The Fine Line Book One Between Worlds Series (23 page)

“
I love you,” she
whispered.

He leaned down, kissed her forehead, and
smiled.

“
I love you, too.” he
said. “When you touch me, it’s like electricity just runs through
my entire body. I don’t think I have ever felt more complete. I
love the way you make love to me. I never believed it was possible
for souls to melt into one another, but you… you changed all of
that for me. It’s intense. You’re intense. Every touch. Every kiss.
Every movement. It just makes me want you that much
more.”

After several times making love, he held her
close as she rested her head on his chest.

“
I love listening to the
sound of your heart,” she said sweetly.

He smiled. The serenity couldn’t be put into
words.

Abruptly, the study door slammed repeatedly.
Astounded, Matt grabbed his sweatpants and put them on as Robin
wrapped up in her robe. They walked out into the hallway and saw
nothing, but heard the frames that hung on the study wall shaking
wildly. Matt walked into the study, but when he entered the noises
stopped. The temperature in the room felt significantly colder than
in the hallway and the master bedroom.

Behind them in the hallway, floorboards
creaked as if someone were walking toward them. Turning around,
Matt pushed Robin behind him in an effort to protect her. They
continued back into the hallway.

“
Get out of our house!”
Matt yelled. “How much longer can we do this?” he whispered. “We’re
not leaving. This is our home!” he shouted again.

Abuse

In May, the trees in full bloom gave a
welcome reminder of life made anew. Robin and Matt had been trying
to get pregnant. It was months ago when Robin took the patch off.
She’d hoped by the late spring or early summer she could announce
the arrival of a new member to the family, but disappointingly, it
hadn’t happened yet.

Olivia grew faster than Matt or Robin wanted
to admit. She continued withdrawing, however. Her last semester
grades dropped even further and her social circle diminished. It
was easy for Robin to see that something bothered her.

Robin sat in the swing with Matt as he
rested his arm around her back. The trees swayed in a familiar
dance. The smell of charcoal lingered in the air. The smells of
late spring were invigorating.

Matt smiled and looked over at Robin.

“
You know what month it
is, right?” he asked curiously.

“
Um… yes. It’s May,” she
answered as she peeked at Matt. “Lucky me, I’m a year
older.”

“
Well, yeah, but did you
forget something else?”

“
What?” She played with
him knowing exactly what he meant.

“
Oh my God, you did
forget!”

She elbowed him in the ribs.

“
Are you crazy? I didn’t
forget. It is the month we met.”

“
Go into the parlor and
look on the chair,” he said sweetly.

Robin ran into the house and darted into the
parlor. A large white box with a red ribbon lay before her. She
tore into the box as Matt sat in the other wingback chair watching.
She lifted the leopard patterned bathing suit out of the box.

“
Dr. Gregory, you naughty,
naughty man,” she joked.

“
It’s for our honeymoon,”
he laughed.

She chuckled and smiled. “I love it! Thank
you. Your gift is in the basement.”

Excitedly, he ran down the stairs as Robin
followed. A box sat on the washing machine. He flipped the lid off
and pulled out a button-up short sleeved shirt. The red with
tropical designs all over it typically wasn’t his style.

“
For our honeymoon,” she
laughed.

He dropped the shirt back into the box and
grabbed Robin by the waist.

“
Someday we will get to
wear all of this, I promise.”

Smiling up at him she kissed his cheek.

“
Maybe by the time we get
to take our honeymoon we’ll have a complete wardrobe to take with
us.”

Summer visits began with Olivia during the
first week of June. Robin hoped to figure out the mystery behind
Olivia’s strange behaviors. Because of her background in child
welfare, Robin’s training led her down a very dark path, but she
prayed her instincts were wrong.

Resting in one another’s arms one gorgeous
Sunday morning after an enjoyable hour of love making, Robin sighed
happily. She looked up at Matt, his eyes closed, his arms wrapped
tightly around her.

“
Didn’t I tell you half
the fun of having a baby was making one?” he whispered.

She smiled. His gorgeous brown eyes
opened.

“
Yes. You did,” she
answered.

“
Was I right?” he asked
sensually.

With a sincere nod, her smile continued.

His eyes fixed upon her. Lightly, he touched
her cheek.

“
You are just so
beautiful.”

She blushed.

“
And I love that I can
still make you blush,” he concluded.

The day progressed on. Robin worked in the
flowerbeds pulling weeds and spreading mulch. The sound of gravel
hitting metal told her Olivia and Sheryl were coming up the lane.
Her excitement was hard to contain.

She pulled the gardening gloves off and put
them in the garage as the car neared. Behind her, the kitchen
screen door slammed and Matt walked out.

When the car stopped, Olivia got out slowly
and grabbed her backpack. She waved at Sheryl as she drove away.
The poor child looked lost.

“
Olly, what’s wrong?” Matt
asked as he walked to her and knelt.

Without a word she threw her arms around
him.

“
I missed you so much
daddy,” she whispered. “I’m so glad I get to stay with you all
summer.”

“
Honey, what’s wrong?” he
continued as she clung to him.

“
I can’t tell you,” she
answered meekly. Her little eyes gazed up at Robin who stood behind
Matt. Kneeling down, too, Robin touched Olivia’s arm.

“
You can always tell your
dad and me.” she encouraged Olivia compassionately.

“
Daddy,” she began as she
pulled away, “I need to talk to Robin.”

“
Okay. Why don’t you girls
go in and get some Kool-Aid?”

Robin offered her hand and Olivia took it.
In the other hand, Robin held Olivia’s backpack. The unhappiness
emitted from Olivia was toxic.

So many times she had seen that sort of
behavior. She had seen hopelessness in the eyes of children;
children who were victimized.

After Olivia put her backpack in her room,
she came back down and sat at the dining room table. Waiting for
her was a glass of Kool-Aid and a peanut butter sandwich. Robin
waited also.

Olivia pushed the plate away. Her cheek
bones protruded from her face and she looked emaciated. Her
coloring pale and her eyes sunken in, Robin wondered when Olivia
ate last.

“
What’s going on kiddo?”
Robin asked.

“
Robin, what does it mean
when someone’s a virgin?” she blurted out.

She tried to answer the best she could.

“
Well, you are a virgin
until you decide to give yourself to someone… in an intimate way.
Do you know what that means? Hasn’t your mom talked to you about
all of this yet?”

“
No, my mom hasn’t talked
to me about anything. All she does is work.”

After a long pause, Robin watched as tears
welled in Olivia’s eyes and then trickled down her soft cheeks,
falling like raindrops onto the table. The quiet tears grew into
sobs of anguish. Her head fell into her hands as the cries
continued.

Robin reached out for her hand. “Honey, come
in and sit on the couch.”

Olivia followed and then Robin held her as
she cried.

“
Talk to me sweetheart.
You’re wasting away before my very eyes. I can’t stand
it.”

“
Kyle… he…”

“
Kyle is your stepdad,
right?” The pit in Robin’s stomach grew larger as her years of
sexual abuse education came to the surface of her mind.

“
Yes. He’s my stepdad… and
Robin, he’s done things to me that I don’t understand.”

“
What has he done honey?”
she asked.

“
I didn’t know that boys
and girls were different until he gave me a bath one day a long
time ago,” she began, “He has different parts. Sometimes he wants
me to do things to him. Sometimes he does things to me. I tell him
not to, but he does it anyway.” Her bawling grew louder as her
confession came pouring from her like water from a deep
well.

Robin’s blood ran hot as anger and sadness
came simultaneously. She knew she couldn’t ask anything else.
Someone else needed to talk to Olivia.

“
Olly,” she started, “we
are going to have to go to the hospital. When was the last time
this happened with your stepdad?”

“
Just a couple of days
ago,” she answered.

“
We’re going to get you
some help, okay? You have to trust me though.”

“
I do,” she replied with a
confident nod, her eyes red and swollen.

“
Let’s go get your dad,
okay?”

“
But I don’t want to talk
about this to people I don’t know,” she protested. “I am ugly!” The
weeping accelerated again.

“
No, baby girl, you’re
not. You’re not ugly at all. What’s happened is ugly, but you’re
not. And Olivia, this isn’t just about you honey. What if Kyle does
this to some other little girl?”

She quieted and thought for a moment. “I’m
just afraid.”

“
I know, but you will be
okay. You’re daddy and I will both see to that.”

Robin heard Matt’s boots fall onto the mat
beside the kitchen door. The lump solidified in her throat as she
realized the inevitable. Telling him would be much more than just
difficult.

He walked into the living room. Robin turned
and saw his confusion.

“
What’s wrong?” he
asked.

Robin turned her attention back to
Olivia.

“
Go on upstairs and get
your shoes, Olly.” She rose from the couch and walked passed Matt
without a word.

“
What’s going on?” he
asked again.

Robin stood and walked to him. She gently
put her hands on his shoulders as their eyes met.

“
Matthew, we need to take
Olivia to the hospital. I can’t tell you much right now, but I will
explain everything when we get there. Please don’t ask questions,
just get in the car with us and go.”

“
I don’t
understand.”

“
Please. You have to trust
me Matthew. Something terrible has happened to Olivia and she needs
help.”

Still perplexed, he nodded. “Okay.”

They arrived at Children’s Hospital in
Dayton. Robin stepped into triage with Olivia while Matt sat
patiently in the waiting area. When the nurse asked what was going
on, Robin explained her position as an intake supervisor for the
neighboring county’s children services agency. She requested a SANE
nurse and someone from the local child advocacy center. She also
told the triage nurse that Olivia disclosed sexual abuse and that
it occurred less than 72 hours ago. Robin knew this window of time
was vital for collecting physical evidence.

The nurse took them back to a room
immediately. As another nurse put a gown on Olivia, Robin excused
herself assuring Olivia she would be right back. She walked out to
the waiting room where Matt still sat quietly. Holding out her hand
to him, he took it and she led him to the large wooden door
separating the waiting area from the treatment rooms. With his hand
still in hers, she looked up into his face.

“
Olivia has been sexually
abused.”

“
Sexually abused?” he
whispered. “By who?”

“
Kyle Winston.”

“
Sheryl’s husband?” It
took only seconds for the situation to register. “That bastard,” he
whispered as the skin in his face brightened into a shade of
red.

“
Please, Matt. Hold it
together for her. I’m begging you.”

“
I… I…” He took a deep
breath. “I will try.”

The SANE nurse and the physician completed
the physical exam. They collected DNA evidence.

After that an advocacy worker and a
detective arrived. An interview room with a two-way mirror allowed
the doctor, the nurse, and the detective to observe the advocacy
worker’s interview with Olivia.