“Whatever is the quickest. I’m starving.” He rolled his eyes. The urge to slap him was never more powerful, but I knew I couldn’t. He acted like he was incapable of doing anything for himself. I can’t believe that I’ve let him do this for years. There are parts of me that want away from this so bad, but there are other parts, the ones that keep me here, that are scared to leave. I’ve had Warren tell me what to do for so long, that I’m not sure I could function on my own.
“How about chicken?” I held up a container. “There are potatoes and broccoli in here too. That all goes together.” I tried to smile even though I was measuring every word that left my lips. One wrong one, and I’d end up on the floor, cleaning this food up.
“Fine,” he growled.
I carefully pulled down two plates, dished the food out, and placed one in the microwave. After setting the timer, I placed the containers back in the fridge. When the microwave beeped, I tested the food before carrying it over to Warren. After placing it in front of him, I heated up my own plate. “How’s that?” I waited with bated breath for him to scream at me about something.
“Good. Glad to see that bump on the head didn’t cause you to forget your place.” He lifted his chin as he chuckled to himself. A small part of me broke that night. I’d always hoped that somewhere inside of him would be a decent man. I thought that if he hurt me bad enough, he might see the error of his ways, but this just proved that he didn’t. He didn’t care if he hurt me. Hell, I don’t think he cared if he killed me.
We sat at the table in silence that night, quietly eating our dinner. When we finished, Warren stood and walked away, leaving the mess for me. I painstakingly cleaned the dishes, wiped down the counters, and then hobbled over to where we kept the medicine. After taking the pain pills I’d been sent home with today, I made my way to the bedroom.
When I reached our door, the lights were off. Warren was already asleep on his side of the bed. I fumbled through the dark, knowing that if I turned on the lights, I’d have hell to pay. When I caught my toe on the bed, I mashed my lips together to keep from crying out in pain. Night time preparations took twice as long as they should have, but when my body hit the soft mattress, I almost sighed. Being back home was hard, but at least I could sleep in my own bed. If I am being honest though, I don’t know how much longer I can do this.
The idea of leaving has been growing stronger ever since Dr. McGee mentioned it. I need to leave again, only I need to find someone who remembers where I went. I can’t have him finding me again, and I can’t remember how I got there.
Chapter 3
Brooke
It’s been a month since I came home. Not much has changed, but Warren hasn’t physically hurt me. Ever since I came home, he’s kept me on my toes though. I think he’s playing some kind of psychological game now. I spend most of my days watching for him. He leaves in the morning, and I relax. Normally he comes home around six in the evening. I don’t even need to look at the clock anymore. My body has trained itself to be on high alert. Right around five thirty, I can feel all the muscles tightening. Sometimes I even feel sick.
I’m supposed to see Dr. McGee this afternoon for my seven-month checkup. After today, I’ll start going twice a month. I’m both excited and scared to have this baby. I’m worried what Warren might do once the baby’s here, but I’m dying to meet her. Every time I feel her kick, I think about Ava. I wonder what Warren did to her; if she’s ok or remembers me? No one seems to have an answer for me, but I know she was real. She had to be real.
Warren told me he was too busy to take me to the doctor today, so I had to get a cab. It was a short ride, and beautiful outside. Fall was in the air, and the crisp leaves crunched under my feet as I walked. The streets were lined with golds, oranges, and reds, and the sky was a bright blue. I felt like I was in the middle of a storybook as the breeze blew against my face.
ooooooooo
When I reached Dr. McGee’s building, I paused. She said this was the first pregnancy she’s helped me with, but I remembered coming here with Ava. Everything was the same. The building looked the same, even the flowers out front were the same. I rubbed my eyes as I tried to remember anything that would make me feel like I wasn’t going crazy, but the harder I tried, the worse I felt.
The elevator ride was slow and when the doors dinged open, I was met with the familiar smell of the office. I signed in, and took a seat. The TV in the corner was turned down low but I could still hear the weather report predicting an early frost. I wasn’t sitting long, before I was ushered back to a room. The nurse jotted a few things in my file before leaving me there on the paper covered table.
My eyes scanned the room, looking for clues to point out to Dr. McGee. She had to remember the last time. I only saw her a few times, but she was so persistent about me leaving. She had to remember. The harder I looked, the more my head throbbed, warning me to stop.
“Brooke.” Dr. McGee smiled as she entered the room. “How are you today?”
“Ok, I guess.” I shrugged. I honestly didn’t know how I felt. My head still hurt on a regular basis, my ribs did too if I bumped them just right. No one believed me when I talked to them about leaving. “Confused, mainly.”
“Confused how?” Dr. McGee sat down and patted my knee.
“You’re going to think I’m crazy.” I sighed as I glanced out the window at the sun. It was the one constant that I could rely on. It came up, and went down… never changing.
“You suffered a terrible head injury. Memory loss and confusion are normal,” she soothed.
“This isn’t memory loss,” I growled. “I was here. Six years ago. I was here. I had a baby.” My heart began to race as I balled my hands into fists.
“Brooke.” Dr. McGee stood and stepped between me and my sight line.
“No!” I slammed my fists on the exam table. “I know I sound crazy, but I’m not. You helped me.” Tears of frustration welled in my eyes as a vision of Ava’s face floated through my mind. “He had to have taken her.” I sighed.
“Who? Warren?” Dr. McGee’s brow crinkled.
“Who else?” I closed my eyes and shook my head.
“Has he hurt you again?” The urgency in her voice startled me.
“You mean like hit me? No.” I began to pick at my nails.
“I can help you, Brooke. I can help you leave. There are places for women like you. I have friends who work at these places. They’ll keep you and the baby safe.” She fumbled through the pocket of her lab coat until she produced a small white card. “Here.” She handed it to me. “There’s a number on the back. If you want to leave, call that number. We’ll help you.”
It was as if a movie was playing out in front of me. I’ve had this conversation before. It was almost exactly the same. “Don’t you remember this?” I took the card. “You did this the last time I was here.”
“I’ve helped several women over my time working here, Brooke. Sadly, you aren’t the first.” She frowned. “Let’s get you measured, and we’ll set up your next appointment.”