Taking a Chance

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Carrie comes to visit me when school gets out. She always brings me food from the outside because hospital food sucks. I don't eat much though. I don't have the energy to eat, talk, or to laugh. My mother visited me yesterday when she found out that I was awake, and talking. She brought Jeremy and Alexis with her. When she saw me she was crying "Carrie I..I'm so s...sorry. I should have listened to you when you said he abused you. I should have been at the house more often. I should have left him....it's all my fault I'm sorry" I grabbed her hand and gave it a good squeeze

"Mom it's not your fault you couldn't see that he was going to do this...If it's anyone's fault it was mine" She grabbed me and pulled me into a hug. I winced at the pain and she noticed and tried to pull away but I just grabbed her and held on tighter. At that moment I knew our relationship wasn't going to be the same as it used to be. Our family needed healing in more ways than one. 

I looked over her shoulder and saw my brother he was in bad shape. Jeremy had a black eye, cut lip, and from what I could tell he ribs were busied since every time Lexi tightened her hold on him he winced in pain.

"Jeremy how are you holding up?" he looked up at me and quickly looked away and I could tell the Jeremy I knew wasn't in there anymore. A ten-year-old should never have to go through all this and I wondered what was going on in his mind. Physically yes but what about Mentally?

"I want to kill him. If I didn't get in a fight with him that night then he wouldn't have left the house and you wouldn't be in this situation," he said looking at the floor. I knew at that moment my brother was going to be growing up faster than other kids his age. And I didn't know how to stop it.

"Don't say that I'm tired of people telling me it's their fault. I don't blame anyone......I should have run faster, fought harder or yelled louder its no one's fault because I should have been able to stop him."

I looked over to Alexis who was curled into a ball on the chair in the corner. I didn't know what was going on in her head but she was quiet for the most part. I reached out my arms to her and she carefully joined me on my bed she looked up at me and she didn't need to ask I just nodded my head and she placed her head on my chest and I held her. "We will get through this one step at a time, and hopefully when we end this journey you will see it's not your fault Angelique...We love you and are glad that you're okay."

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I was staring out the window when I heard a knock on the door. I jumped at the sound of it, it took me a while to get my voice back but when I did I said come in. Two police officers entered. One of them was a female officer and the other a male. "Angelique Tonquin?"  It took a couple of seconds to control my breathing again before I replied. "Yes?"

"My name is Elizabeth Rodriguez and my partner over there is Tanner Montgomery we are assigned to your case and have a few questions to ask you" I knew they would send over officers to ask me detailed questions, but I didn't think I was ready to answer them. I knew there was no avoiding this, but I really didn't want to relive that night. I looked into Officer Rodriguez's eyes and I'm guessing she saw the hesitation there.

"Tanner go get me a coffee, you know how I take it."

"But we just had coffee" she turned around and gave him this death stare

"Just do it," she said. He mumbled something under his breath and left the room closing the door behind him.

"It's just going to be me and you. I know they already took pictures of your face and lower abdomen, asked you a few questions and did a rape kit, but I just need to follow up and see if you remember anything else."

I clutched the sheet when I started telling her what happened when I left Carrie's house that night, she just sat next to me nodding her head and stopping to grab me a tissue. At one point I started shaking again, and she said "it's okay you can stop now. I think I have enough...Do you have any questions for me before I leave"?

The only thing I wanted to know was his location.

"Where is he?" I said through clenched teeth. I was shocked I never hated anyone so much as I do him. Officer Rodriguez seemed to be holding something back. "Where is he" I repeated at this point I couldn't stop the tears, I'm guessing she took pity on me and finally opened her mouth to speak.

"Angelique you have to understand we are trying to locate your father" 

"DON'T CALL HIM THAT" she took a deep breath and continued

"Robert is gone, we don't know where he is exactly, but we have some leads. We will find him, and we will put him away. You won't have to ever see or hear from him again." I started to cry hard and I couldn't breathe I was gasping for air, because I could still feel his hands around neck, arms, and body. I saw the terrified look on Elizabeth's face. "I need a doctor in here FAST."

All I remember was someone sticking me with a needle and a warm liquid was starting to spread through my body. My eyes started getting heavier, my breathing went back to normal, and once again I was engulfed in a black darkness where I knew I was safe for now.