Silent Screams This is the tenth time Lisa has been hospitalized in the last two years. At least this time there are no broken bones or concussions to worry about. Lisa only has two black eyes, a patch of her beautiful long hair forcibly torn from her head, an ugly black and blue bruise on her neck, and some nails torn straight from her freshly manicured nail beds. Lisa swore to God and her best friend Brandy that this would be the last straw. In fact, he made exactly the same promise under oath just three months ago, and yet, lo and behold, he finds himself in the same position he swore never to return to. This time however it was different. She was planning to move her belongings out of the small apartment she shared with her boyfriend when she was released from Sinai Grace Hospital, and out of what appeared to be her home away from home. Lisa has scheduled her mother to babysit her 2-year-old daughter while she looks for work, and Brandy has already told Lisa she can stay with her as long as she needs. Yet, the next day, Lisa calls to inform Brandy that she has decided to stay with Jason despite the horrible things he has done to her. Lisa believes Jason has changed overnight and deserves a second chance, plus a child has to grow up with both parents at home. Unfortunately Brandy wasn't surprised at all by the phone call, in fact, she was expecting it. As the wave of guilt and "shoulda, coulda, woulda" attempts to overwhelm Brandy, she quickly snaps back to reality, wipes tears from her face, and places white roses on Lisa's headstone. A story like Lisa's usually raises the million dollar question; Why do women stay in abusive relationships? Nationwide... middle of paper... Academic search completed. Network. April 18, 2014. Coniglio, Meghan. “Domestic Terror.” Women's Health (08847355) 10.10 (2013): 130-137. Comprehensive Consumer Health - EBSCOhost. Network. April 6, 2014Read, Katy. “The Regrets of a Stay-at-Home Mom.” Real families. Salon, January 5, 2011. Web. April 4, 2014. Sichelman, Lew. “Mom and pop families are in sharp decline.” National Mortgage News 37.34 (2013): 1. Company source completed. Network. April 5, 2014.Sullivan, Katie. “The ongoing problem of domestic violence triggers a county-wide shift in response policy.” Times-Tribune, The (Scranton, PA) May 26, 2013: Newspaper source. Network. 5 April 2014.Thornton, Victoria. “Understanding the emotional impact of domestic violence on young children.” Educational and Child Psychology, March 2014, vol. 31, issue 1, p90-100, 11p, 3 black and white photographs, 1 diagram; found on p95Ford, Nyketah. Telephone interview. April 14. 2014.