Like I'm Gonna Lose You

(1) Daddy, Help Me

Triggers : Domestic Abuse and attempted rape*

It was a school night for Lindsey it was her last week of 8th grade when she heard her mom fighting with her fiancee again. She was trying to sleep but it was hard with all the yelling. Lindsey knew she shouldn't do what she was about to do but she was tired of the fighting and biting her tongue. He was a bully and she was bullied alot in elementary school and she had one person that stood up for her that was her best friend Bucky who she missed dearly but to be safe she hid her cellphone under her bed if John turned on her. 

She quietly opened the door to her room and snuck downstairs then walked into the kitchen. 

"Hey! I am upstairs trying to sleep do you think that maybe I don't know you could keep the yelling down just a little bit." Lindsey said 

John looked at her "You don't get to come in here and tell me what to do little girl this is my house." John said 

"uh no it's not its her you just moved in here 6 months ago and it's my house too." Lindsey said 

"You little bitch don't you talk to me like that." John said as he started to come towards Lindsey.

"John she's 15 you leave her alone...Linds run." Melody said 

Lindsey started to run but he caught her long blonde ponytail and pulled her to him. He put his hand over her mouth as she started to cry. "Let's go upstairs and have a little..oh.." he whispered in her ear just as she elbowed him in the stomach and he let go and she went running but he caught her again. 

He punched her in the face then threw her over his shoulder as he carried her up the stairs. "John stop she's 15 let her go." Melody yelled behind him. 

"You shut up I'm gonna teach your whore of a daughter so damn respect." John said then he took Lindsey into her room. 

He shut the door but Melody came in. "Don't you touch my fucking daughter." Melody said as she tried to pull him out of Lindsey's room. 

John pushed her off of him and she tumbled down the stairs as they are right by Lindsey's room. John came back into Lindsey's room and locked the door.

"Now where was I? Oh Right you little smart mouth bitch." John said as he came over to her.

She spit in his face and he slammed her against her wall. "You will not do that again." he said as he held her by her throat. "Get off of me John." she whispered 

"Nope" he said as he threw her in the floor and climbed on top of her. "Let's see what baby girl is working with." he said as he attempted to rip her shirt open. She kept fighting him off and he would hit her and punch her till he got her shirt ripped.

"Oh just like mama with the big boobs." he said as he started to play with them. 

She started to cry as she remembered standing in Bucky's old treehouse when they were 11 years old after they had their sex talk. "I want it to be you Linds when the time comes I want us to lose ours together." Bucky told her. 

John almost had her shorts unbuttoned when she kneed him in the balls. "YOU BITCH" he said as he tried to choke her and slammed her head against the floor and walked out. She dragged herself across the floor and reached under her bed for her cellphone through blurred vision and tears and barely able to breathe she found her dad's number.

She had it saved for emergencies just under GT if anyone was to go through her phone. Gary was at the hospital in a on call room. He was remarried now and two 1 year old daughters now they were twins. He saw Lindsey's name on the screen and he said "Lindsey.." 

"Daddy...help...me." She said 

"Lindsey baby you aren't making any sense what is wrong.' he said 

Lindsey started to wheeze and he could hear her. "Oh my god.." he whispered as he hung up the phone and got in contact with the Raleigh Police Department. He knew all about John cause Lindsey to avoid any drama she would send letters to a PO box he had set up for her to send him letters so Gary knew her address and knew all about her mother's relationship with John. 

He called his new wife Laney and let her know that he had to go to North Carolina something was wrong with Lindsey. He got his stuff at his locker and called James who was at home and his medical practice partner. 

"Dr Barnes" James said half asleep. 

"Hey James it's Gary.." Gary said

"Gary why are you calling me?' James said as he sat up 

"I need you to come in. I have to go to North Carolina something has happened to Lindsey." Gary said 

"Okay yeah I'll come in for you." James said 

"Um..can I talk to your wife." Gary said

"Yeah sure..hold on let me find her cause I'm sure James has had another one of his nightmares." James said as he walked into Bucky's room.

Winnie put her finger up to her mouth as she finally got Bucky back to sleep. He always suffered from night terrors but they had gotten worse after Lindsey left. Winne quietly left him and came out into the hall way. 

"Gary needs to talk to you." James whispered as she shut the door.

She went into their bedroom "Hi Gary." she said

"I've already talked to Laney but I have to go to Raleigh Winnie...something has happened to Lindsey she could barely speak on the phone and then she quit talking and started to wheeze. I've already called 911 but I'm bringing her home. I will call you when I get there so you can prepare little James so he doesn't just attack her as soon as she gets out of the car. " Gary said

"Okay..just keep us updated." Winnie said 

"I will." Gary said

James came out of the bathroom with his scrubs on "I have to cover his on call shift baby so I'll see you sometime tomorrow. If he has another one just put him in our bed " James said as he hugged her. 

"I hope for our son's sake she's okay." Winnie said 

"I know me too." James said as he let go. 

He found his keys in the kitchen then he left for the hospital. Gary made more phone calls from the road to his parents and his sister. They got in contact with Laney as she paced in the kitchen she knew who Lindsey was. Laney was one of the nurses at the hospital and the woman who Gary started sleeping with a few weeks before Melody found out that Gary had filed for divorce. 

Lindsey knew even at 12 years old that her dad was no longer happy with her mom. But she had no idea that her mom would try and hurt her dad by taking her away to a completely different state. Laney went upstairs into Lindsey's old bedroom and started to make a list of things she needed to get it fixed up.