Part 13, Help
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August 15, 2001 -- Wednesday
It was almost a year later when Annie got another call from 'Lawrence'. She had dubbed him that because when they did a trace on the call they found it was a pay phone outside of body shop in Lawrence, Kansas. She had often wondered about her failure and what had happened to the sad young man.
"Friends for Life Help Center, I'm Annie, you can talk to me," Annie answered the phone with a forced cheeriness, she had wanted to go to lunch but Rebecca had not gotten back yet.
"H-hello An-annie," a halting voice said.
That voice immediately got her full attention, she had prayed he would call back. "Hello? Is this you?" she did not know what to call him since he never gave a name. She saw that the phone number displayed was for a John and Mary Winchester. She quickly logged the address and started the back up recording.
"Y-yeah, I c-call'd b-b'fore. I j-just w-wan'na t-tell y-you th-thanks," he did not seem so frightened.
"Thanks? What for? What did I do?" she was confused, she thought that she failed him on those other calls.
"Y-you h-heard me. Y-you t-talk'd t' me," he also sounded as though he was about to break down. "S-sam is-s th' o-only o-ne wh-who t-talks a-at me. M-my b-boss an' co-w-workers d-don' s-speak t' me an' M-mom an' D-dad ig-gnore me, S-sam s-saw t' th-that." It was almost as if he were speaking to himself, his tone was so lonely.
"I hear you, anytime you want to talk," she wanted to give her extension but that was against the rules.
"I, um, j-just n-need'd t' h-hear a fr-frien'ly v-voice," he was interrupted by a coughing fit.
"Are you alright? Are you still in that situation you described before?" Annie wanted to help him.
"I f-fi', j-jus' al-al'gies," he paused to blow his nose, "N-nut'n's ch-chang'd. S-sam s-still h-hates me an' sh-shows me e-ev'r d-day. Th-though he d-did l-let me st-tay h-home c-cuz of my al-al'gies t'day," the next pause was a long enough to make Annie think that he had hung up again except for the number displayed on her screen still. Then she heard, "I h-hur' all'l da t-tim-me. S-sam b-beat-t's me an' r-rapes-s me. I d-don't-t w-wan'na h-hur' no m-more."
"Oh, honey. No one should have to go through that," Annie did not know what to do, the rapes were a new revelation. "Let me get you some help."
"N-no!" he immediately answered, then added quietly, "H-he'll h-hur' m-mom an' d-dad."
"What?" she was confused as to what to say next, his need to protect was clouding his judgement. "How do you know that? Have you seen it?"
The man was crying now, "I d-don' w-wanna d-do th-this an-ny m-more. I j-jus' wan' it t' s-stop-p. It-t's b-been t-too m-many y-years-s."
"I can send help to your location if you just say the word," Annie was getting anxious.
"N-no! S-sam w-will b-be m-mad if a-an'one f-fin's out-t. I'm t-takin' a r-risk c-callin'," the man sounded panicked.
"I will listen as long as you want, but you have got to let me help you," she was pleading, trying to get him to trust her.
"J-jus' t-talk t' m-me," his voice dropped down to a whisper, "I s-so l-lone-ly."
"What do you want me to say?" Annie questioned, tears forming in her eyes.
"T-tell m-me 'b-bout y-y'r d-day," he had tears in his voice.
"Well, so far I have taken three calls, not including yours, and Rebecca is late coming back from lunch," Annie tried to keep the conversation light in order to keep the man on the phone and herself from breaking down.
"Y-you h-have l-lunch y-yet?" he quizzed.
"No, I am talking to you," thinking that he might take that the wrong way she added, "but then I would have missed your call. And I am on a diet anyway." She chuckled.
"I s-sorry t' k-keep y-you," he apologized.
"No, I would not have missed your call for the world," Annie meant it, she knew she could help if he would just talk.
"Th-thanks, I, um, y-you --" he was cut off by a yell.
Annie heard an angry voice on the other end of the line.
"What the hell are you doing?!" a door slammed and hurried footsteps followed.
"S-ss-am-m!" fear radiated from every stuttered letter, "I-I s-sor-rry, i-it-t --" the young man tried to answer but then she heard the sound of her caller getting slapped.
"Who the hell are you? What did Dean tell you?" the angry voice demanded, not getting an answer he added, "I will find out."
Annie was so shocked that she just sat in stunned silence. She did not know what to do so she hit the mute button on her phone so that the angry voice, Sam, would not know she was still on the line. After a moment she heard Sam again, this time directed at her caller, Dean.
"I did not give you permission to talk on the phone. You know what this means," the voice became low and steady.
"I-I s-sor-rry S-sam-m. I-it-t r-rang-gg --" tere was desperation in his voice.
"I don't want to hear your excuses. You broke the rules and now you have to be punished. You are a bad boy, Dean."
Annie heard the sounds of a beating. She could almost visualize Dean being hit with the handset of the phone from the sound of the blows and his cries of pain. Dean was begging for forgiveness almost as if he knew that it would not make any difference but did it anyway. The last thing she heard was the handset being slammed home ending the call.
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