Page 37

CHAPTER

TWO

Rory

Approximately two months ago

“You stupid motherfucker,” I seethe as I carefully pull myself up from my prone position on the floor. “You have no clue what you’ve done.” A whimper of pain escapes my lips when I finally manage to stand upright.

Slowly making my way into my bathroom, I wince when I see my reflection in the mirror. My face is black and blue, and my left arm is dangling somewhat uselessly. I walk back into my bedroom, taking shallow breaths because I suspect my ribs are either cracked or broken as well. Grabbing my duffel bag out of the closet, I start putting clothes inside, then hit up the hidey-hole I have underneath the floorboard, where my money stash has been slowly growing over the past six months.

Yeah, I had set plans in motion to leave, and a lot of my stuff is already in the small RV that’s out in the shed, but today’s beating clinched it for me. Carrying my bag while fighting back the nausea from the pain, I drop it by the back door then go looking for my cat, Sassy.

That’s what started this latest ‘discussion’ according to Patrick. He didn’t like her, said she was ugly, and when he went to pick her up and she scratched him, he flung her against the wall. Then I jumped on him because of his actions, momentarily forgetting that he had almost eight inches in height and about a hundred pounds in weight on my petite frame.

“Sassy, where are you, baby?” I croon, having pulled the carrier out of the hall closet. “C’mon, sweet girl, Momma needs to get you checked out.”

A pitiful meow leads me over by the wall near the kitchen door and I drop to my feet, uncaring about the pain that engulfs me. She’s curled up and I can tell something’s wrong with one of her legs.

“Oh, God, Sassy,” I whimper as tears fall down my cheeks. “C’mon, baby, let’s get the fuck out of here.”

Right now, I don’t care that I own the house that was my grandparents’ home during their marriage. I don’t give that first fuck that he’ll likely come back and do something to it or me. No, my flight mode has been activated.

It’s time to get the fuck outta Dodge.

It takes me almost an hour to maneuver out to the shed that’s near the back of the property. Patrick was never interested in what was inside. In fact, he presumed it was just a bunch of ‘junk’ my grampy had gathered over the years.

He was right, but he was also very, very wrong.

I finally hit the keypad that will open the barn doors and see the RV sitting there, waiting for me, and for the first time in hours, I smile. It’s one filled with pain, and probably looks more like a grimace than an actual smile, but I don’t care.

I’ve been gathering my important things from the house for months now, ever since it became apparent that Patrick was not the man I thought he was, knowing I’d have to leave. Once I have Sassy inside and buckled into the passenger seat, I toss my duffel bag in the back, then carefully climb into the driver’s seat, a low moan passing my lips as the pain radiates through my body.

“Okay, Sassafras, let’s see what we can do, okay?” I mutter as I start the RV.

Grampy bought it for a song at a local auction; it was repossessed by the bank who was looking to recoup some of their money. He brought it home, a gleam in his eyes when he took me down to his workshop.

“Lookee what I found, Rory,” he chortled as I stood there, my mouth hanging open. “Figured I’d fix it up so you could travel the way you always wanted.”

“Grampy, it’s… it’s awesome,” I replied. “It’s the perfect size, too. Does it run?”

“It does, but we’re gonna go over it with a fine-tooth comb, missy. Can’t have my girl breaking down or anything like that.”

Shaking my head at the memories, I manage to pull forward, then get out to close and relock the doors, before I get back into my home away from home and leave, not sparing a glance backward. I’ll deal with Patrick and his bullshit when I know Sassy is going to be alright and not a moment sooner.

As I quickly leave the local area so Patrick can’t find me, I mentally think about what I’ve got money-wise. Unfortunately, I can’t count on my bank account because that asshole is on it as well, but I have several thousand dollars in cash that I’ve squirreled away in the RV, as well as what I took from my hiding spot in the house. I also have another account he doesn’t know about that I can access. And next year, I’ll receive the trust fund that my grandparents set up for me. As long as I’m frugal, I should be fine until I can find somewhere to settle.

Pulling into a parking lot, I park then call my local vet, Dr. Zack. I need to find somewhere to take Sassy that Patrick won’t know about, and Dr. Zack has been my family’s vet for longer than I’ve been alive. Hell, he was the one who taught me how to bottle feed Sassy when I found her in the ditch as a newborn when I went to get the mail. Her eyes were still closed, and she was so tiny, I spent weeks with her strapped in a sling-type thing so she was warm enough. She still likes to sleep curled against my chest to this day, even though she’s now three.

“Thank you for calling Southside Animal Care, this is Jolie. How can I help you?” the voice asks once the call connects.

“Jolie, it’s Rory,” I reply.

“Please hold,” she quickly states before I hear the music that signifies she’s put me on hold.

I start to shake, wondering if Patrick already came back to the house and saw I was gone. Nope, not gonna go there right now. My priority is getting Sassy taken care of, then I’ll worry about my own injuries. I’m mentally plotting my future when the line connects once again.

“Rory? It’s Jolie, sorry about that. I wanted to come back to Dr. Zack’s office to answer because there are a lot of people standing around, including your boyfriend,” she states.

“ Ex- boyfriend after what he did today,” I retort. “So, what did he want?”

“He said something about you tripping and knocking Sassy into a wall, and that he figured you’d bring her in to be examined,” she says.

“Yeah, no. That’s definitely not what happened, but she is hurt, and I need to know if Dr. Zack has any friends I can go see who can keep it quiet that I was there. Because I need help too,” I whisper, shame causing my voice to crack.

“Oh, honey, hang on, here’s Dr. Zack for you,” Jolie states. I can hear the phone jostling and smile. The old country vet has been a godsend for years now, and was one of Grampy’s best friends up until he passed.

“Rory, tell me what happened,” Dr. Zack demands in his no-nonsense tone.

I quickly explain what Patrick did after Sassy scratched him, then how I responded. I finish with, “I know one of her paws has something wrong with it, Dr. Zack.”

“What about you, Rory?” His tone is gentler now, as though he’s soothing a frightened animal.

“My left arm is useless, I’ve definitely got bruises on my face and one of my eyes is almost swollen shut, and my ribs are either cracked or broken.”

He whistles before he says, “Yet you still managed to get away? Good girl. Okay, I’ve got a friend, he’s a former Army medic turned vet, and his wife is a nurse. He’ll be able to get Sassy fixed up, and you as well. Give me a minute and I’ll text his information to you, then I’ll give him a call and let him know you’re on your way. You be careful, sweetheart. Your grandfather is probably rolling over in his grave right now at what’s happened.”

“He’s likely laughing his ass off, Dr. Zack, because I’m driving the RV he and I rebuilt. Patrick never had any interest in what was in ‘that old barn’ as he called it, so I never apprised him of its contents. But I’ve known for a few months I was going to have to leave, I just wish Sassy hadn’t paid the price this morning.”

“She’s resilient, Rory. Now, you be sure and let me know if you need anything for either her or you, okay?”

Smiling, I agree, even though I know I have enough money to take care of both of us. “Thanks, Dr. Zack.”

“Take care of yourself. I’ll follow up with Dr. Terry later on today and see how Sassy made out.”

After disconnecting the call, I wait for the text to come through then program the address into the GPS that Grampy and I upgraded when we were working on the RV. It is a newer model, so it has a lot of features, but that wasn’t good enough for my grandfather. Nope, he made sure that the top-of-the-line electronics were installed, and replaced filters, gaskets, the mattress on the loft bed. Anything that the prior owners might have used, he removed and upgraded whenever possible.

“Okay, Sassy girl, let’s go see what Dr. Terry has to say, shall we?” I ask my girl, who has been relatively quiet in the passenger seat.

“Alright, young lady, now that Sassy’s squared away, let’s see what’s going on with you,” Dr. Terry says.

“She’s really going to be okay?” I ask, sniffling. Seeing her so still had me freaked way the hell out, but Dr. Terry explained that animals were smarter than people and when they realized something hurt, they wouldn’t do whatever it was they tried to do again. She’s now sporting an IV in her shaved front leg, and a bright pink cast on the broken one. Everything else, including the bloodwork which he was able to rush somehow, looks good as well, which has alleviated some of the anguish that’s been keeping my own pain at bay.

I hop up onto the exam table while he puts on a new pair of gloves, wincing when he lightly touches around my swollen eye. Breathing is hard, too, and I can’t help the gasp I emit when he lightly palpates my rib cage.

“To answer your question, yes, she’s going to be just fine. The cast should be able to come off in about six weeks or so. Now as for you, missy, your ribs are cracked and unfortunately, there’s not much that can be done for those except for wrapping them. I also want to take an X-ray of your left arm. I’ve got a friend who’s an orthopedist on standby to read it for me since I gathered from Dr. Zack that discretion was important.”

“It is. I don’t want him to find us,” I whisper, shame causing me to turn beet red.

“He won’t. My wife and I have a mother-in-law tiny house at the back of our property. You’re welcome to stay there until you and Sassy are feeling better,” he replies. “Now, let’s see what’s going on with that arm. My friend, Dr. Wilson, is bringing his supplies here because I suspect it’s a simple break that won’t require any surgery.”

“I appreciate this, Dr. Terry,” I reply, following him into the X-ray room. “This is kind of funny, you taking these here at a vet clinic,” I tell him once he has my arm positioned on the table.

“Well, before I went into veterinary medicine, I spent ten years as a medic in the Army. Turns out, I enjoy dealing with animals more than people.”

I can’t help the giggle that escapes at his confession. “Yeah, some folks make me wonder who raised them,” I mutter darkly, thinking of Patrick.

“Okay, hold your breath,” he advises, going behind the screen where I hear a buzzing sound before he comes back and removes something from the machine before taking it over to a light board. Turning it on, he slides the X-ray inside and I can clearly see my radius is snapped cleanly in two. Well, that explains the pain, I guess. “Let me take you to my office so you can be comfortable until Dr. Wilson arrives,” he kindly says, turning the light board off.

“What about Sassy?”

“Oh, she’s living the high life right now,” he teases. “She’s got an IV in giving her pain meds, as well as some fluids. She’ll stay here tonight at least, then tomorrow, I’ll bring her back to you.”

Well, it’s not like I can really keep going, seeing as every minute that passes increases my pain level, especially now that my arm has been manipulated in order for him to take the X-ray. “Okay.”

“I promise, Rory, that you’ll be safe here,” he assures me as we cross the threshold into his office.