Page 8 of Badass Women 13: Vincintis

For a full minute, Ria didn’t answer.

The doctor was patient as he waited.

“For about five years,” she finally answered in a whisper.

Lucinda gasped but otherwise she said nothing.

Ria looked up at her with dull eyes...with the trauma of this fact written all over her face.

“When did they break your ankle?”the doctor asked.

Ria stared at him and replied, “Two years ago.”

“Did you have it looked at then?”

“No.”

Dr.Badliss sighed.Then he looked over at Leon.“She has a slight concussion and several obvious bruises.My bet is she also has a permanent limp.At some point they broke her ankle and it didn’t heal properly.It will take a few days from the bruises to fade but she will be okay.I thought maybe they had broken a rib but that was an old fracture, I believe.Just allow her to heal.”

“And her mobility?”Leon asked.

“She can use a cane to help her get around but I won’t know anything until she gets an x-ray.If it has been two years, there might be nothing I can do,” Badliss told him.

“What about her back?”Lucinda asked.

Badliss looked puzzled as he asked, “Her back?”

Lucinda nodded.“About a year ago her brothers went a little crazy and Ricco slammed her in the back with an old bat they had since they were children.She went down and he walked away leaving her on the ground for hours.She couldn’t move for the longest time.”She shook her head.“She hasn’t been the same since.”

Dr.Badliss looked from her to Ria.“Can you show me this injury?”

Ria turned her body to the side as she refused to answer.

They all saw her body shaking as she sobbed into her pillow.She didn’t cry out loud and no one knew how to handle her pain.

Frost reached out and placed his hand on her shoulder but she shrugged him away.

Lucinda came over and took her hand.Ria tried to pull it back but Lucinda held her firm.Then she leaned in and whispered, “You aren’t alone anymore and for the first time in forever neither am I.We are family and we already help each other.Our other family are enemies and abusers.You don’t have to be afraid of being alone ever again and neither do I.We will have each other and that’s enough.I will raise your shirt so the doctor can see this, ok?”

Ria silently nodded at her.

Lucinda moved back just a little then slowly raised her shirt.

Dr.Badliss stepped forward and studied her back.“Hmm...it is a miracle that you ever walked again.”He kept his voice level and calm but he looked over at Leon and everyone could see the rage in his eyes.He lowered her shirt and stepped back.

The whole room went silent as they watched Ria hug Lucinda.

Ria sobbed quietly on Lucinda’s shoulder and then she lay down on her pillow and closed her eyes.Still gripping Lucinda’s hand in hers, she was asleep.

Dr.Badliss said, “I think for now she just needs some rest.”

Leon looked at everyone and nodded.

As they filed out Lucinda stayed behind.So did Frost.

When the room was silent Frost looked at Lucinda.Then he asked her quietly, “Why did no one in your town make her brothers stop?”

Lucinda shrugged.“Back home the cartel ruled that area.Paulo and his brothers paid off the cops and the judge.It was hard to live there but everyone knew the rules.You didn’t bring up the injustices or you paid the price and most often the price was your own life.The Conchez family lived out of town and no one cared what they did in their own home.After her parents died things changed for Ria.We would see the bruises but we couldn’t ask her what happened.No one dared.By the time her brothers began working for Trego, everyone began turning their heads away when she would come into the village to go to work.”She paused to look down at her friend.“She never asked for anything, not pity, not even help.She’s a proud woman in her own right but that never stopped the beatings she took.”