quickly walked towards Hudson and crouched next to him to look directly into his eyes. Hudson backed away from his father like he had the plague. "No. Don't be afraid of me, Hud. I wasn't gonna hurt mommy, so don't be scared."

Hudson still stayed pressed up against the wall, his eyes darting back and forth between Conner and I. My heart broke as I thought of how hard I've worked trying to keep my kids out of this mess. I failed.

Hudson's tears fell from his eyes as he spoke to Conner in a shaky voice, "What were you doing to mommy? She looks sad." Hudson ran past Conner and threw himself into my legs. Before I could scoop him up into my arms, Conner grabbed my hand and glared at me. He touched Hudson's shoulder and turned him so they were facing each other.

Conner smiled at his son lovingly. "I was just tickling her," he lied, "You and I both know how ticklish mommy is under her chin." Hudson looked a little skeptical as his eyes locked with mine.

I smiled and told Hudson that his dad was telling the truth. Conner glanced up at me from his crouched position next to Hudson as if he was trying to tell me my lie was believable.

Hudson giggled. "She is ticklish there isn't she, Daddy?" he questioned. Conner and I both faked a laugh and agreed with him. Conner scooped Hudson into his arms and left the room, probably to put him back to bed.

I scurried to the bathroom to check my body. There were finger print shaped bruises around the base of my neck, a large hand print now gracing its present on the side of my face, and my scalp feels as if it's bleeding. It could always be worse, I think to myself.

After a few minutes in the bathroom, I go out in the bedroom and see that Conner is sitting on the bed with a very serious look on his face. He looks as if he's thinking intently about something.

Me being me, I run into the dresser while trying to discreetly maneuver out of the bedroom and to the door. Conner's head snaps up and his eyes blaze with rage as he gets up from his seated position on our bed.

I try to run from him but I barely make it out into the hallway before he covers my mouth with his hand and then drags me back into the bedroom. I run to the bed and try to hide behind it. I'm cowering with fear and I can see his feet walking towards me, surprisingly slow and calm...

He makes his way round the bed. "Now, where were we?" he asks in a menacing voice. I am shaken with fear and I can't bring myself to move away from him. We all know what would happen if I tried to run again.

"I promise you, Conner, Ben and I have not done anything, ever! I would never do that to you, and you know that. Deep down in your heart you know that I would never purposely hurt you. I love you, Conner, and only you. Please, you have to believe me," I rant trying to convince him not to hit me again. I really don't think I could take another beating tonight, especially if it would be as bad as it was the last time.

"Whatever," Conner grumbles, "I will find out if you two have ever been involved, and if I do I will beat you so badly, you won't be able to walk for a week." He glares down at me and then smirks, even laughs a little. "Look at you! You're pathetic, all beaten and crying. You are just as bad as the kids when they get scolded. Maybe that's all you are, a child. A little child who always gets in trouble because she can't learn how to respect her elders and do what she's told!" he yells, all the while getting closer and closer to my face. He spits at me and then turns to leave.

I wipe the spit off my face before crawling into bed. He's right. I'm nothing more than a scolded child who just cries anytime she does something wrong.