I have just returned from our local emergency room with my 18 year old daughter. The boy who sent her there is an exboyfriend that is very good at the 'oh, i've changed...i'm not that way anymore...give me one more chance...i love you sooooo much' line. Flashes baby blues, smiles sweetly and begs you to give him just one more chance. I tried to tell her and she had finally begun listening to me. She started hanging up the phone when he'd call, she'd leave anywhere he would be or show up at. This turned out to not be enough. This morning at around 7:15 am she came one finger twitch away from a bullet in her head. He forced his way into our home after my husband and myself had left for work. The girls were getting ready to leave for school when he arrived. He forced her into her room and tried to get her to give him a kiss. He found she had been speaking/seeing another boy. When she told him no she would not give him a kiss and ordered him to leave he pushed her down and tried to strangle her. She has some nasty marks on her neck from this attack. When he let go of her he pulled out a gun and hit her full force in the forhead then held the gun to the lower left of her jawbone. Several things occured during this fight until he finally left. Another person was slightly injured during this fight and my other daughter was screaming for him to get off of her sister and leave her alone. He finally (thankfully) left without pulling the trigger. I received the call once he left. I began rushing home, called my husband to do the same and called the local police. I made it there about the same time as the emergency vehicles. Our street was blocked off due to the number of police and medical vehicles in the road. Not knowing what to expect I was relieved to find she was still breathing, alive and seemed to be (except for badly beaten) going to be ok. She is now resting in her room and we have been told to keep a close eye on her in case she had any serious symptoms begin. I am sure she will be fine except for the wounds which will heal and the emotional turmoil she surely must be suffering right now. She learned the hard way, a way that almost cost her her life, just what I was talking about when I told her that people like that DON'T change.

Please, if anyone out there is suffering from physical or emotional abuse from a former or present spouse/girlfriend/boyfriend MAKE IT STOP! Run! Do not believe them when they say they will not do it again. They are fooling you. They will never change. All that will happen is you will find yourself another statistic among many.