Unbroken

The next day, Nora misses work again and takes Katelynn to the doctor for treatment and to find out how far along the pregnancy is. The appointment feels long and draining. When the ultrasound is done, they learn Katelynn is six weeks pregnant, and the heartbeat is strong. The sound fills the room, steady and undeniable.

Katelynn is exhausted. During the exam, the doctor notices the damage to her body. She does not comment at first, but her expression changes, growing serious and tight.

A few minutes later, the doctor returns with a police officer walking closely behind her.

Confusion washes over Katelynn. Her stomach drops. She looks at her mother, certain she is in trouble. Nora stands immediately. “What’s going on?”

“I saw the injuries during your exam,” the doctor says gently. “I know this was violent.”

Katelynn breaks down. “I don’t want him to get in trouble.”

The officer speaks calmly, his voice firm but controlled. “He needs to be held accountable for what he did. I just need a name.”

Katelynn stays silent.

Nora says it for her.

The officer looks back at Katelynn. “Lamar? How old are you?!”

“Seventeen,” Katelynn answers quietly.

“And how long have you two been together?”

“Three years.”

The officer exhales slowly. “That’s another charge.”

Katelynn looks up sharply. “What do you mean?”

“Lamar is twenty-two.”

“No,” Katelynn says, shaking her head. “He told me he was only two years older than me.”

The officer’s expression hardens. “Let me be straight with you. Lamar is an informant for the police. I know a lot about him. He thinks that makes him untouchable. It doesn’t. I’ll handle this myself though.”

Katelynn’s voice trembles. “Please tell him I didn’t do this. I wasn’t trying to get him into trouble.”

“He’s in trouble regardless,” the officer says.

Then he leaves.

Nora stands stunned, reeling from everything she has just learned, especially Lamar’s age. Katelynn quickly dresses, her hands shaking, and they leave the office without another word.

Katelynn feels hollow, flooded with too many emotions to name. Nora feels something sharper, heavier. Anger at Lamar. Anger at herself for missing what her daughter was going through. Still, she holds it together.

She drops Katelynn and the children off at home, then drives to work. When she arrives, the weight finally breaks her. She tells her coworkers everything, her voice cracking, and they gather around her, offering comfort and quiet words of encouragement as she cries.

Later that day, Katelynn is asleep in bed with the children, their small bodies pressed close to hers. She does not hear the door open. Lamar lets himself in with his key and walks straight to the bedroom.

He slaps her hard.

Katelynn jerks awake, her heart racing as she looks up at him, fear flooding her face. “I didn’t say anything,” she says quickly.

“Then why are the police sweating me?” Lamar snaps. “I’m not going back to jail for anyone.”

He yanks her from the bed and drags her into the living room. The room spins as he begins hitting her, fists striking her face, his foot driving into her stomach. Pain explodes through her body.

“You will not say anything else to anyone,” he says.

“Yeah,” Katelynn screams, her voice breaking.

Lamar leaves her slumped against the wall, barely able to move. He goes into the kitchen, makes himself something to eat and drink, then sits back down on the sofa. He turns on the television and eats as if nothing has happened.

Katelynn cannot move. Her body feels heavy, distant. Exhaustion overtakes her, and she slips into darkness.

Everything goes black, but she can still hear. She hears Lamar calling her name. “Katelynn. Get up. Katelynn. Get up. Are you dead? Shit.” She hears her babies begin to cry. She hears him on the phone, panicked, unsure of what to do.

She wonders why she cannot move.

Hours pass.

Katelynn finally wakes to the sound of her phone vibrating repeatedly. Missed calls from her mother fill the screen. Lamar is gone. Her babies are in the playpen safe.

She calls her mother back, but there is no answer.

When she goes to the bathroom, she sees blood. Panic grips her instantly. She is sure she is losing the baby. She turns on the bath, the water steaming the small room. As she undresses, she catches sight of her reflection and freezes. A large, dark bruise spreads across her ribs.

She breaks down, sobbing, her breath coming too fast, her chest tightening. She cannot slow it down. Her hands shake. Her vision blurs.

It is her first panic attack.

The next week is a blur. She barely speaks to her mother. Lamar is nowhere to be seen, but his messages keep coming: "I love you." "I’m sorry." "I’ll be in hiding for a while."

Katelynn reads them in silence, her body aching, her mind numb, unsure of what comes next.