I Know You Can't Speak

Part 1:

The clock read 3:35am and Faith was screaming to the top of her lungs. She had been tossing and turning all night and now she wouldn't stop crying.

"She's been crying a lot lately is she okay?" my boyfriend Mike asked as he put a pillow over his head and turned the other way. Mike and I had been dating for a year and had been living together for 3 months. I had met him shortly after me & Faith's dad had broken up and meeting him was like a breath of fresh air. I had a small one bedroom apartment that was just big enough for me and Faith but when Mike got evicted with no where to go, I let him stay with me. He was a really great guy and a really great help. Faith's dad fell short and Mike picked up where he slacked. He helped around he house and paid bills. I was grateful for him.

"I think she's getting sick she's been crying and whining for days now" I told Mike. Faith was sleeping in between us and I picked her up as I began talking to her.

"Faith what's wrong baby?" I asked her as she continued crying. Faith was two years old & although she could say small words, I knew she wouldn't be able to answer me. Faith was normally happy all the time but she had been crying a lot recently and didn't want me to put her down when I was home. She had become clingy all of a sudden & I wasn't sure why. I got up and filled her sippy cup with juice and water thinking that she may have been thirsty. I gave it to her and she threw it across the bed as she continued crying. Since that didn't work, I checked her diaper and although she was barely wet I changed her and that didn't work either. Becoming frustrated, I picked her up and started rocking her. She cried for a few more minutes but started to quiet down as she laid her head on my chest and began to fall back asleep. I was happy because I had to be up for work at 6am and knew I would be tired when my alarm went off. As expected, my alarm went off three hours later and I snoozed it 3 times before getting out of bed to prepare getting ready for work. I looked over at Faith and Mike sleeping peacefully as I wished I was still in bed with them as I made my way out of the door. Since Mike had been staying with us, he had been babysitting for me while I went to work because my CCIS has been cut off. I didn't normally leave Faith with people I didn't know but I trusted Mike. I did my 8 hours at work and when they asked me to stay for 4 hours overtime, I quickly obliged because I needed all the money I could get. I FaceTimed Mike to let him know that I would be staying for overtime and when he answered, Faith was screaming her lungs out, just like the night before.

"Hey babe, I was calling to let you know that I'm staying over at work" I told him.

"Okay cool, we'll see you when you get in" he said hurriedly.

"What's wrong with her? Why is she crying like that?" I asked him concerned.

"Oh, she just woke up she's probably hungry. I'm about to make her something to eat" he told me. I could hear here screaming mommy in the background in between her cries and I couldn't wait to get off work to get home to my baby but, that didn't happen.

I was on 76 making my way home when I got tha call.

"Jasmine you need to come to the hospital.." my neighbor said to me.

"Why what's going on?" I asked her as I got off at the first exit I came across and made my way to University City.

"Just get here" she said to me before hanging up. I called right back, hoping she didn't answer my question the way I knew she would.

"What hospital am I coming to?" I asked her.

"Children's" she told me before hanging up and
I instantly started crying. It seemed like traffic was moving in slow motion as I asked myself a million questions. What was going on? Was Faith okay? Why didn't Mike call me? I pulled up to the hospital not bothering to park my car as I ran inside. I saw my neighbor in the waiting room. She was sitting in the corner with her head down.

"Kiyah what's going on?" I asked nervously as I walked rapidly towards her. She stood up as soon as she heard my voice.

"Jas" she said with tears in her eyes. "It's Faith" she told me as she embraced me and burst into tears. My heart started beating out of my chest as she began to talk.

"I was just getting home when I heard Faith crying. She was screaming to the top of her lungs and at first I thought that you were home with her until I heard a man's voice. He sounded like he was yelling. I heard him say "I know you can't speak so imma do what I want!" and Faith's cries got louder then I heard a loud noise and her crying stopped. I didn't know what else to do so I called the police because she sounded like she was crying for help. When the cops got there, Faith was unconscious and Mike was..." she said as her voice trailed off and she started crying again. Just then the doctor came out. It seemed as if it took her forever to come over to us but when she reached us, she said the worst possible news I would ever hear.

"Hi, I'm Doctor Grace, are you mom?" She asked looking at Kiyah.

"No I am" I answered. "Can somebody please tell me what is going on with my daughter!" I screamed out.

"Ms.."

"Jasmine"

"Ms. Jasmine, your daughter had severe brain damage and fractures to her rib cage as well as some vaginal tears. She was being physically and sexually abused. When she came in she was unconscious and we did everything we could & I'm so sorry but Faith didn't make it" the doctor said to me. Everything around me became a blur. I screamed out in pain as my world came crashing down on me. I felt like the floor was shifting under neath me and my legs gave out as I fell to the floor and Kiyah caught me as we cried in one another's arms.

"You mean to tell me your name is Grace and by the Grace of God you couldn't save my daughter!" I screamed at her.

"I'm so sorry, you can come back and identify her body" she told me. I walked what seemed like an eternity in slow motion. The words physically and sexually abused kept repeating in my mind. I would have never in a million years thought that Mike would have done such a thing to my baby. Then it hit me. Mike. Kiyah never told me where he was. I became enraged as I got closer to the room, dreading what I was about to see. We finally got to the room and I stopped outside the door not wanting to go inside. I could smell death lingering all around me. The room was cold and the one light in the ceiling made anything in the room barely visible. The light kept swinging and it made the room even more dreadful than it already was. There was a countertop with a sink attached to it and three metal tables in the room and Faith's body lay on the middle one. There was a sheet over her and when the doctor pulled it back, I broke down again as I saw her laying there pale and colorless. Just hours ago I was watching Faith sleep and now here she was permanently sleeping. Feeling nauseous, I ran to the sink & threw up all the contents inside my stomach. Tears rolled down my face as every bad emotion overcame me. I walked over to the table and ran my hands across her face gently as the tears rolled down my face.

"Faith baby I'm so sorry" I said to her as I kissed her. "I love you, I would've protected you. I know you can't speak but I wish you could've talked to me.." I said as the doctor covered her face again and escorted me out of the room...