Georgia On My Mind

4

GEORGIA POV

I brushed a curl from Scout's forehead as she softly snored in my arms.

She did an incredible job swimming today. I had a feeling she would be hesitant around strangers but sticking close to Rome and me seemed to help.  Scout was learning to trust herself, in the pool as well as every other part of her life.  It was magical to watch her learn to be brave, especially in front of people she doesn't know.

"You're good with her," Kraig said quietly as he sipped a fresh beer.

I met his eyes and smiled, "She makes it easy."

He paused a long moment, "Look, Georgia... I am really sorry about what happened a few years ago."

"You had nothing to do with it so there is no reason for you to apologize."

There was silence but I saw guilt and regret on his face.  Not pity, thankfully, but more a sadness in the role he played being tangentially connected to those that made the situation worse for me.

I continued, "Thank you for standing up for me online, Kraig, especially with your sister. It helped more than you know. I may not have said it at the time since I kind of had my hands full but I still appreciate all of you who spoke the truth."

He let out a humorless laugh. "I am still so disgusted. How anyone would believe them, seeing how they brutalized you and then hearing their own words on video?  I know we believe victims in general so the fact that you still get so much shit online from these idiots makes me so angry.  You never deserved any of that."

"Does Rome know?"  My voice was quiet and I held my breath, flinching slightly at the question I had to ask.

He didn't live here at the time.  I met Mariah in the ER that night after being assaulted at a college party.  My Dad had just been diagnosed with cancer so I gave in and decided to let loose for a night.  A friend took me to the pharmacy for Plan B but the pharmacist spoke to me in private and insisted I go to the hospital immediately.

The rape kit and interviews were worse than the assaults. At least I was drugged up for most of those, even if I needed stitches from the damage they did.

It was a blessing I did not have permanent physical issues. There were scars on my back and I was always jumpy around other people, purposefully not going out at night in crowded areas or my body would shut down in a panic attack.  I kept to myself and took my time getting to know people, mostly due to the internal alarm bells that forced me to recoil at the idea of trusting someone.

Therapy helped.  Getting stronger physically helped, too.  Mostly I learned to trust my gut as a way to make sure I do not end up in a similar situation.

Nothing could ever change what happened but I made a decision not to be afraid of speaking up for myself.

"Yeah... I mean, when we got here and he said your name it kinda washed over Mark and me at the same time. Mark mentioned it and Rome was familiar... I'm sorry..."

I shook my head, numb to the way my story was so well known by anyone from this area. "It's okay. I figured he already knew. It was a pretty big deal here and even though I didn't see Mariah again until a few months ago she had a huge impact on me."

Mark joined us on the patio and settled in with a fresh beer, offering me a smile. "So. Catch us up on the last few years."

My body tensed a bit before I let out a long sigh, willing myself to relax. "Working at the diner. Graduating then grad school while my Dad was in chemo then hospice care."

"Shit, Georgia..." Mark said. "I knew he passed away but didn't realize."

I tried to steady my voice as Rome approached. "Uhh, he was really sick for a long time and in hospice for almost 5 months. It was torture but he made it to my Grad school ceremony then passed away a couple months later."