“No, you’re not,” a guard replied firmly.
When he tried to push past them, the situation escalated quickly. Police were called.
Later, with a child advocate present, Eli quietly repeated what he told me.
“Dad gave me medicine so I’d stop crying,” he said.
“And he said if I told, he’d take me away from you.”
It broke me—and strengthened me at the same time.
That day, child protective services put an emergency safety plan in place.
Eli would go home with me.
Mark was escorted out and warned not to return.
Before we left, the young nurse found me in the hallway.
“I’m sorry,” she said softly. “I wrote ‘Run’ because I’ve seen parents hesitate. I didn’t want you to hesitate.”
I squeezed her hand.
