It's all in the past
Chapter 5: Love is blind
A/N: I figured Catherine's worst moment would have something to do with Eddie so here it is. I'm also working on a new CSI goes bad kind of story. It'll be posted soon.
Catherine knew it was her turn but she was still in shock. She couldn't believe what the lab tech had gone through at only eight years old. Her story was similar to his only she was an adult when it happened; an adult with a child. She looked around and her eyes landed on Warrick, who smiled at her. She smiled back and began.
"It all started about six months after Lindsey was born. Eddie was getting tired of missing sleep because she was colicky and would cry a lot. He started hanging out all night at the bars and coming home drunk and angry. It's never a good combination, especially for him.
"The first time he hit me I didn't think much of it. I know I should have. I've seen what the abuse can amount to by working here but I honestly thought he wouldn't do it again. He apologized immediately and made sure I was all right. He gave me an Advil for the pain and promised to take care of Lindsey, should she wake that night. He was more like the man I fell in love with then than he ever was when he was sober. I guess that's another reason I put up with it for so long.
"The second time was a few weeks later. He came home drunk and mad, since he lost some money on a bet. He ordered me to make him supper, even though he'd already had it, and I refused. I told him that he knew where the kitchen was and that he knew how to cook. He could make his own supper. He didn't like my response so he grabbed my wrists and hauled m e to my feet. He literally dragged me into the kitchen and threw me into the counter. He demanded that I make him something to eat as I was 'his woman' and I was supposed to 'obey him'.
"I didn't know what to do so I gave in. Lindsey was asleep upstairs and I refused to leave her in the house with him alone so I couldn't run for help. Plus, I knew as soon as he ate he'd turn into the man I loved again. I looked forward to those rare moments. I could put up with a little pain if it meant he'd be the man I fell in love with more often. I guess I liked him fussing over me after he'd hurt me. He always seemed so sincere and apologetic when he attended to whatever wounds he inflicted.
"I had put up with the abuse for about a month when it happened. He came home even drunker than usual and started hitting me right away. I knew I was going to have a black eyes and a bruise on my cheek in the morning. That's when it happened. Eddie heard Lindsey start to cry and ran upstairs. I knew what he was going to do and grabbed a vase that was sitting on the counter. I wasn't going to let him hurt my baby like he was hurting me.
"When I got into the room he was getting ready to suffocate her with a pillow. I hit him with the vase and he went down. I guess he was about ready to pass out because of all the alcohol he'd drunk. I know I didn't hit him hard enough to knock him unconscious but I didn't care. I grabbed my baby and ran to the neighbor's house. I called the cops from there and they came and arrested Eddie.
"He spent a week in jail before he was released. We came to the agreement that I would drop the charges if he attended AA meetings once a week and he couldn't come near us without an officer present. It took a while but finally he overcame the need to drink. He found a good job that he was able to keep for more than a month and he never lifted a hand toward Lindsey or me when he came to visit. He even began to cook us dinner when he came over to visit. The only problem was I wasn't in love with him anymore. I hated to do it after all the trouble he went through to prove he cared about us, but I filed for a divorce. I allowed him every other weekend visitation rights as long as he kept going to his AA meetings and there had to be an officer present for the next while. He understood and took it well. He told me he was actually expecting it."
Catherine looked around the room. No one looked overly shocked, as they all knew about Eddie and her divorce. They hadn't known the extent of what had happened but a few suspected, she knew. She also knew it was tamer than some of the others' pasts but to her it was frightening. She still had the occasional nightmare when Lindsey was spending the night at his house. She was a mother and she would do anything to protect her child.
A/N: I figured Catherine's worst moment would have something to do with Eddie so here it is. I'm also working on a new CSI goes bad kind of story. It'll be posted soon.
Catherine knew it was her turn but she was still in shock. She couldn't believe what the lab tech had gone through at only eight years old. Her story was similar to his only she was an adult when it happened; an adult with a child. She looked around and her eyes landed on Warrick, who smiled at her. She smiled back and began.
"It all started about six months after Lindsey was born. Eddie was getting tired of missing sleep because she was colicky and would cry a lot. He started hanging out all night at the bars and coming home drunk and angry. It's never a good combination, especially for him.
"The first time he hit me I didn't think much of it. I know I should have. I've seen what the abuse can amount to by working here but I honestly thought he wouldn't do it again. He apologized immediately and made sure I was all right. He gave me an Advil for the pain and promised to take care of Lindsey, should she wake that night. He was more like the man I fell in love with then than he ever was when he was sober. I guess that's another reason I put up with it for so long.
"The second time was a few weeks later. He came home drunk and mad, since he lost some money on a bet. He ordered me to make him supper, even though he'd already had it, and I refused. I told him that he knew where the kitchen was and that he knew how to cook. He could make his own supper. He didn't like my response so he grabbed my wrists and hauled m e to my feet. He literally dragged me into the kitchen and threw me into the counter. He demanded that I make him something to eat as I was 'his woman' and I was supposed to 'obey him'.
"I didn't know what to do so I gave in. Lindsey was asleep upstairs and I refused to leave her in the house with him alone so I couldn't run for help. Plus, I knew as soon as he ate he'd turn into the man I loved again. I looked forward to those rare moments. I could put up with a little pain if it meant he'd be the man I fell in love with more often. I guess I liked him fussing over me after he'd hurt me. He always seemed so sincere and apologetic when he attended to whatever wounds he inflicted.
"I had put up with the abuse for about a month when it happened. He came home even drunker than usual and started hitting me right away. I knew I was going to have a black eyes and a bruise on my cheek in the morning. That's when it happened. Eddie heard Lindsey start to cry and ran upstairs. I knew what he was going to do and grabbed a vase that was sitting on the counter. I wasn't going to let him hurt my baby like he was hurting me.
"When I got into the room he was getting ready to suffocate her with a pillow. I hit him with the vase and he went down. I guess he was about ready to pass out because of all the alcohol he'd drunk. I know I didn't hit him hard enough to knock him unconscious but I didn't care. I grabbed my baby and ran to the neighbor's house. I called the cops from there and they came and arrested Eddie.
"He spent a week in jail before he was released. We came to the agreement that I would drop the charges if he attended AA meetings once a week and he couldn't come near us without an officer present. It took a while but finally he overcame the need to drink. He found a good job that he was able to keep for more than a month and he never lifted a hand toward Lindsey or me when he came to visit. He even began to cook us dinner when he came over to visit. The only problem was I wasn't in love with him anymore. I hated to do it after all the trouble he went through to prove he cared about us, but I filed for a divorce. I allowed him every other weekend visitation rights as long as he kept going to his AA meetings and there had to be an officer present for the next while. He understood and took it well. He told me he was actually expecting it."
Catherine looked around the room. No one looked overly shocked, as they all knew about Eddie and her divorce. They hadn't known the extent of what had happened but a few suspected, she knew. She also knew it was tamer than some of the others' pasts but to her it was frightening. She still had the occasional nightmare when Lindsey was spending the night at his house. She was a mother and she would do anything to protect her child.