[ - ]
Table of Contents [Report This]
Printer Chapter or Story Microsoft Word Chapter or Story
- Text Size +
Before: Jason's Call


Nick

It took no time at all for Ashley and I to fall into a routine with Zoey. We took turns cleaning and taking care of her. Changing diapers, while not exactly enjoyable, was not as awful as it'd been when I was a kid, helping my mom change the twins' diapers. I understood at long last what AJ was talking about when he'd said Ava's poop didn't smell as bad as he'd thought it would when he'd imagined doing diapers. Something about it being your kid really makes poop smell like roses, I guess.

Even if, biologically, she wasn't mine.

We were learning all her little sounds, the faces she made, the gurgles and coos and the ways she waved her arms when she wanted certain things. For example, when she pooped she made a face like she was Mr. Magoo, and when she wanted food she screamed a particular note that was different than that which she screamed in when she just wanted to be picked up. We learned when she woke up after napping she needed to be sung to in order to calm her down to sleep again, and I learned her favorite ones were Here Comes the Sun, I'm A Believer, and Brown Eyed Girl.

Hell, I even got used to Ashley whipping out her breasts every couple hours to feed Zoey.

All in all, we were doing really good. When we went to visit Dr. Jorryn for a check-up, he said Zoey was beautiful, healthy, and developing just the way he'd hoped she would be when he saw us again.

What none of us were prepared for was the call I got from Jason on the third week that Ashley and Zoey had been home.

"Hey Nick, it's Jason, give me a call when you get this, it's important."

I stood staring at the answering machine. Ashley and I had taken Zoey out for a walk at the park in her stroller and I'd missed the initial phone call. I played the message again while Ashley was undoing Zoey from the stroller in the other room. I picked up my cell phone as Ashley walked by the kitchen door, "Be right out, I'm gonna put Zozo to bed," she said as she went by.

"Sure," I answered.

When I heard the nursery door close, I pulled my cell phone out and called Jason.

"Jason Turner," he answered on the fourth ring.

"Hey Jase, it's Nick," I said. I leaned against the counter, bracing myself with my free hand. "I just got your message, what's up?"

He was quiet a second. "Hey," he said. Pause. Long pause. "One second."

I waited. I heard him excuse himself from someone and then a door closed on his end and he said, "Have you been contacted by lawyers representing Chris Stensby?" he asked.

"No," I replied. I realized I hadn't heard anything at all since that day when Officers Bryant and Dexter were at the hospital in Ashley's room and we'd initially talked about everything. I'd been so wrapped up with Zoey and normalizing our lives that I'd almost completely forgotten about Chris altogether. "Why, what's going on?" I asked.

"If you're contacted by anyone from his law teams, family, friends -- anybody -- you refuse to talk, you hear me?" Jason's voice was firm.

"What? Why? What's going on?"

"He's trying to slip a loop hole in the justice system," Jason explained, "Basically it protects men from being falsely accused by women..."

"The mutual abuse clause," I said, words I'd heard from the officers at Ashley's bedside.

"Right." Jason sighed, "Nick, he's claiming you beat the ever-lovin' shit out of him."

"I only did what I had to do to literally save Ashley's life," I said, "And even as it was, she almost died because of internal bleeding damages that he caused her. She almost lost the baby."

Jason's voice was level, "Nick, I know and understand that but the fact is Chris has photographic evidence of bruises and cuts when he was booked at the police department the night Ashley was admitted to the hospital and he was arrested, and he claims you gave them to him and that prior abuse charges are incorrect and that Ashley was falsely accusing him."

"Well he doesn't hold water with that claim, there's records of her being admitted to the hospital back around her birthday, when she first moved in here with me. They took pictures, they filed a case then. He shot my dog."

Jason took a deep breath, "Nick, he's claiming that he's being accused by Ashley and you for things that you did to her."

This took a long moment to sink in. But when it did, when my mind worked through what Jason was saying, what he meant, I felt anger, red hot and volatile, rush into my system. "Wait. He - he what? What?"

"I'm just telling you what's going on, Nick. So, for your own good, I need you to not comment on anything that you are asked by lawyers or anyone else about this thing -- at all."

Ashley came into the room, smiling and pulling her hair into a ponytail. She got one look at me and her smile melted away. Her brow creased with worry. "Who is it?" she mouthed.

"Jason," I mouthed back.

Her brow creased further.

"Do you understand me, Nick?" Jason asked, "Like really understand me?"

"Yeah," I said, "I think so."

"Good," Jason said.

"What do you think is gonna happen with all this?" I asked, "Realistically, I mean."

Jason was quiet a long moment. "I don't think it'll end up going too far, to be honest, if you kee your mouth shut," he said slowly, "But I also don't see Chris staying in jail."

A sick feeling crawled through me.




Ashley

I could tell without Nick even saying a word to me that whatever Jason was saying was not good. I hovered, waiting, wondering, nervous as hell. Nick finally thanked Jason for the call, hung up, and he put his hands over his face, taking a deep breath and letting it out in a long streaming sigh. My palms started to sweat. "Nick," I asked tentatively, "What's going on?"

Nick lowered his hands from his face, his scar bright against his pale-from-nerves face. "Chris is pressing assault charges on me," he said.

"That's bullshit," I snapped, "He can't. You were defending me."

"I know," Nick said thickly.

"But there's proof you were defending me," I said, "I was all beat up when we got there. Dr. Jorryn saw that much."

Nick hesitated.

"There's proof I'd been beat up before," I added, "And you defended me then, too, you came to my rescue."

Nick's eyes met mine. "Ashley, he's trying to... turn it a little."

"What do you mean? That stupid mutual abuse clause? Because I punched him a couple times?" I felt raw in my throat.

Nick's voice was careful, slow. "He's just... pulling bullshit." Nick shook his head, "It's not a big deal, Ashley. Jason will take care of it."

"But what does this mean? Officer Bryant and Officer Dexter seemed to think Chris could get out of jail if that clause was invoked." I stared up at him. He didn't react. He just licked his lips and took another deep breath. I felt my heart rate climb. "Nick, he isn't free is he?"

Nick rubbed the back of his neck, "Not yet."

I had to fight the urge to run into Zoey's room and scoop her up and make sure she was safe. A thousand and one possibilities ran through my head: the back slider door, the easy-to-pop-open garage window, bedroom windows... They were all ways for Chris to get in without us ever knowing it.

"I'll fucking kill him!"

The words rang through my memory so vividly I could still feel the steamy air from the shower I'd run to hide speaking to him that day - that day, just before I agreed to negotiate with him - the day Zoey was born.

I looked up at Nick, and though I tried to formulate words for what I was feeling, nothing was coming out. I trembled. Nick opened up his arms and I stepped into them, pressing myself against his chest, closing my eyes. He closed his arms around me and put his face down in my hair. I laid my cheek against his chest and let the feeling and smell and sound of him fill my senses. His heart beat in my ear, slightly off from a perfect rhythm. "I'm so terrified, but you make me feel safe," I said into his shirt.

"Don't be terrified, baby. I'm here and I will do anything and everything in my power to keep you and Zoey safe," he said. I could feel his mouth moving as he spoke. "You know that."

I nodded.

"I'm here, baby, I'm here, and I ain't never gonna let him hurt you again."

And I believed him because he was Nick and I knew he would never let me down.