Completely overcome with panic, tears began to stream down my face as I thought about what could have happened. My imagination ran wild, thinking about all the different times that Michael had lost his temper with me and I was terrified that he might have finally done the same thing to his son. I don’t know what I would do if he hurt him. I was about to completely lose it, when a sudden realization stopped me. Griffin was there. Griffin was there with Wyatt. Just like he’d promised, he was there making sure that Wyatt was safe. An overwhelming sense of relief washed over me. All I’d ever wanted was to know that Wyatt was safe when he was with Michael, and even though I had no idea what had happened, I knew Griffin was there making sure that nothing happened to him. Finally accepting that he wouldn’t let anything happen to my son helped ease my worry.
After twenty brutally long minutes, Mrs. Daniel’s car finally pulled up in my driveway. I quickly opened the door and raced outside, meeting Wyatt just as he got out of her car.
“Are you okay?” I asked, trying to steady my voice as I reached out to him.
“I’m okay, Momma,” he responded, as he stepped into my arms. “Daddy was being really mean and yelling, so Mrs. Daniels told me I could come home.”
“I’m so sorry all that happened, but I’m really glad that she brought you home,” I told him, hugging him tightly. I held him in my arms for a moment longer before I asked, “You want to go watch TV for a few minutes while I talk to Mrs. Daniels?”
“Yeah, but I’ve gotta do my homework first,” he answered.
“You go get started and I’ll come help you in a few minutes,” I told him as he headed inside. The second Wyatt closed the door, I looked over to Mrs. Daniels and asked, “What the hell happened?”
“Michael was drinking, he was slurring his words and acting belligerent. When I confronted him about it, he got angry and started making threats.”
“What kind of threats?”
“He was just mad that I was leaving with Wyatt. The minute that I realized that he’d been drinking, I told Wyatt to go get his things. When Michael figured out what was going on, he said that he was going to request someone new for Wyatt’s supervised visitation. He started spouting off that we’ve become too close, and I’ve become biased where you and Wyatt are concerned.”
“That’s ridiculous!” I was so relieved that Mrs. Daniels had been there tonight. Hiring her had been the best decision I’d ever made, and I couldn’t imagine losing her. Wyatt needed her to be there, especially when Michael was in one of his moods.
“It is ridiculous and I don’t want you to worry about what he said.”
“How am I supposed to do that? Wyatt needs you! Surely they wouldn’t take you away from him… would they?” I asked with tears pooling in my eyes.
“Michael is good at twisting things around, but there is no way he can manipulate what happened tonight. He was drinking during his visitation. I’ll see the judge about it first thing in the morning,” she assured me. She paused briefly, then continued, “You know, I was surprised to get your text. How did you know that something was wrong?”
“Umm…” I wasn’t sure what she’d think about Griffin watching over Wyatt, so I lied. “A neighbor heard Michael yelling and called me.”
“Well, it’s good that they are keeping an eye on things too. I better get going, dear. I need to make sure Stan took his meds. I’ll let you know what happens tomorrow,” she told me as she headed back to her car. I watched her pull out of the driveway before I went back inside to check on Wyatt.
He’d already finished his homework and was watching TV when I walked in. After he finished his shower, I got Wyatt settled in bed. He laid his head on the pillow and stared up at the ceiling, quickly becoming lost in his thoughts.
“You want to talk about it?” I asked him, as I pulled his blanket over him.
“I don’t like Daddy very much,” he finally admitted.
“I can understand that. I don’t like him very much either,” I told him, giving his hand a light squeeze. “I’m sorry he was mean tonight.”
“He always acts mean.” I knew it was a slip of the tongue by the expression on his face, but I had to push for more.
“What do you mean?”