Chapter 47

Come Monday everything seems okay. Hannah gets to call all the time, and the grandma seems to be sick so she isn't moving about much. It isn't until Tuesday that Sarah and Christopher begin to fear that something is wrong.

Hannah hasn't called at all by lunchtime, and neither the grandma nor Hannah is picking up either phone. Sarah has real fear in her eyes and Christopher is about to explode. With one last try he calls the house and the grandma picks up. Things get progressively worse from there.

"You know what, mother f•©ker, I got a letter from social services yesterday that I didn't read until last night, telling me I have to come before the board to discuss my ability to care for Hannah. I'm going to lose my money and I know it is all because of you, you son of a bitch. And you rich piece-of-shit, I caught her trying to call you on your cell phone and I smashed it. I hope you enjoyed your time with Hannah because you are never going to see her again." She laughs with an evil mocking before she slams the phone down.

"Sarah, go over to Nan's now."

"What's wrong, daddy." Sarah cries.

"Baby, go, I have to go make sure Hannah is okay." As Christopher is watching Sarah run home, he sees John pull up in his State Trooper car, probably coming home for lunch.

He starts running across the street. "John!" As he starts going out into the street he has to dodge a car and realizes it is the social worker that has come over those two times.

Christopher stops and turns to her and she pulls to a stop. "Everything okay?" she asks.

"What are doing around here?"

"I live right up the street. In fact it was my yard you got in that fight with that guy with when you came to the rescue of the boy and woman." Christopher shakes his head about small towns.

"I think Hannah is in danger. Normally she calls Sarah and me a couple times each in the mornings, but we haven't heard from her since early last night. Then the grandma finally picked up the phone five minutes ago and told me she got a letter from social services saying she has to come to a hearing over her ability to care for Hannah."

At this point John has come over and is listening. "Then she told me I'd never be able to see Hannah again, and that she caught Hannah trying to sneak a phone call to me on my cell phone I had her hide just in case her grandma wouldn't let her use her phone. She said she found her trying to call and smashed my phone."

The social worker turns to John and says, "Officer John, I need a police escort for a child in danger. She lives at..."

Christopher cuts in. "I have introduced him to Hannah and have kept him apprised of the situation."

"I know where she lives. I have been driving by there a few times a day just to keep an eye out for her."

John runs to his car and fires it up, full sirens. John takes off and the social worker follows him. John is immediately on the radio calling in backup. Christopher jumps in his hotrod sixty-seven Chevelle SS. It roars to life and he smokes the tires all the way out of his driveway. He comes to a squealing halt and shoves it in first and his five hundred horsepower custom built big block Chevy leaves a cloud of white smoke as he takes off. Every knick-knack in the whole neighborhood shakes on their shelves as American power comes to life.

It doesn't take them long to reach Hannah's house. Just as all three of them pull up another police car with a lady officer pulls up. They all rush the house.

John is explaining to the old woman who is holding the door shut, what is happening, "Ma'am, we have a report of a child in danger, step back from the door now!"

John forcefully pulls open the screen door and the female officer takes charge of the grandma. When the grandma sees Christopher raging, she falls back in horror.

Christopher flies into the house. "HANNAH!"

"Daddy."

"Keep calling out, baby."

"Daddy, I'm in my closet."

Christopher, John and the social worker lady go into her room and there is a kitchen chair leaning against the door handle. Christopher kicks it so hard it shatters. He pulls open the door and immediately gets wafted in the face with the smell of urine. Hannah is sitting there only in a pair of underwear looking up at him pitifully.

Christopher moves to pick her up. "Don't pick me up, daddy, I peed myself." her eyes well up with tears when she says it.

"I don't care about that, baby." he says, picking her up, and she clings to him like hope to an Irish lullaby.

"Ouch."

"What's wrong, baby?"

"I have an owie."

The smell is quite strong so he carries her into the bathroom and John and the social worker follow. Christopher turns on the shower while still holding her. Once the water warms up sets her down and pulls off her underwear.

"What the f•©k!"

"She kicked me when she caught me trying to call you. I'm sorry, daddy, but she broke your phone."

"That's okay, baby. I don't care about the phone. I only care about you."

Christopher looks at Hannah and she has a horrible bruise as big as a softball on her hip, lower tummy, vagina bulge and thigh. Christopher gently runs his fingers over it and Hannah pulls back a little from his touch, expecting pain.

Christopher puts her in the shower and tells her, "Use the soap, sweetheart." As Hannah is washing herself, Christopher turns to John and says, "You better get that old bitch out of my sight." Then through the shower curtain Christopher asks, "Where are your clothes, sweetheart?"

Hannah sniffles. "She cut them up and threw them away."

Christopher closes his eyes and clinches his fist and teeth. "We'll get you more, my sweet girl."

Christopher thinks about it for a second and takes off his Harley shirt. As Hannah is getting out of the shower, Christopher grabs a towel and starts drying her, being careful not to hurt her bruise. Christopher puts his Harley shirt on her.

"We should get her to the hospital." The kind social worker Sue reaches for Hannah. Hannah hides behind Christopher.

"I'll take her."

"I'm sorry, but you don't have legal custody of her yet. I can't let her go with you."

Hannah and Christopher look at each other with broken hearts, and then one of the hardest things he's ever had to do, he kneels down before her and says, "You have to go with her right now."