Chapter 12
Sam felt worse than he had ever felt in his entire life. Worse than when he found out that Santa Clause and the Tooth Fairy weren't real. Worse than when he was told he was the only savior to a nation of alien robots. Worse than when he and Mikaela broke up for about two weeks because of a miscommunication. He couldn't fathom the fact that someone thought that not only could he possibly be the reason the woman he loved was hurting, but that he had done it out of anger and hatred for her. That wasn't him at all. He loved her with all of his heart and he would never hurt her. Not even by accident.
This is what he had explained to Melissa countless times and then to his parents when they had arrived only minutes after he had received the news. As of right now, Mikaela wasn't aware of the current situation and had been put in an examination room to be looked at. Apparently during the CT scan her shirt had been caught in part of the machine and one of the doctors who had helped her had seen the multiple black and blue bruises on her stomach and back. They called social services and Sam was number one on the list of possible abusers. Mostly because he so obviously covered up for Mikaela and said that she fell off of her motorcycle. The doctor could tell he made that up off of the top of his head and the bruises confirmed that. Sam was forbidden to go see Mikaela because of his possible dangerous behavior and therefore he could not get Mikaela to tell them that he wasn't the one who had caused all of her suffering. Even the police had gotten involved and were questioning Sam and his parents to confirm their false suspicions.
Mikaela sat in the patient room terrified of the situation she was in. She knew she should've gone home a long time ago. Her wrist had indeed been fractured and she had a cast on it. Mikaela remembered the situation that had occurred in the CT scan room. All of the doctors had seen her bruises all over her stomach and back. They had even gasped loudly before helping her with her shirt and sending her into this room. The last thing Mikaela wanted was for them to find out that her father was the one responsible and bring him into the hospital. Not only did she not want him in jail again, but she didn't want to be that close to him either. He had tricked her and she would never trust him again. She also didn't want Sam and his parents to find out about the abuse from someone else other than her. They had been so good to her and she owed it to them to explain the entire reason why she came to their house in the first place.
Sam was trying to explain to a police officer and his parents at the same time that he did notice a long time ago that something was wrong with Mikaela but he talked to her and they decided that she would tell him when she was ready. He thought that as long as she was staying with his family, she would be safe and therefore, not telling him right away wouldn't hurt her.
"Son, do you have any idea who might have done this to her then?" the officer asked him. He was fed up with the kid's excuses and was ready to take him downtown as of this moment. Unfortunately, the law was more patient and if he didn't have enough evidence to cuff him, he couldn't put him behind bars.
"All I know is that she called me on my cell when I was driving over to pick her up from work. She work's in a Tyce's Repair Shop. She told me on the phone that as soon as I picked her up, she needed me to take her to the hospital. I told her to stay where she was and I would be there in a few minutes. I came in and she was in the manager's office holding her wrist. The only people there were Manny, Drew and Tyce, the manager." Sam told the officer. "I don't understand why I can't see Mikaela. As soon as I talk to her, we'll fix this whole thing. She'll tell you who did it to her." Sam said.
"Son, we have someone questioning her right now. If your two stories match, we'll knock you off of the list of possible suspects and you can be on your way." The officer told him. Sam sighed and leaned back in his chair.
"Well do you know how much longer that's going to be?" George asked the officer. The officer stood up.
"I'll go check to see how it's going. It'll probably be only a few more minutes." He said. Sam nodded as he left to go check.
Mikaela was being questioned by another police officer in the room she was put in over an hour ago. They were asking her questions like "What exactly happened to your wrist?" and "Can you give us the name of the person who did this to you?" Mikaela found the latter question especially hard to answer. There was a long pause and she was going to answer her truthfully when there was a knock on the door and another police officer walked in.
"I finished questioning her friend. We need to see if their stories match now." He told his coworker. She nodded and stood up. Something clicked in Mikaela's head and she finally understood why she had been there for so long.
"Wait! You think Sam did this to me? Why? He's the last person ever in the world to hurt me. Even by accident." She told them.
"Mikaela, if Sam isn't the one who hurt you, then you have to tell us who did. It's the only way to let Sam go." The police officer told her. Mikaela began to cry.
"It was my father!" She cried. "He has been abusing me for months! Ever since he was released from jail. Almost every night he beats and kicks me because I'm worthless as a daughter. He tells me that. I don't want him to be back in jail, but I don't want Sam in trouble even more." She finished and looked at the officers. They were looking at her sympathetically.
"Dear, were going to help you okay? But the only way you can get better is if your father pays the price. Do you want to see Sam now?" The officer's asked her. Still crying she nodded her head. The officer's left the room and Mikaela had a sense of lightness on her. She had finally told someone that her father was the cause of her bruises. But then her stomach dropped suddenly.
"I didn't tell Sam yet. What if he refuses to even look at me after what I had put him through?" Dread filled her as she anxiously waited for Sam to come into her room.
