17 www.rnca.ca continued Physical Abuse Designed by Freepik sat alone in the hospital coffee shop. He needed some time alone to calm his nerves. He had just made the call to Child Protection Services. He couldn’t believe he had taken this step. But his son Jason was waiting for an X-ray upstairs in the children’s section of the hospital to see if his armwas broken. And the doctor was clearly worried about how Jason had gotten his injuries. She had asked a lot of questions about the bruises on Jason’s wrists and face. Jason wouldn’t say much about what had happened at his mother’s place, except that his stepfather had locked him in his room for a long time. The boy’s new stepfather didn’t seem to like the boy very much. Rick felt his stomach clench. He knew that there was a lot at stake here. Rick's ex-wife, Cathy, had mostly ignored her son Jason the first few years after the divorce. When she had finally started to take Jason for the weekends after she re-married, it had seemed like a new start for all of them. However, before long, Jason had stopped wanting to go over to his mother’s. Rick had thought it was just part of adjusting to the new family situation. He had felt sure that Cathy would never let any harm come to their son. Now that Rick knew that Cathy’s husband was abusing Jason, he knew he needed to protect his son. Also, there were other children living in that home. They must have witnessed the violence—they must be afraid that this could happen to them too. Everyone deserves a chance to get some help. Rick
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