The Fine Line Book One Between Worlds Series (24 page)

Robin knew she couldn’t be with Olivia
during the interview. Truthfully, she didn’t want to be. Despite
all of her training, she couldn’t smother the anger she felt.

Quietly, Robin sat in the waiting area
staring as Matt as he paced on the sidewalk outside. Finally, he
walked back in and sat beside Robin. Silence consumed them.

After the interview, the SANE nurse sat with
Olivia while the advocate and the detective spoke to Robin and Matt
in a private conference room.

“
Dr. and Mrs. Gregory,”
the young female detective began, “Olivia has disclosed consistent
sexual abuse since the age of seven. So basically, from what we can
gather Mr. Winston has been molesting her for a little over a year.
And both of you should know and understand that, according to
Olivia, Mr. Winston has taken her through all of the stages of
intimacy.”

Everyone in the room knew what that phrase
meant. Matt stood and walked to the window with his hand clasped
over his mouth. Robin watched helplessly as he choked back his
emotions unsuccessfully. His eyes reddened with tears.

The police detective continued. “I also
think it’s important for you to know that Mr. Winston has…”

“
Please, detective,” Matt
started still glaring out the window and shaking his head, “I can’t
hear this.”

“
I’m very sorry Dr.
Gregory. But you should both know the doctor collected DNA evidence
and hairs from Olivia.”

“
Another positive side to
this,” the advocate interjected, “is that Olivia is very credible.
Her believability will help a jury to convict.”

“
A jury,” Matt bit
out.

“
Yes sir,” the detective
replied. “We intend to bring this case to the prosecutor
immediately. Mr. Winston will be charged with rape sir. Multiple
counts of rape and sodomy.”

Robin saw the expression on Matt’s face as
his stomach turned with disgust. His body shifted and he faced the
window overlooking the parking lot once more.

“
According to Dr.
Wallace,” the detective continued, “there’s evidence of physical
trauma. Her verbal interview will seal it for the grand jury, I
have no doubt. This is an airtight case.”

“
Can you please explain to
Matt what happens now?” Robin asked.

“
Well,” the advocate
continued, “we will put a plan in place that will keep Olivia at
your house exclusively under your care for at least 30 days. I
encourage both of you to file for full custody. Based on all of
this, I’m certain the courts will grant it. We will help you obtain
a restraining order and a temporary protection order.”

Matt turned. In his eyes, Robin saw burning
fury. Placing both of his hands on the table in front of the
detective, he glared. “I want to know what happens to
him
.
In the meantime, before he goes in front of a jury, what the hell
happens to him?” He turned away again and shouted, “Now that he’s
wrecked my little girl’s life, what happens to him?”

“
Well, we will bring him
in for questioning. Hopefully he will just confess,” the detective
answered. “If not, we’ll get a warrant based on the evidence we
have. We can collect his DNA and match it to the samples collected
today.”

The advocate spoke up again. “I suggest that
you put Olivia in outpatient counseling. She doesn’t understand the
impact of what’s happened to her. She just knows that it’s wrong.
She’s afraid that you, Dr. Gregory, will never be able to forgive
her, so family therapy is recommended as well.”

Matt ran his fingers through his hair. He
turned back around and looked at the worker. “I love my little
girl,” he started, his lips quivering. “This is not her fault. I
don’t blame her for any of this.”

“
You need to keep telling
her that. You can expect nightmares, maybe bed wetting, and
behavior changes for some time,” the advocated continued. “If
either of you have any questions, here’s my card. Call me,” she
said as she slid the card to Robin. “It was good to see you again
Mrs. Gregory. Just sorry it had to be under these
circumstances.”

Robin and Matt stood in the hallway waiting.
“I feel completely helpless,” Matt whispered. He dropped his head
into his hands and began crying softly.

Offering unwavering comfort, Robin put her
arm around him. “What she needs from you right now is reassurance.
She needs you to hold her and tell her that you still love her. She
feels like you won’t look at her the same way ever again.”

“
I wasn’t there to protect
her,” he whispered.

They arrived home after 5:30 with Olivia
barely speaking the entire way home. The only thing she did say was
that she wanted to take a bath as soon as they arrived. So, Robin
spent an hour washing her. She repeatedly told Robin she didn’t
feel clean enough.

Matt retreated to the basement taking out
his frustrations on the newly hung boxing bag.

After the bath, Robin helped Olivia get
ready for bed. She dried her hair with the blow dryer and then she
sat on the floor of her bedroom brushing Olivia’s long wavy
hair.

“
Robin, did I have sex?”
she bluntly asked.

“
Is that what he told
you?”

“
Yes,” Olivia
replied.

“
What happened to you
isn’t sex sweetheart.”

“
What’s the difference
between what happened to me and what sex is?”

“
What happened to you is
something you had no control over. You didn’t have the opportunity
to make a choice.”

“
I’m not a virgin anymore
am I? That’s what Gracia said.”

“
Who’s Gracia?”

“
She’s my stepsister.
She’s older than me. She told me that when Kyle had sex with her it
was just like with me and that we’re not virgins anymore,” Olivia
explained.

“
Olly, did you tell the
people at the hospital today about Gracia?”

“
Yes.”

“
Olly, when you’re older
and you find someone that you love, you can tell them that you’re a
virgin because virginity isn’t something that is taken, it’s
something you decide to give to someone. Does that make
sense?”

She nodded and turned around. Wrapping her
arms around Robin’s neck, she let out a quiet sigh. “I love you
Robin.”

“
I love you too honey and
I’m so sorry you have to go through this, but you will get through
it. I promise. And you have to believe that absolutely none of this
is your fault; none of it.”

Robin spent the rest of the evening with
Olivia, soothing her and offering reassurance of normalcy at the
end of such a dark tunnel. Matt stayed in the basement. The
pounding sound of his boxing deafened Robin and Olivia at
times.

By 10:00 p.m., Olivia waited in her bed
after Robin tucked her in. She wanted to see her father. Robin knew
Olivia was afraid that he wouldn’t understand or that he would
blame her made her stomach weak.

Robin walked down the basement stairs slowly
still hearing the sound of Matt’s boxing gloves against the leather
punching bag. She could smell the sweat mixed with tears. When she
looked upon him, the red splotches covered Matt’s face. His puffy
eyes looked pitiful and his tank top was soaked with sweat. The
gloves struck with force as his anger continued to be
unbridled.

“
Matt,” she began as she
walked to him, “your daughter is going to bed. You want to tuck her
in?”

Catching his breath, he wrapped his arms
around the swaying bag to steady it. Then he turned to Robin and
held out his hands so she could help him take the gloves off. While
she stood untying them, she watched as the tears continued falling
from Matt’s eyes. Looking up at him, she offered an encouraging
smile. “It’s going to be okay.”

“
You sure about that?” he
asked skeptically.

“
Trust me, Matt. She’s
strong. There are many children that go through this and they come
through whole on the other side.”

Through clenched teeth he continued. “I want
to wrap my hands around that son of a bitch’s throat and watch the
life leave his body. My daughter will never be the same Robin.”

“
I know you feel like
murdering him and I don’t blame you. But, trust me Matt, she will
be okay. Look at me. I turned out okay.”

Disbelieving what he heard, he asked,
“You?”

“
I’ll tell you about it
after you tuck her in. Right now she needs you. I’ll meet you on
the porch.”

She walked back up the basement stairs, Matt
following behind. Robin proceeded through the kitchen and living
room to the porch. She sat on the porch swing as the gentle wind
brushed across her face. Resting her head against the chain, she
realized that she had nearly forgotten about what had happened to
her. She had not shared it with anyone in years.

She opened her eyes and watched the trees
sway. The stars sparkled in the night sky like diamonds on a black
velvet cloth. It was hard to believe in such a beautiful night
after such a dreadful day.

****

Once Matt was upstairs, he realized he
didn’t even know what to say. He opened the door to Olivia’s room
and looked inside.

“
Hey baby,” he said
sweetly.

“
Hi daddy,” she
replied.

He sat on the bed.

“
Are you mad at me?” she
asked.

“
No way,” he answered with
a firm head shake. “I love you and nothing will ever, ever change
that. What happened to you was not your fault.”

“
That’s what everyone
keeps telling me. So why do I still feel so bad?”

“
I don’t know baby. I do
know that you didn’t ask for any of this.”

“
That’s what Robin
said.”

“
Robin’s right,” he
continued. “I will keep you safe. Robin and I love you. You know
that, right?”

“
Yes.”

He paused and sighed.

“
Now, do you think you can
sleep?”

“
Can Cookie stay in here
with me?” she asked.

“
Sure.” He called for
Cookie who came running into the room. He hopped up on the bed and
curled up.

Olivia watched as Matt walked out and
listened as his feet hit every step going down to the first floor
of the house. She watched as Emma walked through the door of her
closet and sat down on the floor by her bed. The young apparition
offered comfort, too.

“
I’m sorry Olivia,” Emma
said softly.

Olivia nodded as her head rested on her
pillow.

“
You’re the first person I
ever told,” she said quietly as she looked at the little ghost
girl.

“
I’m glad you told them.
They will keep him from hurting you again. And now you will be here
with me all of the time.”

“
Did anything like that
happen to you Emma?”

“
I don’t really remember
much.”

“
Thanks for always
listening to me,” Olivia said quietly as her eyes closed and she
drifted to sleep. Emma didn’t move from Olivia’s side. The trauma
opened up a strange bond between the two of them. In fact, Olivia
possessed abilities she never imagined were possible.

The screen door slammed shut as Matt walked
out onto the porch. He proceeded to sit down on the swing beside
Robin.

“
Took a while,” he said,
“but she’s asleep.”

“
She’ll be ok as long as
she’s here with us.”

“
What happened to you? Why
didn’t you ever tell me?” he asked.

“
Well, there wasn’t really
a reason to talk about it.” She began calmly, “I was 12. I was on
my way to a family reunion with my Uncle Simon. That’s my stepdad’s
brother. He was my favorite uncle. I loved fishing with him and he
always bought me things. Not once had I ever felt threatened by
him”.

“
Anyway, we were at Uncle
Simon’s house gathering things up; fishing poles and the cooler. He
was standing in the kitchen filling the cooler with soda when he
turned to me.” She closed her eyes as she continued. “He smiled at
me. He told me how pretty I was and how it made him sad that I was
growing up. He told me how much I looked like my mom. He told me
that I was looking more and more like a woman every day.” She
opened her eyes again.

“
My mom had already had
‘the talk’ with me about sex and I had a brother who was older. He
was busy trying to score every piece of ass he could. So, I wasn’t
in the dark about that.”

“
Simon walked to me and
dropped to his knees. He hugged me like always, but then, he
started kissing my neck and right there on the kitchen floor, he
raped me. I wanted to separate from my body, but I couldn’t, but
believe me, it wasn’t for lack of trying. I kept asking him why he
was doing this… I cried a little. He kept telling me not to cry and
he never threatened me. He never tormented me. I remember he told
me he loved me and that sex was the only way he could show me how
much.”

“
I knew it was wrong. I
felt sick for a very long time and I didn’t tell anyone. I kept it
to myself for years. You can’t imagine how hard it was to be around
him after that, but I was never alone with him again. I avoided him
as much as I could. He tried to get me alone many times after that,
but I always stuck close to my brother.”

“
Simon took away from me
one of the things I valued most at that time in my life.” She
paused. “He took my innocence.”