She placed her hand on my chest and

She placed her hand on my chest and gently rubbed me. “You didn’t have to come, Jared.”
“I love you. Of course I had to.”
“I’m not your responsibility anymore.”
“Shut up. You’re always my responsibility. I love you.”
Her eyes softened but she said nothing.
Ethan stood up then approached the bed. “Hey,” he whispered.
She turned to him. “Ethan?”
“Hey.” He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tightly. He started to cry quietly. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”
“I know.”
“I love you so much.”
“I love you too.”
He continued to hold her while the tears fell down his face.
“Where are my babies?”
“They’re at home with Sadie.”
“Do they—know?” she asked.
“No. They have no idea.”
“Good.”
He rubbed her back while he held her. I looked away to give them some privacy. When Ethan finally pulled away, his eyes were still red. He wiped them and looked at his sister. “It’s going to be okay.”
“I know,” she whispered.
“The doctor said you’re going to be fine. He said you could go home.”
She breathed a sigh of relief. “Good.”
“You still need to give a description of the mugger before we go,” he said quietly.
Her eyes widened in fear. “No.”
“Elisa—”
“No.” She started to cry. “I can’t—no.”
I grabbed her face and kissed her gently. Her cries were stifled for a moment. “Ellie, please do this for me. I’ll be here the whole time—both of us.”
“I can’t.”
“Yes, you can. Please.”
She kept crying.
I kissed her tears away and ran my fingers through her hair. “Calm down.”
“I’m trying,” she said between breaths.
“It’s okay, it’s okay.”
“Okay,” she said.
“Please do this for me.”
She was quiet for a long time. “Okay.”
“Thank you.”
Ethan rose from the bed. “I’ll be right back.”
I kept Elisa’s face close to mine. We stared at each other for a long time, neither one of us saying anything. When she looked into my eyes, she seemed to feel calm, distracted. I wanted her to stay that way, so I ran my fingers through her hair gently. Her eyes were still red but the tears stopped falling. I wanted to ask her what happened but I couldn’t. It would make her hysterical again.
Ethan returned a moment later with two police officers behind him.
Elisa immediately grabbed my hand. I sat beside her on the bed then wrapped my arm around her shoulder, holding her close to me. My fingers glided gently over her skin.
“Elisa Wyatt?” the first office asked. He was short and broad. He didn’t look like he could run fast, but it seemed like he could throw a punch with massive force. He had brown hair that matched his eyes.
She cleared her throat. “Yes.”
“Can you describe the attacker?”
The other police officer opened a pad of paper and placed the tip of the pencil to the paper.
“Uh, yeah,” she said.
I rubbed her back. “Come on, Ellie.”
“He had brown hair.”
“Short or long?” the officer asked.
“Medium,” she answered. “It’s the same length as my brother’s.”
The artist glanced at Ethan and started to scribble.
She continued. “He’s taller than me—the same height as Jared. His eyes reached my forehead.”
“I’m six foot,” I said.
The artist nodded.
The police officer looked at Elisa. “Weight?”
“Uh, I don’t know. He was big.”
“Fat, chubby, muscular?”
“No. Skinny but big.”
“And what does that mean?” the office asked with a roll of his eyes.
I glared at him. “I suggest you show some respect. I have no problem calling your supervisor and giving a full report on your obvious disrespect and inability to do your job right. Knock it off.” Elisa flinched beside me. “My girlfriend just experienced a major trauma. If you don’t give a shit, then you shouldn’t be here. You got it?”
The officer stared at me for a moment before he looked at Elisa. “Please describe him in more detail.”
“That’s better,” I snapped.
“Uh, he was thin and toned. Like a soccer player.”
“You’re doing great, baby,” I whispered.
The artist continued to scribble.
“Any distinguishable features?” he asked.
“He had a beard and a freckle on one eyelid.”
“Which one?” the officer asked.
“The left one,” she answered.
“Race?”
“White.”
He nodded. “Anything else you think we should know?”
“He had a knife,” she answered.
“Thank you,” he said. “Can you tell us what happened?”
She started to shake.
“It’s okay,” I whispered in her ear. “It’s okay.”
She took a deep breath. “Before I reached the building, he came from nowhere. It was dark. I don’t really know.” She paused and held me tighter. “He pushed me against the wall and held a knife to my throat. Then he demanded that I hand over everything I had. I was so scared that I didn’t move. That’s when he started to hit me.” I closed my eyes, unable to take it anymore. It was too painful. “He hit me until I fell to the ground then he kicked me. When I covered my face, he pulled everything from my pocket and took my purse. He kicked me in the head and that’s the last thing I remember.”
I brought her close to me and rested my head on top of hers. I didn’t want her to see me cry. Her story was too painful to imagine. Knowing she was beaten like that broke my heart into thousands of pieces. She was shaking and I held her close.
“I think we have everything,” the officer said.
The artist stepped toward us and showed us the drawing. “Is this him?”
We stared at it for a moment then she nodded.
“Thank you,” he said.
Both of the officers left.
“You did great, Ellie,” I whispered.
She didn’t say anything.
Hours later, the nurse came into the room and started to unhook her IV. “You’re free to go.”
“Thank you,” she whispered.
“Of course, honey,” she said. “And here are your clothes.” She placed the plastic bag on the end of the bed. Then she left.
Elisa tried to stand up but I pushed her back.
“Let me help you.”
“I can do it,” she said.
Ethan looked uncomfortable. “I’ll be outside.” He got up and left.
I grabbed the clothes and cringed when I saw the dry blood. I tried to ignore it and helped her get dressed. It was either that or she would have to wear my clothes. As I stripped off her gown, I saw the discoloration along her ribs. She was bruised badly.
“It doesn’t hurt,” she said quickly.
I knew she was lying. I helped her get dressed then gathered her in my arms.
“I can walk. My legs don’t hurt.”
“I got you.”
She wrapped her arms around my neck and didn’t argue.
We joined Ethan in the hall then left the hospital, getting in a cab off the street. While we drove back to the townhouse, I placed my arm around her shoulder and held her close. No one said anything on the ride home.
When we arrived at the house, Ethan looked at his sister. “How do we explain this to the kids?”
“Uh, I don’t know.”
She had bruises on her face. It was hard to hide. They would be there for several weeks.
“I’ll just say I fell down or something,” she whispered.
I couldn’t think of a better idea. Judging by Ethan’s blank expression, he didn’t have a better idea either.
We climbed out of the cab then came to the front door. Ethan unlocked it and we all walked inside. As soon as we entered the living room, the kids ran toward us. They stopped when they saw Elisa.
“Mommy?” Tommy asked. “Are you hurt?”
She kneeled down and hugged him tightly. “No. I just had an accident.”
Becky came over and pointed at her face. “But you have ouchies everywhere.”
“It’s nothing,” she said quickly. She grabbed Becky and held them both for a long time. She started to cry but the kids didn’t move. I kneeled down behind her then wrapped my arms around all three of them, rocking them gently. We just listened to Elisa cry.
“Mommy, why are you crying?” Becky asked.
“Your mother is tired and needs a nap,” I said quickly.
“Oh,” she said. “I hate naps.”
“Now you know why she’s crying,” I said with a smile.
Becky patted her hair. “It’s okay, Mommy. They aren’t that bad.”
Elisa sniffed. “I know, honey.”
“Come on. I need to put Mommy to bed,” I said.
“Uncle Jared, you’re back?” Tommy asked.
“Yeah,” I answered.
“Why are you here sometimes but not all the time?” Becky asked.