Chapter 30: Friday night

Katie was having a nice time with her friends at the charity gathering, they were having drinks in the hotel bar before heading upstairs to the conference room for dinner. She was dressed impeccably in a light blue wrap skirt and black stockings, it felt nice to put on nice stuff, it had been a while. Brad had been very busy at work and when he came home, they were focusing on procreation, and no way was she going to complain about that. Something about the sex was so much better when you know you may get a new life out of the experience. She smiled when she thought of last night when he bent her over the kitchen table, he was as excited as she had ever seen him. He was really enjoying this whole breeding thing.

Katie was laughing at a not-so-funny joke when her phone buzzed, and she answered. It was Brad and her heart skipped when he shared his news. She put her drink down and grabbed the edge of the bar as he continued talking. One of her friends noticed and moved next to her, putting her hand on her back. She hung up and grabbed her purse.

“Baby, what’s wrong?” Her friend said, noticing the tears in her eyes. Katie took a deep breath and wiped her eyes.

“A very close friend is in the hospital. I have to go.” Katie said.

“Honey, I am sure they are taking good care of your friend. Maybe the dinner will distract you.” Her friend said, trying hard to make her feel better.

“She is 14.” Katie said and her friend put her hand to her mouth.

“What happened?” her friend said.

“I don’t know, Brad didn’t have any details, but I have to get to her.” Katie said, her tears flowing down her cheeks.

“Do you want me to drive you?” her friend said.

“No, I will be alright, it will give me something to focus on. Please let them know upstairs and let me know what happens. I will talk to you tomorrow.” Katie said and kissed her friend on the cheek.

Katie rushed out to the lobby and banged on the elevator button. She could feel herself starting to panic. What happened? She felt horrible that she had not talked to Madison in a week, she missed her terribly, but they were so focused on trying to get pregnant she felt a little out of touch. That thought made her start to sob and she put her hand on the wall. Brad said she was with Aaron so she was pretty sure it was not an accident, but it could be. She pictured Madison in the hospital, she must be so scared. The elevator dinged and she jumped in and smashed the parking level button.

The traffic was atrocious, Katie was at a dead stop in 4 lanes of traffic and she was going insane. She grabbed her phone and punched in Aaron’s number. It rang three times, and she heard a female voice.

“Hello?” the familiar voice said.

“Is Aaron there, who is this?” Katie said, frantically.

“Katie, it’s Alex. Aaron is right here but he is very upset.” Alex said.

“Alex, what happened?” Katie said and she heard Alex take a deep breath.

“Sam’s dad went crazy and hurt them.” Alex said and tried to hold back tears as her throat tightened.

“What do you mean, what did he do?” Katie said, getting very afraid.

“He was drunk, he hit Madison, but he hurt Sam really bad.” Alex said and started to cry.

“Alex, where are you?” Katie said.

“We are still in the emergency room; we are waiting for them to give us a status. I will call you when we know something.” Alex said slowly and with struggle.

“Alex, how bad is it?” Katie said as her voice broke.

“I don’t know, I just got here but there was a lot of blood, Aaron is covered.” Alex said and her voice broke.

“I will be there as soon as I can, the traffic is fucking stopped.” Katie said.

“Katie, they are taking good care of them. Please be careful.” Alex said.

“Thank you, Alex. Just text me when you find out something.” Katie said and she felt herself calm down a little.

“I will, goodbye.” Alex said. Katie hung up and squeezed the steering wheel. She felt her chest tighten and then more tears ran down her cheeks. A lot of blood? That did not sound good.

Katie finally made it to the hospital and had to park on the 5^th level in the garage, far from the emergency room. She shoved the car in park and grabbed her purse. As she was getting out of the car her phone buzzed. It was from Alex.

“Room 314.” Was on her screen.

Katie jumped out of the car and started to run. She got frustrated quickly and stopped to take off her heels. She held then in her hand and started to run much more effectively, knowing that this pair of stockings would be toast. She ran into the lobby and hit the elevator. She had been in this hospital a few times visiting friends. She knew the third floor was a general floor, that was good news. She hit the floor running and quickly found the room. She slid into it and tossed her heels in the corner. She put her hand over her mouth and felt her eyes start to water.

Madison was laying in the bed, her long dark hair spread out over the pillow. There was a large white bandage over the left side of her face, covering her eye and most of her cheek. Katie could see bruising on the part of her left cheek that was exposed. She looked and Aaron was sitting in a chair with this head back. Alex was sitting on his lap, she looked up when Katie walked in the room.

“Oh, my baby.” Katie said and walked to the side of the bed, picking up Madison’s right hand. Her fingernails were still pink and pretty. Her left arm was full of tubes and needles.

Katie looked up and saw the monitor and the IV drip. The pulse and blood pressure looked good. She looked back at Madison and her little face was only half visible. She kissed her hand and put it to her face as she sat on the edge of the bed. She pushed some hair off her pretty face and touched her right cheek. She sensed Alex next to her and she felt Alex put a hand on her shoulder. Katie reached up and put her hand over Alex’s. She turned to look at Alex.

“How is she?” Katie whispered.

“The doctor said she probably has a concussion, he hit her pretty hard. They are afraid that she has fractures in her eye socket but there is too much swelling to tell yet. They are hoping to do an x-ray in the morning.” Alex said. Katie looked back at Madison and kissed her hand again.

“She is so little; she looks so small in that big bed.” Katie said and sobbed. Alex rubbed her shoulder.

“She is a strong girl, Aaron said she was very brave.” Alex said and Katie looked over at Aaron. He was still in the chair, but he was looking at her.

Katie stood up and put Madison’s hand down gently, rubbing her little fingers and then her arm. She hugged Alex and then walked over to Aaron. She stood in front of him, and she could tell he had been crying, his eyes were red and swollen, and his cheeks were wet.

“Katie, I am so sorry. I wasn’t fast enough. I couldn’t get to her in time.” He said through more tears.

“Aaron, what happened?” Katie said softly and knelt next to him, holding his hand.

“He was drunk and angry, he hit Sam twice and threw her against the brick column. She fell down the stairs and Madison stepped right into the middle of it. She stood between Sam and him and he hit her. Even after that she shielded Sam until I was able to get to him. I should have been faster. I am so sorry.” Aaron said and started crying. Katie stood up and pulled him into her chest, rubbing his head.

“Aaron, you saved them. It would have been much worse if you hadn’t of been there.” Katie said.

“I almost wasn’t, I was driving away, and she stopped me. Somehow she knew.” He said, sobbing into her chest. Katie looked at Alex.

“How is Sam?” Katie said.

“She is still in surgery; we don’t know anything yet.” Alex said.

“Where is Sarah?” Katie said and Alex shrugged.

“Aaron, was Sarah hurt?” Katie said, pulling his head away from her chest.

“I saw him hit her once and she fell on the porch. I didn’t see her after that. We were focused on Sam.” He said and Katie knelt to look at him.

“Aaron, you are the best protector this little girl could ever have. She knows that.” Katie said and kissed him on the forehead. He nodded.

Katie stood and was walking towards the bed when Henry walked in. She saw his face crumble and his body start to shake as he approached the bed. She met him and hugged him. His arms were strong as he squeezed her hard. She felt him shaking as he cried.

“Henry, she is going to be ok. She was very brave.” Katie said and he broke the hug. She could see the questions in his eyes.

“Alex can fill you in, I am going to try and find Sarah and check on Sam.” Katie said and he nodded.

Katie walked out of the room as Henry sat on the edge of the bed and picked up his daughter’s small hand. Katie walked to the nurse’s station and found out where the surgery floor was. She started to walk and then she realized she was in her stockings, her shoes still in the room. Oh well, it made less noise anyway. She went to the elevator and pushed the button.

Katie walked into the surgery floor and saw the sign for the waiting room. She walked around the corner and saw a big room with lots of chairs. Sarah was in the corner by herself, curled up in a chair. She looked disheveled, and her left arm was in a sling. Katie walked up to her. Sarah looked up and smiled, her face looked tired. Her eyes were red, and her cheeks looked a little bruised. She could see some swelling in her lip and around her eye. There was a cut on her chin. Katie knelt in front of her and took her right hand.

“Sarah, are you ok?” Katie said softly.

“I am fine, but my baby is not.” Sarah said, her voice breaking.

“Have they told you anything?” Katie said.

“A nurse came out and said she had a skull fracture, and they were working on stopping the bleeding and then she left. No one else has been out since. I can’t lose her Katie; she is all I have.” Sarah said and started sobbing.

Katie sat next to her and hugged her. She held her as she cried. She looked up to see a nurse looking at her. The nurse walked over.

“I will go and try to find out something.” The nurse whispered.

“Thank you.” Katie said and held Sarah. She held her for a few minutes and then she felt her start to calm down. Sarah sat up and pulled a Kleenex out of the box on the table. She wiped her face and looked at Katie.

“He was so mad. I have never seen him so angry; something must have happened. I tried to keep him from her, but he was focused. He stared screaming about her clothes and then he tore her dress and tried to spank her. I fought him off and she got away. He chased her and I tried to stop him, but he was too strong. He hurt her bad.” Sarah said.

“Sarah, I am so sorry, you did good. You fought him and kept him from hurting her more.” Katie said.

“How is Madison? She stepped right in front of him.” Sarah said.

“She will be fine; she is in a room. Her face is kind of a mess, but the young ones heal quickly.” Katie said.

“Katie, I am so sorry.” Sarah said and Katie put her hand on her cheek.

“Sarah, this is not your fault.” Katie said and Sarah nodded. They both looked up to see the nurse standing there.

“Ma’am, they are finished in surgery. They are wrapping up and the doctor will be out very soon. They told me everything went as expected.” The nurse said.

“Thank you so much.” Sarah said.

“Do you want something for the pain? Will you let us look at you now?” The nurse said.

“Yes, please.” Sarah said and the nurse left.

“Sarah, they haven’t examined you yet?” Katie said.

“I couldn’t stop crying and I wanted to wait and make sure Sam was ok. They were able to get this thing on me.” Sarah said and lifted her arm with the sling.

“I understand.” Katie said and grabbed her hand.

“Katie, thank you for coming, I have no one but Sam.” Sarah said and Katie felt her eyes water.

“Well, you have someone else now.” Katie said and Sarah smiled.

Brad Thompson walked into the hospital; he hated these places. They smelt and felt like death, or at least bad things. He remembered when his grandparents died, they came into a place like this and never came out. He hadn’t liked hospitals since. He saw the sign and found room 314. He walked in and Henry was sitting on the bed. He looked at Madison and her face was covered in bandages. He walked over to Henry.

“Henry, do you need anything?” Brad said and Henry looked up, his eyes red.

“No, thanks. I am good for now. She looks so bad.” Henry said and Brad looked at her.

“She is strong.” Brad said, trying to think of something to say.

“Yeah, she is, she is stronger than me. I was a mess when her mom left, and she actually held me together. She was so happy when I found this job. She said she was proud of me. Imagine that; a grown man getting validation from a 14-yr-old.” Henry said and looked up at him.

“Yeah, I get that.” Brad said.

Brad looked over and saw Aaron sitting in a chair, his head back, and Alex on his lap. She was leaning on his chest and her eyes were closed. He smiled and wondered what he had missed.

“Henry, we are here for you.” Brad said.

“Thank you, Brad, you have gone above and beyond for us.” Henry said.

“Well, your little girl is something special.” Brad said.

“Yes, she certainly is.” Henry said and picked up her little hand. He slid his fingers into hers and held her hand. She was still warm and soft.

“Is Katie here?” Brad said.

“Yeah, she went to try and find Sarah.” Henry said.

“How is Sam?” Brad said and Henry looked up.

“Not good.” Henry said.

“I am going to try and find my wife. I will be back.” Brad said.

“Thank you, Brad.” Henry said and looked back at Madison. She seemed so peaceful.

Brad walked out and started his search for his wife. He finally found the surgery floor and then the waiting room. He saw Katie comforting a woman who he assumed was Sarah. He realized he had never met Sam’s mom. He walked over and stood in front of them. Katie looked at him.

“Sarah, this is my husband, Brad.” Katie said and Brad nodded.

“Nice to meet you, thank you for coming.” Sarah said.

“You have a wonderful daughter; we are all fans.” Brad said and smiled.

“Thank you.” Sarah said.

“Brad, don’t you know someone on the board here?” Katie said.

“Yeah, Adrian Folkson is one of our clients.” Brad said.

“Can you pull some strings and get Sam and Madison in the same room; I think they would want that.” Katie said.

“Absolutely, let me make some calls.” Brad said and pulled out his phone.

Katie smiled as he started scrolling through his contacts. She knew he felt helpless in situations like this, and he needed something to do so he could contribute. She looked back at Sarah and pushed some hair off her face. She noticed her face was pretty and she saw Sam in her eyes. She had never noticed before in the few times she had met her.

“Sarah, we will take care of everything, you just take care of your daughter.” Katie said.

“Thank you so much, we don’t have very good insurance.” Sarah said.

“No worries, we got you. We just need to focus on your little girl.” Katie said and smiled.

They both looked up to see a doctor walking up. She was blonde and her hair was in a ponytail. She walked up, knelt and took Sarah’s hand.

“Mrs. Simmons, I am Dr. Freytag, I operated on your daughter. She is stable but she has a skull fracture and significant damage to her face. Her nose is broken but we don’t see any other broken bones yet. We got control of the bleeding and she seems to be responding well. We don’t expect any complications, we just need to give her time to heal.” The doctor said.

“Thank you doctor, thank you so much. Is she awake?” Sarah said.

“Not yet, we are going to keep her under for a little while longer until we are sure she is stable. She will be in a lot of pain when she wakes up so we will be starting her on some pain meds right away. She should wake up tomorrow morning.” The doctor said.

“Thank you. Is she going to have any damage?” Sarah said.

“No ma’am, she should recover fully. Give her a little time and she will be as good as new.” The doctor said.

“Thank you again doctor.” Sarah said and started to cry. Katie hugged her and looked at the doctor.

“Doctor, do you have any idea when she will be in a room? Will she have to go in ICU?” Katie said.

“No, she is good enough for the third floor. She should be out of recovery in about an hour and we will get her in a room.” The doctor said.

“Thank you so much.” Katie said and the doctor stood up.

“Mrs. Simmons, I am so sorry for what happened, you stay strong. Your little girl is a fighter and I imagine she didn’t pick that up on her own. If you need anything you let me know.” The doctor said and Sarah nodded but continued to cry.

Dr. Freytag walked away and thought immediately of the depth of the hole they should bury the fucker that did this. She was furious but tried to stay calm. She took a deep breath and walked through the doors. She knew the police were waiting, she would have a lot for them.

The nurse walked up and stood in front of Sarah.

“Mrs. Simmons, can we examine you now?” the young nurse said and held out her hand.

Sarah took her hand and unfolded her legs. Katie noticed she was wearing an old robe and what looked like pajamas underneath. Katie made a promise to herself that she would not allow Sarah to leave the hospital like that, that was for sure. She watched the nurse walk her to the back.

“Sarah, I will be right here when you get back.” Katie said and Sarah turned back to look and then went with the nurse through the doors.

“Brad, I need you.” Katie said. Brad hurried over and sat next to her and hugged her. He felt her start to sob and he held on.

Henry sat on the bed and looked at his daughter. She was still pretty, even with bandages all over her face and bruises starting to appear on her cheek. He touched her arm again and felt his heart break. He heard something and looked up to see two policemen standing in the doorway.

“Sir, may we speak to you?” One of them said and Henry stood. The policemen walked forward and the one that spoke held out his hand.

“I am officer Francis, and this is officer Wilmington. We are investigating the incident. May we ask you a few questions?” He said.

“Sure, but I was not there, Aaron was there, he would be able to answer more than me.” Henry said and motioned to Aaron, sitting on the chair.

The police officers looked over at the huge black man with the cute white girl curled up on his lap.

“Sure, we can talk to you both together.” He said and walked around the bed.

Aaron saw the policemen walk up and he started to get up. Alex was sound asleep on his lap.

“Sir, it is ok. Stay seated. She looks really comfortable.” Officer Francis said and Aaron nodded.

“You were at the scene?” Officer Francis said.

“Yes, sir. I had just dropped off Sam at her house.” Aaron said.

“Ok, can you tell me what happened?” Officer Francis said and Aaron took a deep breath.

“Sam got out of the car and walked up to her door. I was pulling away and Madison stopped me. We sat for about 15 seconds, and we heard a crash. Sam ran out of the door; her dress was torn, and she was screaming. I started to get out, but Madison was already out on her side. He hit Sam and then her mom jumped on him. He hit her and she fell. He then hit Sam again and threw her against the column. Her head hit and she fell down the stairs.” Aaron said and his voice broke. Officer Francis put his hand on Aaron’s arm.

“Sir, take your time. We can ask Henry a question.” The officer said and turned to Henry.

“Henry, how long have you known Sam?” the officer said.

“Madison and Sam have been friends since we moved to the neighborhood, so about ten years.” Henry said.

“During that time have you witnessed or seen evidence of any abuse regarding Sam?” the officer said.

“No, Madison said her legs had been hurting recently but Sam said it was growing pains.” Henry said.

“Did you ever enter their house?” the officer said.

“No, sir. Sam always came over to our house.” Henry said and the officer looked back at Aaron, Alex still sound asleep on his lap.

“She is a heavy sleeper.” Officer Francis said and smiled.

“She has had a rough week; this was sort of the last straw.” Aaron said and the officer nodded.

“Sir, what happened after Sam fell down the stairs?” Officer Francis said.

“Madison got to her and knelt down over her. He ran at her screaming. She stood up and told him to leave Sam alone. He stopped for a second and then he hit her in the face. I got to him a second later, but I was too late.” Aaron said and broke down again. Alex woke up and looked at the officers. She looked back at Aaron and saw he was crying. She put her hand on his cheek.

Officer Francis saw the young girl wake up and start to comfort the huge black man. It was an interesting sight to see her small white hand on his face. She was a pretty little thing. She was also dressed nice, a very professional dress and hose. Her shoes were on the floor, so her feet looked very cute in the hose. He tried to stay focused, but he was a man, and she was very pretty.

“Ma’am, what is your name?” Officer Francis said.

“Alex Ferguson.” Alex said.

“What is your involvement?” Officer Francis said.

“I am Brad Thompson’s admin. He is Henry’s manager. I met Madison through Brad. Aaron is Mr. Thompson’s driver.” Alex said, the officer writing quickly.

“Thank you, ma’am, Aaron, is there anything else?” Officer Francis asked.

“The only other thing that happened is that Madison called 911 and talked to the operator until the paramedics arrived.” Aaron said.

“What were you doing during that time?” Officer Francis asked.

“Restraining and trying not to kill that piece of shit.” Aaron said and Alex gasped.

“It’s ok sir, I understand. So that little girl called 911 and stayed with Sam until the paramedics got there?” Officer Francis said and looked at Madison.

“Yeah, she did, as the blood was running down her face.” Aaron said and Alex touched his cheek again.

“Thank you both for your time.” Officer Francis said and turned to leave, looking at the small girl wrapped in bandages and wondered if his own 16-yr-old daughter could do something like that.

Brad was holding Katie when they brought Sarah back to the waiting room. She sat in the same seat and the nurse gave her some more pills to swallow.

“Mrs. Simmons, we will let you know when Sam is being moved to her room.” The nurse said.

“Thank you.” Sarah said.

“Sarah, are you ok? Is there anything else wrong?” Katie asked and Sarah looked at the nurse.

“Ma’am, you have to give the ok for me to share your information.” The nurse said.

“It’s ok, she is a friend.” Sarah said and looked at Katie. Katie took her hand and smiled.

“Well, her shoulder was dislocated and is now strained, her arm is also broken. He must have yanked it awfully hard. The cuts and bruises on her face are superficial and will heal quickly. She has bruised ribs and probably a concussion. All of that being said, we will continue to monitor her as she sits with Sam. Orthopedics will definitely want to take a look.” The nurse said.

“Sarah, I am so sorry.” Katie said and hugged her new friend.

“Also, Mrs. Simmons, you may need to stay here for a little while longer. The chief of staff wants to talk to you. That is normal procedure in cases like this. I will let you know when they are ready.” The nurse said.

“Thank you.” Sarah said, taking another Kleenex out of the box.

“Sarah, are you in pain?” Katie said.

“No, it’s fine.” Sarah said.

“Why do I feel like you are lying? That arm has to hurt and bruised ribs are no joke.” Katie said.

“Katie, I have been hurting for a long time, maybe I am used to it, or I have a high threshold, I don’t know.” Sarah said.

“Sarah, how long has he been hurting you?” Katie said.

“For a few years. At first it was only me but a couple of years ago he started in with Sam. I was able to shield her most of the time, but I know he hurt her a few times.” Sarah said, wiping her eyes with the Kleenex.

“Sarah, what are you going to do?” Katie said.

“I don’t know, I don’t have any other family, I don’t have anywhere else to go.” Sarah said.

“You are always welcome to come and stay with us, you do not need to go back in that house if you don’t want to.” Katie said.

The nurse walked up again.

“Ma’am, they are asking to see you, I will take you.” The nurse said and held out her hand.

Sarah took it and stood. She looked back at Katie.

“Can she come with us?” Sarah said.

“Sure, you can work it out when you get in the room.” The nurse said and started walking Sarah to the back, Katie followed.

“Brad, I will meet you back in Madison’s room.” Katie said and Brad nodded.

They walked down a hallway and entered a large room. There was a huge table with numerous people sitting around it. The nurse helped Sarah sit and then sat next to her, Katie sat on the other side of Sarah.

“Mrs. Simmons, I realize you are injured, are you ok to answer some of our questions?” an older man said.

“Yes, sir, I am fine.” Sarah said.

“You are a strong woman, and your little girl is quite a fighter.” The man said and Sarah smiled.

“My name is Dr. DeRosen and I am chief of staff here. Who is your friend?” the man said.

“Her name is Katie, can she stay? I have no one else. I give my ok for her to hear anything you tell me.” Sarah said.

“Hello Katie, yes, that is fine.” The man said.

“This is Dr. Tarkenton, he examined Sam when she arrived and then again after surgery.” The man said, motioning to a younger doctor on his right.

“This is Joanna Bristen, she is from CPS and this is Detective Fermenton.” The man said.

“I don’t understand, why are all these people here? Is there something else wrong with Sam?” Sarah said and Katie grabbed her hand.

“Ma’am, your daughter was seriously injured, she got excellent care in the field, we got to her quickly, Dr. Freytag did an amazing job, and we are very confident that she will recover completely. There are some other issues we need to discuss.” The man said.

“Like what?” Sarah said.

“Please understand we are all on your side and want to help you and Sam, some of these questions may be uncomfortable. Do you understand?” He said and Sarah nodded.

“Do you know how long your husband was abusing Sam?” the man said and Sarah started to cry. Katie handed her a Kleenex and rubbed her back.

“The reason we ask is because we found some indicators of habitual abuse. There are multiple hairline fractures in multiple ribs and substantial bruising in her abdomen.” The man said.

“He started with her a couple of years ago, I tried to keep him away from her, but I couldn’t be there all the time. I wanted to leave but I had nowhere to go, and I was worried he would hurt us worse. I encouraged Sam to spend more time with her friends, she stayed at Madison’s often.” Sarah said.

“You did a good job, Mrs. Simmons, we have seen much worse.” The man said and Sarah wiped her eyes again.

“Mrs. Simmons, do you know if your husband sexually abused Sam.” The man said and Sarah started sobbing.

“No, no, I locked her door at night and made sure he could not get to her. I never saw him do anything.” She said.

“Do you know if Sam is sexually active?” the man said.

“No, she is only 14, she doesn’t even have a boyfriend and she has never even been on a date.” Sarah said.

“Ma’am, we saw signs of sexual abuse and we examined her. There was evidence of tearing and bruising in that area as well.” The man said and Sarah sobbed harder.

Everyone looked and waited for Sarah to recover. She stopped crying and looked at all the people, they were all looking at her. They all looked concerned and worried.

“Ma’am, one more thing. Are you ok?” the man said and Sarah nodded.

“Sam is pregnant.” The man said and Sarah put her head on the table and started crying again.

“My baby. I will kill him; he needs to die for this. How could he do that to his own daughter?” Sarah said through her tears. She looked up at the people and then at Katie.

“Katie, what are we going to do? She is just a little girl.” Sarah said.

“We will figure it out, we will help you.” Katie said, trying to sooth her. She heard the detective speak.

“Mrs. Simmons, he is in custody, and he cannot hurt you anymore. There will be a DNA test to insure paternity. There is nothing else you or your daughter need to do. He will be going to jail for a long time.” The detective said.

“Can you put him under the jail?” Sarah said.

“We will do everything we can, I would love to do that.” The detective said.

“Mrs. Simmons, do you have any questions for us?” the man said.