Page 2 of Saving You

“Thank you,” the mom says.

“You must be the brave little girl who called 911?”

Her blonde hair bobs as she nods.

“Do you think that you can come with me so we can have some people look at your mommy and make sure she’s okay?”

The little girl nods and gets up from her mother’s lap. I make my way over to where they are and offer my hand to the mother. She doesn’t take it, choosing to get up on her own. The two of them hold hands as I lead them towards the front door.

Outside, the father has been put in the back of a cruiser, and an ambulance is sitting on the curb. I lead them over to the back of the rig, and the paramedics get to work right away.

I go to step away to check in with Collins when a little hand wraps around mine. Looking down, I see the girl looking at me, tears still in her eyes. It guts me to see her like this. I duck down and ask her, “What’s your name?”

“Charlotte.” Her voice is soft and tentative.

“My name is Caleb. Would you like to sit with me while these people help your mommy?”

Her nod is small.

I lead us to the sidewalk, taking a seat, and she sits beside me. I pull my phone out and open a video of cats jumping when they see a cucumber I had come across earlier.

“Do you want to see a funny video, Charlotte?”

She looks up at me, her face so innocent and sweet, and nods.

I spin my phone, allowing the video to take up the entire screen, and hold it for her. A small smile spreads across her face when it starts, and by the end, she is laughing this beautiful child’s laugh. I relax slightly at the sound of it, knowing this is providing her with some slight relief after she has just experienced something no one should ever have to, let alone someone her age.

A shadow looms over us just as the video finishes. Looking up, I’m met with the most beautiful set of blue eyes I’ve everseen. My breath catches in my lungs. Now, in the light, I take in all of her features, her full lips and long lashes, the curves of her hips, and her full chest. Her tits are the perfect size, just over a handful. I shake my head and clear my throat. I need to be in work mode, not lusting over a victim, I chastise myself.

She looks down at me. “Thank you for staying with my daughter, Officer Sutton.”

“Of course. I do need to get a statement from both of you before we leave. Would you like to go inside for that?”

She nods and I get up, offering my hand to Charlotte once I’m standing. I try to let go so she can hold her mom’s, but she doesn’t let go, so I hold on. We make our way into the house, and Charlotte’s mom leads us into the kitchen. Charlotte takes a seat in front of a drawing she must have been working on earlier.

“Would you like something to drink?”

“Water is fine, thank you.” I take a seat at the table.

Handing me a glass of water, she takes a seat across from me with a cup of tea settled between her hands.

I pull my notepad out again and open it to the same page as before. “Can I get your name?”

“Bailey Emerson.”

“Okay. Do you mind if I call you Bailey?”

“Sure.”

“Can you please tell me what happened today?”

She looks over at Charlotte and then back at me, nodding. “Derek was over for his visitation with Charlie. They were in the kitchen. I was in the living room cleaning when he came out. He wanted to talk about getting back together. I told him he was here to spend time with Charlie and it wasn’t an appropriate time to have that conversation. He kept pushing and when I continued to refuse, he slapped me across the face.”

Her hand absently moves up to her face, brushing over apink spot. She notices, and her hand instantly drops back into her lap.

“When I backed away, he gripped the top of my arm and said, ‘You’re mine Bailey, you’ll do what I say.’ I tried to pull out of his grasp, and he slapped me again. I heard Charlie scream and run upstairs. He yelled in my face for a couple of minutes before he hit me again, but that time I was able to get out of his grip. I was running upstairs when I heard someone knocking on the front door.”

I’m so fucking happy I was only two blocks away when the call came over the radio. I don’t want to know what would have happened if it had taken me longer to make it here. “Bailey, I need to ask Charlotte some questions. Do you mind if I do that right now?”

---