Welcome to the new Clew long story! Aren't you glad you didn't have to wait a whole other round of stories for this?
Legal: I own nothing but the idea.
Very important things to know before reading:
*Mostly it's Cannon through Boom Boom Pow or Spring Fever depending on what the episode was called for you. I did change the timeline a little bit: the concert and Anson's death was two weeks before March Break in late February, Vince then began threatening Drew and he takes the gun to Turner and confesses on March 1st. A couple days after that Drew finds out Vince is out and breaks up with Bianca finding out she slept with Vince to keep him safe. The following day (Friday) is the dance when Eli crashes and Clare breaks up with him which is the cannon to the timeline to the show. Okay that's it we begin with the Sunday after the dance.
And that's pretty much it the rest will be in the story so I hope you all enjoy the first chapter.
Ch. 1 You Were there When I Needed Someone
(CLARE)
"Stop," I hear a desperate cry from a voice I know and I run toward it, my heart pounding and I don't seem to be breathing. A circle of boys is beating on one. They're beating Drew and I stop thinking I simply run over on instinct, he's Adam's brother and he's being hurt.
"STOP LEAVE HIM ALONE," I scream grabbing one of them and pulling him away from Drew. I'm subsisting purely on adrenaline and instinct to get them to leave Drew alone but not thinking of my own safety.
"Clare don't," Drew pleads with a weak and choked voice.
"Get away from him," I demand pulling at another boy.
"Okay let's have some fun with you then," he grins pushing me onto the hood of a car and pinning my wrists.
"Get off of her…ugh," Drew gets kicked in the ribs and his plea ignored as the boys beating him laugh.
We're not the only ones out here, other people are around, watching even but they do nothing. They only stand there watching as though it were a scene in a movie and not happening before them. I know that it's up to me and I knee the one holding me as hard as I can. He goes down with a groan and I step up to the one in the middle who seems to be the leader.
"Stop, leave him alone," I command as strongly as I can pulling him away from Drew. I'm trying not to show my fear but I am terrified. The boy grins at me, a malign and malicious grin. In his eyes lies only malevolence and apathy as though he has no soul.
"That's enough," he orders and the other boys stop. "See you again," he says to me in a way that makes a chill run through my spine. He bumps me as he walks by and the other boys leave. I run over to Drew and kneel in the snow by him.
"Drew?" I cry now that the other boys are gone I begin to break down.
"Cl…" he says weakly before his eyes roll back and he goes unconscious. I feel the breath freeze in my lungs and I worry that I just watched Drew die!
"Drew," I shriek getting out my phone and calling 911. Others are gathered around us now and I believe some are calling 911 but I don't care.
"911 what is your emergency?"
"A boy has been badly beaten we need an ambulance. We're near the corner of DeGrassi and Dundas."
"We have other calls an ambulance is on its way."
As soon as she says that I hang up and take Drew's hand. I say his name but he doesn't respond but when I feel for a pulse he has one, at least I know he's alive. I hear sirens screaming in the distance. Other people back away but I won't leave Drew, an EMT has to pull me away so they can get to him and I wipe my tears hoping he's okay.
"Do you want to ride with us Miss?" An EMT questions and I nod still wiping my tears.
I get in the ambulance sitting at Drew's feet watching the EMTs look at him, taking blood pressure, pulse and looking at Drew's eyes that are still rolled back into his head. All I can do is watch and listen to the sirens as we rush to the hospital, in my head I keep seeing Drew getting beat by those boys and I try everything to make it stop.
"What's his name?" The EMT questions.
"Drew, uh Andrew Torres. He's seventeen," I inform them.
When we finally pull up to the hospital I step out of the ambulance so they can get Drew out and I run in with them. Drew is rushed into a room but I'm prevented from following them and I begin to break down. I'm not sure why I can't stop crying, I barely know Drew at all, I've spent time with him a little but only because he's Adam's brother. Adam! I need to call Adam. I take a deep breath to calm my nerves so that I can even make a phone call. I get out my phone, my fingers shaking but I find Adam's name and click on it.
"Hey Clare," Adam's cheery voice says from the other end of the line.
"Adam…" my voice trembles and I can barely speak.
"Clare what's wrong?"
(ADAM)
I was in my room at my laptop contemplating an e-mail to Eli. I hadn't spoken to him since Friday when he called me after finding out Clare was not going away with him for the weekend. I was at the dance when Clare got the phone call from Bullfrog. I saw her when she came back to the dance from seeing Eli at the hospital and she told me what happened. She did kind of avoid me for the rest of the dance but I figured it was because being around me reminded her of Eli so I didn't think anything of it. I knew she went home with Alli and when I didn't hear from her, or Eli, yesterday I knew they'd both call me when they were ready. So when my phone rang Sunday afternoon and I saw Clare's name and the picture of us flashing on my phone I smile and answer it.
"Hey Clare," I answer happy to hear from her.
"Adam…" she speaks my name in this terrified trembling tone that stops my heart and causes my breath to catch in my throat.
"Clare what's wrong?" I ask my tone changing to worry.
"It's Drew…" she says but it's all she can get out before needing to pause for a trembling breath.
"What about Drew?" I ask as my heart begins to pound with trepidation. I knew Drew had gone out earlier but now Clare is calling me in tears about him.
"He's at Toronto Western, he was beat up," she's barely able to get out the words she's crying and her voice is shaking so much, she's nearly choking on the breaths she takes.
"I'm calling my parents we'll be there soon."
She says okay and we hang up. I get on my shoes while calling my parents who are out running errands.
"Hi Adam," Dad answers I know he's answering through the Bluetooth in the car from the way it sounds.
"Drew's in the hospital, Toronto Western," I tell them in a panic.
"What?" Mom shrieks.
"I'm going there now you can yell at me later for taking the van," I tell them and hang up.
I grab my keys and run down to the garage. I have a learners permit but not a license yet, I don't get one for a few weeks when I have my sixteenth birthday. At the moment I don't care I just want to get to the hospital and see my brother. I get in the van and drive quickly to the hospital. I park and run in through the ER and down the hall until I see Clare in a chair outside of a room. She looks up and when she sees me runs over hugging me tightly.
"I couldn't…I tried…they…" she tries to talk but her sentences are broken by labored breaths and tears.
I don't know what to say, I'm still not quite sure what happened. I take her hand and bring her back to the chairs, we're only sitting for a moment before my parents run in.
"Clare?" Mom questions with surprise. Clare seems to realize that she needs to explain what happened and forces herself to take a deep breath and calm herself down.
"I was out walking, just clearing my head a little after…sorry not important. I heard Drew begging for someone to stop and I ran toward his voice. These guys were surrounding him and beating him. I told them to stop, I pulled one of them away and he pinned me against a car. No one else was doing anything so I kneed the one holding me and then pulled at another one telling them again to stop. They finally did and walked off and I called 911. Drew's eyes rolled back into his head and I thought…" her voice trembles and her sentence trails off. "They let me ride in the ambulance and I called Adam, I'm sorry," she sobs as her tears begin rolling again.
"Why are you sorry, you did something, you got them to stop and you called 911 you don't have anything to be sorry for," I tell her putting an arm around her.
"Adam's right Honey you did a lot you really have nothing to apologize for it sounds like you were Drew's angel today," Mom smiles reassuringly and Clare nods calming down a little. The door to Drew's room opens and a doctor comes out.
"Are you the parents?" She asks and my parents nod. "Can I speak to you in Drew's room for a moment?"
"I'm coming too," I assert before my parents can nod again. I let go of Clare and she just sits there looking at her hands.
The three of us go into my brother's room and I feel a pit open in my stomach at the sight. He's unconscious and has oxygen in his nose, an IV in and a heart monitor, with bruises on his face. He doesn't look all that bad, I saw my grandpa after a heart attack and he had a breathing tube in and blood in his IV and twice as many monitors but my Grandpa was old and Drew's young, he's only a year older than me and he's always been my protector and now he lies helpless and unconscious in a hospital bed. It's really frightening to see my strong big brother that way especially when he's not awake.
"Andrew's most concerning injury is a concussion. As long as he regains consciousness soon he'll be just fine. He has a lot of contusions and abrasions from the fight but those will heal. He does have a few cracked ribs but all his organs are intact and he doesn't have any bleeding on the brain or swelling just a small bump. Right now we're just waiting for Andrew to wake up. I need to go see other patients but I'll be back to check on Andrew and my nurses will be checking on him frequently."
"Thank you doctor," Dad says and she leaves the room.
I sit on the end of Drew's bed, Mom takes his hand from where she's standing and Dad has his arm around her. We just sit there watching him for a couple minutes and then he begins to stir.
"Drew," Mom calls to him and his eyes open.
"Clare?" The first thing my brother says is my best friend's name. My parents look a little shocked but considering she was there with him I'm not surprised.
"She's right outside I'll get her," I tell him relieved that he's awake. I open the door and Clare looks up. "He's awake and asking for you."
Clare gets up and steps into the room cautiously, she seems to be avoiding looking at my parents like she's afraid of them. As soon as Drew sees her though he smiles with relief.
"You're okay," Drew exhales.
"I'm fine only one of them pinned me to the car. Are you going to be okay?" She asks stepping up to his bedside near his IV. I sit back on the end of Drew's bed.
"Now that he's awake he's going to be just fine," Mom grins happy that Drew is awake and talking.
"I'll get the doctor," Dad says stepping out of the room.
"Thanks for what you did but you could have been seriously hurt," Drew scolds Clare but with real concern in his voice.
"I couldn't let them beat you up, no one else was helping," Clare replies just as the door opens and Dad comes back in with the doctor.
"You're a strong young man Andrew, it's good to see you awake. Can I get the rest of you to clear the room while I run a few quick tests on Andrew."
"Drew please Andrew sounds so young," Drew complains.
"Honey maybe you and Adam should take the van and get Clare home," Mom suggests.
"Is there anyone at your house Clare?" I ask her and she shakes her head.
"No Mom went up to our old cabin today to clear out her things."
"Why don't we go down to the cafeteria and get some dessert and coffee," Dad offers and Clare nods.
We go down but none of us are really hungry, we all get coffee and Clare and I share a piece of cake but she only eats a few bites. Dad decides it's been long enough and we return to the room. The doctor is gone and Mom is sitting with Drew.
"He's going to be fine, his cognitive tests were good. They're going to keep him overnight for observation and he can come home tomorrow. He'll need to rest for several days and needs a follow up appointment in a few days. He might miss a few days of school but he's actually hoping for that," Mom tells us when we come back in the room.
I'm about to make a joke about Drew missing school when the door to his room opens again and two cops come in.
"Andrew I'm D.C. Brooks, this is D.C. James we're investigating your assault, do you know who assaulted you?"
"Yeah Vince Bell and his friends," Drew replies.
"The name sounds familiar check with Guns and Gangs," D.C. Brooks says to her male partner and he nods.
"I've had a confrontation with him before. He was associated with Anson Russ, who attacked my girlfriend at the time and I killed him in self-defense. Anson sold drugs for Vince and he wanted me to do the same in Anson's place, I told Officer Jack Turner everything," Drew informs her.
"We'll speak with him. Why did Vince and his friends beat you up today?"
"Because I turned them in. They cornered me and just started beating me up for getting Vince arrested, he was released a couple of days ago. They didn't stop beating me until Clare made them stop," Drew says smiling at her and now the cop looks at Clare. She repeats her story for the cop. "She probably saved me but I was worried that they were going to hurt her," Drew comments when she's done.
"Okay we'll check this all out and we'll probably need to talk to both of you again," D.C. Brooks says.
"We did file a restraining order against Vince Bell," Dad informs her. She nods and gets contact numbers for Dad and Clare's Mom in case the cops need to talk to them again and then she leaves the room. Drew looks tired now and I'm not the only one to notice. "Come on Drew needs to rest, Mom will be back in the morning to bring you home Son," Dad tells him before kissing Drew's forehead.
"If you need me I'll be here in ten minutes," Mom assures Drew kissing his face about half a dozen times although she is careful not to get any of his bruises.
"I'll be fine Mom," Drew replies with a slight huff of annoyance.
"Heal fast bro," I tell him squeezing his hand.
"I'm glad you'll be okay," Clare smiles a little timidly and then we leave. "My mom should be home soon if you can drop me at home," Clare says when we're outside.
"Adam and I will take you home in the van," Dad replies. He kisses Mom and the three of us walk down to where I parked the van. We get in and take Clare home.
"I'll call you tomorrow," I tell her when we pull up to her hosue.
"Thanks for the ride Mr. Torres," she smiles a little before getting out of the car.
She waves to us and I watch her walk inside, she waves from inside the entry and Dad drives us home.
(CLARE)
"…Leave him alone," I cry at the boys beating up Drew. I grab one and he pins me to the car. The others start beating Drew even harder and the one pinning me to the car puts his hand on my neck and begins squeezing. I feel the air draining from me and I can hear Drew dying as he calls for me, "Clare"...
I wake with a desperate gasp, panting hard, sweating, shaking, tears race down my face and hit the blanket. I know that isn't how it happened but that nightmare felt so real, part of it was and now I'm terrified. Then I hear a noise, a loud noise in the house. I look at my phone, it's after two in the morning Mom should be asleep and I fear the noise is Vince and his gang coming back to get me. I stop breathing and get out of bed very carefully, quietly going to the door and I hear another sound on the stairs. I grab my science trophy off the shelf and get ready to hit the intruder over the head with it. The hallway light comes on and I open my door, both relieved and startled to see my mom stumbling home at this hour.
"Mom?"
"Oh Honey I didn't wake you did I?" Mom asks.
"No I had a nightmare, are you just getting home?"
Mom told me she had plans tonight, a date. She asked if I wanted her to stay home with me after what happened but I thought it was good that she was getting out again. I told her I would be fine but I expected her home a long time ago, I've never seen my mom stay out so late.
"Yes I had such a wonderful time, oh Clare I haven't felt this way since I met your father. Now about this nightmare was it about what happened?" Mom asks and I nod. "I knew I should have stayed home," Mom says apologetically hugging me tight.
"Even if you had been home it wouldn't have prevented me from having the nightmare. Since you are awake though do you think you could drive me to the hospital. I know they said Drew was going to be okay but after that dream I just feel like I'll feel better if I'm there with Drew."
"Of course Baby, why don't you get dressed. I'll change out of this dress and I'll take you down there and arrange it so you can stay," Mom says and I give her a grateful smile.
Going back into my room I turn on the light, changing out of my pajamas and into jeans, socks, tennis shoes, a t-shirt and a purple hoodie. I grab my purse and Mom is waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs. She takes me to the hospital and I go straight to Drew's room while Mom talks to the staff. Drew's room is mostly dark but it is lit by ambient lights and the monitors. I sit down in the only chair at his bedside and just look at him. After a few minutes my mom comes in the room and kisses the top of my head.
"The staff know you're here and you can stay as long as you like. I'm going to go home and try to get a couple hours of sleep. I'll be in my office by eight if you need anything," Mom tells me and I nod then Mom leaves.
I just keep looking at Drew, it's like I'm afraid to take my eyes off of him. It's funny, or perhaps tragic, how events bring people together. Drew and I hardly know each other, even when he was dating Alli I never really spent time with him. After they broke up and I was spending more time with Adam and at their house I was around him more but I'd never had any interest in him or cared about him before now aside from the fact that he was Adam's brother. In the last twelve hours he's been on my mind more than anyone else. Not the way Eli was on my mind when I began falling for him or when we began dating, or even the way Adam was on my mind when I found out he was trans. Drew's been on my mind because it keeps replaying, the scene of him getting beat up, because my mind keeps twisting it into Drew dying and I need to know that he's not dead.
I watch Drew for a while, just watching his sleeping face, making sure he's still breathing. Soon I begin to get tired, it's not very interesting sitting here staring at Drew, it's dark and I didn't get much sleep. Slowly I begin to feel my eyes close and I lie my head on Drew's bedside before long I fall asleep, waking up when I fell a hand brushing my hair back. I sit up and look at Drew who's now awake and looking at me.
"What are you doing here in the middle of the night?"
"I couldn't sleep, I keep seeing them beating you up. I thought I'd feel better if I were here and knew you were alive."
"I'm fine," he says smiling at me reassuringly, "I'm surprised they let you in so late."
"My mom works at the hospital as an administrator so she arranged it."
"I didn't know your mom was a hospital administrator. Not that I really know anything about you other than what Alli or Adam has told me, or K.C. mentioned in the locker room before or after practice. What does your father do?"
"He's a lawyer. Not a lawyer like your dad he's a tax lawyer it's pretty boring. Which is probably why he began having an affair with his secretary," I remark and the last part comes out laced with venom.
"Sorry, Adam told me your parents were getting divorced but I didn't know about the affair."
"I found out not that long ago myself, they just told me they were having problems and I truly believed my dad was working late. Considering everything my parents have taught me and everything I thought they believed in it was very shocking. I'm still angry at him for it."
"You have every right to be angry for as long as you want. I'd be furious if I found out one of my parents was having an affair. I think Adam, or maybe Alli, actually I think it was K.C. well anyway one of them said you have a sister?"
"Yeah Darcy she's three years older and she's been in Africa for the last year and a half."
"What on earth is she doing in Africa?"
"She had a really hard time in her Junior year culminating in an attempted suicide. She did get help but then felt like she needed to atone for things she'd done and convinced my parents that the best way for her to do so was in Africa helping to build schools and houses and things. Don't get me wrong I'm really proud of what she's doing and how she's helping but there are times, especially watching you with Adam, that I miss having my big sister around."
"Sorry do you hear from her much?"
"Hardly ever. She e-mails when she can but she's mostly in tiny villages that don't even have power. I sent her an E-mail when Mom and Dad were getting divorced but I haven't heard back. There are times when I wonder if she's simply forgotten about us or just doesn't want to know what's going on here anymore."
"I don't know what I'd do if Adam went to another country and I barely heard from him."
"Darcy and I haven't been really close since we were little, and we were never as close as you and Adam are. Still I miss her. This is starting to get depressing, how are you feeling?"
"Sore, my head is pounding a little but otherwise I feel okay. What about you? You said you couldn't sleep but I found you sleeping."
"I was asleep but I had a nightmare. It started out like this afternoon but then it changed, they were beating you to death and the one that had me pinned was strangling me. I woke up and just wanted to be here, I know what the doctor said but I wanted to see you for myself. It didn't help that when my mom came stumbling in just after I woke up I thought it was those boys coming to take their vengeance on me for stopping them," I tell him and Drew takes my hand squeezing in a comforting way.
"What did Vince say to you? When they stopped and Vince told them that was enough he said something to you."
"He said he'd see me again," I admit to Drew and then the door opens and a nurse comes in.
"Well guess I don't have to check that you'll wake up Clare must be good company," the nurse smiles. "It's nice to meet you Clare your mom talks a lot about you," the nurse says to me. Her nametag says Kelly, Mom doesn't really talk about her work so I don't remember her but I smile politely.
"It's nice to meet you too."
"You should both get some rest," Nurse Kelly says before leaving the room.
I'm sitting back in the chair and Drew's lying in the bed. Neither of us seem to be very tired so as far as I'm concerned we are resting.
"Guess we've both had a pretty eventful couple of weeks. Have you heard from Eli at all?"
"No and I don't want to. I liked him so much, loved him even but he became so possessive and I hated it. I'm not a possession I'm a person. Being protective in the right circumstances, a little bit of jealousy is understandable, good even it shows that the person cares but he was idiotically jealous and outrageously protective and worst of all possessive. It didn't feel like he cared it just felt like he was trying to control me."
"I liked Bianca more than any girl I've ever been with. I thought we were perfect for each other, but she betrayed me, she got me into trouble. I wish I'd never been tempted by her but I'm too dumb to know any better."
"Drew you're not dumb."
"Yes I am. I never understand anything in school except for girls and sports. It's okay Adam's the smart one."
"Not being good at school doesn't mean you're dumb it just means you're not good at school."
"You're sweet but I'm dumb. Mom insists on putting me in university track classes and I never understand anything. If not for Adam, Alli, K.C. and Bianca I'd never have come close to passing my classes. It doesn't help me feel any smarter that most of the people helping me are younger than me."
"You're not the smartest boy at DeGrassi but you're not dumb. Anyway you're very athletic, probably the most athletic at the school. Even more than Owen," I tell Drew and he gives me a grin.
"I didn't know you paid so much attention to Owen's athletic ability or mine," Drew says and I can feel my cheeks go red, I'm glad it's so dark in the room.
"Well Alli's dragged me to a few football games and I went to see K.C. and Dave at a few of the basketball games."
"Uh-huh and hockey?"
"Alli and Jenna dragged me to a couple of those too."
Drew smiles and starts talking about football, I talk about writing and we talk all night. At 6:30 they bring both of us in breakfast. We're still eating at seven when Audra and Adam come to pick up Drew and get him discharged.
"Clare Honey what are you doing here?"
"She couldn't sleep, she came to keep me company," Drew answers for me.
"I guess your mom arranged it so you could stay after visiting hours?" Audra comments more than asks.
"Yes she did," I nod.
"Well since you're here why don't come with us to bring Drew home. As you kids are on break you can spend the day at our house as long as it's okay with your mom," Audra says.
"I'll call her."
While Audra signs Drew's discharge papers and talks to the doctor I call Mom. She says it's perfectly fine for me to help bring Drew home and spend the day. Adam brought Drew a change of clothes so I leave the room so Adam can help Drew get dressed. An orderly knocks on the door and Adam calls come in, then Drew is pushed out in a wheelchair. They push Drew to the doors and Audra goes to get the car. Drew rides up front and I ride in the middle seat with Adam. When we get back to the house we go in through the front and then Audra tells Drew to go rest in the basement.
"Sweet a week of lying on the sofa playing video games," Drew grins.
"No Drew the doctor said resting, that includes your head. No video games, maybe some TV."
"We'll put on a movie, something he's seen so many times he won't have to think or hardly open his eyes," Adam tells her.
"Good, see that he rests. Drew you should try and get some more sleep if you can," Audra tells him and Drew nods a little.
We go down to the basement, Drew lies out on the chaise part of the sectional sofa. I sit on the opposite end and after Adam puts in the movie he sits between us. About half an hour into the movie Drew falls asleep where he's sitting. I'm watching the movie but the fact that I didn't sleep much is catching up with me and I find my eyes closing. I start to drift to sleep and somehow the heavy sounds of Drew's breathing are comforting, yet when I close my eyes all I see is Vince's malicious face. My eyes shoot open several times because of this, until exhaustion overtakes me and I begin to fall asleep. Before I'm fully asleep I feel Adam getting off the sofa and I drift to sleep.
"No stop get off me," Drew's tormented tone awakens me. I look at him to see he's still sleeping and I know he's having a nightmare. I don't see Adam in the basement so I get up and go over to Drew. "Don't kill me," he begs and it's rather heartbreaking how terrified he sounds.
"Drew," I call to him putting my hand on his arm, "Drew wake up."
His eyes shoot open and he blinks before focusing on my face, "Clare?"
"You were having a nightmare."
"I guess it will be a while before either of us gets a good night's sleep," Drew comments sitting up a little.
"Yeah probably," I sigh leaning back against the sofa next to Drew.
We go back to the watching the movie, Adam must have gone upstairs. I'm still tired, and soon my eyes begin to close again and my head starts to fall onto Drew's shoulder…
Update soon will pick up from about here in Drew's pov and include some more of March Break and we might possibly get to school back in session.