Only the good die young.
The older woman hugged her fiercely.
“I asked him to turn his life around,” she sobbed. “I asked him to do it for you. I know he wasn’t a good husband. You have every right to leave him, but please don’t leave him like this. I can’t take care of him alone and he loves you, Lexy. He always has. Give him a chance.”
Reality came crashing down around her all too quickly. No longer was it just her and her wounded patient in their own little world. Now there was truth and obligations and the past to relive. They would have to go home eventually. Be together as man and wife or caretaker and patient until he was well enough to be on his own. Once again her resolve took a hit. Every day she spent in his presence she would be haunted by their past.
Her insides felt like they were being ripped out. She knew she couldn’t stay. She wouldn’t give him another chance. She couldn’t forget what he had done to her.
“Mary, don’t do this to me. I’ll stay until he can take care of himself, but I’ve got to move on.”
She nodded solemnly. “I’m sorry. I’m not trying to guilt you.”
The final straw had come nearly two years ago when he had smacked her. One night in a drunken stupor he had hit her for asking him not to drink. He had tried to keep her under his thumb for years but Lexy never could neatly fit. She hit him back like she had done each time he dared to raise a hand to her. She knew how bad he could be when his drinking grew out of control. But that night her fear of him was forgotten. And she paid for it with the rage he flew into. She looked like she had been the one who went to war, her face unrecognizable, too. Black-and-purple eyes, lips that were split and a bruise that covered the entire right side of her face.
Ryan hadn’t looked much better. She had fought back hard that night. She kicked and punched and scratched until she had no energy left. There could be no denying what took place that night. There weren’t sunglasses big enough to cover her bruises. Amazingly no one in their small town found out about their final battle. Only Mary. Ryan had taken a broken Lexy there, cradled in his arms.
“What did you do?” his mother hissed. “You could have killed her.”
“I need help, Mama,” he slurred and then swayed on his feet, showing her how truly drunk he was.
“You are my son, Ryan, and I will always love you, but you can’t beat your wife,” she yelled at him. “You need to be locked up. You are not a man. No man beats his wife senseless. Your daddy use to hit me! Remember how you use to cry? Remember how we felt?” she raged at him. “I knew you shouldn’t have seen that. I knew it wasn’t a good lesson for you to learn, but this is beyond what your daddy did. You are a monster.”
She frantically began attending to Lexy, taking stock of her injuries. “You are no son of mine.” She caught a whiff of his stench. “You stink of whiskey. Get out of my house right now. Get out! I should call the sheriff. You’ll go to prison for this, Ryan. You deserve to go. Get out right now,” she screamed. “And don’t come back here unless you’re sober. You better think hard about your life. You need to choose to be a man.”
Ryan disappeared for three days afterward, nursing his extreme hangover, but he did come back. He came back and saw the damage he had done when he was drunk. It was then he admitted his drinking had gotten out of control. He only hit her when he was drunk, but he was drunk more than he ever had been. Lexy had known that Ryan had demons from his childhood, but that was no excuse to beat her. She wouldn’t take it anymore.
“I’ll kill him if he hits me again.”
Mary’s eyes widened. She knew Lexy spoke the truth. “He won’t. He’s changed.”
She doubted it. But maybe he had. Ryan checked himself into rehab and from there he went directly into the marines. He hadn’t hit her since that day. He also had never really
The older woman hugged her fiercely.
“I asked him to turn his life around,” she sobbed. “I asked him to do it for you. I know he wasn’t a good husband. You have every right to leave him, but please don’t leave him like this. I can’t take care of him alone and he loves you, Lexy. He always has. Give him a chance.”
Reality came crashing down around her all too quickly. No longer was it just her and her wounded patient in their own little world. Now there was truth and obligations and the past to relive. They would have to go home eventually. Be together as man and wife or caretaker and patient until he was well enough to be on his own. Once again her resolve took a hit. Every day she spent in his presence she would be haunted by their past.
Her insides felt like they were being ripped out. She knew she couldn’t stay. She wouldn’t give him another chance. She couldn’t forget what he had done to her.
“Mary, don’t do this to me. I’ll stay until he can take care of himself, but I’ve got to move on.”
She nodded solemnly. “I’m sorry. I’m not trying to guilt you.”
The final straw had come nearly two years ago when he had smacked her. One night in a drunken stupor he had hit her for asking him not to drink. He had tried to keep her under his thumb for years but Lexy never could neatly fit. She hit him back like she had done each time he dared to raise a hand to her. She knew how bad he could be when his drinking grew out of control. But that night her fear of him was forgotten. And she paid for it with the rage he flew into. She looked like she had been the one who went to war, her face unrecognizable, too. Black-and-purple eyes, lips that were split and a bruise that covered the entire right side of her face.
Ryan hadn’t looked much better. She had fought back hard that night. She kicked and punched and scratched until she had no energy left. There could be no denying what took place that night. There weren’t sunglasses big enough to cover her bruises. Amazingly no one in their small town found out about their final battle. Only Mary. Ryan had taken a broken Lexy there, cradled in his arms.
“What did you do?” his mother hissed. “You could have killed her.”
“I need help, Mama,” he slurred and then swayed on his feet, showing her how truly drunk he was.
“You are my son, Ryan, and I will always love you, but you can’t beat your wife,” she yelled at him. “You need to be locked up. You are not a man. No man beats his wife senseless. Your daddy use to hit me! Remember how you use to cry? Remember how we felt?” she raged at him. “I knew you shouldn’t have seen that. I knew it wasn’t a good lesson for you to learn, but this is beyond what your daddy did. You are a monster.”
She frantically began attending to Lexy, taking stock of her injuries. “You are no son of mine.” She caught a whiff of his stench. “You stink of whiskey. Get out of my house right now. Get out! I should call the sheriff. You’ll go to prison for this, Ryan. You deserve to go. Get out right now,” she screamed. “And don’t come back here unless you’re sober. You better think hard about your life. You need to choose to be a man.”
Ryan disappeared for three days afterward, nursing his extreme hangover, but he did come back. He came back and saw the damage he had done when he was drunk. It was then he admitted his drinking had gotten out of control. He only hit her when he was drunk, but he was drunk more than he ever had been. Lexy had known that Ryan had demons from his childhood, but that was no excuse to beat her. She wouldn’t take it anymore.
“I’ll kill him if he hits me again.”
Mary’s eyes widened. She knew Lexy spoke the truth. “He won’t. He’s changed.”
She doubted it. But maybe he had. Ryan checked himself into rehab and from there he went directly into the marines. He hadn’t hit her since that day. He also had never really
Similar Books
Murder With A Chaser (Microbrewery Mysteries Book 2)
Belle Knudson
A Guardian Angel
Phoenix Williams
Dirty Game
Jessie Keane
Lunamae
April Sadowski
Stephanie
Winston Graham
Living Lies
Dawn Brown
Lonely Crusade
Chester B. Himes
Love Shadows
Catherine Lanigan
Silent Night 2
R.L. Stine
