From Georgia to Montana

Chapter 25

Neither Lila nor Luca asked me anything about the real reason we are here that night, but Lennon has. I couldn't keep it from her even though I wanted to. When I told her we were in the room I was sleeping in. She started to cry when I told her that dad was out of jail; then I also started crying when I told her thats how I got the bruise on my face. We didn't want anyone to hear so we just sat there, muffling our cries in each others shirt.

I didn't sleep at all that night. When I had closed my eyes I would have nightmares, of what had just happened and what had happened. So I just laid there thinking and crying.

*********

The next morning while I am in my room changing I check the bruises on my arms and on my face. I had already put on my jeans and a black tank. Just as I was grabbing for my flannel shirt that was hanging on the mirror Luca walks in.

I am slightly stunned and so is he.

"I am so sorry I didn't mean to-" Luca stops and the color drains from his face then anger fills his eyes, after what happened with dad I can't help but flinch.

I suddenly realize what he is staring at; my bruises. My hair covers my face so he only sees the ones on my arms. I shrug on my shirt, sucking in my breath at the pain of movement.

"Em? Who did that?" Luca asks, so serious I am afraid to even move.

"I fell while getting a bale of hay. Some guy caught me and it left bruises." I say trying to get past him, but he grabs my wrist. He puts his finger under my chin so I will look at him but I don't want to. "Luca, let me go its nothing."

I shake my head, regretting it a moment later when Luca's hand tightens on my wrist. "Luca, let go. I know you don't mean to but you are hurting me."

"I... I am sorry. Em who did this to you? I know that you didn't fall, Emerald. Someone hit you, who was it? I don't want just pieces of the truth after something happens. I need to know everything so that I can prevent this from happening again."

I bury my face in his shirt. I'm not crying, just not able to look at his face. I turn around and sit on my bed, still not looking at him.

"You know how I said my dad got drunk and we got in a wreak?" Luca nods, then I continue to tell him everything, from start to finish, "Dad wasn't just drunk that once. After mom died, he couldn't cope. I took care of Lennon and Maisy and Peter. I earned as much money as I could while still going to school. I worked three jobs. I earned as much money as I could. But dad always wanted more beer, more whiskey, I don't even remember what he was like before he started drinking. At first he would just yell. Until I decided to hide all the money I got. I hoped he would stop drinking if he couldn't buy alcohol. We always had hand-me-down clothes that were a size too small or too big. But we got by. Then dad ran out of beer and couldn't buy more. He was already drunk just not dunk enough I guess. That's when he....."

This is the hardest part. Luca grabs my hand and I look up at him. The tears I tried so hard to keep in started to flow. "Luca he.... He hit me. He was going to hit Maisy but I moved in front of her and... He hit me. After that it was harder, bills, clothes, school, even food was hard to come by. And each time dad would run out of beer he would get so angry he would start to yell and hit me. He pushed me down and if I got up things would be worse. So I would stay down, then he would kick me. I couldn't get away. So I would try to always keep beer in the fridge and keep the kids away from him."  I pull my feet up under me and I try to hold myself together with my arms around my abdomen. Luca pulls me to his chest and kisses my head.

"He is out of jail and he's here. He wants Lennon, Maisy, and Peter back. When I told him no he grabbed me and then he hit me." Luca's arms tighten around me.

"Don't worry. I wont let him take them away. I promise. He wont hurt you ever again."

"I appreciate that, but I don't think you can keep that promise. At least not keeping my father from ever hurting me. Unless you are going to be with me all the time."

"I can do that." Luca says and I just raise my eyebrows. "Okay, you know what I mean."

"Even if you find some way of keeping him from hurting me again, damage has already been done. The things he called me. I will never forget and even though I know they aren't true, they still hurt."

I am exhausted from the stress so all I can seem to do now is bury my head in his chest. "We can figure this out later. For now, I think you need to rest. Lila is taking care of the kids, you need to take care of yourself, if you keep going like this you are going to make yourself sick."

I nod my head, knowing he is right. He gets up to leave but I grab his hand. "Can you stay. For a little longer?" We lay back down on top of the covers and I fall asleep in his arms.

**********
Luca's POV.

I get up to leave but Emerald asks me to stay. When I look at her big, pleading, green eyes I can't tell her no.

It only takes a few minutes for her to fall asleep, and I realize how right I had been about her needing sleep. She must not have been sleeping well because of what happened with her father.

I always new she was strong but it isn't till I see her like this, vulnerable, that I realize how strong she had to be. I have never seen her like this, tears still leak out of her eyes and her face relaxes as she slips into a deeper sleep. Her hands are fisted in my shirt and she buries her face in my chest, her body growing tense, as she dreams. I pull her closer and she calms down, her body relaxing again.

I make a promise to myself to not let her get hurt again. I know she is right, I can never erase the things he called her but I can be there for her. Even if that's all I can do.