CHAPTER 1
Ruth had been sitting out in the yard for a while now. It was still raining. She was soaked. And cold. The only thing that she was wearing was a bath robe. After she had gotten home, she went straight to the bathroom. She knew she should have gone to the hospital to report this…rape.
But she couldn't do it. She didn't want to think about it, she didn't want to relive it. So she had decided against it and had come home. She'd felt a little bit better after the shower. But when she came downstairs, she felt trapped. She'd opened the door to the yard. It was raining. She'd remembered how good the water had felt on her skin, earlier in the shower. So, she did the only thing that seemed soothing. She stepped out in the yard and sat down on the cold, wet floor.
All of the sudden, she heard it. The sound she'd been dreading to hear from the moment she got home. His voice. She knew he would be worried when he found her. Outside. Soaked. Cold. Miserable. But there was no escaping this.
Suddenly she heard his voice: "Baby Girl?" Where are you?" A faint smile appeared on her face. He always called her that. And it always made her smile. She heard his voice become louder and a bit more worried. She wanted to respond. But she lacked the energy. Knowing that he would find her no matter what, she waited.
The wait didn't take that long. The door opened.
"Baby Girl?" He was shocked at the sight of his daughter. The only reason he had even considered taking a look outside, was because he hadn't found her anywhere else. But he still didn't really expect to find her out here. After all it was raining, and if there was one thing his baby girl didn't like, it was the rain.
Ruth had been scared of this moment, but when she saw him coming out in to the yard, she felt better. She didn't expect to feel better, but she did. Another feeling soon took over. She was tired, actually she was exhausted. She couldn't tell how long she'd run, before she finally reached the safety of her own home.
He cautiously stepped towards her and repeated himself: "Baby Girl?" He was worried because she didn't respond.
The only thing she wanted, was to rest. And now with her father home, she knew she was finally going to be able to. She slowly started to stand up.
I need to take her inside, before she gets sick.
Bo thought to himself. He was relieved to see her make an effort to stand up. He walked over to her to help her, and it was a good thing he did, because otherwise he would have never been able to reach her in time to stop her from crashing into the floor.