TWO YEARS LATER

Emily's finger traced the swelling of her lip, causing her to wince as it ran across the deep cut in the center. Her eyes were locked on her own face staring back at her. She couldn't seem to get over how the dark bruise around her eye made it look even more green…

She looked down at her naked body in the full length mirror but didn't feel like it was really her she was looking at. Emily Thompson had always been too headstrong of a girl to ever allow a man to cover her in his bruised fingerprints…

But she was not Emily Thompson, the girl, any longer. She was now, Emily Barron, the woman and Emily Barron the woman was weak and covered in her husbands handy work.

The abuse had started before the honeymoon had ended. For two years every step that Emily had seemed to take had seemed to be the wrong one and John had been quick to teach her the right way to step.

Emily looked at the bruises on her arms, her legs, her breasts…. Life with John had not turned out the way she had expected. She had thought that he was a good man who would love and take care of her. Instead she had married the devil. She lived in a fancy house and had fancy clothes but she was a prisoner. Never allowed outside of these walls unless John was by her side. After all if she went out alone then he would not know if a man looked at her and would not be able to punish her for it once they arrived back home.

Emily thought back to their wedding day two years before. She had loved John but that love was gone. It had vanished with the first slap. But she had had no choice but to stay. She had no money of her own. No family to run to.  She had lived away from home for three years before marrying John and had lost contact with all her friends. Now she could not even remember what most of them looked like. John had not allowed her any contact with anyone in two years.

Emily snapped out of the daze her thoughts had her in when Wyatt cried out from his crib. Emily pulled her clothes on quickly and walked over to the crib. She smiled as she picked up the fussy three month old and held him against her chest. The one good thing that John had ever given her looked up at her with those trusting blue eyes and suddenly she knew that today was the day she had to leave.

Wyatt deserved better than this life. He deserved a mother who was strong and would protect him and keep him safe. It was time for her to be Emily Thompson again.  Emily Thompson the girl who had lived every second to the fullest and had never let anyone tell her that what she believed or wanted was wrong.

Emily Thompson knew how to shoot guns, was a pretty good deer hunter and could change the oil in her own car… Emily Barron was weak and lost and could not make a single decision without lowering her head and asking her husband for permission. It was time for Emily Thompson to put Emily Barron to rest.

Emily carried Wyatt over to his baby swing. She strapped him in and he cooed happily. She walked over to her closet and pulled out her suitcase. She quickly filled it with as many clothes as it would hold. She walked to Wyatt's room with another suitcase and filled it with all his little onesies and jumpers. She stuffed in a pack of diapers and some wipes.

She walked to the kitchen and packed Wyatt's diaper bag for the trip and then walked back upstairs to get him. She bundled them both up in their warmest coats and gloves to fight the February cold. She walked over to the antique blue ceramic vase sitting on the fireplace mantle and pulled out the money she'd been saving.

She had been sneaking a few dollars here and there and hoped that what she had managed to save behind John's back would be enough to get her home to Kentucky. She stuck the money into her purse, picked up both suitcases and her baby boy and walked out the door.

She stopped on the front steps and sat the suitcases back down. She looked at the giant diamond on her left hand. She should take it down to the pawn shop.. She could probably get quite a bit of money for the thing, but she didn't want to make John any angrier than he would already be.

She took the ring off and laid it on the ground in front of the door. She picked the suitcases back up and walked down the street to the bus stop.

888

Emily was standing in the Blue Grass Airport finally back in Kentucky and she felt fear and panic rising within her. Wyatt was fussing and cranky and she had no idea where they were going to go. Her home town was another three hour car ride away and she was out of money except for a few quarters in her pocket.

Emily walked over to some hard plastic airport chairs and sat her suitcases down. She fixed Wyatt a bottle and soon he was quiet and sucking happily. Emily saw the payphone on the wall and walked over to it but as she stood there with the receiver in her hand she wondered who she could call….

It had been five years since she'd been home unless you counted the wedding, but she had not been around long enough to talk to anyone before John had taken her away again. She looked around the crowded airport and felt tears well up in her eyes. She was alone. She had no idea where any of her friends were living now and could not remember any of their old phone numbers.

She stood there feeling desperation taking over her heart when suddenly an image of Parker's face flashed into her mind. She felt herself smile and shed a tear at the same time. Her Parker. The only man who had ever had her whole heart and, truth be told, he still did.

"Ma'am, are you okay?" An old gentleman asked walking over to Emily. She looked down at her feet and nodded.

"Yes sir." she said quietly. It had only taken several beatings from John to teach Emily to always look at her feet and only speak when spoken to. The man looked at her bruised and battered face and the baby in her arms and shook his head. This world was going to hell in a hurry.

He pulled a ten dollar bill from his wallet. He had a meeting he needed to be getting too but he knew that ten dollars would at least by the skinny woman something to eat.

"Here ma'am. Get yourself a hot meal." he said. Emily took the money slowly in her shaking hand.

"Thank you." she replied. The old man patted her arm and she flinched out of habit. He sighed and nodded once.

"God bless you." he said and walked away. Emily looked up and watched him walk away and disappear into the thick mass of bodies. She put the ten dollar bill into her pocket and kissed Wyatt's soft forehead.

"We're going to be ok, baby boy. Mommy will make sure you're taken care of." She put several quarters in the phone and dialed the only number she could remember. She felt like her heart was going to beat out of her chest as the phone rang and then she heard a click.

"Hello?" a male voice said. She knew it was not Parker and felt her heart break. Of course she had not really thought he would answer. She didn't know if he was even still living in Kentucky and of course he wasn't still living in his mother and father's house.

"Mr. Bolling?" Emily said her voice quiet and shy.

"Yeah that's me. Are you some damn sales person or something because I ain't got any money."

"I was actually hoping that maybe Parker would be around." Emily replied.

"No, he's at work right now. He don't live here anyway he's been living in his own place for a few years now. Who are you? Your voice is familiar."

"It's Emily Bar…Thompson." she replied. She heard Ed Bolling choke on whatever he'd been taking a drink of and then after a few seconds of coughing and sputtering he finally spoke.

"Hold on…" There was a pause and then he was back. "What in the world are you calling from a payphone for? Are you ok?" Emily knew he could probably hear the tears in her voice when she replied but she couldn't do anything about them.

"I need a ride, sir. I'm at Blue Grass Airport in Lexington. I don't have money for a bus."

"You sit tight, Emily. I'll come get you. It'll take me a few hours though." Ed replied. Emily felt relief flowing through her.

"Thank you so much." she said.

"Yep." he replied and hung up.

888

Ed walked into the airport lobby and he could see a woman laid out across several chairs. Her back was to him but her hair was the same honey blond color as Emily's had been and there were several suitcases lying next to her. He walked around the chairs and his eyes widened as he let out a shocked curse.

This was Emily all right. She was skinnier than he remembered and her face was bruised and her lip busted and swollen but it was her. He cleared his throat and her eyes opened as she sat up quickly. Ed's jaw dropped when he realized that the bundle in her arms was a baby.

"Come on, Emily. Let's get out to my truck while it's still good and warm." Ed said grabbing her suitcases.

Emily didn't meet his gaze. She kept her eyes on her feet as she put her purse and the diaper bag over her shoulder and followed him outside with Wyatt sleeping peacefully in her arms.

Only when they got to the truck did she realize that she didn't have a car seat. Ed threw the suitcases in the back and scratched his balding head.

"Walmart is just down the road. You can hold him long enough to get there and we'll get him a car seat." Ed said. Emily bit her lip, knowing that she didn't have enough money for a car seat, but she nodded and got in the truck.

She and Wyatt waited in the truck while Ed ran into walmart to get the seat. He came out several minutes later and hooked it in the center of the truck. After Emily had strapped Wyatt in they started down the open highway on the long drive back to Letcher County.

"So, Emily, where is your husband?" Ed asked. Emily looked out the window of the truck at the rolling hills that were becoming bigger and more mountain like with ever mile they traveled.

"I don't know." she replied honestly. She knew that by now John would know she and Wyatt were gone. He would have come home to that empty house hours ago and she could only guess what he'd done after that.

"What happened to your face?" Ed asked. Ed had never been the type to waste words trying to lead up to a topic. If there was something he wanted to know he just asked. It had always driven his late wife crazy.

Emily gently touched her lip and sighed. She tilted her head forward and her long blond hair fell in front of her face hiding it from his view.

"That's what I thought happened." Ed said when she remained silent. He turned the radio up letting the sound of Johnny Cash's voice fill the cab of the truck as they continued on their way.

***

Ed tapped Emily's shoulder as he pulled into his driveway. She gave a tiny scream of fear and her eyes flew open.

Emily had been dreaming that John was coming for her. He was angry and determined to make her pay for leaving him and taking his son. When Ed had tapped her shoulder she had been sure it was John.

"You're okay, Emily. We're here." Ed said hoping he sounded comforting. He had never been good at being comforting.

"Thank you, Mr. Bolling. I promise we'll find somewhere else to stay in the morning." Emily said looking out into the dark. Ed shrugged and got out of the truck. He walked around and opened Emily's door. He reached his hand out to help her down but she jumped out without taking it.

"Where is Martha?" Emily asked looking around the messy house as they walked in and Ed turned the lights on. Martha had always been the perfect housekeeper and she had always hated Emily. She had told Emily on more than one occasion that she was bad for her son.

"She passed away about a year ago." Ed replied. Emily frowned.

"I'm sorry." she said.

"She'd been sick for almost a year from cancer. It was almost a relief when she was finally able to be at peace." Emily nodded. She wondered how Parker had taken the loss of his mother. She knew they had never been close but it still must have been hard for him to lose her.

"Well if you're as tired as I am then you're probably about to fall over where you stand." Ed said matter-of-factly. Emily nodded.

"Come on then. You can sleep in Parker's old room." Ed said as he walked down the short hallway with her suitcases. Ed walked out shutting the door and leaving her and Wyatt alone in the room.

Emily looked around her but this room no longer looked like it had the last time she'd been in it over six years ago. Now it just looked like any bland guest room. A small twin bed with a flowered comforter, a tiny oak dresser and a small arm chair were the only pieces of furniture. Gone were Parker's taped up posters of classic cars and trucks and swimsuit models. His guitar was no longer propped in the corner and his dirty clothes no longer littered the floor.

Emily changed into some pajama's and picked Wyatt up from his carrier as he started fussing and searching for a bottle. She prepared him a bottle that she had in the diaper bag, changed his diaper and sat down in the arm chair to feed him.

As she looked down at his trusting blue eyes looking into hers and felt his little hand wrap around her finger she knew she had to do this for her son. She had to find a safe place for them to stay in town tomorrow. Find a job. Find a lawyer who could help her with the divorce and build a life for her and her son.

Her mind drifted to Parker but she quickly pushed the thoughts away. Parker and she had had their chance and he had turned his back on her and never looked back as far as she could tell.  He had even sat by and watched her marry someone else. If only he had come to her sooner she never would have went through with marrying John…

But she couldn't allow herself to feel that way about her marriage to John. Sure it had been hell but if it hadn't happened she wouldn't have this beautiful angel who was currently falling asleep in her arms with a trail of milk running down his chin.