The Logan Brothers

Chapter 14 - Police Questioning

Chapter 14 - Police Questioning

I had been numb the entire ride to the hospital after Elsie's confession. Grayson and my Mother had jumped in with a million questions, but I couldn't bring myself to pay attention. Even though Elsie was gripping my hand with all her strength, I barely felt it.

That could be me, was all I kept thinking over and over again.

My Dad hadn't been around since I was a baby, so this was like my Dad just randomly showing up one day and beating me senseless. Elsie's Mom had gotten remarried two years ago, so her birth Father had been out of the picture for a while. One night he had randomly popped into her room, drunk out of his mind, and just lost it.

What was this world coming to? It was hard to imagine a world where a man who had promised to take care of this family would beat a child almost to death. It made me feel sick. What if he hadn't been able to stop? What if Elsie hadn't been able to get away?

I didn't want to think about the answer.

When we got to the hospital, my mom pulled right up to the doors. Elsie was starting to lose consciousness and my mother shouted something about blood loss. Suddenly, I was surrounded by about ten doctors and nurses, and they were yanking Elsie from my grasp. In a matter of seconds, she was gone.

Grayson was by my side in an instant, seeming to know that I was out of it. He smiled at me halfheartedly. "Come on, let's go inside."

"I don't know if I want to," I mumbled, wringing my hands together. For the first time, I realized I was shaking. "That could be me in there, Grayson. If my Dad just decided to show up one day, all pissed off because my Mom and Dad got a divorce all those years ago...that could be me." I wasn't quite sure why I was telling this to Grayson, especially when I saw the look of sadness, almost pity, on his face.

He leaned forward and put his hands on either side of my head, putting his forehead against mine. All I could see were his crystal clear eyes, and suddenly it was easier to breathe. "I'm only going to say this once, okay?" I nodded. "You're worried about your friend, which is fine. That's what friends do. But your bastard of a Father has been out of the picture for years now, he's not going to randomly show up one day. This, right now, is reality. You need to be focusing on your friend, not some fear that has a zero percent chance of coming true. Pull yourself together."

I wasn't sure what I had been expecting. Grayson definitely was not the mushy type, so if I had been hoping for a kindhearted pep talk, I had been deluding myself. He had been harsh, but perfectly clear, and I had gotten the message. I leaned forward and kissed him long and hard. When I pulled back, I smiled. "Thank you."

He wrinkled his eyebrows but smiled back. "I was expecting to get slapped for that."

I pretended to mull it over, pursing my lips. "I thought about it," I finally said, earning a chuckle from Grayson. "But I really don't want to hit you." He grabbed my hands and pulled me from the car. It was time to play the waiting game; I had no idea how long Elsie would be in surgery or how it would go. We were in for a long night.

**********

I remember pacing back and forth for about an hour, all the while Grayson trying to get me to stop. Even though I wasn't close to Elsie, I was scared for her. Not about the surgery, because I knew that she would be fine. My Mother was an excellent surgeon, she was in good hands. But if her Dad decided to show up, I could sense that things would only go downhill from there.

Finally, around two in the morning, I was too exhausted to continue pacing. I sat down next to Grayson and rested my head on his shoulder, letting my heavy eyes close. My goal was to only rest for a few minutes, but when I woke up again the sun was shining. Grayson was still sitting next to me, wide awake, scrolling through his phone. I yawned and pushed myself up, rubbing my eyes.

"What happened?" I asked, suddenly alert. There would've been news about Elsie hours ago.

"She's fine," Grayson assured me, gripping my wrist so I wouldn't jump out of my seat. "She wasn't as bad as your Mom originally thought; just a few broken ribs and the broken arm. They set the bone and wrapped her chest up, I think. She's still in recovery because she does have a slight concussion, but if nothing changes in the next hour, she can go home."

I relaxed slightly, letting out a breath. Her father hadn't shown up, good. "What time is it?" I felt my pockets only to discover that my phone wasn't in my pants. In the rush, I must've left it at home.

"Almost ten," He bent down and picked up a coffee, holding it out to me.

"Why didn't you wake me up the second you heard about Elsie?"

"Because, Ginny, you needed to get some sleep. Besides, there's nothing you can do at this point, anyway."

"Oh," I muttered, taking the coffee from his hand gently. My head was pounding slightly from the lack of sleep, and I was grateful for the caffeine. "Can we go back and see her?"

Grayson smiled and put his phone back in his pocket. "Of course. Your Mom said she's been waiting for you to wake up." I stood up, ready to reassure my friend that it was going to be okay. I didn't know how, but I was going to make sure her bastard of a Father never laid hands on her again.

For some reason, I was taking the situation personally. I knew it wasn't my Dad, but it could've been. I could have been the one with the broken arm and concussion. I couldn't even remember my Dad; for all I knew he could have been a serial killer.

"Oh, by the way," Grayson said, following me towards the ER doors. "I have your phone. It kept beeping and I didn't want it to wake you up."

I spun on my heels, turning to face him with a raised eyebrow. "You took my phone?" I asked, suddenly angry. My heart was pounding; there were text messages on there from Leah about my Wes and Grayson predicament. If he had read them, I would've been mortified.

He rolled his eyes. "Don't worry, I didn't go through it. I just turned the sound off."

"Good," I smiled, taking the iPhone from his hand. I quickly checked the messages, finding that they were mostly from Leah asking if I had decided what to do yet. Thankfully she hadn't mentioned anything specifically, but I was guessing she was referring to her suggestion of dating both Grayson and Wesley at the same time.

I didn't want to think about it.

Because everyone at the hospital knew I was Helen Hanson's daughter, they let me back into the ER without any hesitation. Betty, the lady who often sat at the reception desk, told me which room Elsie was in. When I found her room, she was sitting up in bed, watching some TV program.

"Hey there," I greeted, sitting in the chair next to her bed. Immediately she turned off the television and turn to me. "How're you feeling?"

"Okay for now," She said honestly, motioning to the cast that covered her arm. "But I'll be like this for the next couple of months."

"Here, let me sign it," I giggled, grabbing a pen from the bedside table. It barely worked on the thick fabric of the cast, but when I was through my name was scrawled messily with a heart right next to it. "There."

"Thanks, Imogen," Elsie said, grabbing my hand and squeezing it. "For everything, not just for signing my ugly cast."

I laughed, "Hey, it's purple, it's not that ugly."

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. We both turned, and two police officers entered the room. My mother followed and closed the doors behind her. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Elsie stiffen. "Ms. Caswell?"

"Yes?" Elsie responded, looking them over carefully. She gave my Mother an accusing look. One of the police officers walked forward to stand at the end of her bed. He looked young, maybe twenty at most. His thick, brown hair was trimmed short, and his deep brown eyes were kind, even though they seemed serious. His nose looked like it had been broken one too many times and his shoulders were broad and buff. He's cute, I thought to myself.

"My name is officer Braden. We have to ask you a few questions about Tim Caswell. He's your Father, correct?" The officer asked, raising an eyebrow. I stood up, my heart suddenly racing. This is what Elsie hadn't wanted. This was why she had made us promise not to say anything.

"You told?" I exclaimed. "Mom, you said you wouldn't!"

Elsie grabbed my arm, and even though I could see the tears shining in her eyes, she smiled. "It's okay, Imogen." She returned her attention to the policeman. "Yeah, he's my Dad. Why?"

With a flick of Braden's wrist, the other police officer stepped forward and handed him a thin file. Braden opened it and pulled out an old photo. "Is this him?" The picture was of an older man; his hair was strawberry colored, just like Elsie's, except it was greying around the temples. Wrinkles pulled at the edges of his green eyes, but other than that he looked happy.

Elsie gulped. "Yes."

"And he's the man who attacked you?"

"Yes."

I could tell Elsie was uncomfortable. Deep down, I knew my mom had done the right thing, but the part of me that was Elsie's friend knew this had to be difficult for her. I couldn't imagine something like this happening to me.

Braden turned to me, giving me an apologetic smile. "Would you mind stepping outside with me? We have a few questions."

"Me?" I squeaked, pointing to myself. What information could I possibly give them? "Um, alright." As I walked out of the room, my Mom gave my shoulder a squeeze. Even though I knew this wasn't her fault, I was still a bit angry with her; she had blown the whistle, so I refused to look at her as I walked by.

Once outside, Braden turned to face me. "When did Elsie first show up at your house?" He asked, pulling out a small notebook. The other officer had stayed in the room, probably to ask Elsie some more questions.

"I-I don't know," I stuttered, crossing my arms over my chest. It made me feel more secure. "I wasn't home until around eight, and when I got there she was sitting on my front porch."

He nodded and wrote something down. "When you found Ms. Caswell, did she seem distraught?"

"Of course," I exclaimed, stunned. "Her Dad beat her, did you think she was going to be happy about it?!" Braden's head shot up, and he gave me a surprised look.

"Remember I am a police officer, Ms. Hanson."

"Sorry," I muttered, running a hand through my hair. "I've been through a lot in the past twelve hours if you haven't noticed." People were giving us strange glances as they walked by, glances that I was all too aware of. My stomach twanged uncomfortably. Thankfully, Braden forgave the heavy sarcasm in my voice. He gave me a sympathetic smile, and I realized just how handsome he was. Braden still had a baby face, so even though he was a stern officer of the law, he seemed forgiving.

"I understand. Just one more question and then I'll let you go. What did Elsie tell you about the attack?"

"Not much," I mused, realizing just how little I knew. "She barely told me it was her Dad that beat her up."

He nodded, "I know this is tough, but think hard. Any information might help." I wanted to help, I really did, but I honestly couldn't remember Elsie giving me any specifics. She had purposefully been vague.

"I'm sorry, that's all I know," I said weakly, stomach clenching. "Can I go back in now?"

"Sure," He smiled at me, so I smiled back even though I didn't feel like it. When I entered the room the other policeman was wrapping things up, closing his notebook. "I think that's all we need for now," Braden said. "We'll keep you guys updated."

"Thank you," My mom said, closing the door after them. Then she turned to us. "Elsie, I called your mom hours ago, why isn't she here yet?"

Elsie frowned. "I don't know. She might not come at all."

"Why?" I asked, wrinkling my eyebrows. Elsie had been beaten, her Mother should've been here hours ago. I knew for a fact that my Mom would've been by my side every second.

She rolled her eyes. "Me and my Mom don't exactly see eye to eye on most things. We got into a huge fight yesterday so my step-dad decided to take her on a weekend spa trip. I'm not even sure she has cell service where they are." Suddenly, my Mom's pager beeped. She was on call all day even though she had been at the hospital all night.

"I've got to go, girls. We'll figure out how to get in touch with your Mom later, okay Elsie?"

"Sure," Elsie said, giving her a cheery smile. My Mom nodded and then left, taking off at a run. I wanted to ask questions, but I knew not to push it. Elsie must've sensed my curiosity though because she sighed. "Look, I'm not saying this to be mean or anything, but we haven't been friends for all that long. I really appreciate all your help, but I-I don't feel comfortable telling you everything."

"I understand," I said and smiled. If it had been me in that situation, I probably would've said the same thing. What kind of person would I be if I forced information out of her? "Are you hungry? I can go and get us some breakfast."

At the mention of food, Elsie perked up. "Starving," She gushed. "Donuts would be fantastic."

"Donuts it is," I announced, standing up. "Be back in a flash." Grayson was waiting for me outside the ER, playing on his phone. When I approached, he put it away walked towards me.

"I saw police officers go back there. Were they for you guys?" He asked, wrapping me in a hug. For a moment I stayed there, liking the way his strong arms felt around my torso. It had been a long morning already, and the embrace was comforting.

"Yep," I sighed, pulling away. "They had some questions about Elsie's Dad."

"I'm sorry," He apologized, grabbing my hand. Even though it felt wrong, I entwined my fingers through his.

I shook my head. "Don't be. This is something that needs to be done, even if Elsie doesn't want it to. It's for the best." That was a lie. I didn't believe that Elsie needed to be put through the stress of a police investigation. She was already hurting, she didn't need a daily reminder about what had happened. But I didn't feel like a hospital waiting room that was packed with people was the place to discuss it. "Anyway, I'm on a mission to locate some donuts. Care to join me?"