Chapter 3 - Laurel Did Not Deny It
Laurel arrived wearing navy medical-office scrubs and mismatched shoes.
She had clearly left work in a hurry.
When she saw Eli through the clinic doorway, she stopped.
Eli saw her too.
He did not run toward her.
That hurt Walter more than anything Cole had said.
Laurel approached slowly.
“Baby?”
Eli moved closer to Walter’s chair.
Laurel closed her eyes.
The social worker asked Walter to take Eli to the vending machines while she spoke privately with Laurel.
Walter refused to leave the building, but he gave them space.
Twenty minutes later, Laurel emerged.
Her face looked drained.
Walter stood.
“Did you tell her?”
“Yes.”
“Tell me.”
“Not here.”
“You watched him hit your son.”
Laurel flinched.
A woman across the waiting room glanced over.
Walter lowered his voice.
“Tell me that little boy misunderstood.”
Laurel looked toward Eli.
“He didn’t.”
Walter stepped back.
For the first time in Laurel’s life, he could not immediately recognize the person standing in front of him.
“How many times?”
“I don’t know.”
“That is not an answer.”
“I know.”
“Did you give Cole permission?”
“No.”
Walter remembered Cole’s words.
“Then why did he say you did?”
Laurel rubbed both hands over her face.
“Because once, months ago, I told him I couldn’t keep being the only one disciplining Eli.”
Walter stared.
“What exactly did you say?”
“I said, ‘If he acts like that when I’m working, you handle it.’”
“And Cole started hitting him?”
“Not then.”
“When?”
Laurel’s eyes filled.
“A few weeks later.”
“And you stopped him?”
She said nothing.
Walter understood.
“No.”
“I told him it was too hard.”
“That isn’t stopping him.”
“I know.”
“Why didn’t you take Eli and leave?”
Laurel looked at her father with an expression he had never seen before.
Not guilt alone.
Fear.
“Because by then Cole had made sure leaving wasn’t as simple as you think.”
Walter wanted to dismiss it as an excuse.
May you like
Then Laurel said one more thing.
“He’d already emptied my savings.”
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