Disclaimer: S Meyers owns all of the characters, I just make them do what I want!

Starting over

Chapter one: the waiting game.

I found myself once again sitting in the waiting area at the local ER after yet another run in with the 'door', and by door I mean my husband's fist. It's not the Mike was a bad person, because he wasn't, not really, and it was really my own fault anyway. I know how he gets when he has had a few too many and it really wasn't the right time to bring it up. I knew this, and I don't know why I said anything. I didn't even really mean for him to hear it, I was mumbling to myself more than anything. My thoughts were interrupted by the nurse calling my name.

"yes that's me" I said trying not to really draw attention to myself, I got up from my seat in the corner, picked up the carrier which held my 4 week old baby daughter Mia and followed the nurse to yet another waiting room.

Mia's eyelids started to flutter awake, probably because of all the noise of the ER. In the 4 short weeks of her life she had already accompanied me here 6 times. While I was pregnant with her mike left me alone but it felt like he was making up for lost time now that she was born.

I knew what Mike kept doing was not right, or normal but no one would believe me if I said anything, and I couldn't leave him, I know that he loves me.

'Isabella Newton' the doctor said while walking around the corner into the waiting area I was sat in.

'Yes that's me' I said

'And who's this' he said looking at my beautiful daughter. She was going to be a heart breaker when she was older, she had hardly any hair, being only a month old but what little she did have was soft and dark brown, like mine, her eyes were blue like her fathers.

'My daughter Mia, I know I should not really have brought her with me, but my husband had to go out so I had no choice' I looking at the disapproving look he was giving me for bringing a baby so young to a place full of sick people 'she won't be in your way she's really very good'

'That's fine don't worry about it Mrs Newton, how old is she' he said leaning over to get a better look

'4 weeks yesterday' I said, the doctor however, did not respond, he was cooing over my daughter.

The doctor was tall, very tall in fact, at least 6"2' and had dark reddish hair, almost bronze, and he was the most amazingly handsome man I have ever met in my life.

'Please follow me' he said waiting for me to collect my belongings and my daughter in order to follow him.

In the room he led me to, I sat Mia's carrier on the floor beside the bed which I sat on. The doctor examined me, and asked a million question about what happened, I felt like he didn't believe me, I couldn't look in his eyes, it felt like when I did he could tell I was lying, like he could see into my soul.

Eventually he sent me home with painkillers which he assured me were safe to take while breastfeeding. And sent me home with a seemingly joking (but I am pretty sure he meant it) warning about not seeing me around here any time soon.

I loaded Mia into my beat up old truck, which I loved, my father had given it to me when I moved in with him junior year in high school. It was the only thing I have left that is really my own, mike made me throw out all of my photos when my dad died three years ago. I think the only reason I was allowed to keep the truck was because he would have to buy me a vehicle to replace it if he made me get rid of it. And seeing as how he would not let me work, not that I could now with Mia here anyway, but before she came along Mike made me quit my job, saying that he earned enough to live on and that my place is in the kitchen. I should have known then really, but I am stuck now. I have some savings that he doesn't know about, which I have taken form his food allowance that he gives me each week. I have $350 in total. I am not stupid, I know that there may come a time I need to get away from him and I will need money to do that, it's not just about me anymore, I have to keep my daughter safe.

I made my way home, it was now well past midnight, Mia had gone back to sleep after I fed her a bottle outside the hospital which one of the nurses kindly heated for me just before I left.

I went in the house and knew immediately something was different, it was a big house, and I know it sounds strange, but it smelt different, sickly sweet like cheap perfume, I took my daughter up to the nursery and set he in her crib, and added the $20 dollars mike had given me for gas for the truck to my little stash under her mattress. As I left her room, I made sure she was still asleep and turned on the baby monitor picking up the portable one and closed the door quietly behind me.

As I walked to the other end of the long hallway (mike had said he didn't want the baby in the room next to ours as it would wake him in the night if she cried and he could hear it, he never got up if she cried, he had said that it was my fault I got pregnant in the first place (but that what happens when you puke up 2 weeks' worth of contraceptive pills due to stomach flu.)

I could hear noises coming from the bedroom, mike must be watching TV I stupidly thought, ignoring the warning bells going off in my head, I continued down the hall way.

As I opened the bedroom door I was confronted with an image that would surely haunt me for the rest of my life. My darling husband was sprawled out on our bed with some bottle blond tramp riding him hard.

'Oh yeh baby that's it just like that' mike was moaning and the tramp held on to our headboard to steady herself; they didn't even hear the door open. I must have made some sort of noise because the nest thing I knew Mike was dragging me by my hair down to the kitchen yelling in my face.

'What are you doing home I told you go get your fat ass the hospital'

'I went they let me come home' I whimpered as he threw me across the kitchen floor, the back of my head connecting loudly with the floor cabinets. I didn't have time to brace myself as he kicked me square in the stomach twice.

'what do you have to say for yourself' he bellowed, I could smell the alcohol on his breath as he got in my face, just them the baby monitor that I was still somehow holding on to sounded with the cries of my daughter.

'Shut that fucking kid up' he said in an eerily calm voice, a chilling difference between the racket he was making before.

My head was fuzzy; I could not answer him, or do anything.

'Fine then' he said in that terrifyingly calm voice 'I will shut it up' and with that he stormed out of the kitchen in the direction of the baby's room.

Adrenalin kicked in, or the instinct to protect your children, I don't know which but I was up shoes stairs faster that I would have thought possible. I stood in front of the door, blocking his way into the nursery.

'Get out of the way' he enunciated slowly, while reaching around me to open the door

'Its ok sweetie, I'll deal with her, you take care of your guest, I'm sorry for the disturbance, and I'll be more quite in the future'

He stared at me for what felt like hours before slowly backing away.

'Ok then darling I'll need to gives Jessica a ride home anyway, I won't be too long I'll see you soon'

And just like that, like nothing had happened he left the house with the tramp following behind him. I let out a breath that I didn't know I was holding. Mia was still whimpering from behind the closed door. I didn't dare move until I heard the car pull out of the drive.

I didn't know how long I had but I knew I had to go, and I had to go now, I would have never forgiven myself if something had happened to my little angel. With as much speed as I could gather I raced back down to the kitchen to collect the bottles for Mia, then back up stairs to my room to pack my clothes, then in to Mia's rooms to get her things together, just the necessities, the first things my hands touched. And raced then all down to my truck along with Mia's carry cot and her pram, then I collected the money that I had saved and picked up Mia from her crib. I loaded her in to the car and as fast as I could I sped away from the house. I was free. Admittedly I had nowhere to go, and I had $370 dollars to my name, but I was free.

I knew my car was easily recognisable so I pulled into the driveway of an abandoned house and turned off the ignition, and just sat there. I reached behind me to feel my head and pulled back my hand wincing at the pain I felt there. Blood. A lot of blood, the back of my shirt was soaked I realised. How could I not have noticed? My stomach was hurting too now that I thought about it, and my ribs. Distantly I heard a baby crying, but I couldn't place the sound, it was familiar, but far away. I heard someone call my name, and I vaguely became aware of my door opening, then it all went black...

AN I really hope that you enjoyed the first chapter, please let me know what you thought via the review button. Thanx.

Jemstones25