I'm not sure how long I was sitting there when the front door opened again. Mom, JD, and Anna walked in. Anna was rattling off something about the wedding when I heard her stop and scream.

When I finally looked at them, all three of them were standing inside the doorway with their mouths open taking in my appearance. JD looked at my face and messed up hair. His eyes found every visible bruise dotting my arms and legs. His eyes moved down to where my shirt was not sitting right on my body and then he noticed my pants were not buttoned.

"What the fuck happened?" He said, moving to me too fast and I moved my head to look at him. I winced at the movement and recoiled when his hands touched me. My eyes were struggling to focus. My head was throbbing; the pain was too intense.

"It was him, wasn't it?" Mom clicked as she followed behind JD and to get to me.

"Him who?" JD turned and asked my Mom.

"Ezra." Mom had a hard frown on her face. They were going back and forth too fast.  My head was trying to keep up with the conversation, but it hurt to think through the fuzziness.

"Ezra's gone." JD said in an unsure tone. He looked at my face and knew the answer before I could give it to him. "He's gone, right, Riley?"

I shook my head no and winced, the movement was making me nauseous and I ended up leaning over the stairs to vomit.

"He came back and found her." Mom said in a sad tone.

"Riley, were you seeing him again?" JD asked with his eyes blazing in anger.

Anna moved behind him and placed her hand on his back to soothe him.

"James, this is not the time. She really looks hurt. I think we need to get her checked out." JD looked back down and his anger was replaced with worry.

He bent down and picked me up to carry me to the car. My Mom grabbed the blanket from the living room and threw it over me. JD placed me in the back of the car and my Mom moved to sit beside me. JD started to get in the driver's seat and Anna snatched the keys from him.

"You're too mad to drive. Let me. I'll get us there." She whispered. JD nodded and placed his hand on Anna's face.

Anna and JD got in the car. Anna put the car in drive and headed to the hospital. I fell asleep a couple of times and was woken up when my Mom gently shook me.

"Riley, keep your eyes open, sweetie." I heard Mom whisper, "I think she may have a concussion."

When we got to the emergency room, they immediately took me back and placed me in a bed. There was a flurry of doctors and nurses checking out my vitals and ordering various tests, including bloodwork. My Mom and JD were allowed back in the room and they tried to answer for me every time I was asked how I was, what was my medical history, and did I know my name. The room quieted down for a little bit and the three of us sat in silence, waiting on the results to come back. 

The doctor came back in and asked if they could leave the room. He said he had to check me out and thought I might want some privacy. I shook my head that it was ok.

"I'm her Mom. Can't I just stay?"She begged the doctor.

"Mrs. Davis, your daughter is over eighteen and she has the right to decide who she wants to be present in the room."  The doctor said kindly to her.

"I'll be ok, Mom."  I sent a weak smile. She gave me a little frown that disagreed with my decision.

Mom and JD reluctantly stood up to leave the room. My Mom kissed my head and JD grabbed my foot before walking out.

Once they were gone and the door was shut, the doctor turned to start examining me.

"Can you tell me what happened today?"  He asked, shining a light in my eyes and moving his finger in front of my face.

"I tripped and hit my head and fell down the stairs." I lied, looking towards the wall.

He picked up my arms and looked over the bruises on my skin; he had me raise up to inspect my back through the open part of the gown. He ran his finger near the upper portion of my hip bone and I winced.

"Miss Davis, you have a bite mark on your back that has broken the skin.  I will have a nurse come and clean it out.  Can you tell me how you got that by falling down the stairs?" He lowered his glasses down his nose and looked at me above the rim.

"It's nothing," I said, looking down.

He had me lay back down and he raised my shirt and pressed down on my abdomen.

"Does anything hurt when I press here?"  He asked.

"Nope." I said, wishing I had the protection of the gown back over me.

He examined my legs last, noting the finger bruises on the tops of my thighs and the small scrapes on my knee. He looked at me with sympathy.  He wasn't buying the falling down the stairs story I fabricated.

"Do you feel safe at home?" He asked me.

"Not from the stairs." I tried to joke, but it fell flat on my tongue.

"I'm not going to sugar coat this. I am a mandated reporter and must notify the authorities if I suspect anything is going on. You are presenting all the trauma signs of abuse." He said in a deep voice.

I swallowed and paused a little too long. 

"I am fine. I just slipped on the stairs." I lied again, trying to smile. "Really, I am just clumsy. It happens all the time."

He shook his head again and moved to the stool next to me. "We have resources available if you decide to change your mind. I would strongly urge you to seek some additional help when you leave here."

"I will think about it." Knowing damned well I never would.

"Ok, let's talk about what else is going on with you..." He cleared his throat and sat back on his stool.