His jaw seemed to tighten slightly.
“Do you have any information or evidence to support your claim?”
“It was at a graduation party hosted by the Gladys’.”
“It happened around 9:30pm.” Heather chimed in. “I have some pictures from the night but nothing about the incident. I also have these.”
Heather pulled her sleeve up to reveal some arm bruises. Bruises I didn’t even know about.
“Okay ma’am, may I see your pictures. I would like to download them into the system.”
Heather handed the man her phone. He was typing away. About 7 minutes of him just typing. He gave Heather her phone back.
“Do you have anything else, Mr. Hendricks?”
“No sir.”
“Okay. We’ll look into this as soon as possible. I recommend you be careful and stay safe out there. I’ll be in touch soon.”
“Thank you.”
It went well. He was a young officer, but he seemed to genuinely care. Unlike before. The desk officer Harry and I met up with for Elle’s incident was anything but nice. Acting as if he didn’t care and wanted us to leave. Beyond rude and is probably the reason it took years.
I decided to take Heather to the hospital too. Just to make sure everything truly is okay. I don’t know if she was unhappy with going to the hospital or just unhappy with everything. She was silent. I don’t blame her.
We went to Casa Grande ER. I don’t trust anything in Vanetta or Tope anymore. That is sad. We went in and went up to the desk. I spoke softly.
“Hi. I’m Cordell Hendricks, here with my daughter Heather. She was sexually assaulted. We already reported the crime to our local police.”
“Okay sir. We can take your daughter in right away.”
“Thank you.”
The nice receptionist took Heather into the back and I sat in the waiting room. How long would I wait? I sat down and put my hands over my eyes. I felt absolutely terrible. I could’ve prevented this. I could’ve helped. I was part of this. I feel nothing but guilt.
“Excuse me, sir. Mind if I sit with you?”
It was a doctor.
“I’m Dr. Olive Samuel. I work here. I’m here to comfort you.”
“Oh, so you were asked to?”
“Not at all, sir. I wanted to. It is a slow day and I’ll be paged if I’m needed. I wanted to sit with you because I know how you feel. I’ve been through the same experience with my niece. She lived with me. I also work in foster care, so I wasn’t around a lot. A man broke into our house and sexually assaulted her. I felt like it was my fault. I can see the guilt in your eyes. I know you think that this is your fault, but it is not. I felt the same for the longest time. I took my niece to therapy. She did not want to go. She hated it. It was too early for her to talk about it. The thing is, she’s the one who suggested it. So, if your daughter suggests it, my word of advice is to not let her. Don’t tell her because it might hurt her feelings, but it is not a smart idea to let her go. It is way too early for her to talk about it. She might not know it, but she needs time. Hell, she might not suggest it and maybe she will take time. It all depends.”
“Thank you, doctor.”
She sat and talked to me until Heather was done. I filled out the form that has my name and phone number and all that. She gave it to the receptionist for me and we talked about everything but Heather. She kept my mind away from it and assured me I have no reason to worry right now. Heather is in good hands and I knew that. When Heather came out, we said our goodbyes and headed home.
When we got home, I saw Heather go to the kitchen. I texted Harry about the incident report. Anything I did that dealt with Gladys had to get reported to him. I have to get justice for Heather. Justice for Elle. Justice for anyone this man has wronged. Heather came out of the kitchen.
“Dad, what would you think about the idea of me going back to see Tate for therapy?”
I remembered what Dr. Samuel told me and I improvised.
“Honey, he’s retired from therapy, remember?”
“I know, it’s just a suggestion.”
“Do you want me to ask him when I see him?”
“I-I don’t know. I don’t know.”
“Let me know honey, okay?”
Heather walked over to me and hugged me tight. I’m still furious about the situation. But I felt some tranquility holding her. She knew she could count on me. That’s what mattered most to me. I don’t want to see my child going through this. It’s the worst thing a parent could see. Maybe therapy would help her in these rough times.
I remember when Tate was her therapist. We were still starting to build a bond, but we had a good friendship. I trusted him with my daughter’s mental health, and he didn’t disappoint. He really helped Heather with her confidence and helped her anorexia. I’m forever grateful for him. He has been a good friend since I’ve met him. Working with him was a blast. He always knew how to liven the place up. Maybe I will have to ask him for Heather about the therapy.
6
I had over two whole weeks off from school since the… party. I didn’t want this to affect me this bad, but I can’t help it. I was used like I was property. I wish I could just erase all of these nightmare memories in my head. It did feel good to go to the station and report it, but I feel like
