Season 4

Chapter 19

"Didn't feel like school." Miguel grunted in reply. His father raised an eyebrow.

"Is that so? Because in the past two years, you have cut class exactly twice, both times on your school's injection day. If I didn't know better, I'd say you have a fear of injections." His dad remarked. Miguel's face paled slightly, but he forced himself to stay calm.

"I'm not afraid." Miguel snapped. His father nodded.

"Good. Then let's go get your injection now." His dad replied.

"NO!" Miguel stammered, too quickly. His father grinned sadistically at him.

"I knew it! You are afraid!" His father said, before reaching into his toolbox and pulling out a small screwdriver. "And you know what I saw about fears, don't you?"

"Men don't have fears." Miguel murmured. His father nodded.

"Damn right, they don't. And if they do?"

"You remove the fear." Miguel stammered. His father held the screwdriver aloft and nodded.

"Yup. You REMOVE it." His father agreed, before lunging at Miguel and pinning him to the ground. His father was a massive guy and Miguel was only 12, so he was powerless to fight back. His dad wielded the screwdriver and began to stab holes in Miguel's side, trying to knock Miguel's fear of needles right out of his system.

Back to the present...

"Upside, I no longer have a fear of needles. Downside, I now hate screwdrivers." Miguel concluded. By the end of the story, Sam also had tears in her eyes, and the cop was also close to tears. They couldn't believe Miguel had been abused this way, and that he had kept it a secret from everyone but his mom until now. He didn't want to seem like even more of an outsider when he moved to Reseda so he forced his mom to keep it a secret. Besides, he had assumed he'd never have to see his father again.

"That's horrible. I'm so sorry, son." The cop said. Miguel shrugged.

"It made me into the man I am today." Miguel replied, gruffly, not wanting to elaborate. The cop nodded.

"Okay. So right now, we have him nailed down on child abuse, domestic abuse, aggravated assault, narcotics possession, narcotics dealing. Is there anything we have incorrect, or anything we missed?"

"Um... those all seem about right. There is one more though. He tried to kill me." Miguel stated. He heard Sam's breath hitch in her throat in worry and the cop's eyes widened.

"What do you mean?" The cop asked, leaning forward in his seat.

"I mean he pulled a fucking gun on me, he shot, he missed." Miguel growled. This was his most common recurring nightmare, and he saw it at least once every night.

"Do you mind elaborating, if it's not too difficult?" The cop asked. Miguel glanced sideways at Sam, and put his arm around her, pulling them closer together. He needed her warmth and her comfort if he were going to get through the story. The policeman had to hold back a smile as he saw the couple interact. He had seen many high school couples walk through the doors of the precinct, and he had developed a 6th sense to know if that couple would go all the way and make it, or they would be broken up by the end of high school. The two in front of him would definitely make it. Miguel closed his eyes, took a deep breath and began.

"Well, I was 12, and I had just gotten a B in my Math test..."

4 years ago...

Miguel and his 2 friends had just come back to Miguel's house after school. That day had not been a great one. He had gotten his first B in Math that year, and he knew his father wouldn't be happy. His dad would get angry if he got anything less than an A+, and to get a flat B... his dad would be fuming.