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As he steps outside, Chance pulls one of our business cards out of his wallet and slides it across the table.
“We’re gonna help you get him to the hospital but I want you to keep this. Just in case.”
“Once he’s back on his meds…”
“And I hope you’re right,” Chance interrupts her. “But in case you’re not, take the card.”
She scowls down at the card on the table. “He won’t hurt me once he’s back on his meds.”
“Then it won’t hurt to take the card and tuck it into your wallet for safe keeping.”
“Fine,” she mumbles with a sigh before scooping the card up. She may be fighting us but there’s relief in her eyes from knowing she has a back-up plan. Storm walks back into the room and nods at Morgan.
“Police are on their way to your house to get your husband and take him to the hospital for a seventy-two hour hold. You need to meet them there to sign some paperwork but we can go with you if want us to.”
She glances between the three of us before nodding. “Yeah, that’d be great, actually.”
“Let’s get you packed up, then.”
The three of us get to work, helping her pack and loading her things into her car as she wakes the kids up and once they are loaded in the car, we follow behind her on our bikes to the hospital. She’s shaking as she steps out of the car and her gaze follows a police cruiser that pulls to a stop in front of the hospital doors. Tears fill her eyes as the back door opens and the officer guides her husband out of the back seat. As soon as he sees her, his eyes widen before narrowing into a glare.
“You stupid slut!” he screams across the lot. “What did you do?”
“I’m so sorry,” she answers, her voice breaking.
He starts to struggle against the handcuffs and the officer guiding him toward the doors. “Fuck you, bitch. You’re not even close to sorry yet. I can’t believe you’d do this to me. I thought you loved me. Fuck you…”
His voice trails off as they lead him into the hospital and Morgan gasps as tears start pouring down her face. My heart explodes with pain as I remember fights just like that from my own past and I glance over at Chance and Storm before motioning for them to stay with the kids. They nod and I approach Morgan.
“Come walk with me for a minute? There’s something I’d like to tell you.”
She studies me for a minute before nodding. As we walk away from the car, I suck in a breath and try to work myself up to telling this story. Around the side of the hospital is a little garden area and I lead her to a bench in the corner. When we sit down, she turns to me.
“What is it that you wanted to tell me? If you’re thinking that you can talk me into leaving him, you won’t.”
I shake my head. “When I was ten years old, I… I watched my father kill my mother.”
She gasps as memories flood my mind, bringing tears to my eyes.
“And the situation wasn’t exactly the same because he had been using drugs for months but I need you to understand that all it takes is one time where things go too far and he’s already voluntarily gone off his meds. I’m not here to tell you what to do and if you ever need our help, we’re going to be here but I’d really prefer not to go to your funeral. And it would kill me to see those kids end up orphans just like I did.”
“I’m so sorry that you went through that but it’s not like that with us.”
“Don’t you think that every woman who’s ever ended up in a bad spot has said that exact same thing? But like I said, I’m not telling you to do anything. Just think about it.”
I stand and hold my hand out to her to lead her back to the car. For the time being, her mind is made up. I just hope that something I said sticks with her and she can make a change before it’s too late.
