Chapter one'
The sound of the phone ringing causes me to wake up out of a deep sleep as I roll over and pick it up. "Hello"I ask sleepily, "Sev,something's happened to Scott and I can't get a hold of my mom,can you come over"he asks shakily,"whoa And slow down, are you at his house or yours,what's going on"I ask suddenly more awake as I get up out of bed holding the phone between Ear and shoulder. "I I don't know much,he came here about a half hour ago, his leg was bleeding and all he would tell me is that his dad was drunk and his parents were fighting and it got nasty, we called the cops already"he says taking in a breath to calm down,"OK I'm on my way,I'll be there in 10"I say hanging up.
I finish getting dressed and I go downstairs,grab my keys and leave mom a note,and then I get out the door. The drive over there is a blur of thoughts and worry, I knew Scott's home life was bad but not this bad,and I know there is more to what's going on than what he's telling Andy,but like me he's an expert at hiding it. I make it over there and I go through the unlocked front door and as soon as I set foot in the main entry way,Andy calls and says their in the bathroom. I make my way over there and as I do I can see blood on the kitchen tile, more likely Scott's, and a bloody rag on the sink. There is too much blood for my liking,this tells me Scott has to be bleeding pretty badly,that his asshole of a dad did this to him,and now has us all scared. I make it up to the bathroom and I find Andy sitting on the floor,holding a blood soaked towel against his leg,it looks like damn horror movie,it's that bad. "I'm here,And this is bad,we need to get him to the ER,where is Danielle"I ask gently taking over lifting the towel to see the wound,and it's fairly deep and I gently hold pressure against the wound, "She's she's at a friends house,she's spending the night,it's just me,what can I do to help"he asks shakily,i know he's shakened pretty bad,more so than when his dad died,so I squeeze his shoulder in comfort.
"Right now go get him a change of clothes,shh Scott I know it hurts,then we need to get him to the ER he's going to need stitches"I say as he whimpers in pain. Andy leaves,and I sit down to get down to Scott's level, "I'm sorry about all of this Sev,i feel bad that you guys are having to take care of this in the middle of the night"he says finally speaking for the first time, "hey look at me,you have nothing to be sorry for, this stuff happens unfortunately, can you tell me what happened"I ask wrapping an arm around him and finding that he lays his head against my shoulder and is shaking. "It just I don't know,it got bad tonight, he was drunk like normal and he started a fight with mom,he was going to hit her,so I took the hit for her,and then I ran, I ran out that back door and I cut my leg on the fence trying to climb it,and I came here,and Andy called the cops,and we've been trying to get the bleeding to stop,but it hasn't"he says, "OK,let's get you changed and to the ER, I'll take you, then Andy can stay and clean up,then come when his mom get's here"I say as Andy comes into the room, "OK,here are the clothes,i got a hold of mom she's on the way"he says sounding a lot calmer than before.
"OK,i know this is going to hurt, but try to lean against me so your not bearing so much weight on your leg"I tell him helping him stand to where his arm is around my shoulder,and Andy starts to help him change,and right as we finish he starts fading and leans against me more heavily than before. "OK,we need to get going, I got him,you should stay here And, so that way your here when your mom shows up"I say gently, "OK,she should be here in about 20 mins,is he going to be OK"he asks shakily, "shh yeah he will be,he's just lost a lot of blood, they'll give him stitches and blood,and he'll be like new"I say reassuringly despite the fact that I know the situation as it stands right now is not good but he doesn't need to know that right now not with Scott with us. I pick him up gently and he surprisingly doesn't resist, he actually lays his head against my shoulder,and we go outside to the car. I get him in the front seat and gently re position a new towel over his leg and tie it to hold pressure. Then I take off and we're at ER within 15 mins. By this point he can't hardly walk so i carry him inside,and he lays his head against my shoulder,scared tired,in need of comfort,and we approach the nurses station. The first nurse sees all the blood and comes over to us instantaneously, knowing that something is wrong. "I'm nurse Julie,what's going on with you guys tonight"she asks gently lifting the towel to look at his leg as he curls into me even more, "I'm Kelly, this is Scott, his dad's been abusive and it got really bad tonight, he got out the back door and cut his leg trying to climb the fence,and he made it to our friends house,they called the cops already"I say as she reapplies the bloodied towel as he bites his lip to keep from screaming in pain. "OK,let's get you taken care of OK honey, i need to get you on a gurney so we can get you into a room, i promise we're not going to hurt you OK Scott"she says gently feeling for his pulse by grabbing his wrist. He nods like he understands,and we take him over to a gurney by the nurses station.
I start to lay him down but he grabs on tight, and i know he's scared,he's terrified, so i try to be comforting,"Scott you need to let go alright, i promise I'll be right there with you bud, just breathe"I say as he finally lets go and he lays down against the gurney,sweaty,scared,and tired,oh so tired. I place a hand against his cheek and he relaxes instantaneously,closing his eyes, as we finally make it back to an exam room. We try to pick him up to put him on the table but it hurts him terribly as he grabs my hand and i know it's taking all he has to not scream. "shh,shh, it's alright, breathe, easy, let's get the gown on you"she says gently running her fingers through his hair. I watch as she gets his bloodied clothes off and then she slips him into a gown,and helps him lay back as she puts a thermometer in his ear.
It beeps and then she looks at the screen, he's running a temp of about 101,and she notes it on her sheet as a doctor comes in. She introduces herself as DR. Johnson as she puts on gloves and comes over to him. "OK Scott i need to get a look at your leg alright, can you tell me what happened"she asks lifting the towel, "It it just got bad tonight, he was drinking like normal but got violent, and he was going to hit mom so i took it for her and then i ran, and i climbed over a fence and cut myself"he says quietly, "alright, Jules I'm probably going to need you to get someone to call child services for me, we need to get him out of there"she says as he starts to break down, "God i'm so scared what happens to me now"he murmurs softly wincing,he's hurting so bad,he's terrified,in a position he should never be in.
I make my way over to him as I watch her gently stroke his cheek,he needs all the comfort he can get right now. "Shh trust me honey I know,we'll take good care of you I promise,she'll call them,they'll come talk to you,you won't necessarily be taken away,if your mom is willing to leave,get you out of that situation,you'll stay with your mom,we'll call her soon as well alright"she murmurs as I grab his hand and he looks at me with gray eyes that are showing the weight of the world that he's been carrying,a weight that shouldn't be expected of him to deal with. "Alright"he murmurs softly as she wipes away the tears,"I'm going to numb your leg now if that's alright,give you some stitches,clean up your wound,it's not going to be pleasant honey,I'm going to have you look at Kelly alright,do you mind holding him,it'll be easier to get this done if he's still"she murmurs softly as i nod and come over,wrapping my arms around him enough to keep him still as he places his head on my shoulder, "OK"he murmurs too tired to say anything else as I see the nurse come over with the supplies,which she places beside him on the bed. I hold him tight as they start to clean his leg,so they can numb it,I can feel hot tears staining my shirt,he's so scared,he's in pain,and he's just done with everything,which I completely get. They finish cleaning it up,then it's time for the needle,I see her grab it,and she gently squeezes his knee before she starts. She pokes him and it's done pretty quickly as I feel him tense,then start shaking, "God it hurts Kell,make it stop"he murmurs softly,sounding much younger than his 16 years. "I wish I could Scotty, it'll stop soon, I promise you that"I murmur holding him tightly,being strong for him,though it's hard.
I continue to hold him as the pain lessens and his leg is numb,she touches it to make sure and he can't feel a damn thing,and he tries to relax,knowing the pain is gone for now. I hold him tight as I see her stick the needle into his skin,and he barely flinches. She starts the stitches and before I know it it's over,and I slowly let him go as she wraps his leg in gauze,from the top of his knee to his mid thigh. I get him to where he's on his side,and she pulls a sheet over him,to keep him comfortable,then she goes over and throws the supplies away,then grabs the thermometer again,a different one,I know it won't be comfortable,but I know she needs to get a more accurate temperature on him.
"Alright honey,I need to get a more accurate temperature on you ,I know it's not going to be comfortable, I'll try to make it quick"she murmurs softly coming up behind him gently,trying to not spook him. "Alright"he murmurs,he's tired and done with everything,but he knows why she needs to do this,even though he doesn't like it. I find myself carding a hand through his hair as she opens the back of his gown,pulling the sheet down to the middle of his legs. She pulls down his boxers just enough, then she does her thing as he tries to relax,holding my hand. It's done before he knows it,and she pulls his boxers up and covers him,to give him some privacy and she notes his temperature,102,not terrible,but still a fever none the less. She throws away her gloves,dons new ones,then she finishes examining him. He's all in all OK, she determines that he needs a little bit of blood,but he's alright,he'll need alot of sleep as well,but she'll get him started on blood fairly soon.
I see the nurse come back in,and she lets her know that she got a hold of CPS,and that his mom will be here shortly,she got out of the situation and went to his Aunt's house,for safety,with his siblings. After this they leave,letting us know they'll be back with blood soon and to just hang in there. For the first time since this happened we're finally alone,and it's quiet,which is good,gives him a chance to rest after everything that's happened. Tonight I hope will be the night that he get's out of that shitty situation,his parents have been fighting for a long time,and it just got out of hand,now there's hurt to contend with,and picking up broken pieces that may never be fully repaired,it's been mainly verbal abuse,but tonight with the physical,that's going too far.
I sit beside him,and I feel him rest against me,seeking comfort in anyway he can get it. I turn on the TV,leaving it on the news,keeping it on low. "Try to get some sleep alright,I'll be right here,I'll wake you when the doctor comes back or your mom's here Scotty"I murmur softly watching his chest rise and fall steadily. "OK"he murmurs sleepily,laying his head against my chest and I let him. Before I know it he's out,getting a rest he's probably not had in awhile,and I continue to watch him,making sure nothing happens in the mean time,alone with my thoughts,thinking about how things might turn out,and hoping they turn out for the better.
