isn’t always an option.” She smiled as she removed the headscarf that protected her hair from the dust. She started to poof out her hair before Tyler stopped her.
“No, no! Let me do that for you!” His eagerness surprised her. She slowly lowered her hands as he walked up to do the task. She watched him peculiarly as he attentively ran his fingers through her hair, massaging her scalp with each stroke. An involuntary moan escaped her, freezing him in his tracks. He slowly looked down, meeting her astonished gaze. He smiled at the look of guilt she displayed.
“Even with my hands digging in your hair, you still look beautiful.”
Cupping her face he leaned in for a kiss when a slight knock sounded on the door frame catching their attention. There stood a woman holding a little girl in her arms with an older boy beside her. The sight of them caused Tyler’s stomach to tighten. He had never seen anything like it. Although his mother had preferred the company of losers they all knew that hitting her would have been a death sentence. Her family had virtually disowned her but she was still a Moriatti and had continued to be protected like one.
The woman was Caucasian and looked to be in her early twenties, almost childlike in appearance. Her brown hair was partially done up in a ponytail with the other potion loose in disarray. Fresh bruises were forming on her face and throat. Blood had already started to coagulate on her busted lip and nose.
The boy, who looked about eleven or twelve with the same coloring, sported a black eye. On closer inspection Evy noticed that his knuckles were bruised and bloody as well. The only one in the group with no apparent injury was the sleeping toddler with the tear streaked face. Evy, who had seen it before, knew that the baby’s wounds were indeed present, just not yet visible to the naked eye.
“Ma’am, we were told we could stay here tonight,” the boy started as he placed a protective arm around his mother. “I can’t let my mom go back to him. He almost killed her and I can’t let that happen.” A fine sheen of tears glazed over his large blue eyes.
Evy noted that the boy was indeed precocious for his age. Witnessing the abuse of a parent could do that to a child. “This shelter’s not open yet but I’ll get you a place to stay… I promise,” she assured him.
“We don’t have any money. We had to get outta there before he got back up,” the boy continued as his mom started to silently weep. “Don’t cry, mama. They said they’d help us.” Standing almost at her petite height he gave her a squeeze in an attempt to console her.
“Why don’t you come over here so we can put some ice on that?” Evy said pointing at his eye. The group slowly walked toward her while Tyler retreated to the other room to grab some ice from one of the coolers left on site. Once they were comfortably seated in the window seat of the room, she began the routine questioning she was trained to ask. Using leftover t-shirts, they cleaned their wounds as best they could.
“Shouldn’t we get you to a hospital?” Tyler asked the mom.
“No! No hospitals!” she stated emphatically. “They’ve already tried to split us up. If my boy hadn’t been there I’d be dead right now.”
Evy understood her situation, she’d seen it before. “We’ll get you to a temporary apartment but first you have to agree to talk to our social worker and let our physician’s assistant examine you. You don’t have to give them your name or any other information. We just want to make sure you’re okay.”
The mom looked at Evy, then at her bruised son. “Okay. That sounds reasonable.” She nodded her agreement. She didn’t care what happened to her but she couldn’t bear the thought of anything happening to her son.
“Good,” Evy
“No, no! Let me do that for you!” His eagerness surprised her. She slowly lowered her hands as he walked up to do the task. She watched him peculiarly as he attentively ran his fingers through her hair, massaging her scalp with each stroke. An involuntary moan escaped her, freezing him in his tracks. He slowly looked down, meeting her astonished gaze. He smiled at the look of guilt she displayed.
“Even with my hands digging in your hair, you still look beautiful.”
Cupping her face he leaned in for a kiss when a slight knock sounded on the door frame catching their attention. There stood a woman holding a little girl in her arms with an older boy beside her. The sight of them caused Tyler’s stomach to tighten. He had never seen anything like it. Although his mother had preferred the company of losers they all knew that hitting her would have been a death sentence. Her family had virtually disowned her but she was still a Moriatti and had continued to be protected like one.
The woman was Caucasian and looked to be in her early twenties, almost childlike in appearance. Her brown hair was partially done up in a ponytail with the other potion loose in disarray. Fresh bruises were forming on her face and throat. Blood had already started to coagulate on her busted lip and nose.
The boy, who looked about eleven or twelve with the same coloring, sported a black eye. On closer inspection Evy noticed that his knuckles were bruised and bloody as well. The only one in the group with no apparent injury was the sleeping toddler with the tear streaked face. Evy, who had seen it before, knew that the baby’s wounds were indeed present, just not yet visible to the naked eye.
“Ma’am, we were told we could stay here tonight,” the boy started as he placed a protective arm around his mother. “I can’t let my mom go back to him. He almost killed her and I can’t let that happen.” A fine sheen of tears glazed over his large blue eyes.
Evy noted that the boy was indeed precocious for his age. Witnessing the abuse of a parent could do that to a child. “This shelter’s not open yet but I’ll get you a place to stay… I promise,” she assured him.
“We don’t have any money. We had to get outta there before he got back up,” the boy continued as his mom started to silently weep. “Don’t cry, mama. They said they’d help us.” Standing almost at her petite height he gave her a squeeze in an attempt to console her.
“Why don’t you come over here so we can put some ice on that?” Evy said pointing at his eye. The group slowly walked toward her while Tyler retreated to the other room to grab some ice from one of the coolers left on site. Once they were comfortably seated in the window seat of the room, she began the routine questioning she was trained to ask. Using leftover t-shirts, they cleaned their wounds as best they could.
“Shouldn’t we get you to a hospital?” Tyler asked the mom.
“No! No hospitals!” she stated emphatically. “They’ve already tried to split us up. If my boy hadn’t been there I’d be dead right now.”
Evy understood her situation, she’d seen it before. “We’ll get you to a temporary apartment but first you have to agree to talk to our social worker and let our physician’s assistant examine you. You don’t have to give them your name or any other information. We just want to make sure you’re okay.”
The mom looked at Evy, then at her bruised son. “Okay. That sounds reasonable.” She nodded her agreement. She didn’t care what happened to her but she couldn’t bear the thought of anything happening to her son.
“Good,” Evy
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