AN: This ISN'T the sequel to 'A Broken Wing'. I got the idea for this story a while ago and HAD to do it, but I WILL get on the sequel to 'A Broken Wing'. I promise! Anyways. Once again, the characters of and associated with ARE NOT mine- they belong to Dick Wolf. Enough said.
Once again, I appreciate and welcome reviews and constructive criticism, but no flames, please! I hope everyone enjoys this story. I did not rate this story R, but this chapter on its own would be, so decide for yourself if you want to read it.
I'd like to let it be known from the start that I DO NOT have anything against the Christian/Catholic church- I am Christian, and I have deep respect for the Christian religion.
Enough of my ramblings, here's the story.
Mary Johnson sat up in bed early on a Tuesday morning. She felt a warm trickle on her thighs and as she woke was flooded with cramping.
No! She thought; prayed; hoped with all her soul, NO! Not here, not now.
There was no avoiding what had happened. She'd gotten the curse. Her mother had taught her since infancy that when you'd sinned yourself into eternal damnation, God gave it to you. But what had she done? She hadn't prayed last night, she remembered, and she hadn't read her Bible yesterday, but…was that enough?
Terrified of the thought that she'd sinned so mightily against God, she started sobbing, then whispered what eventually turned into a shout.
"Mommy!" She sobbed, crawling out of bed and trying to get to the bathroom, trying not to scream from the pain of the cramps.
Her mother came rushing in, carrying her rosary.
"What, Mary? Oh my God! What did you do?" She demanded, noticing the redness staining her daughters shorts.
Mary kept crying, and her mother slapped her so hard she fell over.
"What?" Her mother screamed at her.
Mary felt so ashamed, so weak, felt so much pain. She'd tried so hard all her life to be a good Catholic, but it wasn't easy.
"Stand up!" Her mother screamed, "Stand up!"
Mary tried, but the force of the blows and cramps combined weren't allowing her to.
Her mother continued screaming at her to beg for forgiveness of her sins; to accept Jesus back into her life. Finally her father came rushing in, and looked at Mary.
"Well, Mary, stand up." He commanded.
Mary forced herself up, slowly but surely. Her father's word was law. You didn't question it. You couldn't.
"Go to the bathroom and clean yourself up." He commanded.
Mary limped to the bathroom. Rebecca, her 6-year-old sister, ran to her.
"Mare, are you okay?" She whispered.
"Rebecca, go back to bed!" Her father shouted from her room.
Mary stroked her sister's hair.
"I'm fine, sweetheart. Go back to sleep."
After Mary had cleaned herself up, she went back into her room. Her parents stood there. Her mother left, and her father told her to take her clothes off.
"Mary. I don't know what you did, but for some reason, God decided to make you a woman now." He said, pulling off his shirt. "And you know what women do, sweetheart. They make babies. Lie down."
Mary realized all too soon what was coming, shook her head, and tried to run from the room, but her father caught her and called for her mother, who came back holding rope.
"No!" Mary pleaded, "No!"
Her father threw her on the bed, and she started to cry.
"You've brought this upon yourself, Mary."
She screamed as he started to tie her down, and her father punched her so hard she couldn't breathe. Then he punched her again.
The rain of blows kept falling, and the last thing Mary remembered hearing was to beg God to forgive her. Forgive me, she begged him, forgive me.
In the next apartment over, Casey Novak picked up her cell-phone and called for an ambulance. She'd had her suspicions, of course, but a black eye from time to time didn't prove much. She then called Olivia.
"Hey, 'Liv. It's Casey. I have a possible abuse case I need you and Elliot to check out."
All right, people. I'm aware of how morbid that was. I'm not that morbid in real life, I swear! I also don't write from experience, might I add. I just read and watch a lot of movies. Please review!