Page 85 of No Kind of Hero
The officer said, “And you would know this how?”
“I’m in a relationship with the baby’s father,” Beth said. The cop looked at her in surprise, and Beth said crossly, “and I’m an attorney. And none of that is mutually exclusive. The baby was in trouble, and April’s in trouble. I saw her boyfriend throw her out of atruckon the side of the road while she was holding her baby. I saw himhittingher in the truck.Whileshe was holding the baby. What kind of a monster would I have to be not to care about that?”
“All the same,” the officer said, “We’ll be taking these statements separately. Why don’t you go out to the waiting room, and Officer Jenkins will come talk to you.” She looked at Michelle. “And I’m guessing you’re somehow involved also.”
“I’m Elizabeth’s mother,” Michelle said, at her most regal. “Yes, I witnessed this person Chris assaulting April, and so did the baby’s father. He’s here in the hospital, and you’ll want to talk to him as well. You’ll also want to see the condition of the baby.”
“Thank you,” the officer said, her lips tightening. “We’ll be questioning everybody, yes.”
Gracie.Somehow, Beth had pushed Gracie to the back of her mind. Now, she stood up and said, “Mom. I need to see how Evan is. I need to see Gracie.”
April said, “Don’t leave. Please. I need somebody here.Please.I can’t do this. And my facehurts.It hurts so bad.”
Michelle said, “I’m happy to stay.” It was a staredown, then. Michelle won, but Beth wasn’t surprised. Her mother usually did.
She didn’t see her mother again for almost an hour. By that time, she and Evan were in the hospital cafeteria. Gracie had fallen asleep in her father’s arms as Evan had been giving her a bottle, and now, Beth was holding her so Evan could eat a sandwich. The light was changing outside, in the window well planted with greenery that was probably meant to be soothing. Because somehow, it was evening.
Beth was almost too tired to be tense anymore, and she thought Evan probably felt the same. His T-shirt was streaked with his daughter’s blood, and every time Beth looked at it, she felt sick all over again.
When Michelle walked through the doors, of course, she looked no different than she had that morning. How did her motherdoit?
Evan looked up and said, “What’s going on? Where’s April?”
“With the social worker,” Michelle said, sitting down beside him. “I’m here for a minute, that’s all. And to get the car keys, because I’m going to drive her to the shelter, and I’ll stay here tonight. Tomorrow, I’m going to take her shopping for new clothes and toiletries and get her settled. And for the record,” she told Evan, “I don’t think much of your choice. I understand Battered Women’s Syndrome—I ought to, since I’ve run the annual fundraiser for the women’s shelter for the past four years—but honestly. I can’t think she ever had much strength of mind. There’s her leaving, for one thing.”
“Yeah,” Evan said. “I figured that out.” He actually smiled some, too. “Glad she’s getting some help, though. I don’t think her parents are a whole lot better. But what about Gracie?”
“She’s going with you, of course. And yes,” Michelle added before Evan could say anything, “I gave April the papers, and—” She reached into her purse, pulled out the proof of service, and handed it to Evan. “April made it more than clear that she can’t take Gracie. In fact, she begged for you to take her back. Again—not mother material.”
“No,” Evan said.
“Butwhy?”Beth asked. “Why did she take her in the first place?”
“Did I mention,” Michelle said, “that she’s not the most rational creature? If ever I saw a woman who thinks with her ovaries. But that’s victim-blaming, and I’m not going to do it. I never realized how challenging it would be to refrain. She heard from her parents that Evan was coming after her, and she panicked. She never meant to leave Gracie forever, she says. What actually went through her head at the time is anybody’s guess. I suspect postpartum depression. She didn’t hurt the baby, give her credit for that. She left her with a father who could care for her, and she removed herself. And you should remember that,” she told Evan.
“You’re right,” he said. His face and voice were without expression, but Beth already knew that only meant he was feeling too deeply, so he was shutting down. “I haven’t thought about that enough. Now I know.”
“But when she thought she was losing Gracie forever,” Michelle said, “I think she panicked. She didn’t understand the legal system well enough, and she didn’t realize she’d get a chance to ask to see the baby. And thatboyfriend.”The word was full of disgust. “If you can call him that. He told her, she says, ‘We should go get her, then. You should take her.’ Or course, who knows whose idea it really was. She’s going to blame him, obviously. She’ll always blame somebody.”
“Mom,” Beth said.
“You’re right. I’m doing it again. But I think they worked each other up, and that he probably got tired of her crying. My opinion.Shedidn’t say that. They drove by the house, she saw Gracie, and she says she took her impulsively. Again, who knows. She didn’t know she was sick, of course. She said Gracie cried and cried all night long, and Chris was shouting at her to make it stop, and she was afraid he’d hurt the baby when she wouldn’t stop crying.” She looked at Evan. “I think he may have shaken her, Evan. She didn’t quite say that, but I think so.”
Evan went absolutely still. Beth knew how he felt, because she felt the same way. Frozen. “They checked her,” he said. “Carefully. The doctor said she was fine. Other than the ear and her temperature. He said she was fine. I’ll . . . I’ll ask, though. I’ll tell them.”
“Good,” Michelle said. “I know you’ll feel much better if you do. I’m so sorry to have to tell you.”
“What happened in the . . . truck?” Beth went on. “What was it about?”
“Shesays,”her mother said, “that she wanted to take Gracie to the hospital, and Chris wouldn’t. He said they’d get in trouble. Because he was afraid he’d hurt Gracie, probably. And when she insisted, he hit her. April,” she added hastily as Evan froze again. “That part’s probably true, so give April credit again. I do think she wanted to get help for Gracie. I think she was terrified. And then Gracie’s eardrum burst, and there was blood, and Chris panicked too. April was blaming him, I think, in the truck, and he hit her again. I’m guessing he thought he’d be prosecuted for what he’d done to the baby, because he thought the bleeding was from the shaking. So he threw them out and ran.”
Evan sighed, a long, drawn-out sound. “I should’ve hit him so much harder. I should’ve laid himout.”
“Well, yes,” Michelle said. “I do think you might have. But then, you could have been in much more trouble, and what would happen to Gracie then? As it is, they’ll call it a struggle, and I’m sure you’ll be fine. And if you’re not,” she added, “well, Don will find you a good criminal attorney. We’re not going to letthathappen.”
Evan was smiling. Just a bit, but he was. “Not really your problem, though. You weren’t the one who hit him.”
“No,” Michelle said. “But we’ll call you my proxy. I’m prepared to pay for the pleasure.” She stood up. “I need to get back. Keys, please, Evan.”
