A Family Torn

Tom had been in a few fights when he was younger but never did he enjoy hitting someone until that moment.

Dayton was through. He lay on his back with both arms spread. His breathing was labored as he stared at the sky wondering what his future held for him now.

Tom took his phone from his pocket and dialed nine-one-one then pulled the pedophile up by his shirt and forced him back into the house. The scene that awaited them broke Tom's heart.

His ex was curled in a fetal position with her head lying in their daughter's lap. Lana had been awakened by Angela's cries and came down to see her mother sitting on the floor with her face buried in her hands.

"I'm sorry, God, I'm so sorry, my baby, my baby, I'm so sorry." Angela was repeating it over and over.

Lana looked up at her dad. She was terrified. "Dad, you're bleeding."

Tom reached up and felt his forehead. The chair left a deep gash just above his eye. He wanted to reassure her. "I'm okay, honey. It's just a little cut. I'll be fine. And you won't ever have to worry about Dayton again. He'll never bother you again."

Tears streamed down her young cheeks, "No, dad, you don't understand. He said he has friends. If he goes to jail they're going to bomb your studio. You have to let him go, please. I don't want anything to happen to you," she cried.

"You better listen to her," Dayton sneered. "She's telling the truth."

"In that case maybe I should just get my gun and take you for a one way ride, huh?" he growled into Dayton's ear.

Dayton had no comeback but an evil grin left his battered face.

"Honey," Tom directed his attention back to his daughter, "I doubt very much if Dayton has any friends at all, let-alone the kind that would take a chance like that. Please don't be scared. We're not letting him go. When the police come I want you to be brave and tell them everything. Okay? Please, honey, don't worry."

Lana nodded her head but he knew she was still scared. Taking Dayton for a one way ride was almost becoming a viable option.

Angela was finally starting to pull herself together a little. She sat up and put her arms around her daughter. "Oh my baby, I'm so sorry," she repeated."

"It's okay, mom. You didn't know," she whimpered.

They were still sitting on the floor, holding each other when they all heard the doorbell. Tom looked up and could see a red flashing light reflecting off the window. "Judgement day," he snarled as he pushed Dayton ahead of him. He opened the door to three uniformed officers, two males and one female.

"We got a report of a disturbance at this address," announced the lead man in blue.

"Yeah, I'm the one who called. This is Dayton Cooper," he said, holding the man up by the back of the collar. "He's a pedophile and he's been sexually molesting my daughter."

Tom obliged the officer's request to enter the house. Once inside, all three had to try and process the scene and ascertain just what was going on. Based on their preliminary questioning, they cuffed Dayton's hands behind his back then separated everyone to get their statements. The officer in charge took both Tom and Dayton into the kitchen for questioning while the other two cops questioned Lana and her mother in the living room.

Tom told the first officer about the school's suspicions, about getting Lana into therapy and about talking to detective Lobowski. Several times during the interview the cop spoke into the radio attached to his shoulder and reported back to the station. They were there over an hour.

"Okay, Mr. Hayden, you understand this is just a preliminary report. We're going to need all of you to come down to the station for a formal statement and to sign the complaint."

"Yes, of course. When do you need us?"

"Well, believe me, I understand the trauma for your daughter and ex-wife but we want to get everything on paper while it's all still fresh in your minds. I'd like you to be at the station at nine tomorrow morning. Detective Lobowski will be there as well as a female officer who's trained for cases of child sexual assault."

"We'll be there," Tom stated emphatically. "I want to make sure this asshole gets what's coming to him."

It was well after one in the morning by the time the cops left, taking Dayton with them. Everyone's nerves were on edge including Tom's, although he tried not to show it. He felt as though the situation had thrown him back into the role as head of the family again...even if it was for a short time. "Lana, I am so proud of you. I know you're still scared and that's what makes what you're doing even more brave."

"Dad, I'm so sorry I didn't tell you. That lady officer said I should have told you but I was so scared. He...he said if I ever told anybody he would send his friends to throw a bomb in your studio when you were there. He said he'd also have them kidnap mom and that they'd take her someplace to gang rape her."

His heart was being torn to shreds by his daughter's words. Tom knew Dayton had to threaten her with something but he didn't realize the true heinous nature of his lies. Now he wished he had taken him in the woods and put one right between the bastard's eyes for putting his daughter through so much torment.

Angela was sitting next to her, still crying. "How could I have been so blind?" she cried. "How could I not see what a horrible monster he was?"

Tom had to agree with her but now was not the time to pile on more guilt than what she was already feeling. Her whole body was shaking and he was afraid she was headed for a nervous breakdown. "Angela, he had us all fooled," said Tom, trying to ease her mind a little.

"Not you. You had him pegged from the start," she replied. "If I had only listened to you."

Lana put her arms around her mother again and hugged her tightly. "Mom, it's okay...really, I'm fine," she bravely asserted.

Angela looked up at Tom, her eyes pleading. "Tom, can you stay here tonight? Please, I...I..."

"Yeah, I'll stay," he told her. "We have to be at the police station tomorrow at nine. We can all go in my car—in fact, how about if we go out for breakfast tomorrow?"

That brought the only smiles he'd seen all night. "You ladies run up and try and get some sleep," he told them. "I'll stretch out here on the couch."

There were hugs all around. Angela thanked him for staying the night and gave him a peck on the cheek in gratitude. He gave them a few minutes then checked the doors. God, he thought, he hadn't performed that little ritual in a long time. His ex had come down with a pillow and a blanket for him so he curled up on the couch for what would be a very restless nap. As he tossed and turned on the narrow couch his subconscious alerted him to a presence in the room. The feeling was so strong it woke him up. He peered from half open eyes to see a figure silhouetted against the street lamp shining through the front picture window.

In his present state of mind he sensed danger and sat up with a start before recognizing the ominous form as his ex.

"I'm sorry, Tom, I didn't mean to wake you. I...I couldn't sleep so I just came down to check on you and make sure you were covered," she told him, then turned to go back upstairs.

Tom sat there for a moment wondering what the hell that was all about. He glanced at the time—it was three in the morning. He lay back down but it was no use trying to get back to sleep. He wondered how his daughter was going to cope with what she'd gone through. He wondered how his ex-wife was going to cope with her guilt. After another hour he gave up on trying to grab more rest. He slipped his pants and shirt back on and wandered into the kitchen to make coffee. That's where Angela found him at five o'clock, sitting at the kitchen table sipping his third cup.

He had to smile ever-so-slightly at the familiar sight of her draped in her robe. Damn, he thought, that old blue rag had to be fourteen or fifteen years old.

"I guess you couldn't sleep either, huh. How long have you been up?" she asked.

"Since about four."

Angela made her way to the coffee pot and poured herself a cup, then sat down across the table. "You don't have a shoot today?"

"Actually I do. I'll have to call Cayla in about an hour and tell her she'll have to do it on her own. It's a small job; just some watches and rings and things for Anderson's. It's all done in the studio and she's pretty good at lighting jewelry so she'll be fine."

"Anderson Jewelers has been with you a long time," she commented, making small talk.

"Yeah, they were one of my first clients."

They sat there silently thinking for a couple more minutes. Angela broke the silence. "Do you think I should take Lana to Dr. Zarkowski's today, or should we skip it till next week?"

"Oh no, don't skip it. She needs all the help she can get right now."

"Okay. What about us? Do you still want to go for counseling?"

"Yeah, why not? Just because Dayton's not going to be here doesn't mean we shouldn't come to some kind of truce for Lana's sake. Why--do you want to stop going?"

"No, no. I just thought...well, I thought the reason you were always so mad was because of Dayton. No, I'm more than happy to keep going."

"Angela, the reason I'm so angry...ah, never mind. Let's wait till Saturday," he said while shaking his head. "No sense in getting into it now. We'll just wind up getting into another argument."

Angela also thought it was a good idea to drop it. She needed his strength, not his anger. She agreed then changed the subject by asking where he was taking them for breakfast.

Just about the time they ran out of small talk they heard the alarm on his cell phone go off. It was still sitting on the coffee table next to his make-shift bed. "Six thirty," he told her. Why don't you get Lana up and going while I take a shower down here?"

She smiled and nodded, silently remembering how they used to take showers together.

An hour later they were all sitting at I-hop having breakfast. "Are you nervous, honey?" he asked Lana.

"A little," she replied. "Will I have to testify in court? I mean...I...I've seen things like this on TV. His lawyer will try and make it look like it was my fault."

"I don't know, honey. I suppose you might have to testify. But if you do there's nothing to be ashamed of, you know that—right? No matter what his lawyer says or asked you simply tell the truth."

"I guess," she mumbled.

Angela put her arm around her daughter and pulled her close. "I know your dad has told you several times already but I too want to tell you how proud we are."

As soon as they were done they headed for the station. They arrived at nine on the dot. Tom had Lana and Angela stay back while he approached the front desk. He gave the sergeant his name and told him why they were there. The sergeant made a quick call and a moment later detective Lobowski came out to greet them with a woman at his side.

"Mr. Hayden," he address Tom with his hand held out, "right on time, that's appreciated. This is Audrey James, the Assistant District Attorney. She's going to be prosecuting your case. And this must be Lana," he said, turning his attention to the young lady standing a few feet away. "I read the report from last night. Officer Jenkins, she's the officer who took your statement, was very impressed with you. And you're Ms. Hayden, nice to meet you; I wish it was under better circumstances. Come on back with me," he said, leading everyone to an interview room in the back of the station.

As they all took their seats, the detective explained that Ms. James would be leading the interview and that everything was being recorded.

Everything was becoming overwhelming for Lana. "Will...will I have to talk about things he did to me? I...I mean, you know—specific things?"

"I'm afraid so," Ms. James replied. "Lana, believe me I know what you're going through. I went through the same thing myself. It is without a doubt the most humiliating and embarrassing thing I ever went through, but you know what?"

Lana shook her head.

"The guy who molested me is still in prison and hasn't been able to hurt any other girls. To this day I can puff out my chest and be proud of that and it makes all the embarrassment I went through, worth it."

Lana took a deep breath and looked into the eyes of the prosecutor. "I'm ready," she said with a slight nod, her voice breaking with emotion.

Detective Lobowski turned the recorder on and introduced everyone in the room.

"Okay, Lana, in your own words I want you to tell me what happened between you and Dayton Cooper. Start at the beginning."

By the time Lana completed her statement, Angela had gone through a half-dozen tissues and had her head leaning into Tom's chest while the tears ran free. Emotions were running high for everyone in the room and Tom now wished he had taken Dayton for that walk.

It was almost eleven-thirty by the time they left. Tom stayed with them until it was time to take Lana for her therapy then took off for the studio. There was still work to do and he couldn't afford to fall behind.

So far, through the whole ordeal, Lana had been able to maintain the brave facade of someone much older than her fifteen years. Her mother walked her into Dr. Zarkowski's outer office, gave her a big hug and told her she would stay right there and wait for her.

Once Lana was alone with the doctor the flood gates opened and that façade came tumbling down. For a solid hour, Lana let it all out; the shame she felt, the humiliation, the fear, the anger, and the feeling of helplessness. She admitted to thoughts of suicide, something she hadn't mentioned during the police interview or told anyone else about. She told the doctor it was Dayton who gave her the marijuana and that she thought she left it in her locker secretly hoping that someone would see it. It was a subconscious cry for help.

Dr. Zarkowski guided her through the process. That's what it was, the process of healing, and this was a good start. When the session was over she accompanied Lana to the outer office and briefly met with Angela for some words of encouragement.

Later that night, mother and daughter sat on the couch and talked for the first time in months. They covered a variety of subjects and Angela knew she was getting her daughter back. As they were about to get ready for bed, Lana became pensive.

"I'm glad dad stayed last night. I felt safe with him here. I really miss him, mom. The house feels so lonely without him. Do you think, now that Dayton is gone, that maybe he'll come back?"

Angela didn't hold any hope of her ex coming back, not after the way she treated him, but she hated to dash the hopes of her daughter. "I don't know, honey. Your father's pretty mad at me and I can't say I blame him. I...ah...I got mad at him and stayed mad for a long time. I still love him very much but some of the things I said—some of the things I did—I think I killed his love for me, honey. I'm so sorry."

Lana wiped away a couple unspent tears from her eyes and quietly went upstairs.

Angela stayed on the couch for a little while, wiping away her own tears.

The following morning Tom met Angela outside the office of Dr. Raddick's. After everything that had transpired he was very concerned for Angela as well as his daughter. "How are you? Get any sleep?"

Angela forced a small smile. "Not much but I'm okay."

"And Lana?"

"She seems better after her therapy session. We actually sat and talked last night. Dr. Zarkowski said she'll being going through an emotional roller coaster for a long time and that we'll need to be patient with her but she also said Lana was a very strong person and made a good start toward recovery."

"That's good to hear," Tom said with a little sigh.

"Tom, Angela, are you ready?" Dr. Raddick was standing in the doorway to his office. Once everyone was settled, Angela kept quiet while Tom explained the events of the last forty-eight hours. The doctor looked at Angela who was sitting with her hands in her lap and just staring at the floor in front of her. "Angela, how do you feel?" he asked.

She brought her head up and looked him in the face. "How do you think I feel? I feel guilty. I feel like a complete failure as a parent, a wife, huh," she scoffed at her own words, "even as a person. I've failed my husband and my daughter. Tom is a good man and a man who loved me. I...I was thinking last night that—oh God—that maybe Tom should have custody of Lana and...and I should just go away." With that her shoulders slumped as she began to cry.

Tom was completely taken by surprise. He knew she felt guilty but he didn't realize the depth of it. "Angie..."

"Excuse me, Tom," interrupted the doc. "Why do you feel you failed as a wife?"

Again she looked at him. "What do you mean...I drove him away didn't I. I drove him out of the house...away from his daughter. He's a good man. A man who loved his family, a man who love me and I destroyed that love. Does that sound like I was a successful wife to you?" she cried.

She turned toward her ex. "Tom, I'm sorry; I'm so sorry I turned into such a bitch. I just wanted to be a bigger part of your world. In the beginning, when you would come home and tell me about what you did that day, I hung on every word, but after you dismissed me like that when I asked about the job, your stories were like rubbing salt into the wounds. I got frustrated, jealous, hell I got to hate your world. I resented the studio and you. I think I started picking fights so I wouldn't have to listen to what a great assistant Cayla was. I talked myself into suspecting you of having an affair, if not with her, with one of your models. I knew I was wrong but I couldn't help myself."

"Angie..."

He was interrupted again by the good doctor. "Tom, please, she needs to get this out...and you need to listen to her. Please, go on, Angela."

"I knew things were getting out of hand—I was getting out of hand. I thought about sitting down and talking to you but I thought, if I initiated it you'd just think I was whining and dismiss me again like you did about the job. I thought if I pushed hard enough you'd be the one who wanted to sit down and talk. I thought I'd have a better chance of you listening to me that way.

"I...I never thought you'd actually stop loving me and just throw in the towel. God, you have no idea what I went through when you moved out. I don't think anyone could know how I felt. I was so lost, so lonely. I hated myself, literally hated myself. I could see how the break up was affecting Lana and knew I was the blame. That's why I had Dayton move in. That's why I'm such a failure as a mother. I did it for me, without giving any thought to him being a possible threat to her. He had a way of making me feel better. I needed that so badly I even convinced myself that I loved him after a while.

"As I look back now, I know it wasn't love, it was need. I needed his praise to offset my own self-loathing. I convinced myself it was love to justify having sex with him. Oh God," she cried out, "now I feel so dirty that I let him touch me. I...I just cringe every time I think about it. I wish I could crawl out of my skin like a snake and just leave it behind."

She wiped her teary eyes with a tissue, then went on. "Till my dying day I will never forgive myself for the two biggest mistakes of my life, driving away the man I love and bringing a pedophile into my house to molest my daughter."

This time Tom didn't care if the doctor stopped him or not. "Angie, you had no idea he was a pedophile. You can't blame yourself for that."

"No?" I'm her mother, Tom. You're not the only one who is supposed to protect her; it's my job to protect her, too. I should have waited. I should have tried to get to know him better before moving him into the house. You knew, or at least you had a feeling. You said it several times, I just didn't listen."