Izzie and Mark drove up to the police station on State Street and Mark pulled into a parking space by the side entrance. They both remained in their seats, unmoving. Finally Mark broke the silence.
"Are you ready to go in?"
"No," Izzie replied simply.
Mark nodded, understanding her need to prepare herself for the task ahead. They sat is silence for ten minutes before Izzie turned to Mark, saying softly, "I don't think I can do this. Maybe we should just go."
"Izzie, we can do whatever you want to do. This is your decision, and I'm not going to force you to do something that you're not ready for," he said. He took her hand in his, resting them on the console between them. "That being said, I know that you can do this. It'll be hard, but you'll gain closure by facing this head on. How are you going to feel if you go home right now and have to wonder for the rest of your life if the man who attacked you is in jail or if he is still walking the streets?"
Izzie closed her eyes, knowing that Mark was right. Of course she had to do this. She would never be able to move on with her life if she didn't go into the police station.
She nodded her head, signifying that she agreed with Mark and that she was ready to go in, and they exited the car, walking toward the entrance. Before going through the doors, Izzie took Mark's hand, squeezing it in an effort to gain strength from him. Mark smiled slightly when he felt her touch, glad that he was there to support her.
They went inside and Mark introduced them at the front desk, telling the secretary why they were there . She told them to wait in the chairs by the door and she picked up her phone, informing someone that they had arrived.
Within minutes a female police officer came through a set of double doors, walking toward Izzie and Mark. They stood up in acknowledgement and she said, "Hi Izzie, I'm Officer Jane Davis from the Sex Crimes Unit. I was at the hospital with you, but you might not remember me."
"No, I remember," Izzie said softly.
"Okay, well I'm in charge in charge of the investigation of your attack," she said quietly, wanting to avoid any attention. "If you two will follow me into the back, I'll explain to you what is about to happen."
The three of them walked through the double doors that Officer Davis had previously emerged from, making their way through a maze of desks and filing cabinets. They reached a door at the back of the room and Officer Davis led them inside.
Except for two wooden chairs, the room was empty of furniture. This went unnoticed by Izzie, however, whose eyes were drawn to the large glass display that took up much of the wall in front of her. Mark noticed the instant distress in her eyes and he squeezed her hand, which he had been holding since they entered the station.
Officer Davis shut the door behind her, and Izzie and Mark turned to face her. She said, "A man matching the description of your attacker was picked up earlier this afternoon for an attempted drug deal. We're going to bring in several similarly-appearing men who are going to stand both facing and in profile. If you see the man who attacked you, you need to make the identification. You don't need to be nervous," she assured her, seeing Izzie's growing anxiety. "You'll be viewing them from behind this one-way mirror. It is impossible for them to see you."
"Okay," Izzie whispered.
"Are you ready?" Officer Davis asked gently. Izzie nodded her head, and the officer picked up a phone on the wall, telling the person on the other end to begin the lineup.
Izzie watched as eight men were brought into the room behind the glass. Her breathing became erratic when she noticed that they all looked like the man who attacked her. Her vision blurred and she was unable to focus on the men before her. Suddenly her knees buckled, and she would have fallen to the ground if Mark hadn't been standing behind her.
He grabbed her shoulders as she began to go down, supporting her weight as he led her to a chair. "Izzie," he called, trying to get her attention once she was seated. She didn't look at him, instead focusing on the wall behind him. Her breaths were now coming in short gasps and beads of sweat were breaking out on her forehead. Officer Davis left the room, saying she was going to go get Izzie some water. Ignoring her, Mark remained focused on Izzie. "Iz," he said. "You need to calm down. Take deep breaths, okay? You are having a panic attack, and you need to breathe."
Izzie looked at Mark with a terrified look of her face, silently begging him help. "Just breathe," he repeated, demonstrating by taking deep breaths. She began mimicking his breathing, and slowly her own became more controlled. Officer Davis entered moments later and offered Izzie a glass of water. Izzie took it gratefully, but the violent trembling of her hands made it difficult for her to hold so Mark wrapped his own hands around hers, helping her steady the glass.
She continued to sit in the chair for a few moments, breathing slowly as Mark's hand comfortingly circled her back. Finally she said, "I'm sorry, I don't know why that happened, but I'm ready now." She stood up and walked toward the window, staring at the men on the other side. Eventually Officer Davis turned to her with a questioning look.
"Well, do you see your attacker?"
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As always, thanks to everyone who has reviewed! I love hearing what you all think!
On a side note, I finally completed my profile. I noticed that people were looking at it and I felt bad because nothing was on there! It is still not very interesting, but at least it is no longer empty!
On another side note, I wasn't getting any alerts or messages from the website for the last week, and today I got like FIFTY emails alerting me of reviews, messages, and story updates. Did this happen to everyone, or just me? It was kind of annoying… Haha, anyway, just curious!
I'll update soon! I promise! (Sooner with reviews…hint hint!)
