Lost Cause: A Rizzoli And Isles Series Book Six

Chapter 15

Jane Pov

     It was about 4 am when I received a call from a number I had never seen before.
"Hello?"
"Ma..?"
     It was Ellen. I quickly shot up in bed and started to shake Maura who also immediately woke up.
     "Ellen..? Honey I'm so-"
I started to talk but she cut me off.
     "Ma, can you please come to Vegas?" My daughter was crying on the other end of the phone and my heart broke.
     "Honey, I'm on my way."
"Please come quickly." She was sobbing and I jumped out of bed.
     "Ellen, I'm headed to an airport right now honey. Where are you?"
She took a deep breath and started to cry again.
     "I'm at some hospital in Vegas."
     My heart sank. Why was she at a hospital?
     "Alright sweetie, I'm coming."
I hung up the phone as Maura looked at me wide eyed while I was getting dressed.
     "Tootsie? What's up? Is she okay!?"
I looked at my wife sadly.
     "She's in a hospital. I don't know why."
     Maura continued to look worried before saying,
"Do you want me to stay with Leah?"
      I looked at her gratefully before nodding. She knew that Ellen needed me right now and I appreciated that.
     "Tell Leah I love her and I'll see her soon." I gave Maura a kiss goodbye and lingered a little longer. She was right. Ellen did finally call when she needed help.
     "I love you Maura." I looked at my wife before leaving and she whispered,
     "I love you too. Now go get our daughter." She smiled and I smiled back before going to catch the next flight. I only grabbed a few things in case I needed them but was quickly out and on a plane.
     The nerves inside me were flipflopping. What would I say? What would Ellen say? She needed me here though, so I came.
    After what had felt like the longest flight I had ever been on, the plane landed and I was in a rental car.

She said she was in a hospital.

     I drove around until I found a hospital. Hoping it was the right one, I got out of the car and jogged inside.

     "Hi, have you seen a dark haired girl come in here? Ellen?" I desperately asked the front desk.
     "Ah yes. She's in the bathroom down the hall."
I nodded thankfully and ran down to the bathroom. I knocked and quietly said,
     "Ellen? It's Ma."
The door opened and I couldn't believe what I was looking at. 
    Ellen had a bruise all along her face and she looked like she had been crying nonstop.
    "You came." She looked at me hopefully and I took her in an embrace.
     "Of course I did baby, of course I did." I whispered gently as she cried in my arms.
     "I'm sorry Ma. I'm so sorry." She held me tighter and I kissed her forehead.
     "Where do you want to go Honey?" I pushed her dark hair out of her face and looked at her lovingly before she took my wrist and dragged me in the bathroom with her.
     She sat against a wall and buried her face in her hands. I sat next to her and wrapped my arm around her shoulders.
     It was so good to hold her again.
    "I..I became a prostitute." Ellen was trembling and looked at me with regret in her eyes.
I nodded in response.
      Afraid to know what she was going to say.
     "Everything was fine. I had gotten a new cell and the only rule was I had to answer whenever my pimp called." She took a deep breath and huddled close to me again.
     I kissed the top of her head, waiting for her to finish.
     "I met a girl...Sadie her name is. She ran away from home like me. Except she's only fifteen." 
     Ellen started to tremble and started to cry.
     "Shh... it's okay." I gently squeezed her again and reassured her.
     "I think I love her but I don't know. I mean she kissed me but that's not the point of the story." I smiled as she tried to explain this Sadie girl.
     "Sadie had to work tonight and I dropped her off. Apparently she missed a call from Eric, our pimp, and he told her to come to his house." She paused and looked up at me. I looked back down at her. Her face was so bruised.
     She cuddled closer to me again to the point where she was almost in my lap. Her head was against my chest and I held her close to me. She continued talking.
     "Sadie was really scared. She didn't know what to do about Eric and decided to text me. I decided to pick her up so she was safe." Ellen paused and sobbed for a second.
     "I got there to pick her up but I found her body on the ground. She isn't as strong as I am and was knocked unconscious. I found her with no bottom half of her clothes on and I immediately put her in my car."
     Ellen started to tremble a little bit before continuing.
     "Eric was right around the corner and came out of the shadows. He beat me and rape...raped me." She started to cry into my body and I rocked her gently.
"Honey...." I kissed her head and held her tight as she was crying.
     "I'm in so much pain Ma. Sadie is in ICU right now and I'm not allowed to see her." Ellen clutched my body and huddled as close to me as she possibly could.
     "I didn't know what to do..." She whispered sadly and my heart broke.
     "I'm here now Ellen. Everything is going to be okay." I said to her. I wanted to see the bruising that someone did to my daughter's body.
     "Honey, can you take off your shirt?" I looked down at her and she looked back at me, confused.
She shifted uncomfortably.
"Why?"
     "Because I want to see how bad the bruises are is all. I promise it'll be quick."
She slid off of me and hesitantly took off her shirt, wincing in the process. Her whole body was filled with black and blue. Almost as bad as when this kind of thing happened to Maura, years and years ago. You could tell that her breasts were throbbing from pain and I handed her shirt back.
She winced when putting it on and sat back down next to me.
     "Can we go into the waiting room to find out about Sadie?" Ellen whispered and I looked at her and nodded as I helped her up.
     She was tired and I sat down and allowed her to use my shoulder as a pillow as she slept for a little while.