Free Happy That It's Not True by Carlos Alemán

over the edge!  She probably said something to provoke Luciano.”  She looked at Alex briefly, not saying a word, and then pressed the officer’s numbers into the phone.  Cara and Alex went to sit by the table in two of the remaining unbroken chairs, to stare at the phone in speaker mode.  They were surprised by the caring voice, the carefully worded facts.  Adriana...taken to Memorial Regional...serious injuries. 
                  Officer Velasco spoke in an almost paternal tone.  “When we found your father-”
                  “He’s not our father!” Alex interrupted.             
                  Cara admired Alex’s fervor.  “He’s our stepfather.”
                  “When we found your stepfather, he was breaking baseball bats on your refrigerator, screaming, this is what I want to do to you.  He is one disturbed human being.”
                  Cara nodded and Alex returned her nod.
                  “He’s already had a bunch of friends come by—talking about bailing him out of jail.  We get to hold him for thirty-six hours, but I bet he’ll be out after that.  Your mother might not be in any condition to file a restraining order, so we got a protective order—but that doesn’t mean he won’t try to get into the house.  Please change the locks, and don’t let him in—even if he says he’s dying of thirst and wants a glass of water.  I wish I was there for you guys, but you wouldn’t believe how much domestic violence we have to deal with.  Call me if you have any questions.  I hope your mom gets better.  Remember—call me if you need anything.  Okay?”
                  “Thank you Mister—Officer Irving—Velasco,” Cara said.
                  “You’re welcome, bye.”
                  “Bye.”
                  “All right, let’s go see mom—she’s at Memorial.”
                  As Cara and Alex ran down the stairs into the parking lot, their lives began anew.  Home would be the earth itself—wherever they could cope together with life’s difficult lessons.  Alex felt for the first time that sadness had found victory over him.  Yet at that very moment, he felt as if he had become an artist.  The aroma of the car, the bite of the sun, the sweat on his face, the heat of the wind—all things were being brought to him by a strange quality of life.  Everything seemed more real after the near death of Adriana.

Chapter Eight
     
                   After a few words with Alex and Cara, and the discovery that the man who had assaulted Adriana was their despised stepfather, the doctor spoke candidly.
                  “Everyone here loves your mom.  I’ve known her a long time—I consider her a personal friend.  She’s very special—we call her Sweetness.  The unfortunate part is that this’ll be deeply embarrassing to her—and we have to convince her that there’s no shame in what happened, that we accept her just as she is.”
                  Cara nodded, imagining her mother’s need to create the illusion of a perfect, respectable family.  “Right,” she whispered. 
                  Alex found it difficult to look at anyone.  Adriana’s face was swollen and covered in bloody bandages; a pool of blood seemed to fill one eye, nasal catheters and tubes in her mouth.
                  “It's been difficult for all of us.  I can see why you hate your stepfather—a broken eye socket, broken nose, dislocated jaw, major contusions to the face, two broken ribs, a punctured lung—and some dental injuries.  Poor thing.”  The doctor, a man in his late fifties, pale with curly white hair and thinning lips made occasional side glances of outrage at Adriana.
                  He looked at Cara with a pleading expression.  “I have a beautiful daughter,