Chapter 3: Make Me Lose Control
Jo found Alex talking to the cops in the conference room. Alex sat at the table, across the two cops stone faced, answering the questions that seemed to be coming at him at a rapid pace. He was sitting there too calm. Jo wished she could see the cops' faces to see if they were believing his story.
Deep breath. This was the right thing to do, she knew that. No time for second guessing. She felt for her hood on her head, made sure it still covered up a part of the bruises. She pulled her hands out of her pockets. It was time for her to put her game face on. She let the tears flow freely now, but not too much. Not yet. She knew how to look the part; after all she's been the victim all her life. Sometimes of her choosing, sometimes not. Only a fine line separated these things, Jo stopped trying to sort this out long ago. It didn't matter to her anymore. It was all the same in her book.
She had to stop thinking so much. She opened the door quickly, the way one would rip off a band-aid. The room fell silent. Everyone's attention fell to her, more specifically to her bruises. She was in her prime. As a kid she used to hate this kind of attention, but as teenager once she quickly learned it was the only way she would get any attention, she grew to love it. It was show time.
"Can we help you, ma'am?" the older cop asked.
Head down, let a couple of tears fall, sniffle a couple of times. She had this perfected down to a science.
Alex just glared at her.
Sniffle.
"Did someone hurt you, miss?" the younger cop this time.
Jo lifted her head up and looked in the direction of the young cop; but she didn't make eye contact. When a person is vulnerable and ashamed they never make eye contact, especially with people of the law. These are the things Jo learned as a teenager.
She nodded her head, but not too hard. Never appear over eager. Cops can see through that.
"I'm sorry," Jo whispered. She let a couple more tears fall, but she didn't wipe them away.
"What happened, miss? What's your name?" the young cop again.
Jo could feel Alex's gaze burn holes through her skin. She wished he'd stop looking at her. She knew what she was doing. She won't get in trouble with the law. She never does.
Jo had a shocked look on her face. The look that tells the cops she's scared, but she wasn't expecting to be questioned. Victims never do. She took a step back towards the door, another thing victims do. They always feel like the room is closing in on them. This also makes the cops work harder at gaining the victim's trust.
The two cops whispered amongst themselves briefly. Lots of nodding and pointing to both her and Alex.
The older cop stood up, "Is there another room we can finish this conversation, Mr. Karev?"
"Dr. Karev," Alex corrected him.
"I'm sorry," he said in that tone that doesn't at all imply being sorry. "Let's take a walk."
He motioned for Alex to come with him. Alex took the orders, but wasn't happy about any of it. He couldn't believe Jo was right here, right now. He didn't think it was possible to feel so much hatred towards a person as did right now towards Jo. Why couldn't she have just listened to him and gone back to his place?
The two men left the room, and closed the door behind them.
"Come take a seat, miss, and let's talk," the young cop said. He stood up and took a step towards Jo. He waited to see what she'd do before he took another step. Jo's feet were planted firmly on the floor. He walked up to Jo and put his hand around Jo's arm and helped her to the table.
Jo knew she had him in the palm of her hand.
"My name is Ted, what's your name?"
"Jo. Jo Wilson."
"You look like someone with a lot on her mind."
This was her cue. She opened the floodgates. "I – I'm just so sorry," she blurted out.
"What are sorry about?"
She made eye contact with Ted this time. "I didn't mean to hurt Jason so bad."
"You mean Jason Myers?"
Jo nodded her head.
"You did that to Dr. Myers?"
"It was an accident, it was in self defense."
"Did he do that to your face?"
Jo nodded her head.
"And how do you know Dr. Myers?"
"He's my boyfriend, or was, I guess, I'm not really sure anymore."
"So then tell me why Dr. Karev was in here telling us he beat up Dr. Myers."
"He was?" Jo played dumb. "I – I don't know, sir."
"What's your game here, Ms. Wilson?"
"Dr. Wilson."
"Ah, so you must be familiar with, uh, Dr. Karev."
"Sure, he's my boss."
Ted took that information in for a moment. He leaned in towards Jo. "Did he put you up to this?"
"What?"
"Did your boss ask you to come to his rescue for beating up Dr. Myers?"
Jo shook her head, she knew she said the wrong thing. "No, he actually was covering up for me, sir."
"Really. And why would he do that?"
"Sir, with all due respect, you can't actually arrest anyone since Jason isn't actually pressing charges. I understand the hospital was required to call you guys, and so now you're just doing your job in case he does decide to press charges, but you know as well as I do that it most likely won't even come to that."
"Ma'am, it already has come to that."
"What?"
"Jason is pressing charges."
"He's awake?"
"It would appear so."
"Did you talk to him?"
"I did."
"And he wants me arrested?"
"You? No, Dr. Karev."
"Excuse me?"
"Dr. Myers is pressing charges against Alex Karev."
Jo wasn't expecting this. She didn't even know Jason was awake. She tried to hold it together, but this time she just couldn't.
"That son of a bitch!" slipped out of Jo's mouth, a little too loud.
"You didn't know it was your boss that beat up your boyfriend?"
"What? No, I did it! Can't you see it? Jason is so jealous of Alex that he wants to have him locked up. Alex had nothing to do with this! I was the one that beat up Jason."
"What happened?"
Jo had to collect her thoughts. She had to think of a story quickly. She couldn't say she threw the first punch. This was not at all how Jo saw this going. "Jason and I were auguring over Alex. I, uh, I told Alex some things about my past that I didn't tell Jason. Alex was dumb enough to tell Jason. Things just got heated; I don't even know where things went south. I just remember the sharp pain in my eye. He kept hitting me, four, five times. I – I don't know what took over me, I just shoved Jason with all my strength, he fell back and hit his head on an end table," Jo paused. She wiped the tears away that were on her cheeks. "I just started to hit and kick him – I couldn't stop. I'm sorry."
"Can I see your hand?"
"What?"
"I noticed your hand is swollen and bruised as well."
Jo put her hand on the table and Ted studied it closely.
"Your injuries are consistent to your story," Ted observed.
"It's not a story, sir."
"But the bottom line, ma'am is that Dr. Myers is pressing charges against Dr. Karev, not you.
"That's bullshit."
"I'm sorry."
"He has an albeit, you know?"
"Let me guess, he was at home sleeping alone in his bed, am I close?"
Jo detected a hint of sarcasm, he was just pushing her buttons now and she knew it. "He was still at work; he was here when Jason and I had the fight."
"Are you aware that Dr. Karev was the last person to be in Dr. Myers' home?"
"He just found him, he didn't beat him up. Please, you have to believe me."
"Dr. Wilson, if I may be frank, I've been in the law enforcement business for a while now, and one thing I've noticed is that it's only the innocent that are this desperate to appear guilty, usually because of love, or fear. I'm trying to figure out what you have to gain from this," Ted looked in Jo's eyes and let the silence grow to that uncomfortable level. "Is your boss really that good?"
Breathe, Jo, just breathe. He wanted to get a rise out of Jo, and she'd be damned if she gave him that satisfaction. She was losing at her own game, she knew that. But one thing Jo wasn't was a quitter. She had to step up her game.
"You don't get it; to Jason this is just a big pissing game. He knows that Alex likes me, he can't handle it. It's so Jason to find any moment he can to sabotage him."
"So, what exactly are you telling me, Dr. Wilson?"
"I'm telling you there's no way Alex can take the fall for beating the shit out of Jason. It was me. If Jason is pressing charges, it should be against me."
Ted listened to her plead. He looked deep in her eyes and saw the desperation and the fear. But he didn't believe her, not even for a second. He pegged her as a liar the moment he laid eyes on her. What he was trying to figure out was if she was that attracted to her boss, or that scared of him.
"I'm sorry, ma'am, but Dr. Karev has already been arrested for the assault and attempted murder of Jason Myers. The situation is out of my hands."
Jo didn't say anything. She just stared at Ted. Jason told her he was going to make her pay for still talking to Alex when he told her not to. She didn't see this one coming. She couldn't believe her life was once again beginning to crumble around her.
