Craig came by only a few minutes later to pick me up. I was still so sore that I couldn't really walk, so he helped me into the wheelchair the hospital had issued me, and got me to the front door. To my surprise, and delight, Angela was waiting for us there.
"Craig said we're rescuing you!" she cried excitedly. "And that I can go for a ride on your lap, if it's okay with you. Is it? Pretty please?"
"Of course," I said, smiling.
"Hop on Ang," Craig told her. "I'm pushing this thing home."
Angela hopped on to my lap. As Craig started pushing us to his house, Angela asked me, "Did the dinosaur do this to you?"
I paused for a minute. "No, Angela." Craig looked at me, surprised. Then I said, "No dinosaur did this. My Daddy did, and my Mommy let it happen. That's why I can't stay at home." A tear ran down my cheek, and Angela brushed it away with her fingers. Then she snuggled into my lap, and said, "It'll be okay. Craig and my Daddy will protect you now. Your Daddy and that dinosaur won't hurt you again."
We got there just as Joey was getting home from work. He looked at me, shocked, and couldn't speak for a minute. Craig didn't seem to know what to say either. So Angela spoke for all of us. "Daddy, a dinosaur hurt Ellie. Can she live with us too, just like Craig?"
Dead silence followed that statement. Angela looked at her dad, pleading with her eyes, and I looked down at my lap, ashamed that I even had to be there. A moment later, Joey said to Angela, "Sweetie, we're going to have to talk about this. Why don't you go upstairs and clean your room. Its been needing it for weeks anyway."
"Daddy!" she whined, obeying him despite her protesting. Once Angela had made it inside, Craig and Joey got my wheelchair and me inside their house, and into the kitchen. He and Craig both sat down, and he looked me in the eyes.
"Who did this to you?" he asked, demanding not unkindly.
I fidgeted with a string in my hands I had pulled off my shirt. I didn't meet his eyes. This was so humiliating! My father hated me enough to beat me, because of something I did, and everyone just expected me to not care.
"Ellie?" Craig called me back to reality.
"My Dad," I whispered, so softly, I could barely hear me.
At that statement, Joey became angry. You could see his face getting redder and redder. All of a sudden, he stood up quickly. I whimpered and backed away. The anger in his face disappeared immediately. "Ellie, I'm not going to hurt you, I swear. I'm just so angry with your dad. I know him! I thought he was a great guy! He bought a car from me! It makes me so angry that he could do something to someone as obviously great as you are."
I still stayed a little back of Joey, afraid of the anger I knew he could have.
"Look what he did to you!" Joey cried out suddenly. "You can't even be around someone angry without fear immediately coming into your face."
"Please," I whispered. "I'm so tired. Could, could I just sleep?"
"Sure," Joey said kindly. "Craig, why don't you set her up with the pull out bed in your room?"
"What…" I trailed off, a little nervous. "What if my dad calls or shows up?"
"I've never seen you before. Craig's been here all day, and Angela won't get near the phone. I swear. Sleep first, then we'll figure something out."
I nodded, and then went to Craig's room to sleep. I was out the second my head hit the pillow.
A few hours later, I awoke to Joey knocking on the door. "Ellie?" he said quietly. "Are you awake?"
"Yeah," I said, rubbing my eyes a little. "What's up?"
"We need to talk. About what you want to do now. It's only a matter of time before your dad gets home and wants to know where you are. I either have to return you back home, which I can't do, knowing what I know. Or I can hide you, and possibly get arrested for kidnapping. Or," he paused for a minute, then continued, "or you can go to Children's Aide. They'll put you in foster care."
I didn't know what to do. I knew that getting Joey arrested was out of the question, and that the first option should be too. But a part of me, a very loud part, was screaming, "Go home! You belong there, and you deserve it!"
In the middle of my inner debate, Craig walked in the room. "Good morning, Sleeping Beauty. Hey Joey, mind if I talk to her, alone? Just for a few minutes."
"Sure," Joey said, leaving the room.
"El? I know what you're thinking. You want to go home, don't you?"
I nodded, a little ashamed.
"I know. I felt the same way. Get out of the house for a few hours, and nothing seems as bad as it did when you were actually there. But the second you get back, its going to be just as bad. As you won't always be as brave as you were today. And I also know you're thinking you deserve it, aren't you?"
"Well, don't I?" I demanded. "Didn't I go against everything my parents have taught me to become a lesbian?"
"You didn't choose to become a lesbian. And even if you did, and even if the choice was purely to spite your parents, nobody should ever hit you. Your father can't control his temper, and you shouldn't suffer for that. It isn't your problem, it's his." He paused for a moment, taking a deep breath. "I know it's hard. I know how much easier it would be to just give up, and go back. But El, you don't deserve to be hurt."
I started crying. It was so hard, but I knew what I had to do. "Could I use your phone?" I asked.
Craig looked alarmed. "Who are you going to call?"
"Children's Aide. Do you have their number?"
Joey walked in the room, phone and phone book in hand. "I was hoping you'd decide this."
Hands shaking, I dialed the phone number.
"Children's Aide. How may I help you?"
"Uh, hello. My name's Ellie Nash. I…I…my Dad's been beating me. Can you help me?"
"Where are you now?" the voice said, slightly panicked.
"At a friends house. My parents don't know I'm here." I gave her Craig's address. "Can you help me?"
"We'll send someone over there, and a police officer. Whatever you do, don't go home with either one of your parents, okay?"
"Ok."
"Hey, don't sound so scared. You did the right thing."
"Did I?"
"Of course. Hey, I never introduced myself. My name's Kelly. You know why I work for children's aide?"
"No. Why?"
"I know how it feels to be in your shoes. But hey, if you need anymore help, you just call here, and ask for me. Okay? I'll always talk."
"Thanks. Bye."
I turned around to face Craig and Joey. "They're sending someone over. I did it. I actually did it." Then I burst into tears again. "I betrayed my own father."
"He betrayed you. I know El, you still love him. I always loved my dad too. But you don't deserve what he's doing to you. He betrayed you, and you're protecting yourself. Don't ever believe otherwise," Craig told me.
Just then the doorbell rang. Craig went downstairs to answer it, taking my wheelchair with him. Joey started the long painstaking process of getting me downstairs. I was still pretty dizzy, and everything in my body hurt. By the time I got downstairs, Craig and a women he seemed to know and a police officer were already seated in the living room. Both the woman and the cop stared horrified at me.
"Craig said we're rescuing you!" she cried excitedly. "And that I can go for a ride on your lap, if it's okay with you. Is it? Pretty please?"
"Of course," I said, smiling.
"Hop on Ang," Craig told her. "I'm pushing this thing home."
Angela hopped on to my lap. As Craig started pushing us to his house, Angela asked me, "Did the dinosaur do this to you?"
I paused for a minute. "No, Angela." Craig looked at me, surprised. Then I said, "No dinosaur did this. My Daddy did, and my Mommy let it happen. That's why I can't stay at home." A tear ran down my cheek, and Angela brushed it away with her fingers. Then she snuggled into my lap, and said, "It'll be okay. Craig and my Daddy will protect you now. Your Daddy and that dinosaur won't hurt you again."
We got there just as Joey was getting home from work. He looked at me, shocked, and couldn't speak for a minute. Craig didn't seem to know what to say either. So Angela spoke for all of us. "Daddy, a dinosaur hurt Ellie. Can she live with us too, just like Craig?"
Dead silence followed that statement. Angela looked at her dad, pleading with her eyes, and I looked down at my lap, ashamed that I even had to be there. A moment later, Joey said to Angela, "Sweetie, we're going to have to talk about this. Why don't you go upstairs and clean your room. Its been needing it for weeks anyway."
"Daddy!" she whined, obeying him despite her protesting. Once Angela had made it inside, Craig and Joey got my wheelchair and me inside their house, and into the kitchen. He and Craig both sat down, and he looked me in the eyes.
"Who did this to you?" he asked, demanding not unkindly.
I fidgeted with a string in my hands I had pulled off my shirt. I didn't meet his eyes. This was so humiliating! My father hated me enough to beat me, because of something I did, and everyone just expected me to not care.
"Ellie?" Craig called me back to reality.
"My Dad," I whispered, so softly, I could barely hear me.
At that statement, Joey became angry. You could see his face getting redder and redder. All of a sudden, he stood up quickly. I whimpered and backed away. The anger in his face disappeared immediately. "Ellie, I'm not going to hurt you, I swear. I'm just so angry with your dad. I know him! I thought he was a great guy! He bought a car from me! It makes me so angry that he could do something to someone as obviously great as you are."
I still stayed a little back of Joey, afraid of the anger I knew he could have.
"Look what he did to you!" Joey cried out suddenly. "You can't even be around someone angry without fear immediately coming into your face."
"Please," I whispered. "I'm so tired. Could, could I just sleep?"
"Sure," Joey said kindly. "Craig, why don't you set her up with the pull out bed in your room?"
"What…" I trailed off, a little nervous. "What if my dad calls or shows up?"
"I've never seen you before. Craig's been here all day, and Angela won't get near the phone. I swear. Sleep first, then we'll figure something out."
I nodded, and then went to Craig's room to sleep. I was out the second my head hit the pillow.
A few hours later, I awoke to Joey knocking on the door. "Ellie?" he said quietly. "Are you awake?"
"Yeah," I said, rubbing my eyes a little. "What's up?"
"We need to talk. About what you want to do now. It's only a matter of time before your dad gets home and wants to know where you are. I either have to return you back home, which I can't do, knowing what I know. Or I can hide you, and possibly get arrested for kidnapping. Or," he paused for a minute, then continued, "or you can go to Children's Aide. They'll put you in foster care."
I didn't know what to do. I knew that getting Joey arrested was out of the question, and that the first option should be too. But a part of me, a very loud part, was screaming, "Go home! You belong there, and you deserve it!"
In the middle of my inner debate, Craig walked in the room. "Good morning, Sleeping Beauty. Hey Joey, mind if I talk to her, alone? Just for a few minutes."
"Sure," Joey said, leaving the room.
"El? I know what you're thinking. You want to go home, don't you?"
I nodded, a little ashamed.
"I know. I felt the same way. Get out of the house for a few hours, and nothing seems as bad as it did when you were actually there. But the second you get back, its going to be just as bad. As you won't always be as brave as you were today. And I also know you're thinking you deserve it, aren't you?"
"Well, don't I?" I demanded. "Didn't I go against everything my parents have taught me to become a lesbian?"
"You didn't choose to become a lesbian. And even if you did, and even if the choice was purely to spite your parents, nobody should ever hit you. Your father can't control his temper, and you shouldn't suffer for that. It isn't your problem, it's his." He paused for a moment, taking a deep breath. "I know it's hard. I know how much easier it would be to just give up, and go back. But El, you don't deserve to be hurt."
I started crying. It was so hard, but I knew what I had to do. "Could I use your phone?" I asked.
Craig looked alarmed. "Who are you going to call?"
"Children's Aide. Do you have their number?"
Joey walked in the room, phone and phone book in hand. "I was hoping you'd decide this."
Hands shaking, I dialed the phone number.
"Children's Aide. How may I help you?"
"Uh, hello. My name's Ellie Nash. I…I…my Dad's been beating me. Can you help me?"
"Where are you now?" the voice said, slightly panicked.
"At a friends house. My parents don't know I'm here." I gave her Craig's address. "Can you help me?"
"We'll send someone over there, and a police officer. Whatever you do, don't go home with either one of your parents, okay?"
"Ok."
"Hey, don't sound so scared. You did the right thing."
"Did I?"
"Of course. Hey, I never introduced myself. My name's Kelly. You know why I work for children's aide?"
"No. Why?"
"I know how it feels to be in your shoes. But hey, if you need anymore help, you just call here, and ask for me. Okay? I'll always talk."
"Thanks. Bye."
I turned around to face Craig and Joey. "They're sending someone over. I did it. I actually did it." Then I burst into tears again. "I betrayed my own father."
"He betrayed you. I know El, you still love him. I always loved my dad too. But you don't deserve what he's doing to you. He betrayed you, and you're protecting yourself. Don't ever believe otherwise," Craig told me.
Just then the doorbell rang. Craig went downstairs to answer it, taking my wheelchair with him. Joey started the long painstaking process of getting me downstairs. I was still pretty dizzy, and everything in my body hurt. By the time I got downstairs, Craig and a women he seemed to know and a police officer were already seated in the living room. Both the woman and the cop stared horrified at me.