Shattered Girl (Emmy)

It was early evening when I got home from working on my last group project of the year. The house was dark, and the front door which began sticking when a leak in the roof got worse always makes a horrible squealing sound when it's opened. As I turned to close it, I noticed a pile of mail on the small table in the hall. Almost everyone was stamped with a red Past Due, or Final Notice across the front of the envelope. I sighed, setting the mail back where I found it. There was nothing I could do about it anyway, I didn't have a job, or any money

I was walking toward my room when suddenly a searing pain shot through the back of my head, I was thrown across the living room hitting my head on the edge of the fireplace. I screamed as my father landed a hard kick to my side. I just knew this was going to be bad. I don't know how long I was unconscious, but the room around me was dark and spinning, so I squeezed my eyes shut again. I could smell blood, vomit, and burnt skin. My father must have burned me with cigarettes again. I woke up again sometime later to the sounds of yelling, the noise forced me to try and move before my father spotted me and continued the beating he had started. I rolled onto my side, and pain shot through my ribs and right arm. My face was so bruised and swollen I could barely see out of my eyes. Great, my ribs must be either cracked or broken again, along with my arm, and I was starting to suspect my nose was broken as well. I gave up on moving as the yelling got closer, I closed my eyes hoping that he would think I was still passed out and ignore me.

My father ran into the living room with sweat running down his face. It had been a hot day, we could never afford air conditioning, and fans could only do so much.

"You stupid bitch, you got the cops called on me" he yelled as he hurried through the living room, and down the hallway toward his bedroom.

The sounds of approaching sirens got louder, and I could hear crashing from my father's bedroom. It sounded like he was moving furniture to barricade himself in his room. My head felt like it was going to split open as the sound of police sirens stopped in front of our house.

There was pounding on the front door, yells from police, followed by the sound of the front door being kicked in.

feet coming quickly down the hall I lay completely still hoping they wouldn't fall over my battered body

cursed as he stopped in front of my destroyed body. I could hear his radio crackle as he shouted

a lot of noise coming from the back of the house, but I ignored it and tried

can you hear me?" The officer asked,

is almost here, stay with me for a few more minutes." He reassured me, sliding his hand across my

focus on him, but I was in so much pain I closed my eyes, again. I must have passed out because, when my hearing suddenly returned it was to my father's voice telling the officers that I was being a dramatic brat who wouldn't take her punishment and that I was his kid and corporal punishment was legal. If he wanted to hit

voice faded as the officers dragged him outside and shoved him into the back of a squad car. Just then the ambulance pulled

after that, just voices and movement around me, the feeling of a blood pressure cuff on my good arm, numbers being called out, and the pinch and sting of an IV line being started. I

was now in a splint and was lying by