Four days later, I was finally able to go home. Dr. Taylor had told me to be careful with my arm since I’d need surgery on it. Still, I found I could manage if I moved slowly.
I went to the bathroom to get dressed in some of my dad’s clothes. I took off the hospital gown and looked up at myself in the mirror. My blond hair was matted and dirty. Black-and-blue bruises covered my face. Worse than that, I had a massive line of stitches on my chest.
“Nobody’s gonna want you now.” Caleb’s sneering voice echoed through my brain.
I shook with silent tears. He was right. The wound he’d sliced into my chest would leave a huge scar. No one would want me.
“Princess, you ready?” My dad knocked on the door, breaking me out of my thoughts.
“Yeah, hold on. I’m coming, Daddy.” I pulled on the sweats and threw the sweatshirt over my head to cover up my chest, careful not to overstress my injured arm.
I opened the door of the bathroom to see my dad grabbing his bag.
“Come on, princess, let’s go home. The boys and girls are excited to see you,” my dad said, guiding me out the door.
Yes, I was going back to California.
Both my dad and uncle Mason had argued with me over the fact that it was unsafe for me to be in Oregon alone anymore. Plus, they wanted to be with me if I ended up needing surgery.
It wasn’t that I didn’t want to go home—I did. I just loved being in Oregon. In the end, they won the battle, so here I was, heading back home after being away for five years.
“Daddy, can we stop by my place? I want to grab some of my stuff before we get on the road,” I asked once I got into the truck. I think Uncle Mason had left it there for him.
“Yeah, that’s fine, princess. Either Uncle Mason or I will be coming inside with you. I don’t want you packing by yourself,” my dad said as he started up the truck.
After a ten-minute drive, we pulled up at my place.
To say I was nervous was a big understatement. I didn’t want to see the damage from that night. I started to feel my hands sweat and my stomach begin to knot up. I could only pray Caleb wouldn’t be there waiting for me.
“You okay, princess?” my dad pulled me out of my thoughts.
“Oh, yeah, I’m fine, Daddy. Just stay here, please,” I said, rushing out of the truck before he could answer.
I slowly walked toward the door, feeling my stomach tangle and twist. I pushed all thoughts to the back of my mind. I opened the door, and whiplash hit me as I saw things shattered into pieces and thrown everywhere.
I was glad my dad had stayed in the truck. He’d flip out if he saw this. He’d demand to know what had happened, and I still wasn’t ready to tell him. I didn’t know if I ever would be. He’d be so disappointed in me.
“Princess, your ol’ man told me to come and help ya.”
Uncle Mason came into the house behind me. I still hadn’t moved.
I flinched. The sound of a man yelling was going to scare me for a long time. I tried to keep myself calm.
“I don’t know,” I lied once again.
“Whoever did this is dead meat. Let’s go pack your stuff. Where’s your room?”
Uncle Mason walked in the direction I pointed.
I wanted to fall to my hands and knees at the sight of it, but instead, I ran over to cover the stain as much as I could. Uncle Mason would flip out if he saw this and knew I’d been lying. I used a pillow to hide it, then went to my room.
“You look so much like her. My baby sis would be so proud of you, princess.” He turned around to look at me, handing me the last picture of my mom and me taken together.
Her long blond hair, the same color as mine, was thrown up in a bun, and she held me close while we showed off our cake batter spoons. We were both just smiling and being carefree.
“I miss her every day,” I whispered.
“Me too, princess. Come on, let’s pack your stuff up. Don’t want to keep your ol’ man waiting any longer,” Uncle Mason said, grabbing my clothes.
It took us only thirty minutes to pack all my belongings into three garbage bags. Not much to show for five years. In the parking lot, we loaded them into the back of the truck. I turned around to look at the place I’d called home for five years.
I was glad I wouldn’t be coming back. Too many bad memories lingered here in the place I’d hoped would make me so happy. I’d miss Oregon, but maybe one day Daddy and I could come back here, and I could show him everything.
“Come on, princess, let’s go home,” my dad said, putting his arm around my shoulder.
“Home,” I said softly with a tender smile.
I was ready to leave Caleb and all the rest of this behind.
