A Bed of Black Roses.

Inside the Police Station was quiet as all of the other officers had gone home from earlier with promises that they would finish up their cases by the next day. However, one officer, in particular, had stayed behind as he sat firmly on the brown chair with his arms crossed as if he was the judge of the situation that was right in front of him. She had her head down for she didn't want him to see the swollen eye that had already turned black afraid that she would be ridiculed if she were to reveal herself towards him with the assumption of not asking for help in the first place.

"So, you're telling me that your husband did this to you? but why?" He asked wanting to have the information on what was really going on. Unlike the others, he was more patient with his surroundings. He had been on the force for more than 15 years to know that when someone came in looking disheveled, he knew they screamed domestic abuse even without them opening their mouth to say the words for that was how his father was towards his mother when he was just a boy growing up in New York City.

She didn't say anything, but her actions told her otherwise as he patiently waited for her to feel calm enough to tell her story. She nodded her head slowly but surely as she calmly lifted her head where he saw a stray tear running down across her face.

"He didn't mean to, he said that he was going to seek some counseling as well as signing up for anger management classes to learn how to control his emotions. But," She then sighed trying to calm her heartbeat down. "Things have not gone so well for him as of late. He lost his job over at the company, said they didn't need him anymore for they had found somebody else who knew how to handle it a lot better than he could and that just set him off. That's why I've been working so many hours as I can get over at the Salon just to make more money, but he thinks otherwise. He never lets me out of the house unless I'm either at work or going to the store. He doesn't trust me."

Fresh tears soon made their way down like a cascading waterfall as she covered her hands and just sobbed not caring what Officer Craig would think once she had told him all that she could about the pain she had suffered.

"How long?"

She pondered over her thoughts, but all that slipped out was "Three years."

He nodded slowly and sighed as he soon pulled out his drawer trying to find the right pamphlet that he was given a few months ago until he then stuck out his hand. "Take this, once you leave for home, you call the number. They will set up an apartment for you where you can stay for a while until you decide on where you want to go, or if you like, I will call for you and let them know without anyone getting suspicious. Plus, I will get in touch with my officers to investigate him."

She didn't know what to say, she bit her bottom lip gently wondering if this was the right thing to do, but in order to get Mark help, it needed to be done. She then took the booklet from him and wiped her eyes.

"Thank you. For everything."