She called a detective she knew at the Philadelphia Police Department. They had become friendly over the years while dealing with various domestic and drug-related issues faced by the residents at the shelter. She admitted to him she knew little but suspected foul play. She told him where she was headed and asked if he’d meet her there. When Ebby arrived at the Ruby Buffet, her detective friend and his partner were already sitting in their car in front of the restaurant. She immediately thanked them for coming.
When Lucy saw Ebby enter the restaurant, she sprang to her feet, rushed over to her, and clasped her in both arms, as though she would never let her go. The child sobbed and poured out her story, as Ebby held her and tried to make sense of the nearly incoherent words. The detectives grasped as much of the story as they needed for their investigation and headed down Columbus Boulevard to the underpass. With Lucy having told them there were at least four men involved, they had radioed for backup. Moving deep into the underpass, they came upon a lifeless form, lying facedown in the dirt. At first, they feared she was dead. That she was badly bruised and bleeding was apparent even in the darkness that hung like heavy curtains around her body. One detective leaned down and felt for a pulse.
“It’s very faint,” he announced to his partner, “but there is a pulse. Call for an ambulance.”
While one officer stood over Alessa, another laid his jacket over her. They didn’t want to move her, worried that they’d worsen the damage already done to her battered body. When the ambulance arrived, the paramedics gently turned Alessa onto her back to place her on the gurney. The sight of her injured face drew a collective gasp of horror from the men. She had been beaten to a point where her facial features were unrecognizable. Her face, in fact, her entire head, was bruised and bloodied and swollen so drastically that it looked like a round ball. The men suspected that she might have suffered severe head trauma. They quickly loaded her into the ambulance and took her to the closest hospital, not far from where she and Lucy lived.
The emergency room doctor and nurses converged on Alessa as they brought her through the doors. The ambulance staff had alerted them they were bringing in a young woman beaten around her head and body. The attending doctor suspected multiple fractures and possible internal hemorrhaging.
When Ebby and Lucy arrived at the hospital and rushed through the emergency room doors, the nurse at the front desk asked them to have a seat and called back to the ER to let them know “the poor girl’s family had arrived.” Ebby drew Lucy onto her lap and held her tight as they waited. When the ER doctor came out, he told Ebby that Alessa had been badly beaten. An arm, a femur, and several ribs had been fractured. There was bruising all over her body. His greatest concern, however, was the injury to her head. Alessa was getting a CAT scan as they spoke, and he would know more in the next hour.
“We are doing everything we can to help,” he assured Ebby. “Her pulse was very weak when she arrived.”
Ebby already knew from the paramedics that Alessa had lost a lot of blood from the deep cuts that covered her body, and the doctor’s prognosis filled her with alarm. Sick with grief over what had happened to her, she was relieved that the exhausted Lucy had fallen asleep. Ebby’s mind spun with endless questions as she prayed that Alessa would survive this ordeal and come through. She begged God to give her some coverage from heaven or leave her the hell alone and let the girl get on with her life. For the first time in her life, Ebby was angry at God. Where was he and why had he neglected this child? How much did Alessa have to endure before she caught a break? Ebby was livid at the rotten bastards who had hurt her. She was even angry at herself for failing to protect Alessa.
It was hours before the emergency room doctor came out. He told Ebby that Alessa had a minor head injury, but nothing she couldn’t overcome. They had set her broken leg and arm, and she was sleeping peacefully and comfortably with the meds they had given her. She hadn’t regained consciousness since she arrived, but given the degree of the trauma she had suffered, that was normal.
The ER doctor planned to admit her to the surgical intensive care unit so they could keep a close eye on her. He still wasn’t satisfied with her vital signs, and they had to give her a blood transfusion. He suggested Ebby go home and rest, but she refused. So he took her in to see Alessa. Ebby gazed at the girl, shocked. Her injuries were so extensive that she was virtually unrecognizable. She knew there was no way she could allow Lucy to see Alessa in this condition. The nurses promised to watch the child to allow Ebby to catch some much-needed sleep.
Ebby sat in the chair next to Alessa’s bed and rested her head on the edge of the mattress. She woke up several hours later. She took a minute to orient herself. Then her eyes went directly to Alessa. She was satisfied that her young friend was still sleeping peacefully. She moved away from the bed, careful not to wake Alessa. She looked down at the girl and noticed one of Alessa’s eyelids fluttering.
“Alessa? You’re okay,” she said in a soothing voice. “Lucy is safe, and you’re in the hospital.”
Alessa acknowledged her words with the slightest nod of her head and struggled to speak.
Ebby knew what was bothering her. “Alessa,” she reassured her, “they never got near Lucy. She’s fine. She called me from the restaurant. Lucy can’t see you yet, but you needn’t worry. Lucy will be staying with me until you get better.”
She saw Alessa’s body relax, and in minutes, she was asleep again.
