Shielded In The Shadows

Suddenly fearing that Suzie had agreed to the meeting solely so she could sing her husband’s praises to Emma—to get her to “leave it alone”—Emma went on full alert.

Could Bill be putting her up to this?

Needing to know what the woman was thinking, but reminding herself not to get intense, she tried to school only compassion into her features. Not assessment. She didn’t want to make Suzie feel like it was the two professionals against her.

“So...are you telling me now that the things you told me before—about Bill hitting you, about him beating you up the day you lost your baby, rather than you falling as you both told the doctor when he took you in—none of that was true?”

For a moment Suzie straightened. “That was true,” she said. “I’ve never lied to you.” She lowered her head again. “That day...my baby... I knew I had to at least try... I told you the truth because of my baby, not because I really thought that you could do anything about him. My baby deserved to have the truth known.”

“You could keep quiet for yourself, but not for your child,” Sara said and Suzie nodded.

“So what about now?” Emma asked, in control of her emotions now, honing in. “Is he hurting you again, Suzie?”

Her hair hanging to her lap, she shook her head. Emma looked to Sara over the bent head, and Sara gave a little negative shake of the head. Advising her not to push?

But if they only had this one chance.

“Then why are you here?” Emma asked the question raging most in her mind at the moment.

Suzie looked over at her. “You asked to speak with me.”

It was a compliment to her. She filed that away. “I meant, why are you in counseling at the Stand?”

“I’m afraid.”

“Of Bill?”

Suzie nodded.

“He’s hitting you again, isn’t he?”

Head bowed, she shook her head again. As though the man’s power over her was so great, she just couldn’t admit his crimes. Not after what had happened before.

“How did you get those bruises?” Emma was referring to the most recent injury, the one reported to the team the week prior, which, among other things, had left Suzie with a bruise on her chin. It was yellowed now, but still visible if you knew what you were looking for.

“I fell.” Suzie’s face was hidden by her hair.

She could push. But not as hard as Bill was already doing, she surmised.

“Can you do something for me?” Emma just went with her instincts. She could trust them.

Raising her head, Suzie looked at her.

“I have a question, something that’s been bothering me. From the past.”

Suzie nodded.

“When I asked you who Bill thought the father of your baby might be if it wasn’t him, you never answered me. Why?”

Eyes filling with tears, Suz

ie said, “Because it was so wrong. So crazy. And ugly. I...I didn’t want...the guy...to know. He’d be so hurt by Bill’s accusations...”

“Who was he?”

“He was just a nice guy! Younger than me by seven years. His mother had just died and his stepfather was working all the time.”

“How did you meet him?”