10

Chapter 527 Coin in the Karma Bank

If Scarlett didn't take her father's threat seriously to let Jax learn her physiotherapy routine or he would, she would never have asked Jax to come to physio with her. She knew it was ridiculous. He knew that she couldn't do a lot of things. It was nothing to be embarrassed about, but sometimes emotions overtake logic. She was embarrassed that she couldn't lift her legs and she couldn't stop feeling embarrassed. It was worse because Jax could see her discomfort.

"Stop it," Jax said when they were back in the car.

"What are you talking about?"

"Being embarrassed. Scarlett I know you seem to think it's a secret how injured you are. It's not. I know you're getting better too. You aren't taking as much pain medication at night and your walking is better."

"I know it's stupid to feel this way."

"I want you to get better so you aren't in pain, but if you never can walk faster or pick things up off the floor, I don't care. I want to help you with your therapy because I love you."

Jax's bright blue eyes didn't miss much. He could be so sweet and kind.

She kissed him on the cheek.

"Thanks. I am better. It's a slow process. I used to always be in pain except when I took painkillers. Now I have periods of time that I'm not in pain and the pain isn't as bad. When I first realized how injured I was, I wasn't sure how much of a recovery I'd have. It takes six to nine months for a soft tissue injury to heal. That's why they always say it's better to break a bone than tear muscles or tendons. Bones only take six weeks."

"And if you break my heart it would be forever," Jax said dramatically clutching his heart.

Scarlett smiled at him, her heart full of love for him.

"I am never going to break your heart," she promised.

"Time to do your good deed."

He drove them a few miles to where he'd parked her van. She slide into the Crown Victoria's driver's seat while Jax got into her van. She was giving the Crown Vic she used for her therapy appointments to a young woman staying in a domestic violence shelter with her baby. Now that her psycho ex was behind bars, she didn't need to switch cars anymore.

Every year she gave money to a domestic violence shelter. She and her father took so much from her psycho ex, it was only right she give back. She'd been lucky because she had her father to help her run.

Georgia the young woman she was going to help today had no family The women that ran the shelter told her Georgia left her abusive boyfriend when she found bruises on her three month old little girl's arms and face. While he was at work, she grabbed a suitcase, a diaper bag and her baby and left. She had less than five dollars with her and no ATM card, credit card or checkbook.

She was meeting with Georgia at the shelter to transfer the car's title and help her get the car insured. She was paying for the insurance to make sure that got done. She then was going to give her a gift card with enough money for her to rent an apartment, pay first and last month's rent plus a security deposit. She also added money for her to get some furniture, kitchen essentials, baby supplies and pay for food and utilities. She would transfer money to Georgia's card for five more months. It would give her enough time to find a place to live and a job. She also had some budget suggestions and other advice she'd written, printed out and put in the glove compartment.

Jax had helped out. He had installed the baby's car seat in the back seat of the car. The baby was only three months old, so he'd put it in so the baby would be riding backward until she was at least a year old. Scarlett put the warranty and instruction booklet for the car seat in the glove compartment.

Scarlett walked into the Caring Hearts Domestic Violence Shelter. She'd expected a bleak, sad place filled with bleak sad women. It was a bright warm place with a bright grass green wall, a reddish pink wall, a buttercup yellow wall and a bright turquoise wall. It shouldn't have worked, but it made the place feel bright and happy. There was a children's play area and another area where the mothers could use computers. There was a hallway that led to rooms for the women and their children to live in.

Two women in jeans and dark pink T-shirts with the shelter's name on them came to meet Scarlett. She'd talked to one of the women on the phone when she picked the shelter and sought help in selecting the woman she was going to help.

She handed the slender blonde woman nearest her a check in an envelope.

"Thank you for your donation."

"I write a check that's easy. Seeing what these women go through day in and day out must be hard."

"It's rewarding," a stout gray haired woman said. "It can be heart-breaking too especially when they go back."

"Georgia's waiting for you," the blonde woman said leading Scarlett into a small room with the same bright pink, green, yellow and turquoise walls. It was unexpected. Scarlett thought the creativity might have run out when they got to the offices. Bright fun paint doesn't cost anymore than the sad institutional beige.

Georgia was nineteen with long dark blonde hair, average height with a rounded figure. She was pretty, but there were deep shadows under her eyes and a tense nervous look on her face. There was a large bruise on her cheek, a cut by her eye partially covered with a band-aid and a split upper lip. She was holding an angelic looking baby sleeping in her arms. The bruises stood out against her pale milky baby skin.

"Hi, I'm Amelia," Scarlett said. She automatically gave a made-up name. Old habits die hard. "I've got some stuff for you so you can leave here, drive off somewhere and begin a new life."

Georgia looked at Scarlett nervously.

"Why me?"

"You don't have anyone to help you. I had my father when I needed to run. He went with me because my psycho ex would have killed him if he hadn't."

"You were in a bad relationship?"

Scarlett nodded.

"If I hadn't gotten out, he would have killed me. He tortured and killed my puppy and sent me the video," Scarlett said. It was a dark and horrible memory that she usually managed to keep buried deep, but seeing Georgia and her baby daughter's bruised faces brought the memory back.

Georgia gasped and her warm chocolate brown eyes filled with tears.

"So horrible."

"I've learned to keep all the bad memories in a locked room in my mind," Scarlett said. "You'll learn that too. It's raw and horrible right now, but putting distance and time helps. Just remember, he won't change. You can't give him a second chance and he'll kill you one day. Could be today or tomorrow, but he will kill the baby, you or both. I'm giving you a chance at a good future."

"I've given him so many second chances, I've lost count," she said wearily. "It's always my fault, but Jenna's a baby. Nothing's her fault. She didn't deserve to get hit."

"Neither did you. It's not your fault either. I'm so damned sick of people say look what you made me do," Scarlett said showing a surprising amount of anger. "Unless someone is holding a gun to your head or someone you love's head, you are in control of your actions. You make a choice to scream at your kids or beat them."

"He is so good at manipulating me."

"Don't go back."

Georgia shook her head. "I will never go back. You are giving me a chance. I'm going to take that chance and never look back."

"Let's sit down next to each other so I can explain everything," Scarlett said.

They sat down at the white table each taking a white chair. The baby stirred slightly, gave her pacifier a couple of energetic sucks before drifting back to sleep.

"What a good baby!" Scarlett exclaimed giving Georgia a warm smile. "And beautiful too."

"I owe her a good future."

"What happened with your family?"

"When I was a senior, my mom, dad and brother were killed by an uninsured drunk driver as they crossed a street in a crosswalk. I was almost eighteen and my aunt that lived in Arizona knew me. She'd spent Christmas with us one year when her son was deployed overseas. Never heard from her. I left a couple of messages on her voice mail and sent her an email. Not a card or a call."

"Some people are takers and can't give at all even if it's just a few words of comfort. It hurts because you expect them to act normally and get in touch. These people don't belong in your life. Now you know the truth about your aunt."

"You're right about her. On top of all the grief of losing my family, I got dumped by my aunt. I thought she would come from Arizona and help me."

"She's a terrible person. She's your aunt and you were alone. She should have driven or flown out here to help you."

Scarlett explained about the car. They set up the car's insurance. Scarlett gave her the smart phone she'd gotten for her and paid for six months of unlimited talk, text and data.

"On your phone, I've set up reminders so you know you need to start paying your car insurance and your phone."

"He wouldn't let me have a phone," she said. "I have a laptop that I kept hidden, but we didn't have internet. When I left with Jenna, I walked to McDonald's to use their Wi-Fi and found this place. They came and picked me up. I don't know what I would have done without them."

"I gave them a donation so they can keep helping others."

"Thank you. They have been so nice. I forgot what kindness feels like."

Scarlett handed her the bank card she'd set up, explained that she was going to transfer money to the card every month for the next five months for her to use on rent and living expenses.

"Don't think this happened to you because you're young. Domestic violence happens at all ages even old people. Doctor's wives get beaten. Cops wives do too. You didn't have any money, but you had the courage to leave. At higher income levels, women stay for financial reasons too. I knew a woman who was a police captain's wife. He beat her so badly she was hospitalized. It wasn't the first time he'd beaten her. She was mysteriously gone from work for several weeks. Her best friend told me she almost left him that time."

"She didn't call the police?"

"No. She lied about her injuries because if she told the truth, her husband would lose his job and his pension. All those years of beatings and covering up for him would be for nothing. She kept her mouth shut She could have divorced him, kept quiet about the abuse, but she stayed the loyal wife. A couple of months later, she found out he was having an affair. She stayed and she wasn't a stupid woman except when it came to him. He wasn't even attractive. It can happen to any woman at any income level. I put some books on your phone. Child care and some on relationships and how to spot abusive relationships."

Georgia started crying overcome by everything that Scarlett was doing for her.

"Go have a great life," Scarlett said handing her the keys to the car. "The baby's car seat is installed facing backwards. There's a little cash in an envelope in the glove compartment as well as some handy info I wrote down for you. There's another copy in the Word document folder on your phone. I'd suggest you leave California. That will help give you a fresh start and you won't have to worry about running into him.

Georgia wiped away her tears and grinned suddenly looking like a young teen.

"I'm just going to drive. Try to get out of the state and then figure out where I want to live after that."

"Good plan."

They hugged, the three of them Scarlett, Georgia and sleeping baby Jenna.

"I can never thank you enough."

"You thank me every day you are away from your abusive ex."

Georgia gave Scarlett another hug before Scarlett left. The women waved at Scarlett as she left.

Scarlett walked to where Jax was parked in the van waiting for her. She savored walking and how much more easily moved.

"Finished your good deed?" Jax asked as she got into the van.

"Putting coin in the karma bank," Scarlett said.

"Wendy used to say that too."

"I hope I come to a better end," Scarlett said.

"Meth is a terrible drug. It screws up your brain chemistry," Jax said. "I should have known better than think Wendy could handle occasional use."

"Life would be easier if we didn't have to learn hard lessons."

Jax leaned over and nuzzled Scarlett's neck.

"How about we go eat at that Mongolian wok stir fry place we both like? I'll have a nice swim in the lake and you join me in the shower. I'll give you your very own hard lesson."

"My back could use another thorough wash."

"I could do that too," Jax said before giving Scarlett a long kiss on the lips.

Scarlett was happy she could do a good deed, but she couldn't shake off the feeling that it might be premature. Her father was so confident that her psycho ex would stay locked up in prison, but she just couldn't shake a feeling that it was too good to be true.

He was going to get out and come after her again.