When they reached the apartment, she followed them up the stairs and into
the building without a word. AJ put the groceries away as Brian led her
to the couch against the back wall.
"Why don't I tell you little things about me...and then you tell me about
you.Like,I'll say my name and then you say yours," he said softly, as she
nodded uneasily.
"My name is Brian,and I'm 22," he said. She took a deep breath,"Lea...but
I'm only nine," she answered. He smiled.
"Nine is a fun age," he told her. She looked as though she wanted to smile,
but then she dropped her eyes.
"I have an older brother...do you have any brothers or sisters?," he asked,
sitting back against the cushion next to her. She glanced down at her hands
in her lap,and nodded," Reanne is 4...and Bailey is 2."
"Wow...do you help your mom and dad take care of them?," he inquired.
"I help my dad....my mom works so much,she doesn't have time. She works
three jobs. But sometimes,if I make mistakes....," she turned away from
him as she continued to talk.
"Sometimes if I cause an accident...my dad gets really upset with me.And
he doesn't mean to...but he hits me," she whispered,her face pressed against
the glass of the balcony window.
"He hits you?," in the kitchen,Brian heard AJ stop and walk into the livingroom.
"Yeah....sometimes he hits me so hard,I just wanna die. You don't know what
it's like living there....he just kept hitting me...over and over," she was
sobbing as AJ walked over and put his arms around her.He looked to Brian
for help.
"It's ok....we'll help you,we promise," AJ whispered. Brian picked up the
phone and called Donna Wright. She told him she'd be there within half an
hour,and when she arrived, Lea was sitting at the kitchen table with AJ.
He was showing her pictures of him and his mom,Denise,when he was a little
boy.
"Hi there,"Donna said,sitting down next to Lea. Lea looked nervously towards
AJ,who smiled."It's ok...she's a friend of mine," he told her. She looked
at Donna,"Are they good boys?," Lea asked. Donna laughed, and then nodded.
"They're good boys when they do the work they're supposed to...but when
they goof off too much,we have to tell them to get back to work," Donna
explained. "Do you hit them when they're bad?," Lea asked. Donna looked
at AJ,who's smile faded.
"Baby,your daddy shouldn't hit you when he's angry. That isn't any way
for him to treat you.But your mommy is probably really worried about you
right now. Can you tell us her name so we can call her,and let her know
you're ok?," Donna asked. Lea looked up at her,"No! If you call her, he'll
beat me when I go home! Don't make me go home!," she ran to Brian,in tears.
"Please," she begged,"Don't make me go home.Please don't make me go home."
Can Brian and AJ keep Lea from her abusive father? And if they
can't,what will happen when she goes home to Texas? What will they
do now? Find out in Chapter three.
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