Until Then

Chapter 19

CHAPTER 19

Kenneth

I hate him before I even know his name. His eyes are looking into mine and I can see how fearful he is as he tries to scramble up to his feet. It's unfortunate that he's in the space between like me, when he deserves to be fully in hell.

"Who are you?" he slurs, still trying to lift his body from the crushed table. "I fucking knew she was seeing someone behind my back." His face is red and spit flies from his mouth. "In my own Goddamn house."

I take a step towards him and all bravado leaves his body as he flinches in expectation of what I might do. "Get out. And don't even think about coming back." I tell him.

"You can't tell me what to do."

"What kind of man beats the mother of his child right in front of him? If you've killed her you've just kissed your freedom goodbye." I move close again, my size alone can be intimidating and I want to make this asshole squirm.

"She's a liar!"

"She's a woman." I seethe the words through my teeth. "You're supposed to protect her, not hurt her. You don't deserve her or this baby." I'm not expecting the hurt I see in his face.

"She'll leave me." The fire is gone from his voice as he takes in the damage he's done to the house. He gives up trying to stand and rolls onto his back. "She's going to fucking leave me."

"She should." I look down at the baby in my arms and find him sleeping. His little head is still wet from the sweat he worked up when he watched his mother be attacked right in front of him by the man that was supposed to be their protector.

"I just love her so much. I'll stop. It's not going to happen again." He closes his eyes as the blaring sound of sirens approaches.

"We both know that's not true. What happens next time? How much more can this escalate before you're all dead?" I set the baby down in the crib.

"I can stop."

"You're right. You can stop the cycle." I shake my head slowly, "You can let them go."

His eyes meet mine and panic stares back at me. "No, no—I can't. I'll die without them."

"No. That's where you're wrong. They're going to die if they stay with you."

He covers his eyes with his arm, the bloodstains on his shirt are wet and dark. I can't imagine what it would be like to realize you're a monster, but I know I'm looking at it happen right now. The knock on the door is loud and aggressive.

"Police! Open the door." A demanding voice commands him to take action, but he just stays in the spot he fell. I leave him there and step inside the kitchen.

Wes' sister is lying on the floor, a pool of blood growing beside her head. I can hear the crackle of fluid each breath she takes. I think he might have broken a rib and possibly punctured a lung. As I get even closer I can hear her whimpering. I get down on the floor next to her and she tries to open her eyes. She's chanting, "The baby, the baby," over and over very softly and my heart breaks for her and that child.

I hear the front door open and the police come inside. I'm praying there's an ambulance out there and that this woman crumpled up on the old linoleum will have the strength to give a statement against her abuser. She can't open her eyes, blood is covering one and the other is swollen shut.

I'm worried when she tries to lift her head, "Wes? Is that you?" she asks. She tries to wipe the blood away from her eye and winces when she touches the tender flesh.

"Listen to me," I tell her softly. So far I've learned that I'm only visible to people who have just entered this world from the other side, like the baby, and people about to slide out of it again. She goes quiet, nodding her head slightly. "He could have killed you and one day he'll put his hands on that baby."

She shakes as tears spill from her eyes, mixing with the blood as they fall. She knows I'm right. It's just hard sometimes to believe the person you love would be capable of something like that. But tonight she wore the evidence of that truth every time he hit her face and every time she opened her mouth to breathe and he strangled it out of her.

"Tell the police what happened. If you can't do that for yourself, then do it for your baby. Put his crime against you in words and sign your name, because that's the one thing he can't take from you—your truth. Then pack that baby up and call your brother. Don't ever come back here no matter what that man out there promises you. No matter how much you love him, you can't love the monster out of men like that."

She nods her head and makes no attempt at cleaning up the tears and blood. Her body is still shaking when the first officer steps into the room. He's on his knees in a second, shouting to his fellow rescuers that she needs medical attention. His hand grabs hers and he asks, "Please tell me who did this to you." I'm sure he sees this all the time and knows that she might want to protect the man currently being searched in the next room.

"He did," she says, pointing out into the living room. "My husband tried to kill me. I want to press any charges I can—all of them."

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