Chapter Thirty Five

 I spent most of the night in a fog, and when Jay came home it was to find me sitting on my bed staring at the wall.  “What happened?” he asked instantly.  I looked at him, and his eyes fell to my now purple wrists.  “Oh my god, what happened?” he repeated, joining me on the bed with what seemed to be a single step.

 “Earl...” I started.  I collapsed into him and started crying softly, but not so bad I couldn’t talk.  I told him everything Earl had said and done, finishing with Earl’s challenge to him.  Jay only held me and listened, and didn’t speak until I’d stopped crying completely.  “He’s good...  A lot smarter than he looks.”

 “What are you talking about?”

 Jay looked at the ceiling for a thoughtful moment.  “He’s trying to get me out of the picture.  He’s trying to goad me into breaking and entering, assault, whatever it would be.”

 “What are you going to do?”

 He drew in a breath and puffed it out of his mouth.  “I’ll do anything you want me to.  You did it.  Even without me there to be behind you, you did it!”  He held me tightly, so much that I squirmed so he’d lighten up a bit.  “Sorry,” he said quickly.  “Laura, do you know how amazing it is, what you did?  After six years of him having you under your thumb, you broke out of it and told him off.  I can’t fathom the courage it took.  I am so sorry I ever doubted you...”

 I stroked his arm.  “As dear as those things were to me...”  Yes, ‘were’.  “I don’t want you to get them.  You’re right.  He just wants you to get a record.  And I just want you.”  I leaned farther into him.  “I’m afraid, though...  What’s he going to do next?  I only barely managed not to get raped...”  His arms stiffened, and he grunted.  I eased the tension out of them with more caresses.  “What are we going to do?”

 “Tough one...”  He thought for awhile.  In a soft voice he asked, “Will you go to the police station?”

 Not ‘You need to’.  Not ‘I want you to’.  Will you?  I hated the thought, but realized it was either do that, or do nothing at all.  You might at least intimidate him a little, show him you mean business.  Silently, I nodded.  “Tomorrow?”

 “Tonight would be best,” he said, not to argue but to inform.

 “Madison...”

 “I can stay here.”

 I shook my head, and tightened my own grip around him.  “I want you to be with me.”

 “We can take her, then.  So what if she misses school tomorrow?  She’s in kindergarten, how far can she fall behind in coloring?”

----

 He drove my van for me.  Madison was awake anyway.  I hated that she’d had to see and hear all she did, just because I couldn’t have done this years earlier.  No, you couldn’t do this years earlier.  But you did it this time.

 “She has a theft to report,” Jay said timidly when we reached the front desk at the station.  We were taken to what looked to be a heavily shared office.  On entering, I was glad to see they were thoughtful enough to have me deal with a female officer.  She had warm eyes.

 “Good evening, I’m Officer LanPhere.”  We explained our situation, and she pulled out some paperwork.  “Sir?  Could I ask you to step out?” she asked Jay.  She had an excellent poker face, I couldn’t tell if she expected him to argue or not.

 Jay smiled at her, eager to comply.  “Come on Madison, let’s see if we can find a vending machine.  Want to split a candy bar?”  Madison shook her head.

 “There’s a TV in the lobby, down the hall and to the right,” the officer said, returning his smile.

 I started giving her my information.  I saw her frown in sympathy when I mentioned what was stolen, and noticed a picture of two young boys on her desk.  “Your sons?”

 “Yes.  Now, do you know who the man was?”

 “My daughter’s father.  His name’s Earl.”

 “Earl who?”  Hearing his last name darkened her face.  “Oh, that one.”

 I felt my expression become animated.  “You know him?”

 “By heart.  We’re getting ready to nail him on drug charges, but he’s a slippery one.  He’s a professional criminal.  I hate that the phrase even exists, but there’s no better way to put it.”

 “He stole my savings years ago, before my daughter was born...”

 “If you don’t mind me asking, off the record...”  She put her pen down.  “How on earth did you get mixed up with a guy like that?  You seem like a nice woman, with her head on her shoulders.”

 “Maybe, but I don’t have a lot of common sense when it comes to meeting men.”  I summed up my bar story for her.

 She nodded.  “A guy like that can smell an easy mark from a mile away.  The one with you tonight seems nice enough, at least.”

 “You have no idea,” I smiled to myself, and we got back to business.

 She was thrilled to have an address to find Earl at, but that was nothing next to my own disappointment when she said, “I know this isn’t what you want to hear, but unfortunately there’s not a lot we can do.  Unfair as it will seem, without proof that the things are yours we aren’t legally able to take them from him.”

 Naked disbelief washed over my face.  “But...  She’s my daughter.  What more proof can you need?”

 “She’s his daughter too.  Hey, listen,” she hurried to say before my tears flowed.  “He’ll get a verbal warning at least.  Take this report to court tomorrow, that along with your bruises should be enough to get an order of protection.  If he violates that, he goes to jail.  When I’m patrolling, I’ll try to stay in your area when I can.  I wish I could do more.”

 My eyes started to water, and she put a hand over mine.  “Believe me, you’re not the first woman who’s come here with stories about that creep.  We should be nailing him soon for other things.  We have a lot of evidence, but as I’m sure you know, he has money and connections.”  Her voice slipped to somewhere in the past.  “We thought we had him for sure a few years ago...  And through one loophole the entire case went to hell.”  She shook her head.  “I can’t be getting into that.  Here...”  She tore me off a copy of the report.  “Take this, start locking your door, and good luck, ma’am.  I wish you the best.  From one mother to another.”

 “Thank you,” I said.  “I’m grateful.”

 She stood, and held the door for me.  “It’s my job,” she smiled.

 In the lobby I found Madison propped against Jay, sleeping.  “How’d it go?” he asked.

 “Not that great I guess, but I do feel better.”

 “Why, what’s up?”  He held Madison to him as he stood, and shifted her head to rest on his shoulder in one impressive maneuver.  She didn’t stir at all.

 “They can’t do anything about her baby things...  She thought I could get an order of protection, though.”

 “Thought?  They don’t do that here?”

 I shook my head.  “They do it in court.  I’ll...”  I sighed.  “I’ll call in tomorrow, and go.”

 “Let’s go home,” he said, his smile making it sound even more wonderful.

 He drove again, and carried Madison upstairs for me.  We let her sleep in her clothes.  We undressed for bed, looking at each other as we liked to.  “Jay...  I know we’ve been making love pretty much every night...”

 “I know it too,” he mocked gently, encouraging me to continue.

 “Tonight could you just...  Hold me?”

 “Of course,” he said, looking at me strangely as we climbed in.  “Do you have to ask?  I’m almost insulted.”

 “Don’t be,” I said as I snuggled into him.  “Sometimes, I just love hearing how differently you react to things than what I’ve come to get used to over the years.  That’s all...”

 A small laugh denoted his relief.  “Ask me anything, in that case.”

 “Alright, since you offered...”  I paused.  “I don’t know how to put it.”

 “If you mess up, try again.  You’re allowed.”

 “Since we’re...  Together, and Madison’s getting closer to you by the day...  Does it ever bother you, even a little, that she’s...  Earl’s?  I mean, I’ve read articles about how you’re not supposed to like her.  She’s another man’s seed.”

 “Not supposed to,” he scoffed in anger that I knew wasn’t directed at me.  “She’s not Earl’s seed, Laura.  He was just...  Fertilizer,” he said.  I afforded a small laugh at the pun.  “It never once crossed my mind.  I can’t say for sure because I don’t have any of my own...  No, screw that.  I have come to love her like she’s my own.  Maybe I have no call saying it, but I look inside myself and that’s what I come up with.  I mean, I’d do anything for her.”

 I could sense some discomfort in him as he said it.  I rubbed his arm to erase it, and he continued.  “Aside from today, they’ve never met.  Even since meeting, I’m sure you agree he hasn’t had a bit of influence on her, unless it’s helped her know what to avoid.  I hope that was an obvious one, too?”

 “Just the slightest nagging I get in the back of my mind sometimes...  But only when I’m alone, and thinking too much.  When I see you two playing together, or you reading to her, the love you two share is obvious.  Thank you, for saying all of that.”

 “Of course.  Anything else?”

 “No.  I love you.”

 “I love you too...  And I’m so goddam proud of you.  I hope you know that.”

 “Yes,” I admitted, “But that’s another I don’t mind hearing.”  I smiled as I realized I felt safe, and fell asleep in the haven of his arms.

Reviews

[Sarah]

I like how Laura corrects herself. When she's upset that Madison had to see and hear everything, she immediately blames herself for not being able to do it sooner, but then corrects herself that she finally did it. Just a nice little touch that really portrays the influence that Jay has over her.

The officer seemed genuine. She was sympathetic and all, but I'm with Laura wishing there was something they could do. Honestly, I expected more of a reaction from her when the police said there wasn't anything they could do.

The ending was interesting. I didn't think Laura would have any doubt that Jay adored Madison. It was obvious through their interactions. If it bothered Jay, he would've shown it already. I feel as though he's known for showing his emotions on his sleeve.