Gabriel woke up in the hospital. His hand and his head were bandaged. He tried to recall what happened. He remember finding Renee on the ground unconscious, dialing 911, and…...then what? He lost his train of thought. He couldn’t remember anything more.

“Gabe? Are you awake?” Renee asked in a weak voice from the bed beside his.

“Yeah.” Gabriel was suprised how hard it was to speak.

“I’m sorry my step-dad did such a thing to you.”

“To me? What about you?”

“It’s a long story.”

“Well, judging by the fact that I hit my head so hard, I’m pretty sure I’ve got time.”

“My mom remarried just before the end of 9th grade and it was fine. Dane was nice to me. But then he started going out more and coming back when my mom was at night school. He always got extremely drunk and then would hit me because my mom wasn’t home. ‘You made her leave. She had to quit her job and go back to school for your ass!’ I was stupid and yelled back. Then it became a ritual. He would come home and beat me each day.