Excerpt from Chapter 3 – “Storm Clouds and Blue Eyes”

“Dad…! Mom!”
Dropping the cake on the floor, I ran to my father as he
struggled to lift his bleeding head, and called to my mother for
help. Blood streaming from his nose, pooling beneath him on
the hardwood floor, I ran to the kitchen, grabbed two dish towels
off the counter, and ran back to my father. Supporting the
back of his head with one hand, I used my other hand to pinch
his nose with the towels as I wept, the sharp smell of bourbon
on his breath and the blood smeared on his face making me
wince and cry harder.
“Mom!” I yelled again, checking my father’s nose to see if
the flow had lessened. It hadn’t, the blood now soaking his
upper lip, mouth, and chin, streaming down his neck. I pinched
his nose and screamed yet again.