Free Wyatt by Michelle Horst Page A

mumbles, her words thick with pain. I hunch down beside her.
    “Just like before,” I say, “he never means it. When is it going to be enough, Jess?” Her body jerks as she starts to cry and I steel myself.
    I call in for an ambulance and wait with her. I never touch Jessie. I’ve told her where she can go for help. I’ve tried to get her to leave him. She just won’t listen. I’ll be damned if I’m gonna be the one to offer her any compassion when she won’t listen to me.
    “I’m sorry, Wyatt,” she mumbles through the tears. “It’s just so hard. He’s all I have. It’s easy for you. You have people.”
    I just look at her. I don’t understand how that can make it any different. I’d leave him in a heartbeat because it would be so easy to disappear if I was alone, but that’s just me and my take on things.
    I hear the siren and reach for her. “Come on, they’re here. I guess you won’t be pressing charges?” I ask anyway.
    She shakes her head while I help her over to the couch. She stumbles and falls into me face first. With her good arm she takes hold of me and she starts to cry. I stand rooted to the ground. My heart is breaking for this woman, but there is only so much I can do for her.
    Stella finally comes in, saving my ass and I go to take the cuffs off Dan. I leave and head back to the station for a fresh uniform. This one now has Jessie’s blood all over it.
    ~*~
    The second I walk into the station Thelma waves me closer. I really want to get into clean clothes. She finishes her call and smiles brightly at me.
    “Old Bertha is looking for your blood. You better head on up fast. She told me to catch you the second you showed your face,” she says. I force a smile and I head to the stairs.
    Old Bertha is a sweetheart. I must’ve forgotten to sign something.
    I walk into her office and freeze. Old Bertha is scowling at Scarlett, who is holding a piece of paper out to her.
    “You need to put someone down, darlin’. You can’t go leavin’ it blank. Everyone has someone,” Old Bertha says all riled up. It takes a lot to get her worked up.
    “I can’t put a name down if there’s no name to put down,” Scarlett argues. They seem to have been going at this for a while.
    I clear my throat and step closer. Scarlett’s eyes go huge when she sees me, just like they did earlier. Old Bertha smiles warmly.
    “Wyatt, darlin’,” she melts over the words, “you need to sign a new form with you comin’ back early to work and all.”
    “Sure,” I say and I walk over to her desk.
    “Son,” Old Bertha’s voice pitches, “you got blood all over you!”
    “I meant to get cleaned up. Thelma gave me the third degree about coming by you first,” I explain. “The form?”
    I sign and glance over to Scarlett. Her eyes are glued to my chest. I drop my eyes to the form they were arguing over. Personal information, next of kin. When I look up again she’s looking right at me.
    “Thank you kindly, darlin’,” Old Bertha says and then she remembers what she was busy with before I came with, “now Scarlett, what if somethin’ happens … huh? Who they gonna call?”
    She shrugs at Old Bertha.
    I wonder why she doesn’t just put down Morgan’s name. “Put down my name,” I hear myself saying and Scarlett’s eyes dart surprised to mine. I kinda surprised myself there. She opens her mouth to say something but snaps it back closed.
    “You know each other?” Old Bertha asks.
    I smile, “Yeah, way back.” I turn around and head out to get cleaned up.
    I don’t want to think why I just did that.
    “Wyatt,” I hear Scarlett behind me and I stop on the stairs to look back at her, “I’ll take your name off as soon as she’s not lookin’,” she says.
    I walk back over to her so I don’t go making a scene in front of the people I work with.
    “Leave it on, because for some reason you don’t want to put down Morgan’s, and I don’t want to know what that reason is. If your ass goes