insisted and I'm glad she did.
It's a beautiful city." She shivered.
"Here," Mark shrugged out of his suit coat and
slipped it over her shoulders.
"Thank you," she smiled.
They stood in silence for a few minutes until Katy spoke.
"So, where's Sandra?"
"Probably at her hotel. Katy, we, I mean it's
not..."
"You don't have to explain anything to me Mark,"
Katy cut him off.
"Yeah, but..."
"Really Mark. You don’t owe me an explanation. I hope
you find someone special, somebody that can make you happy."
Katy handed him back the jacket and went inside.
8.
Two weeks later, Katy back in Portland, she sat with Sarah
at the little cafe across from the courthouse.
"It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be," Katy
told Sarah. She had just been interviewed by the Public Defender representing
Danny. "Once he heard what happened, he really didn't ask many more
questions."
"It really is a mostly open and shut case," Sarah
told her.
"What do you mean mostly?"
"Well he'll be found guilty, I just don't know on which
counts. You can never make any guarantees when you present a case to a
jury."
"I see," Katy sighed. She was gearing up for the
trial which was supposed to start in ten days. Matt and Janie would be in
Portland in a week and Mark was coming too, she assumed, but she hadn't spoken
to him since Christmas Day. The image of him with the flight attendant still
haunted her dreams. She really did want him to be happy. She cared for him,
more deeply than she wanted to admit.
"What is it?" Sarah asked.
A tear escaped Katy's eye and fell from her cheek.
"Katy?"
"He didn't just take away my security, my freedom for
those thirty hours," she said. "What if he took my future too?"
"Your future?" Sarah asked.
"What if he also stole from me the man I could have
been happy with? The man I’ve been searching for all these years?"
Sarah didn't know exactly what Katy was speaking of,
but from her own personal experience she knew how devastating rape could be.
*****
There was a bad virus going around and several nurses had
called in sick. Katy’s supervisor asked if she would mind covering in the ER
for the day.
“Of course not!” she replied, and happily made her way down
to the first floor.
It was busy. Unusually busy for a Thursday. There were
several vomiting children, a really bad bicycle accident, and two car accidents…
and that was only the first forty-five minutes. It had been a few months since
her last rotation in the department and she had to catch her breath after a
couple of hours. But it was also exhilarating. She really did love her job and
the time was flying by, which was an added bonus.
About an hour or so before her shift ended, the call came in
that the ambulance was bringing in a young woman who’d been beaten pretty
badly. The crew put on new gloves and face masks and waited for the EMT’s to
arrive. As they wheeled the girl in through the doors, despite the blood and
swelling on her face, Katy instantly recognized her from Dr. La Vaughn’s
office. She froze for a split second and then her years of training and
experience took over. She put on the blood pressure cuff and helped to cut off
her clothing and get her covered in blankets and a hospital gown. She took the
girls’ hand and tried to calm her sobs.
The police arrived just minutes later and wanted to question
her but the doctor told them to wait outside. As Katy left the room to get the
portable ultra sound machine, she came face to face with Officer Robbins. He
was the policeman who had been one of the first to arrive at Danny’s house. She
had spoken with him several times after as well.
“Katy!” he smiled. “It’s great to see you looking so well.”
“Hi,” she said. “Are you here for her?” Katy pointed to the
girl behind her.
“Yeah, how is she?”
“I don’t know yet, but she doesn’t look good.”
Katy grabbed the machine and pushed it into the room where
another nurse took it from her.
“What happened?”
It's a beautiful city." She shivered.
"Here," Mark shrugged out of his suit coat and
slipped it over her shoulders.
"Thank you," she smiled.
They stood in silence for a few minutes until Katy spoke.
"So, where's Sandra?"
"Probably at her hotel. Katy, we, I mean it's
not..."
"You don't have to explain anything to me Mark,"
Katy cut him off.
"Yeah, but..."
"Really Mark. You don’t owe me an explanation. I hope
you find someone special, somebody that can make you happy."
Katy handed him back the jacket and went inside.
8.
Two weeks later, Katy back in Portland, she sat with Sarah
at the little cafe across from the courthouse.
"It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be," Katy
told Sarah. She had just been interviewed by the Public Defender representing
Danny. "Once he heard what happened, he really didn't ask many more
questions."
"It really is a mostly open and shut case," Sarah
told her.
"What do you mean mostly?"
"Well he'll be found guilty, I just don't know on which
counts. You can never make any guarantees when you present a case to a
jury."
"I see," Katy sighed. She was gearing up for the
trial which was supposed to start in ten days. Matt and Janie would be in
Portland in a week and Mark was coming too, she assumed, but she hadn't spoken
to him since Christmas Day. The image of him with the flight attendant still
haunted her dreams. She really did want him to be happy. She cared for him,
more deeply than she wanted to admit.
"What is it?" Sarah asked.
A tear escaped Katy's eye and fell from her cheek.
"Katy?"
"He didn't just take away my security, my freedom for
those thirty hours," she said. "What if he took my future too?"
"Your future?" Sarah asked.
"What if he also stole from me the man I could have
been happy with? The man I’ve been searching for all these years?"
Sarah didn't know exactly what Katy was speaking of,
but from her own personal experience she knew how devastating rape could be.
*****
There was a bad virus going around and several nurses had
called in sick. Katy’s supervisor asked if she would mind covering in the ER
for the day.
“Of course not!” she replied, and happily made her way down
to the first floor.
It was busy. Unusually busy for a Thursday. There were
several vomiting children, a really bad bicycle accident, and two car accidents…
and that was only the first forty-five minutes. It had been a few months since
her last rotation in the department and she had to catch her breath after a
couple of hours. But it was also exhilarating. She really did love her job and
the time was flying by, which was an added bonus.
About an hour or so before her shift ended, the call came in
that the ambulance was bringing in a young woman who’d been beaten pretty
badly. The crew put on new gloves and face masks and waited for the EMT’s to
arrive. As they wheeled the girl in through the doors, despite the blood and
swelling on her face, Katy instantly recognized her from Dr. La Vaughn’s
office. She froze for a split second and then her years of training and
experience took over. She put on the blood pressure cuff and helped to cut off
her clothing and get her covered in blankets and a hospital gown. She took the
girls’ hand and tried to calm her sobs.
The police arrived just minutes later and wanted to question
her but the doctor told them to wait outside. As Katy left the room to get the
portable ultra sound machine, she came face to face with Officer Robbins. He
was the policeman who had been one of the first to arrive at Danny’s house. She
had spoken with him several times after as well.
“Katy!” he smiled. “It’s great to see you looking so well.”
“Hi,” she said. “Are you here for her?” Katy pointed to the
girl behind her.
“Yeah, how is she?”
“I don’t know yet, but she doesn’t look good.”
Katy grabbed the machine and pushed it into the room where
another nurse took it from her.
“What happened?”
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