UNBROKEN

TWENTY FIFTH INSTALMENT

Over the coming months the beatings got worse. But Jay got smart and wouldn't touch my face. I am going to run you through these over the coming instalments. I won't go in to all of them as there were so many and if I decide to write a book I will add them in there.

One day Jay wanted to go to the local pub again so he could try and win some money. We drove over and picked up Steven and headed down to the pub.

When we got there Jay gave me a dollar coin "here put this in to the machine" it was a poker machine and I hadn't ever really been around gambling but had spent a lot of time sitting there watching Jay play. I put the dollar in to the machine and press a button. 5 cards came up and 4 of them where the same. I clicked on the four and won 20.00 I was so happen. The machine started making a noise and Jay came over. "Well done Emily" he said "keep playing". I just wanted to take out the $20 and buy a cold drink with it as I was so hot and as you ladies who have had children know your body temperature is elevated when your pregnant. A guy came and sat at the machine next to me. He would have been about 20. I had never seen him before. He looked over and saw that I was hot and offered to buy me a cold drink. I asked for water. As he spoke I heard stomping coming towards us, it was Jay. "What the fuck are you doing Emily?" I looked at him an knew if I said the wrong thing I would pay later. " he offered to get me a water Jay, that's all I am really hot and thirsty". Jay glared at me and spat back "if you want a fucking drink I will get it" the guy sitting next to me stood up. He must have been over 6 foot and was really well built. He walked in front of me and said to Jay "Are you her man?" Jay spat back "yep". "Well you should take better care of her or you'll lose her and you definitely shouldn't speak to a lady that way" he then turned to me and said " be back in a minute with your water lovely". I hadn't had a guy speak to me so nicely in a long time and I just wanted to walk with him and grab my drink and be safe for a minute but I knew that when we left this place I was in trouble and big time. I didn't say anything back. I turned to my machine and started playing cards again. Jay sat at the machine next to me. The guy returned and handed me a glass of water. I was do grateful but didn't want to say much because Jay was right there. I think Jay must have been scared of him because if his size because usually he would have lost it if someone spoke to him like that. "Thank you" I said really quietly.

My $20 seemed to go on for ever because before I knew it, it was getting dark outside. The nice guy had left and it was just Jay and I sitting in this room I hadn't seen Steven for a while. I kept hitting buttons not really knowing what to do. Jay looked over (I was on my last dollar) then whack I felt a fist strike me in my side near my ribs, it was hard enough for me to buckle over and I started to cry silently (I was used to it by now, I knew not to react or say it hurt. "what the fuck did you do you stupid bitch?" I turned with tears rolling down my face, looked and didn't know what to do. " you had a royal flush you fucking idiot that would have been $100" Jay pushed his chair back and grabbed my hair so violently. I didn't make a sound he pulled me out through the room by my hair backwards. There was no one in sight. I prayed someone would come and see me and rescue me but I knew I could yell for help. He pulled me out through another room past the room Steven was sitting in. He hadn't seen us. Just as we got past the door I tripped and fell down and Jay ripped some of my hair out, this made me cry out in pain but because there was music playing no one heard or they just didn't want to get involved. He dragged me a good 20 meters by my hair and the whole time I was crying. Someone was walking in the car park but they didn't say anything. I all I could do was will someone to do something. My head was numb by this stage. He dragged me to the river and started punching me all over just not in the face and was swearing and calling me all sorts of names. He didn't care I was pregnant he just kept hitting me over and over again. I was struggling to start with but in the end I just resigned myself to the fact that this could be your last minutes on this earth. He was so violent all over me not knowing that I could have won him $100. It felt like this had been going on forever when all of a sudden someone jumped over me and pushed Jay backwards. He fell and hit his head. It was Steven. I must have passed out as I don't remember anything after this. The next thing I remember is waking in the back seat of Jays car. Jay was driving and Steven was looking at me. He had tears in his eyes. Jay stopped the car and opened the door. I cringed, what was he going to do know? He leaned in and started crying saying "Emily I'm so so sorry, I didn't mean it I promise I will never do it again". I was to scared to look away. I must have been a sight. After a while of Jay apologizing I said " it's ok Jay I messed up, I'm so sorry. Please don't cry" he leaned down and kissed my forehead and then got in the car and drove to Stevens to drop him off. After dropping him off he Jay asked if I was ok. I told him I was ok. He told me to get in the front seat and we would go home. I tried to get up but I found it really hard to move. I was so sore and there were cuts and bruises where already coming up on my arms and legs. Jay came to the back door and helped me up. He opened the passenger side door and sat me on the seat. Before we pulled up at Jay's house he said " I'm going to park under the house, stay in the car until I find out where everyone is. Go straight in to the bathroom and I will bring you clothes, you need a shower your so dirty". I sat waiting then I heard Jay running down the stairs. "Emily hurry up!". I couldn't move all that fast firstly I was pregnant and secondly I was extremely sore. I moved as quickly as I could and did what I was told and went straight to the bathroom. I ran the shower then Jay walked in carrying a jumper and a pair of long pants. It was so hot and he wanted me to wear these but I didn't argue. As I washed my hair I realised I had Lost a lot of hair but mainly from underneath so it would be so visible if I wore my hair down. When I had finished showering I looked in the mirror. I had bruises, gravel rash and scratches everywhere. The shirt and skirt I had been wearing had blood on them and were ripped. I could wear them again. I slowly got changed in to the hot clothes Jay had chosen and walked to our room. I was called out for dinner and when I got to the table Jay's sister asked why I was wearing long clothes. I looked and her and didn't say a word. Looking back it was pretty obvious what had happened but she just looked at me in a knowing way and didn't make a comment again. Jay's mum looked and didn't say anything. We ate in silence.

Later that night mum called and asked us to come to dinner the next night. I asked Jay and he said "yeah why not". So the next night we headed to Mum's house. I again dressed in long clothes but this time I had a long sleeve cotton shirt on and long skirt. I thought mum wouldn't recognise. After dinner mum asked me to help with the dishes. " you can wash up Emily, I know you hate drying". " no it's all good mum I'll dry I replied. Mum looked at me and said "wash Emily and pull up your sleeves". I started washing the dishes and mum yanked my sleeves up to my elbows. The look on her face was pure pain. "Emily, what happened to your arms?". Thinking in my feet I replied "I ran into a door, I'm so clumsy now that I'm pregnant". Mum leaned over and said "I have used all the excused Emily, don't try it on me" I insisted that is what happened and asked mum to drop it. She didn't speak to Jay much after that at all. She had her worst nightmare confirmed through my lies.

The next day Jay and I were walking down town and our family friend the detective saw us. He and his partner spoke to each other and the next thing I know the detective had Jay up against a walk between to shops by the neck. I rushed over and tell at our family friend (leave him alone) he looked back at me still hold Jay off the ground by the neck and said "Emily, you deserve better than this scumbag". He then looked at Jay and every so calmly said "If you ever lay a hand on her again you will have me to deal with... Do you hear what I'm saying?" I looked at the detective and all I could do was will him to stop. I knew what was going to follow and it wasn't going to be good. The detective didn't let Jay go until he agreed. All I could think is 'I am going to cop it now' ...