Read Online Silent Scream by Maria Rachel Hooley, Stephen Moeller - Free Book Online

Maddie asked.
    “Enjoying Berkley.  She always did want to live in California.”  She folded her arms across her chest.  “That girl never did care for this state.”
    “She got that from her mother.  You hate it, too.”  Maddie brushed a strand of hair from her face.
    “You’re right about that.”
    “I bet you miss her.”
    Yolanda nodded.   “Yeah, I do.”
    “Thanks for letting me stay.  I’ll keep out of your way.  You won’t even know I’m here.”
    Yolanda patted Maddie’s shoulder.  “How long have I worked with you?”
    Maddie swallowed hard.  “Years.  We both started at about the same time.”
    “There’s a reason we never run into each other in the ER.  I know where you are no matter what, and you’re never in the way.”  She smiled kindly.  “It’s no trouble having you here.”
    “I appreciate your generosity and all, but….”  Maddie felt tears prick her eyes.
    “But what?”
    Maddie sat on the edge of the bed and rested her good hand in her lap.  “Since this happened, I feel adrift.”
    “What do you mean?”  Yolanda sat next to her, and she pushed her bifocals higher up on her nose.
    Maddie took a deep breath. “There’s no place I really belong.”  She looked at her broken nails.  “I don’t even think of home as ‘home’ anymore, and I don’t think I’ll ever be able to go back there.”  Tears thickened her voice.  “I’d have to drive past that...spot.”  Although she tried to hold her back in a rigid line, her whole body trembled.  “I used to think I was safe.  Now I wonder if that’s even possible.”
    Yolanda took her hand.  “It’s going to take a while, Maddie.  Nobody goes through something like this without feeling raw.” Maddie leaned against her, resting her head against Yolanda’s arm.  “No matter what, you are safe.  And you can think of this as home.  I mean, I know it’s not so fancy as that house you left behind, but I’ve always thought of you as a daughter.  Doesn’t that make you like family, with this as a sort of home?  You’ve been over here countless times for summer barbeques and such.”
    Maddie brushed her good hand up and down her arm, trying to ward away chills she couldn’t escape.  Tears burned her eyes, blurring the picture of the ballerina that hung on the wall into smears of flesh and pink.  With the back of her hand, she wiped her face.  “I’m sorry I’m like this.  I just need to get over it.”
    “Get over it?” Yolanda echoed, frowning as she shook her head.  “You just got out of the hospital.  You’re not even fully healed, and you think you don’t deserve the right to mourn what somebody stole from you?  You try so hard to keep it locked away, as if speaking to anybody about what that animal did to you was a crime.  What he did is the crime; not talking about it only keeps you locked in his prison that much longer.”
    Maddie closed her eyes, and her hand stilled.  Her breathing shallowed.  “I can’t  talk about this.”
    “Why?  Why keep it inside?”
    Maddie’s hand drifted to her face, and she touched her temple.  “I just can’t.”
    “What are you afraid of?”  Yolanda stood and watched Maddie.
    “He said he would kill me.”  Maddie looked at the cast on her arm.  “And I believe he would.  I mean, it’s not like he was far from it in the first place.”
    “He’s not going to get the chance.”  Yolanda stepped to the nightstand and picked up the phone.  As she began punching buttons, Maddie’s hand caught her wrist.
    “Don’t.  Please.”
    Yolanda’s shoulders sagged, and she stared at the floor.  Her shoulder-length gray hair slipped around her face, concealing her features.  “You can’t just let him get away with this, Maddie.  The police can help.  They’ll find out who this guy is and keep you safe.”
    “I...I’m afraid.”  Her voice wavered uncontrollably.  “You don’t understand.  You can’t.”  Fresh