Page 23 of Healed By Doc
“Abby, I’m going to head out, but I’ll stop by later in the evening to check up on you.”
“What?” she says, glancing briefly in my direction. “Y-you’re leaving already?”
“Yeah, I have to go pick up donations at a community center,” I say, nearly laughing when I realize I am basically talking to myself. Neither of them notices me as I discreetly show myself out. I’m still chuckling when I walk out of the building. I consider asking Samantha to drive me there, but that would only inconvenience her seeing James agreed to meet me and help with transport the donations back to Haven House.
The need to spend more time with the man has me taking an Uber instead of bothering Samantha. I allow my thoughts towander to him the entire ride and barely stop myself from calling his number just so I can hear his voice.
Pathetic.
It’s awfully pathetic of me to be so terribly missing someone I saw just a couple of hours ago. Heck, I can still feel the burn on my skin from his palm after he’d spanked me until I was nearly begging to come this morning. I shouldn’t like the things he does to me as much as I do, and yet, it’s all I can think about.
The ride feels short, but I’m still smiling when I pay the driver. The late afternoon sun warms my face as I step out and look up at the sturdy building with a welcoming sign that reads, “Harmony Hall.” The community center is one of the oldest buildings in the city, and I am suddenly overwhelmed by the memories of coming here when I was younger.
Not all the memories are fond, but my smile stays as I take the stairs and walk to the entrance. I run a hand over the smooth, cool surface of the old brick wall, recalling the nights my stepfather would drink a little too much and look at me a little too long, forcing me to seek refuge and safety here for the night. This place was a haven back then, and I imagine it still is for others today.
I’m no longer that helpless little girl who had no one to turn to. Now I have a community, people who would protect me, friends, and a man who loves me.
With a sigh, I push open the heavy glass doors, and the sound of chatter and activity spills out to greet me. The entryway is bright, with a colorful bulletin plastered with flyers advertising yoga classes, cooking workshops, and volunteer opportunities. A friendly-looking woman sits behind a reception desk, her name tag reading, “Maria.”
“Hello,” I say, walking up to her. “I’m here to pick up the donations for Haven House. My name is Cara Dupree,” I say, taking out my work ID to show her.
“Haven House? Oh, I’ve been hearing lovely things about that place.” Maria takes a quick look at the ID before passing it back to me. “Some of the women who come to the cooking class stayed there for a while and have had nothing but great things to say,” she says with a smile I imagine puts everyone who walks through those doors immediately at ease. “You must be new. Usually, it’s Samantha who comes, but it’s nice to see a new face.”
“I offered to pick them up for her.”
“There are a lot of donations, are you sure you’ll be able to get them yourself?”
I can’t help the blush that climbs up my neck at the thought of James. “Someone will join me shortly to help.”
“Great,” she says, clapping her hands. “Everything is packed, so just head down the hall to the back, the third door on the left. You can’t miss it, the room or the packages. Your donations are labeled with the name of the shelter.”
“Thank you.” I smile at her, then walk down the hall. The walls are adorned with artwork charmingly strange, and I imagine it’s created by local children to add a touch of whimsy to the space. I catch the sound of laughter and conversation as I walk past doors, and my heart warms at the memory of spending time here, hoping my stepfather would be passed out drunk when I finally made it home.
As I approach the third door, I can already see boxes stacked high, ready to be loaded. Just the thought of how many people these items are going to help sends a wave of excitementflooding in. I open the door, ready to inspect the items when my eyes fall on…him.
He’s standing near the boxes in a blue janitor uniform, his back to me, talking to a volunteer, and even faced away, I recognize that bald head and the ugly tattoo on the back of his neck immediately. The girl standing in front of him looks like she’d rather be anywhere else, but he’s trapped her in the corner.
It can’t be…
The air leaves my lungs in a whoosh, and my blood runs cold. My smile vanishes in an instant, and I find my feet rooted to the spot despite the voice in my head yelling for me to turn around and run away. To leave this place before he spots me.
Run, Cara!
I feel like I am shoved back in time to being that helpless little girl, staring at the big man reeking of beer and screaming in her face. I was skin and bones back then, not a shred of fat on my body from days of going hungry. But I’m not hungry anymore, and I’m not that scared little girl anymore.
And yet, in the face of the monster from my past, my brain is stuck in that timeline.
I must make some kind of noise because the two suddenly turn toward the door. The girl slips past him and runs out of the room, leaving me alone with my stepfather. He seems just as surprised to see me, but it only lasts a second before his mouth lifts in a sneer.
“Well, if it isn’t my prodigal daughter,” he hisses, taking a step forward and smiling when I take one back. “The bitch who tossed my kindness back in my face and then left like her whoring mother.” I miss the door completely, and my backslams against the wall. “You had the nerve to run away after everything I sacrificed for you, you ungrateful little bitch.”
When he reaches out and grabs my arm, I brace for the pain. All he has to do is touch me, and I am transported back to that night.
Chapter Ten
Doc
The community center looks just as it did all those years ago. It’s been a while since I’ve had a reason to show up here, and I am surprised by how fondly I remember this place. The last time I was here, it was for an orientation program for new army recruits. I was so young and green back then, equally excited and nervous about the next phase of my life, but more than anything, I wanted a chance to escape the poor neighborhood I’d had the misfortune of being born into.
