Page 138 of A Whole New Play

“Valerie helped me,” she chokes out. “And the lady from the science fair hurt her.”

Sara.

Sara did this?

A screech draws my attention to my left where, sure enough, Sara is being led away by two officers. Handcuffs encircle her wrists. “Let me go,” she yells. “I wasn’t kidnapping her. I’m friends with her dad!”

Unfucking believable.

I stand. My limbs shake with anger, and my hands itch to wrap themselves around the crazy woman’s neck and throttle her for daring to touch my kid.

My movement draws Sara’s attention.

Her angry features immediately morph into relief. “Carter! You’re here! Tell them we’re friends. This is all a misunderstanding.”

I see red.

“Officer Winston.” The man who’d kept me company in the locker room is quickly at my side. He’s no longer winded.

“Yes, Mr. Jones?”

“I have a restraining order against that woman,” my voice is hard and unyielding. I make sure it’s loud enough for Sara to hear. “I’d like to press charges against her to the fullest extent of the law.”

The delusional woman’s features twist into something ugly. “How dare you! We’re friends, Carter. We’re meant to be more! You’re making a huge mistake.”

“The only mistake I made was ever showing you kindness.” The words are cruel. They aren’t something I’d normally say. But all niceties flew out the window when this woman dared to lay a hand on my daughter. And Valerie.

The reminder has me scanning the area for my girlfriend. Former girlfriend. Future girlfriend if I have anything to say about it.

Sara realizes what I’m doing. Struggling against the officers, she screams, “I should have cut that bitch’s face off!”

“Get her out of here,” Officer Winston barks. Sara is carried away kicking and screaming.

Screw what I said about hoping she gets the help she needs. I want her locked away. Then, once she can’t let her intrusive thoughts lead her to endangering me or my loved ones, she can get whatever help doctors and therapists can give her.

Until then, I don’t care if she is put in a concrete cell all by herself. She deserves it for what she put my daughter through.

“Where’s Valerie Palmer?” I shout to no one in particular. I don’t know who to ask. I just know I need to find her. “She’s a brunette with green eyes.” I bend down and pick up Abby before I begin walking the area in search of the woman. “Where is she?”

“I’m here, Carter.”

I whip around and see Valerie seated on a gurney. An EMT is hunched over her arm, cleaning a nasty cut that I can see from here.

In a blink, I’m at her side. “What happened?”

Valerie puts on a brave face, but I see the way her bottom lip trembles. “She threw a knife at my face but luckily had terrible aim.” She clears her throat. “A cop ran into the bathroom a few seconds later and subdued her before she could try to attack me again. I’m fine.”

Her disheveled appearance makes me think there was more of a scuffle than she’s saying. She glances meaningfully at Abby, and I keep my suspicion to myself.

I take my first full breath since I heard Abby was missing and exhale. “You found Abby?”

She nods.

“Thank you,” I choke on the words.

Her gaze softens. “Of course.”

“Can I sit next to Valerie?” Abby asks.

---