The Lost Girl, Now Found

3) Emma Please

Trigger Warning: Abuse

Emma's POV

"Emma! Do you think you can just invite some strange kid into our home? Without my permission??" He yelled at me, furiously.

"He's 10 Walsh! I wasn't just gonna leave him in the hallway!" I shouted, regretfully. "I'm sorry Walsh..."

"Stop with the damn apologizing!" He yells, then punches me in the face, causing me to fall to the ground. "You DO NOT yell at me Emma! EVER!" He was beyond furious. "And what the hell was that? You pushed him behind you like I was gonna hurt the damn kid!" I don't respond, so he kicks me in the stomach. "Get up!" I do as I'm told. "Now go clean yourself up!"

I go to the bathroom and clean myself up, as he told me to do. I'm so tired of this, I don't know how much longer I can take this. But it's not like I can just leave, if he finds out who Henry is... I have to stay with him, for Henry's sake, I need to talk to Mary Margaret. When I'm finished, I go back to the living room and I see Walsh watching TV. "Walsh, can I go over to Mary Margaret's place?"

"What do you plan on telling her about your face?" He asked me, referring to my black eye and cut on my cheek.

"I can just tell her that I tripped" I told him.

"Fine, be back in an hour. No later, or you will be punished" he told me sternly.

"Thank you Walsh" I said to him and went next door, the second I knocked on Mary Margaret's door, I felt the tears building up in my eyes, and the second she opened the door, she knew.

"Emma" she said, concerned for me.

"Is Henry here?" I ask her, trying to avoid the subject of my face.

"Henry? How do you know- Nevermind that, come in and tell me what happened"

I came in and I couldn't control my tears anymore, I just fell to the ground crying. "I-I-I have a son"

"Henry?" I nod my head in confirmation. "And he's Walsh's?" I nod my head again.

"Walsh can't find out" I then explain to her how I ran off when I got pregnant and realized that it was too dangerous to raise a child with Walsh hunting me and she understood.

"Tell me what happened Em"

"Henry knocked on my door like half an hour before Walsh got home, and he told me who he was, then Walsh showed up and the kid came up with a lie, and when Walsh showed up, all I could do was shove Henry behind me"

"Em, it was an instinct, you've had it since the day you decided to give him up, for his protection"

"Mary, he had to come up with a lie for me!" I whisper-yelled. "Because the second I heard Walsh's voice, I tensed up, and he saw the fear in my eyes. Mary, my 10 year old child saw me struck with fear" I said to her, with a shaky voice, from the crying.

"Emma, it is okay, you were scared for your child, you have a right to be scared for your child" She told me, to calm me down. "Now tell me what happened"

"Well me and Henry were sitting in the kitchen, then I looked at the time and realized it was getting late, and Henry and I both stood up and then I heard Walsh say he was home, I immediately tensed up and pushed Henry behind me. Then Walsh walked in asking me who Henry was, and I could barely talk, then Henry came up with a lie, because he saw how scared I was, then when he finished talking, I pushed him behind me a subtly as I could. Then I told Henry that it was time to go" I stop talking not wanting to tell her the specifics of what Walsh did.

"Then?" She asked me. 

"Mary Mar-" she interrupted me.

"What happened next Emma?" I went over and sat on the couch, then I sighed.

"Shortly after Henry left, he got angry at me for letting Henry inside with his permission and I accidentally yelled at him" my voice slowly got quieter. "So he punched me and I fell, then he said something about me pushing Henry behind me, and I chose not to respond... so he kicked me" I reluctantly told her.

"Lift your shirt up" she told me, not asked; told

"Mary, you don't wanna see it" I told her. 

"I wasn't asking you Emma, I need to see the progression of the bruising" I gave her a puzzled look. "Emma, I volunteer at the hospital, I observe doctors all the time". I started tearing up, then I reluctantly lifted my shirt and she saw tons of bruises, old and new ones. "Emma, you are not going back to that house" she told me, quite sternly I might add. 

"Mary Margaret, I have no choice" I look at my watch. "If I'm not back in that apartment in less than 15 minutes, it's gonna be worse"

"Emma please, it's not going to get any better" she told me, hoping to convince me. 

"I know that Mary Margaret, but I have to go back" I told her. "You are my best friend, my only real friend, the only person that has ever loved me, I have to stay with him, for you, and for Henry. Don't worry, I will survive, I will be fine"

"Fine?! Emma, you are covered in bruises, you are far from fine!" 

"Mary Margaret, please, I have to go back" I walk over to her and hug her. "Thank you for showing me what real love is. And uh, have Henry meet me at Granny's, tomorrow after school"

"Emma please" she says, pleading with me, trying to convince me not to go back.

"I'll see you tomorrow Mary Margaret" and I leave, I know she means well, but I do have to keep living like this, for her and Henry's protection.