A/N: Guys...I CAN FINALLY SEE YOUR REVIEWS! I forgot to mention it last chapter. Thank you all so much for your love, support, and hate towards Nick. I know we covered some hard things in the last few chapters and I'm glad you have stuck by. :) School has started back up so I do apologize for the gap between chapters. I will do my best to keep on top of things and not make it so long.
As always, keep on reading and dropping reviews. There's still a lot more to the story now that Kim's out to the group and Nick is on the run. There's also a little nod to Law & Order: SVU in this chapter.
Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I own nothing Power Rangers...nor Law & Order.
September 2nd, 2004
Angel Grove, CA
Tommy kept his word. When I woke up the next morning, he was there. He was sleeping with his head on the bed, his coat underneath it. I had to stare at him a few times to make sure he was really there. It had been a long night. Nurses came in and out multiple times to check on my vitals and to make sure I wasn't dead due to the concussion. At one point, I laid there and thought about my injuries. I could almost pinpoint when each one probably happened. The fractured wrist came from him slamming me into the doorway. The concussion was from them as well. I'm sure I broke ribs hurling down the stairs and I had a bruise that covered my entire knee that had gone through the wall. I suppose I was lucky that I didn't have any part of the house actually sticking out of me but I didn't feel lucky, that's for sure.
The doctor also kept his word. The police were knocking at my door bright and early about 9 am. A nurse was in the room with Tommy and I, checking my IV bag when they came in. It was a woman police officer and an older gentleman. Both wore business casual, telling me I had just stepped into an episode of Law and Order. The nurse excused herself while the woman smiled at me.
"Hello, Kimberly. My name is Detective Branson. I'm with the Special Victims Unit with AGPD. This is my partner, Detective Saber. I was wondering if we could ask you a few questions about your assault." She said, stepping towards me. I nodded, feeling my nerves run right to the edge of a cliff.
"Yeah, I guess so."
"If you want, I can have Detective Saber and Tommy step out so we can just talk." Of course they already knew who Tommy was. At this point, I felt like Tommy had become my own personal spokesperson. If I had my own Dateline special, he'd probably be the one doing the sit down interview with the old guy with the smooth sounding voice.
"It's fine. They can stay." I replied. She nodded, glancing at her partner who pulled a notebook from his pocket. Tommy stood up, gesturing to the chair. Detective Branson took it, sitting down. She had long brown hair with light brown highlights in them and warm brown eyes that softened when she smiled. I liked her. I didn't know why but for some reason, I didn't feel the need to tell her to leave.
"Can you tell us what happened yesterday?" She asked. I sighed, rolling the blanket down on my lap.
"Well, I came home and Nick had found something of mine that he didn't want me to have. He got all angry and started yelling at me. He told me that he was going to make sure I listened to him or else."
"Or else what?" She asked. I shrugged.
"It was always different. Mostly, he threatened to kill my friends. This time, he said something about doing something to the teenager who has been staying with me." I said, looking down at my fingers.
"Marci?" I nodded.
"Are they going to take her away from me?" I whispered, glancing up at the pair through my eyelashes. "I was only trying to protect her."
"Well, child protective services were notified but they informed us that they didn't feel there was a case of any type of abuse or neglect. If Marci had been harmed or if she was in immediate danger, it would be a different story. For right now though, she's safe to stay with you." I let out a sigh of relief.
"Okay."
"So, after Mr. Anderson threatened you, what happened?"
"I slapped him. I didn't like what he was saying about her. I knew it was wrong and that I shouldn't have done it. He's told me hundreds of times that when he gets like that, I should just walk away. I didn't though. That's when he attacked me. He started hitting and kicking me. He was trying to drag me downstairs but I tried to fight him off. I almost got away but he threw me down the stairs." I watched as Saber jotted everything I said down in the little notebook. I wondered what it actually said. 'Dumb bitch stays with abuser' would probably be suitable.
"Did he say anything to you after that?" Branson asked. I nodded.
"He pulled out his gun and said that he was going to kill my friends. I tried to stop him but I couldn't get up. He kept telling me over and over again that he won. That there wasn't anything I could do about it. Then he just left. He must have cut the phone lines at some point though because Marci tried to call for help and she couldn't. I didn't see him do it. Everything is a bit fuzzy then."
"Does Nick have a history of domestic violence?" I felt the question sting a bit and I glanced over at Tommy.
"Yeah. He's been abusive since we moved here." I replied. "I didn't think it was a big deal at first but it kept getting worse."
"How about you go buy Tommy a cup of coffee?" Detective Branson said to Detective Saber. He nodded, putting his notebook away. I gave Tommy a startled look.
"I'll be right back, okay? You'll be alright." He gave my shoulder a supportive squeeze before leaving the room with the detective. Once the door was shut, Detective Branson leaned forward.
"Kimberly, this next part might be a little sensitive for you to talk about. That's why I had them leave. Has Nick ever sexually assaulted you?" I felt the tears build up in my eyes and I bit my lip. I gave a quick nod, not looking up at her. "I need you to tell me when it was."
"About two months ago. The Fourth of July, actually. We had just gotten back from a BBQ when he attacked me." Tears slipped from my eyes and down my cheeks. "He started hitting me and told me I was a whore. He was choking me and I begged him to stop. Then he started raping me. I tried to get away. I really did. But he put a cord around my neck and I couldn't breathe." Reaching in her pocket, she pulled out a small package of tissues and handed them to me. I took them, dabbing at my nose.
"I am so sorry you had to go through this." She said softly. "A lot of people don't understand why people stay in relationships like this. I see it every day. It's easier to say you would leave than it is to actually leave. I'm grateful that you were able to get out when you could. I feel like he wouldn't have stopped until you were seriously hurt or killed."
"So, I've heard." I replied, wiping my eyes. "Now what? Are you going to take him to jail?"
"There is a warrant out for his arrest for the assault. We are waiting on the DA to determine what the charges will be. There is a very good chance that he's looking at some felony charges. Especially if we find him with the gun. Could you describe it for me?"
"It was silver with some black lettering on the side of it. It reminded me of the guns you use but just not black." She nodded. "He has bullets for it too. I saw them when I found the gun. I'm sorry. I wish I could tell you more."
"You've already helped us with a lot. I just have a few more questions. Do you know about your husband's involvement with Peter Davis?"
"Oh, that's his boss's son. Nick's been working with him since the beginning of the summer. They do contracting and landscaping." I explained. She gave me a smile and nodded her head. "Why? Is Pete in trouble?"
"We are just looking into some leads as to where your husband might be. Your friends told me that they've changed the locks at your home. Is there a chance you would be able to stay somewhere else until he's found? We don't want to risk him trying to harm you." I nodded.
"I'm sure I could go somewhere." I answered. I knew without a doubt that I wouldn't be going anywhere without at least a two person escort for probably the rest of my life.
"It sounds like you have some pretty good friends. I know Tommy and Jason. My son, Elliot, is in Tommy's karate classes."
"They are pretty great. I don't deserve them. I've lied to them so much in the last couple of months. I wouldn't talk to me if I were in their shoes." She stood up.
"That's the funny thing about friends, though. Even when you don't understand it, they are there for you." Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out a business card and held it out to me. I took it. "You can call me whenever you want if you remember anything else or even if you just need to talk to someone who knows what you've been through. I know it's not easy and can be even more difficult to talk to your friends about."
"Thank you." I said. Behind her, I heard the door open and Tommy reappeared, two cups of coffee in hand.
"I don't want to keep you any longer. We will be in touch, okay? Please be safe. If you see Nick, call 911 immediately and we will be there."
"I will." She gave Tommy a smile before walking out of the room. He walked over and handed me a cup.
"Here. It's shitty but it's coffee."
"Oh, god. Thank you." I replied, taking a sip. I made a disgruntled face. "Is this decaf?" I asked, sticking my tongue out. He laughed.
"Well, yeah. Caffeine isn't good for the baby." I moved to say something but the door opened again. I expected to see another nurse but instead was greeted by Marci, Trini, Aisha, Billy and Adam.
"Hey there, stranger!" Aisha said. Behind her, I saw that Billy was carrying a vase of pink roses that had balloons tied to it. I smiled, setting my coffee cup down on the small table next to me.
"Guys, I told Tommy to tell everyone I'd see them when I got out." I said. Aisha scoffed, leaning over and giving me a hug.
"Like we've ever listened to him." She said. When she pulled away, she gripped my good hand. "Girl, you had us worried to death."
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to worry everyone." I replied. I turned to Marci who had plopped into the chair the detective had been sitting in. "I guess I owe you my life now."
"Eh. I'll take a car instead." She replied, shrugging her shoulders. "Really, I'm just glad you were okay. I really thought…" She trailed off and for the first time since I've ever met her, I heard emotion thick in her voice and her eyes shined over.
"I think we all know what we thought." Trini said, putting a hand on Marci's shoulder. "Thankfully, Marci was there just in time."
"Good thing I have no social life." Marci said, wiping her eyes. I laughed, wiping my own eyes. "So, when is my little surrogate brother or sister due?" There was a collective glance between them all. Trini grimaced, looking down at Marci. "What?"
"We all agreed to not mention that yet, remember?" Trini said softly.
"It's fine. Really." I said, putting my hands on my stomach. "I mean, sooner or later, it was gonna be noticeable. And I'm not sure. I have a follow up appointment sometime next week to check everything out."
"Well, as the Uncle Adam in the picture, who will not only be the favorite but also the most loved, I do have to say I hope it's a boy." Adam said from his place next to Tommy who was leaning on the window cill. "Cause clearly, you girls are too difficult to handle."
"Every kid does deserve a pair of gay uncles." Marci said, looking over her shoulder to smile at him. Adam nodded.
"I can't believe we are going to be pregnant together!" Aisha said, a huge grin on her face. She turned to Trini. "Tell Jason you wanna be in our club." Tommy, Adam, and Billy laughed loudly at this as Trini turned beat red.
"Jason would keel over." Tommy said, crossing his arms.
"Affirmative. His fear of change interferes with his progression in life." Billy said, nodding his head.
"Alright. Alright." Trini said. "Could we change the subject, please?"
"How about we talk about where everyone will be sleeping for the next couple of days?" Aisha asked. "There's no way Kim and Marci can go home until that psycho is caught."
"It's not a big deal. Billy, you changed the locks, right?" I asked. He nodded. "We will be fine there." Tommy shook his head.
"The police asked us to put you guys somewhere else just in case." He said. "That's what the detective told me in the hallway."
"Terrific." I muttered.
"Well, they can stay with us." Aisha replied. "Trini, Marci, and Kim can always crash there."
"What about Rocky and Jason? Where are they? And Zack?" I questioned.
"Jason is still playing guard dog at your house. He hasn't left since you were admitted. Rocky's with him and Zack was heading over there when I talked to him this morning." Trini replied. I sighed, scratching the top of my head.
"You all can't just put your lives on hold for us because of this." I said. "What about the dojo? The classes?" I asked. Tommy shrugged.
"That's what subs are for. We have some older kids at the center who can teach and the three of us are going to take turns supervising. Zack and Adam even offered to step in when we need them too."
"And I'm taking a sabbatical until everything blows over." Trini said. "I've been looking for a reason to take some time off anyway. I already called your boss. I told Mr. Ridley you were in the hospital. He said to take as much time as you needed. The play company will hold the fort down until you're ready to come back."
"So what? I just have to stay in hiding until they catch him? What if they don't?" I asked, looking around the room. "Am I going to hide in Aisha's attic forever?"
"They will catch him. There's only so many places to hide in Angel Grove and Nick hasn't been here long enough to know the area that well. He'll screw up. He's not the brightest bulb." Aisha said, reaching over and putting a hand on my knee. "And no. You'll be staying in the den."
"Thanks." I replied. Sighing, I ran my good hand through my hair. "I really wish I hadn't dragged you guys into this mess. I'm sorry. Part of me wishes we had just stayed in Miami."
"Kim, this situation would have occurred regardless of your position." Billy said. "Statistically speaking, Nick's domestic abuse would have taken place there as well."
"And we would rather have you here to help you rather than 3,000 miles away with no one to call." Trini crossed her arms. Something told me that if I had called her from Miami and told her Nick had hit me, she would have been there in record time to beat his ass anyway.
"When do you get to leave?" Marci asked, leaning over and stealing the cup of coffee that Tommy had bought for me.
"The doctor is supposed to let me know today. Honestly, what would I do without you guys?" Marci took a sip of the coffee and made a disgusted face as she spit it back into the cup.
"Oh good god. This is awful." There was a collective laugh around the room and for the first time in months, I felt whole. I didn't feel the urge to run or to hide because of how Nick might react. Even though he was out there somewhere, I knew deep down that everyone in this room plus the three playing guard dogs at my house would protect me. I put a hand over my stomach. They would protect us.
