Page 18 of A Second Chance At Forever

“Hi, Dad,” I whispered, afraid talking at a normal volume would cause me to breakdown.

“Lennox? What’s the matter? Are you okay?” Concern was etched in his voice.

“No, I’m not okay,” I began, but couldn’t finish because the crying took over.

“Lennox, where are you?”

“At the airport, I’m coming home. Can you pick me up?”

“Yes, of course. What time will you land?”

“Six A.M,” I answered, trying my hardest to push the tears back.

“I will be there, sweetheart.”

When the plane landed, more pain consumed me. I thought I was going to pass out, my head started to spin and everything became blurry. I closed my eyes and breathed as deeply as I could.

When I saw Dad standing there waiting for me, the tears started to flow. I saw sadness and anger rise on this face just from seeing me. He knew I was hurt, the bruise on my face was evident of that.

“What happened?” he asked, taking me by the hands and leading me toward a seat.

“Chris, we have been fighting a lot lately. I tried to leave, he wouldn’t let me leave,” I cried into my hands.

“We need to get you to a hospital.” Dad looked around for the quickest route.

He helped me up, and we walked slowly through the airport to his waiting car. Once he helped me in, I leaned back against the seat and took as deep of a breath as I could. It hurt to breathe, but it was done. I was away from him and he couldn’t touch me anymore.

Dad and I spent the remainder of the morning at the hospital where they checked me over and did x-rays. As it turned out, my ribs were just badly bruised, but I did have a concussion, not to mention the endless amount of bruises.

They wrapped up my ribs and gave me some pain medication before discharging me. Dad wasn’t happy that I refused to press charges, but I didn’t want him to know where I was. I didn’t know if he would come after me.

Dad helped me into the house and made me eat some breakfast before handing me a pain pill and a bottle of water. He helped me up to my room where Kathryn helped me into bed. I was asleep before my head hit the pillow.

I woke up a few hours later with my phone ringing. I reached for my purse but it was too far away and every time I moved I was racked with more pain. Lying in bed made me stiff and I felt sorer than before. I ignored the phone and fell back asleep.

Kathryn would bring in food and water. After I would eat, I would take another pain pill before going back to sleep.

This was how my first few days at home went. I would eat, take medicine, and fall back asleep. I slept for the first three days I was home. Finally, on a Thursday, I pulled myself from bed and made my way into the bathroom alone.

After finishing up, I looked at myself in the mirror. My face wasn’t swollen anymore but there was still a slight bruise left. I lifted my shirt and removed the wrap. My sides were more bruised than ever. I took off the rest of my clothes and took a long, hot bath.

After emerging an hour later, I almost felt like a whole new person. As long as I didn’t move quickly or breathe too deeply, I didn’t hurt. Luckily, I had left most of my clothes at home before I left, so I still had stuff to wear.

After wrapping my ribs, I pulled on a pair of jeans and a big sweatshirt and went to work trying to cover the bruise on my cheek. After I was dressed and my bruise was concealed, I made my way downstairs for the first time in three days.

Dad and Kathryn were sitting at the table when they noticed I had come in.

“Hi, sweetie. How are you feeling?” Dad asked, pulling out a chair for me.

“A little better actually.” I sat down, slowly.

“I’ll get you some lunch.” Kathryn stood and walked into the kitchen.

“Lennox, why didn’t you tell me this was going on? We need to do something about this. We can’t let him get away with doing this to you.” His green eyes locked on mine. I could see the anger behind them.

“Dad, I just want to forget about it. I don’t want him to know where I am. I’m afraid he will come for me,” I admitted.

Dad looked like he was about to say something else but let it drop when Kathryn came back in the room and sat a plate down in front of me. I looked at the sandwich and chips, not sure if my stomach could handle it.

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