Page 162 of Edge of Unbroken

“But?”

“But I don’t specifically remember Stevie interrupting… Or, wait… actually, I think he did one time when I was maybe four. I think I spilled my milk and my mom was mad because I wasn’t cleaning it up right or something. She was hitting me and Stevie walked in. That was one of the only times I heard my mom yell at him.”

“What happened when your brother walked in?”

“I’m pretty sure she yelled at him to go up to his room, which he did. She finished beating my ass and then told me to go to my own room, I think. It’s… God, sorry, it’s really hazy.” Ronan sighs heavily.

“You said your brother interrupted a beating a handful of times; what other times did that occur?”

“When I was older. Once when I was maybe twelve, then at around fifteen or sixteen, and one time last summer.”

“Okay, I want to come back to that a little bit later. For now, would you be able to tell me how often, on average, your mother hit you while you lived in New York during the time period when you were four and before moving to Tennessee?”

“I don’t know,” Ronan says. “My whole life… It wasn’t like she always just beat me. It was little run-ins all the time; shoves or a slap. A lot of yelling…”

Ronan’s voice is heavy. The sadness emanates from him, and it’s infectious. The impact of Ronan’s words is evident on the jurors’ faces and those of my friends, my mom, and Ronan’s family.

“Do you remember sustaining any injuries when you were three and four, before moving to Tennessee?”

“Yeah, there was one time when my mom pushed me and I tripped and hit my head on the corner of the dining table. I had a pretty good-size gash on the back of my head,” Ronan says. “That’s when I learned that head wounds bleed really badly.”

“Did that gash require stitches?”

“My mom glued it,” Ronan says matter-of-factly, and my breath hitches.

“Did she take you to see a doctor for your head wound?”

Ronan shakes his head. “No. She never took me to see a doctor except when I broke my elbow.”

Mr. Cooley digs deeper. “Do you ever recall your dad asking you about any bruises or other injuries?”

“Only twice. Once when I broke my elbow when I was thirteen. He came home for a few days and obviously wanted to know what happened.”

“What did you tell him?”

“Nothing. My mom told him I broke it playing ice hockey and I didn’t elaborate on that.”

“What other time did your dad ask about an injury?”

“I had a bruised cheekbone and a cut on my nose when I was maybe seven. My mom told him I had gotten into a fight at school.”

“Did your dad question either explanation provided by your mother, as far as you know?”

“Not that I’m aware of,” Ronan says.

“Okay. You testified earlier that you moved to Tennessee when you were five, is that right?”

“Yeah. My dad was moving around a bit at that point, and we spent like four months in Tennessee, four months in Virginia, and four months in Georgia before moving back to New York.”

“Ronan, I don’t think I’ve asked you. What does your dad do for work?”

“He’s a lieutenant colonel in the Air Force.”

“Do you know what he does for the Air Force?”

“Uh, I know he’s in intelligence, but that’s about it,” Ronan says truthfully.

“Did you ever live on an Air Force base with your dad?”

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