Truth Out Of Darkness
Chapter 41
He entered the house slowly, heavy hearted. He wondered how he was going to break the news to his wife Nancy, when he was still trying to make sense of it himself. His mind tormented him with visions of Chloe going into seizure, screaming and crying. "He raped me." Those words echoed through his head, and created an ache in his heart that refused to abate. If it was this painful for him, how much worse would it be for Nancy?
Craig was afraid of how Nancy would react. He remembered when Nancy had thought that Phillip had raped Chloe. That had been painful enough, and she turned out to be wrong. This would absolutely devastate her. It had devastated him.
His mind replayed the last two years that Chloe had been here, how their lives had changed so dramatically. This strange girl who walked into their lives was now his daughter, in everyway that counts.
Craig was surprised by the rage he felt toward the bastard who had done this to her. The bastard who raped his little girl. He had never been so angry. Given the chance, he knew he could actually kill him, and not regret it for an instant.
He heard Nancy coming down the stairs. Craig pulled himself together and calmed down. He must be strong for Nancy.
"Craig! Finally! I've been waiting forever, out of my mind with worry."
"Where's Chloe?" he asked simply.
"Up in her room. She's been there since she came in. I did what you said and I haven't bothered her, but Craig, it's so hard. I can hear her sobbing from here. What happened in the session?" She asked, her eyes filled with worry for her daughter.
Craig laughed bitterly. "Well the hypnosis was a success. She remembers what happened to her. I just wonder if we did her any favors. Maybe she would have been better off not knowing, not remembering. Blissfully ignorant."
Nancy was immediately worried by his cryptic response. "What is it? Tell me! What happened?"
Craig was unable to hide the heartbreak in his eyes. "Nancy, you should sit down." He said gently. Her heart was racing as she sat down on the living room sofa. He kneeled on the floor in front of her and took her hands in his. He looked up into her eyes. "Nancy, what I'm going to tell you is going to be hard for you to hear, but you have to. And you have to be strong for Chloe. She needs us both to be strong right now. Okay?" he said. His voice was rough like gravel and his eyes brimmed with unshed tears. This was going to be so hard for Nancy. He hated hurting her. He took a moment to clear his throat and wipe his eyes.
He looked up at her, at the face of the woman he loved so much. Even after all these years, she was still the most beautiful woman he'd ever laid eyes upon. He looked in her eyes; the eyes that usually sparkled with laughter, or blazed in righteous anger, were now wide with worry and fear.
He inhaled deeply. "Nancy, what we learned in session today, it was bad. During the years that Chloe was in foster care – she was horribly abused."
Nancy's heart stopped as a cold frost settled over her. "What…?" her voice barely above a whisper.
"Some of the families beat her." He squeezed her hands tightly as tears fell from her eyes.
"Someone hit my baby? No…"
"Honey, it gets worse. Much worse." Craig said, his voice cracking. All ready his beloved wife was in so much pain. "There is nothing I can do to prepare you for this, nothing I can say to soften the blow." He said quickly, taking another deep breath.
"So, I'm just going to say it. Nancy, honey, we found out today that one of Chloe's foster fathers raped her while she was in his care. This is what Chloe had blocked from her memory, what she remembered today. She was raped."
Nancy heard Craig's voice as if it came from a mile away through a twisting tunnel. She had stopped hearing him the moment she heard the word 'raped'. Unbidden memories came to her, of the night Chloe was conceived. A friend of her father's, a man over twice her age, had gotten her drunk and taken advantage of her. She had never used the word 'rape' – didn't want to believe that that was what had happened. But it was rape all the same, whether or not she called it that.
But despite the circumstances of Chloe's conception, Nancy had loved her baby more than life itself. It had killed her to give her away. But she had genuinely believed that she was doing the right thing for her baby. Now she knew better.
Tears spilled down Nancy's cheeks. "No wonder she hates me. It's all my fault. I did that to her." She muttered, bitter guilt and sadness flowing through her.
Craig threw his arms around her and cradled her head on his chest. "Nancy, this isn't your fault. You did what you had to do. You gave her to a wonderful couple who loved her and took good care of her. You couldn't have known that they would die ten years later."
Nancy just sobbed in Craig's chest, her tears soaking his shirt. He held her and rocked her while she cried, bitter tears escaping his own eyes.
"My baby. My baby." She cried, drowning in a mother's love for her wounded daughter.
Craig felt her pain acutely and understood. He felt the same way. "I know, Nancy. She's my baby too."
Chapter 41
He entered the house slowly, heavy hearted. He wondered how he was going to break the news to his wife Nancy, when he was still trying to make sense of it himself. His mind tormented him with visions of Chloe going into seizure, screaming and crying. "He raped me." Those words echoed through his head, and created an ache in his heart that refused to abate. If it was this painful for him, how much worse would it be for Nancy?
Craig was afraid of how Nancy would react. He remembered when Nancy had thought that Phillip had raped Chloe. That had been painful enough, and she turned out to be wrong. This would absolutely devastate her. It had devastated him.
His mind replayed the last two years that Chloe had been here, how their lives had changed so dramatically. This strange girl who walked into their lives was now his daughter, in everyway that counts.
Craig was surprised by the rage he felt toward the bastard who had done this to her. The bastard who raped his little girl. He had never been so angry. Given the chance, he knew he could actually kill him, and not regret it for an instant.
He heard Nancy coming down the stairs. Craig pulled himself together and calmed down. He must be strong for Nancy.
"Craig! Finally! I've been waiting forever, out of my mind with worry."
"Where's Chloe?" he asked simply.
"Up in her room. She's been there since she came in. I did what you said and I haven't bothered her, but Craig, it's so hard. I can hear her sobbing from here. What happened in the session?" She asked, her eyes filled with worry for her daughter.
Craig laughed bitterly. "Well the hypnosis was a success. She remembers what happened to her. I just wonder if we did her any favors. Maybe she would have been better off not knowing, not remembering. Blissfully ignorant."
Nancy was immediately worried by his cryptic response. "What is it? Tell me! What happened?"
Craig was unable to hide the heartbreak in his eyes. "Nancy, you should sit down." He said gently. Her heart was racing as she sat down on the living room sofa. He kneeled on the floor in front of her and took her hands in his. He looked up into her eyes. "Nancy, what I'm going to tell you is going to be hard for you to hear, but you have to. And you have to be strong for Chloe. She needs us both to be strong right now. Okay?" he said. His voice was rough like gravel and his eyes brimmed with unshed tears. This was going to be so hard for Nancy. He hated hurting her. He took a moment to clear his throat and wipe his eyes.
He looked up at her, at the face of the woman he loved so much. Even after all these years, she was still the most beautiful woman he'd ever laid eyes upon. He looked in her eyes; the eyes that usually sparkled with laughter, or blazed in righteous anger, were now wide with worry and fear.
He inhaled deeply. "Nancy, what we learned in session today, it was bad. During the years that Chloe was in foster care – she was horribly abused."
Nancy's heart stopped as a cold frost settled over her. "What…?" her voice barely above a whisper.
"Some of the families beat her." He squeezed her hands tightly as tears fell from her eyes.
"Someone hit my baby? No…"
"Honey, it gets worse. Much worse." Craig said, his voice cracking. All ready his beloved wife was in so much pain. "There is nothing I can do to prepare you for this, nothing I can say to soften the blow." He said quickly, taking another deep breath.
"So, I'm just going to say it. Nancy, honey, we found out today that one of Chloe's foster fathers raped her while she was in his care. This is what Chloe had blocked from her memory, what she remembered today. She was raped."
Nancy heard Craig's voice as if it came from a mile away through a twisting tunnel. She had stopped hearing him the moment she heard the word 'raped'. Unbidden memories came to her, of the night Chloe was conceived. A friend of her father's, a man over twice her age, had gotten her drunk and taken advantage of her. She had never used the word 'rape' – didn't want to believe that that was what had happened. But it was rape all the same, whether or not she called it that.
But despite the circumstances of Chloe's conception, Nancy had loved her baby more than life itself. It had killed her to give her away. But she had genuinely believed that she was doing the right thing for her baby. Now she knew better.
Tears spilled down Nancy's cheeks. "No wonder she hates me. It's all my fault. I did that to her." She muttered, bitter guilt and sadness flowing through her.
Craig threw his arms around her and cradled her head on his chest. "Nancy, this isn't your fault. You did what you had to do. You gave her to a wonderful couple who loved her and took good care of her. You couldn't have known that they would die ten years later."
Nancy just sobbed in Craig's chest, her tears soaking his shirt. He held her and rocked her while she cried, bitter tears escaping his own eyes.
"My baby. My baby." She cried, drowning in a mother's love for her wounded daughter.
Craig felt her pain acutely and understood. He felt the same way. "I know, Nancy. She's my baby too."