CHAPTER FOUR

A movement at the door attracted Anna's attention. A nurse followed by a tall slender man with gray hair entered her room. He held out his hand. "Mrs. Rodgers, I'm Paul Sorenson. I think my son mentioned I'd come and visit with you this morning."

"He did. He said you're a retired lawyer and could give me some advice."

"I'll sure try." He glanced at a sack in his left hand and then at the badly bruised young lady in bed. After he opened the sack, he lifted out a hot fudge banana split in a clear cup with a lid. "This is for you. It always makes my wife feel better. I hope it has the same effect for you."

Anna's eyes widened. "Thank you." She accepted the ice cream but then struggled to remove the lid.

"Let me help." Paul pried off the lid and handed her a plastic spoon.

"Thank you, again. Is there something in that bag for you?"

"Yes, a strawberry sundae." He removed it and smiled. "Let's eat and enjoy."

"It's early in the day for ice cream, but if you insist." She took a taste. "Hum, very good and it has a cherry on top." Her eyes met Paul's. "You raised Troy after his mom died, didn't you?"

"My wife and I did. When Troy was two, his father died in a car accident. His mother remarried and was murdered by that man when Troy was ten. The only surviving relative was an elderly aunt who suffered from cancer. She really couldn't care for a young child. Since we couldn't have children of our own, we applied and got guardianship of Troy. His aunt had hopes of eventually getting legal custody of him."

"Was Troy an easy child to raise?"

"Yes and no." Paul grinned. "He was all boy, active, busy and hated sitting in one place longer than a few seconds. He always had some type of ball in his hand; baseball, football, or basketball. It depended on the season." He took a bite of ice cream and chuckled. "We spent hours at ball fields or courts."

Paul's blue eyes lit up. "When he was twelve, I came downstairs and found him in my office reading one of my law books. That started nightly sessions of him grilling me about the merits of law. His curiosity led him in several directions. He read almost every book in my library. I thought he was going to become a lawyer, or a politician, but he didn't."

"I bet you enjoyed watching him grow."

"My wife and I both did." Paul watched Anna take a spoonful of her sundae. He chuckled and shook his head. "I can't begin to tell you how nervous he made his mother when he took up motorcycles. A group of boys he hung around with used to race them around a local track." He made eye contact with Anna.

"You didn't come here to talk about Troy, did you?" Anna studied his face.

"No dear, I'd like to see if I can help you. It appears you need my help now, not Troy." He shifted in his chair, his expression switched to serious.

"Where would you like to start?" She set the empty ice cream cup on the nightstand.

Paul picked it up and threw both cups in the waste can. "I would like to start at the beginning. Please don't leave anything out. If I am going to help, I need to know everything."

"Can you really help me?" She looked at him with hope and concern. She twisted her wedding band.

"I can assist you in getting a good experienced attorney who won't be concerned about fees. It's important you get free and clear from this situation." He released a deep breath. "You aren't from around here, are you?"

"No. I'm from Illinois." Their eyes met. "I bet you're wondering how I got to Texas."

Paul moved a chair closer to her bed. "I'm guessing because of a job or marriage."

"I was raised in a small rural town. My parents worried about the state universities being too liberal, so they sent me to a small private college. Mr. Keller, my boss, graduated from the same school and recruits from there."

"When did you meet Bobby?"

"Mr. Keller introduced me to Mrs. Wright, a widow, who rents out her upstairs bedroom. It was a perfect match. There was only one problem. It was at the corner of the street Bobby's house is on. One morning my car wouldn't start. He saw me struggling with it and helped me. That's when we started dating."

"Bobby owns his house?"

"Yes, he inherited it from an uncle who repaired cars and had the repair shop set up behind the house."

"Did Bobby immediately show signs of violence?"

"Not right away. He was a perfect gentleman and said the sweetest things. I couldn't believe how nice he was. We had dated for a few months before I took him to meet my parents. My mom and dad hated him from the beginning. Mom took me aside and ordered me to quit seeing him. I thought they were overreacting." Anna wiped tears rolling down her cheeks. "I guess they were right."

"When did he become violent?"

"About a week later, Bobby proposed. I accepted." She wiped her eyes again. "He pushed me to become intimate. I argued with him. He became angry, saying since we were engaged and would be married in a few months, there was no reason to wait."

"Did he force himself on you?"

"I can't really say he forced himself on me, because I didn't try to stop him, but I wasn't a willing participant." Anna studied the IV bag hanging beside her bed. "From then on he felt he owned me and it was too late do anything. I was pregnant."

"Did you try to get your parents' help?"

"About two months later, I cooked dinner for Bobby. He had been drinking and wanted me to cut the slice of roast for him. He said since we were going to be married and I was carrying his child I needed to start acting like a wife. He actually expected me to cut his meat into bite size pieces. I laughed and thought he was joking. He wasn't and hit me."

After releasing a deep breath, she continued, "The next day, I called Mom and asked for help. She told me I had made my choice and needed to live with it. They believed since I was with child, in the eyes of God I was married and needed to make the best of it."

"I'm guessing the violence escalated."

"Each time it got a little worse. He used to cry and say he was sorry. He would beg me to forgive him and promise it would never happen again. Now, he just beats me and says I deserve it. If I did this better or didn't say that, I wouldn't get beat. I was convinced it was my fault."

"Nobody deserves to be beaten." Paul adjusted himself in the chair. "We can't count on your parents for help. We'll go from here. Are you going to press charges against him for assaulting you?"

"If I do, it'll only make him angrier."

"True, but it will help with the divorce. You are filing for a divorce, aren't you?"

"Yes, I need to, but I'm not sure I can raise Michael by myself." She twisted her wedding band, pulled it off, studied it for a moment, and then replaced it.

"Are you talking financially or emotionally?"

"I guess both." She dried tears.

"Let's take them one at a time. Financially, I am guessing you contribute most of the money to the household budget. How much do you earn a year?"

"Forty-two thousand."

"Bobby?"

"I don't know. He took over his uncle's business and is self-employed. He's never said how much he makes."

"I'll make sure we pull his financial records." He removed a small notepad from his pocket and jotted some things down. "Now for emotionally, don't you think it will be easier to raise Michael when you're not walking on eggshells for fear of making Bobby angry?"

"I guess you're right. I never thought about it like that. I prayed he would become a better father and husband."

"The first thing we need to do is find a safe place for you and your son to stay. I don't want Bobby coming after you. When will you be discharged?"

"Maybe tomorrow or the next day, but Michael will be released later today."

Paul stood. "I'll be back early this afternoon. I have some ideas, but I need to check on some things. Get some rest and don't worry. Things will work out." He patted her arm.

Anna watched him leave. She twisted her wedding band. Is it really possible to be free of Bobby and reclaim my life?