The Second Rape of Dr. Emily Pershing - C7

Chapter 7

December 23, 1971

WMH

On this morning I got a call from Nurse Willers. **It had become general knowledge that, with Gabby’s father’s attitude toward her, I was her best shot at reliable communication. When Gabby had asked if she could have got sick, I thought she must have meant STD’s. Turns out Gabby was actually getting sick. I had to find a way to tell her.

Decided to call and pretend that I was a friend. Feels weird saying “pretend” since we’re such good friends now, but right then, our acquaintance was more professional than otherwise. She answered the phone right off anyhow. Asked her if we could meet again on account of this was the kind of information you just don’t give to a child over the phone. Said we’d meet in an hour under that oak tree.

Plunkaway Cemetery

Got there before she did this time. Saw where she come from, but I made like I hadn’t. She didn’t move very quick. Asked her why and she just said she didn’t feel like moving fast any more. She’d been in a fight with her daddy over something. Had the bruises to show for it. **Had a mind to send that Deputy over there to talk some sense into him, but I know how those things end up. Always comes back on the child later on.

*“Gabby, we need to have a talk about some things. I know your daddy don’t want to talk to you about this and you prolly don’t want to talk to him either anyhow. And with your mama being passed on and all, well I guess you can just talk to me if you want.” I remember her response to all that as if it just happened yesterday. She looked right at me, smiled and said “You’re nice.” That’s it. That was all I needed to hear.

*“Gabby, now you need to be just as honest with me as you can be because there’s something real important that came up in your blood tests and there are certain things that will have to be done depending on what you say.” Okay she said. *“Okay, now the other day you asked me if someone could get sick on account of what happened and I said yes. Now, the reason I said yes is because I got it in my head that the person that beat you up the other day… also had his way with you. Do you know what I’m asking you?” She nodded. *“I need you to say the words now Miss, and trust me, it aint gonna be any easier for me to hear them as it is for you to say them. Somebody beat you up, we know that. Did he rape you?” I asked. No.

I sighed such a sigh of relief it actually brought tears to my eyes. *“Was it your daddy that beat you up?” She nodded again but I just looked at her sternly because again, I needed to hear it direct. Yes, she said. After that, I don’t know which one of us cried more. **We just held onto each other like mother and daughter, except she didn’t have a mama and I didn’t have a daughter, still we held on as if we were all each other had. Wasn’t far from the truth.

When all the blubbering was done, I still had more news for her and this… well I just didn’t know how she would take it. I gathered from what Deputy Warren had told me that she was prolly knocked up by a boy at school, so if this was going to be good news, now was the time to share it, Christmas and all. But if it was going to be bad news, well I guessed that was still just as good a time as any. Besides, she wanted to know why she was getting sick.

*“Miss Gabby,” I said, “so, you knew that you weren’t getting sick because of getting beat up. That means you got your suspicions about something else, haven’t you?” Yes she said. “Well, your suspicions are correct, Miss. You’re with child.”

It was not good news. It’s best, under most circumstances, to have an expecting minor inform the father of the baby before notifying her parents. These are not normal circumstances. Gabby’s daddy might do just about anything. No brothers or sisters. Mama’s passed on. She was crying pretty good now and started walking around almost hysterically. I asked her about maybe going out to talk with her Aunt and Uncle first. Just then she started running back to where she’d come from. *“Gabby!” I called to her but she only turned around once and said, “You go on back now.”

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