The second that Sammy walked into the room, Mrs. Patterson’s heart sunk. Even though someone had tried to conceal it with makeup, there was no mistaking the bruise under her eye and the redness covering her cheek. Mrs. Patterson hadn’t had to make one of these calls before, but there was a first time for everything.

Mrs. Patterson wasn’t the only adult to report Sammy’s injury, and Sammy’s parents had enough domestic disturbance calls made against them, that CPS decided to make a visit. Sammy didn’t really understand what was happening when they came. All she knew was that if they asked her how she got her bruise, she was supposed to say she ran into a door playing.

But they never got that far. It all happened so fast. Sammy was sitting in the living room with a strange lady she did not know. Then there was a commotion down the hall; she could hear her dad saying it wasn’t his, it was just his friends. Sammy didn’t know what they found, but it couldn’t have been good because the man came out telling the women to get Sammy out of there.

The woman put an arm around Sammy and tried to soothe her with comforting words. But Sammy couldn’t hear a word the woman was saying over her mother’s cries. Her mother was screaming, reaching for Sammy, being held back by the man that had done the search. Sammy started to cry herself, she pulled away from the women and ran into her mother’s arms. Her mom held tight, her tears soaking Sammy’s shirt.

The man came up beside them and informed them that Sammy had to go now. Her mother squeezed Sammy tight and then released a little to look Sammy in the eyes.

“Mommy’s going to get you back ok, and whatever it takes, we’ll be back together,” She promised.

And then Sammy was being led away by the women once again. Sammy gave her mother one last look and hoped that her mom’s promise this time meant more than ones that came before.