One Crazy, Wicked, Violent Night

Maegann wanted nothing more than to curl up on the couch, watch some Netflix while snacking on popcorn, and let loose for the evening after a long day. She was a paralegal, but sometimes law work could be a little exhausting, studying one case after another. But for her, it was worth it; she had a lifelong passion for law and order.

Law and Order… That sounded like a good show to watch. Except Netflix didn’t have it available, though it had similar shows, such as Suits for one. Why not? Nothing could beat Suits after all. She was practically Meghan Markle’s character, Rachel Zane.

As she selected Suits, she got a message notification from the one person she least expected…

Dennis: Haven’t seen or heard from you in ages. We should catch up soon, Meggie.

Dennis Reed was her ex for a little over a year now. They first met about two years ago at a mutual friend’s wedding, and that friend introduced them to each other. Dennis was one of the groomsmen, and Maegann and her friends were the proud guests, eager to catch up on old times. Dennis made the first move, approaching her at the reception while making note of how gorgeous she looked in her satin lilac gown. From there, it was an instant attraction and an undeniable spark.

At the reception, Dennis’ brother actually gave Maegann a warning about Dennis: stay away from him. If only she’d listened. There was no one that knew Dennis better than his own brother. Dennis had a controlling nature, something which Maegann was eventually able to see for herself when she ended things with him. Through text, because she didn’t have time to meet with him in-person to tell him they were over. She was at work at the time, and her hours were a little long at times, depending on the day. Dennis didn’t handle the break-up well, and even after a year, it’s pretty clear that he still had it out for her.

She sighed when she read the message. She knew that he knew how much she hated being called “Meggie.” It would’ve been cute and sweet if they were still together, but unfortunately, they weren’t. Dennis wasn’t the nicest person, so she hated that nickname coming from him. If it were anyone else at all, especially someone new that she was seeing, she wouldn’t mind. He didn’t deserve to call her that.

Maegann: I’ve been busy, Dennis.

Dennis: What, too busy to catch up with your old boyfriend? Are you “too cool” for me now, lol? Am I the least of your worries now that we’re not together?

Maegann: Dennis, this needs to stop. Please leave me alone. We’re over for a reason. I don’t want anything more to do with you.

Dennis: You’re a fucking dumb bitch who deserves to be dead.

Maegann gasped, not expecting to receive such a message. She called him, and he immediately answered. “Dennis, what the hell? Why would you say such a horrible thing?”

“Because it’s true, dammit!” he boomed. “You thought it was cool to call things off over text? Go to hell, Maegann.”

“I told you that I was busy then, Dennis. By the time I got back from work, it would’ve been too late. You know this already.”

“No, I don’t. We have a lot of unfinished business, Maegann. We still have a lot to talk about. I want to get back together with you, and I don’t want you to hang up…”

Maegann sighed. He was really doing this again. “Dennis… No, I can’t. Please, just stop.”

“I’m gonna come over there and try to talk some sense into you. You can’t ignore me forever, Maegann!”

“Dennis…” She tried, but then he unexpectedly hung up.

She sighed as she hung up and put her phone on the coffee table next to the bowl of popcorn. She was going to enjoy her peaceful Friday evening without letting the likes of an angry ex get to her.

Within the hour, she began watching Season 4 episodes of Suits. She’d previously streamed the show, but due to her busy schedule, hadn’t had a chance to watch it in a while to realize that she was already on the fourth season. It didn’t feel like long ago since she started watching it. She used to watch it with Dennis, back in the good old days when they were still together. They weren’t anymore, so this was her show that she could watch on her own without him.

By 9:15, she was beginning to feel a little tired, so after the episode was finished, she decided to call it a night. She grabbed the empty popcorn bowl and cup of lemonade, took them to the kitchen and placed them in the sink. She was a little pooped to wash them tonight; she’d do it tomorrow morning instead. As she was about to head up to her room, she opened up the home security app on her phone where she noticed unusual movement coming from her backyard.

With her heart pounding, she continued to watch for the strange movement as the figure made its way out from behind the bushes, stealthily creeping through the dark of the night. She zoomed in closer on the image, and…

It was Dennis.

What was he doing in her backyard at this hour? Had he been stalking her?

Maegann snapped a screenshot of Dennis’ figure in her backyard and called 911. “Hello, I’d like to report a stalking incident.”

The operator then asked, “May I get your name and address?”

Maegann replied, “Yes, of course. My name is Maegann Salvatore, and I’m 23. I’m calling to report my ex-boyfriend, Dennis Reed. I think he’s in my backyard.” She went on to provide the operator with her address. Then the operator told her that an officer was on the way to her residence in five to 10 minutes.

Maegann took a deep breath, trying her best to not panic. She found it amazing that Dennis still remembered her address after all this time. Of course he was insane enough to do just about anything.

Even if it meant banging on the front door, yelling at the top of his lungs, “Maegann! I know you’re in there. Open up this goddamn door, Maegann Salvatore!”

Maegann quickly ran up to her room to grab her pepper spray, having it in hand, in case she needed to use it on him. Since their break-up, she’d already gotten a sense as to the type of person that he was. It was always better to be prepared than to take any chances with Dennis Reed.

Suddenly, she heard gunshots, one of which made a bullet hole through the front door. Yes, Dennis was armed. He came prepared, too.

Maegann, in a panic, dialed the number of her next-door neighbor, Theresa. “Hi Theresa, it’s me, Maegann. I need your help. M-My ex is crazy. He’s trespassing on my property. Please come help me. I’m up in my room now, and he’s out at the front door trying to get in.”

“Oh, my goodness, Maegann! Are you okay?” Theresa asked. “Are you still in your room?”

“Yeah, that’s where I am right now.” Maegann managed a whisper, so as not to attract Dennis’ attention, in case he tried to make his way into the house.

“Okay, Maegann, I need you to stay calm. I’ll call 911 on my end, so just stay on the line with me, okay?”

“Okay.” Maegann nodded, unable to control the fear in her voice. She stayed on the line with Theresa as Theresa dialed 911. Then she started saying a quiet little prayer to herself to keep from panicking as the gunshots continued. She heard footsteps approaching the living room. Damn it, she thought to herself, knowing what this meant: he was present in her home.

“Maegann, where the hell are you?” Dennis called from down in the living room.

Maegann heard the sound of items on the coffee table being knocked over. He was really doing this. No worries. Maegann figured that as long as she was safe and sound in her room, he wouldn’t come looking for her up here… Or would he?

As the footsteps grew closer on the stairs, Maegann could feel her heart pounding so loud, she couldn’t help herself. A few tears ran down her face as she whispered, “No, no, no” to herself. Then the door opened, and there he was… Standing in front of her with a loaded gun in his hands.

“Dennis, no…” She cried. “Please… You don’t have to do this.”

BAM. BAM. He shot her twice in the stomach. Without even saying a word.

Blood came gushing out from her insides as she worked up the courage to let Theresa know that shots had been fired. “Oh, my God, Theresa…” She gasped as she groaned in pain and collapsed on her bed.

“What happened?” Theresa asked.

“He… He just shot me, Theresa. Help.” Her voice was still strained.

“Don’t worry, Maegann. Help is on the way. Just stay on your bed and try not to move too much. Where did he shoot you?”

“In the stomach.” Maegann let out a wail. “God, it hurts so bad! It’s literally burning through my skin!”

“I know, sweetie. I’m so sorry. Is there anyone else you can call in the meantime?”

“I… I can call my mom. Can I do that while I’m on the line with you?”

“Sure, sweetie! Do what you need to do. I’ll be on my way right now to help you relieve the pressure.”

“Thanks, Theresa. I’d appreciate it. Oh, God,” she groaned in pain once again.

She did her best to make her way downstairs to the living room. She almost stumbled down the stairs, due to the excessive bleeding of her stomach. She’d never been in this much pain before in her life. Who knew that Dennis was crazy enough to do such a thing? She never thought he was capable of trying to kill her, yet alone harm her. When she got to the living room, she contacted her mother, saying, “Mom, I’ve been shot! By Dennis.” 

Her mother asked her, “Are you okay, Meg? Where did he shoot you?”

“In the stomach.” Maegann wailed in response. “Jesus Christ, Mom, it hurts! I already called the ambulance, and they said they’ll be here in less than five minutes from now.”

“Okay, honey, just be patient as they get there. Are you still in the house?”

“Yeah, I am. I’m in the living room right now. Dennis showed up here out of the blue, somehow making his way into the house, and he shot me point-blank in the stomach. I’m bleeding so much right now, Mom.”

“Okay, dear. Just stay put. Try not to move around too much if you’re still bleeding and in serious pain. Only come out when the ambulance has arrived. They can take over from there. Okay? Just stay strong, and don’t panic too much.”

“Okay, Mom. Love you.”

“Love you too, dear. I’ll see you in a little bit.”

There was a knock on the door. “Maegann, it’s me,” Theresa called out. “Open up. I want to try to tend to you until the paramedics get here.”

Maegann opened the door for Theresa, relieved to see her so that she knew she wasn’t truly alone in the most horrifying moment of her life. Theresa’s experience as a school nurse made her all the more qualified to help Maegann by starting the process of applying pressure to the abdominal wound in order to reduce the bleeding. “You’ll be okay,” Theresa reassured her. “Just stay with me until they get here.”

By then, Maegann was starting to drift out of consciousness, but the paramedics and EMTs finally arrived to take over the process. Theresa went outside to lead them inside to take Maegann as they transported her to the hospital. Law enforcement was present as they took Dennis into immediate custody. He’d been standing there, staring nonchalantly at the house while unloading the gun, after he just did an atrocious thing of opening fire to the residence with intent to hurt or kill someone, who just happened to be Maegann.

Theresa made her way to the hospital so that she could be there for Maegann. Eventually, Maegann’s mother, Catherine, arrived, waiting with Theresa in the waiting room. The two women got to know each other as they anxiously awaited news on the update on Maegann’s surgery.

“Thank you so much for being there for her tonight,” Catherine thanked Theresa.

“No problem, Catherine. It’s what I’m there for. I was able to keep her stable until the ambulance arrived. I’m really sorry that she’s going through this.”

“Yeah, tell me about it. The first time that my daughter’s ever been in love, and out of all the people in the world, she got stuck with a crazy, violent psychopath. Who knew?” Catherine shook her head in disbelief.

“It’s going to be okay, Catherine,” Theresa reassured her. “Maegann is a brave girl. I have no doubt that she’ll pull through.”

“One can only hope,” Catherine said with a hopeful smile, then she and Theresa spent the next few minutes saying a prayer with each other, hoping for the best possible outcome in Maegann’s surgery and recovery. They also prayed that justice be served accordingly, that Dennis was going to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. He wasn’t going to get away with it this time.

After the surgery was performed, the doctors came out to update Catherine and Theresa on its success. They informed them that Maegann didn’t sustain any life-threatening injuries, so she had a strong chance of survival, given her health and her age of 23. She would have to spend the next three to five days in full recovery, so unfortunately, she wouldn’t be going to work anytime soon.

Maegann was eventually discharged a little over 24 hours later. Her mother and Theresa were right by her side the whole time, grateful that she was still alive and in one piece–”one piece’ being a relative term.

For the next week or so, Maegann began receiving a lot of support and visits from friends, family, and relatives. While her mother offered to stay with her in the house for a while, Maegann gradually gained the courage to accept the idea of testifying against Dennis at his upcoming trial. He had a lot of charges against him, such as attempted murder, aggravated battery, and other charges that showed premeditation on his part and the use of a firearm to inflict pain upon her.

After hearing the charges, Maegann was relieved to know that he was facing a lengthy sentence: approximately 30 years behind bars. He’d have to serve out the entirety of his sentence, so he had no chance for parole or early release. She wouldn’t have to deal with him for the next three decades until she was in her 50s, at the very least. By then, he’d have been nothing but ancient history to her.

The trial came and went, and when it was time for Maegann to make a victim impact statement, all her friends and family, including Theresa, appeared in court to watch her brave through the storm of showing a room full of strangers and friends alike what the man she had once loved did to her. She pulled up her blouse, which revealed a hole covered by the stitches from the wound, and said in a clear voice that screamed assertiveness, “This is what he did to me. I’ll never forget the night that forever changed my life because of this psychopath that’s standing across from me right now, who shot me in cold blood and didn’t even think twice.”

That was more than enough to incite emotion in every single person in the courtroom, including the most seasoned prosecutors, Maegann’s attorney, and even Dennis’ defense lawyer. Even Dennis’ own family got emotional, but it’s not clear whether they were crying for him or for Maegann. Everyone was  touched by her testimony. How could you not be?

With that, Dennis was pronounced guilty of all the charges, and in no time at all, he was sentenced to 30 years, no chance of parole or early release. He’d be somewhere in his 50s by the time he got out, same as Maegann. Only this time, she’d have moved on with her life in the most positive way, and he’d just get used to having been let out of a cage for the longest time, with the key thrown away.

Maegann Salvatore was a winner. Not only that, but she was also a survivor. She was strong and unbreakable, and most importantly, she was happy.