Issues // H.S. // A.U.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

"Hi, I'm Harry," I reach my hand out to shake hers, "I'm a friend of Mickie's. Dani - the girl who called you-"

"Yes, yes, we know Dani." She interrupts me, "Is my daughter okay?"

I hesitate for a second, not knowing what exactly to say, but when I see the panic cross the woman's face, I rush out, "She's okay, I promise. She, uh, she would probably want to tell you herself what happened."

The panic lessens, but not by much. She asks, "Why was she up here?"

"Uh, she wanted to see you guys after... after everything, but was nervous about how you would react. Dani talked her into coming here." I answer, unsure of whether or not I should.

"Look, son, I know you don't want to overstep or anything, but we need to know what happened to our daughter." Mickie's dad stepped in.

I shake my head, "It's important that she's the one to tell you."

He sighs, clearly frustrated with me, but I wasn't going to be the one to tell them. That would be an incredibly important moment for Mickie's process. She wouldn't appreciate me telling them when she has already made such huge steps forward in the matter of a few hours.

It's definitely awkward between her parents and I, but we all sit down and wait for the girls to be done. They ask about Dani, too, in which I tell them that she's okay as well. A silence fell quickly around us, and I was sucked back into my thoughts.

One long excruciating hour later, I hear a small sob. I look up quickly to see Mickie's mom rushing towards her. She had definitely been through the wringer, eyes swollen - one from crying and the other from that asshole. Her dad rushed up, taking in the gruesome bruise on her face and the ones around her neck. I watched as they talked a bit, Mickie shaking her head at whatever they were saying. She was definitely nervous, but I could tell she also felt lighter.

I think Dani made the right choice in getting her to this point. Although it was risky and really hard to watch, both girls had done the bravest things they could've. They had a long road ahead, but this was a good start.

An officer came up to them and started talking, while I peeked around him to see if Dani was coming out. She was nowhere in sight, though, and I started to feel anxious. It's been three hours since she'd been gone, and I knew her statement was going to take a lot longer but how long could they really take? Were they taking her claims seriously? Did she get some asshole cop who assumed she was lying?

No, I remembered she went with the same one who I had given my statement to. He was okay. I never got the feeling that he wasn't taking this seriously. I bury my face back into my hands, sighing deeply.

"Harry?"

I look up and see Mickie standing in front of me. I stand up and pull her into a hug. Immediately, she returned it, hugging me tightly. "Thank you." She says against my chest.

I nod, feeling my heart clench for the girl, "You're welcome, Mick." We let go of each other, and she steps back. I glance up at her parents who are watching us, and ask, "You going home with them?"

"I want to wait for Dani."

"Mickie, she's going to be in there for awhile longer. You've been through a lot today. She'd want you to be with your family." I tell her.

She frowns, "Do you know what he did to her?"

I hesitate before answering, "I have an idea."

Her eyes flashed with anger, "That son of a bitch."

I sigh, "I'll tell Dani that you said goodbye."

"I can't leave without saying-"

"Mickie, it's fine. She knows. She'll probably call you first thing in the morning, and she's going to want some privacy after what she's going through in there."