Bobby finished closing off Frankee's window so no snow would get into her room and went down stairs to help Evelyn in the kitchen as she cooked dinner, not that he was really helping he sat on the counter handing Evelyn seasonings when she asked for them. He looked in the living room, Jack had fallen asleep on the couch with Amelia and Deniela sitting on the floor watching T.V. It had been about an hour and a half since they've been home, Frankee was still out side and there was still no word from Angel yet.
"Hey Ma, can I ask you a question?" Bobby asked.
"Of course sweetie, you can ask me anything, what's on your mind?" She asked in her typical calm voice.
"How did you ever put up with all of us?" She laughed at him and looked at him with a smile.
"Honestly, sometimes I don't know. You boys got in to so much trouble but I knew all you needed was somebody to give you a chance."
"What about Frankee? She's so difficult, a temperamental little bitch. She reminds me of Jack when he first came here kind of." Bobby looked at Evelyn, who gave him a look. "All I'm saying is she was what, fifteen when you adopted her, we were all younger then that when you took us in. I heard her say something about Anthony and Perkins slapping sense into her."
"Bobby you know that all of you guys come from a troubled past, her is just more recent than all you boys."
"What actually happened to her?" He heard Evelyn sigh loudly.
"I'm not the one you should ask."
"Maybe not but I'm asking you." Bobby said back to her. Evelyn put the cover over the pan and turned to Bobby.
"Okay, I'll tell you but I shouldn't be." She paused. "She went through foster homes quickly because they couldn't handle her, she started to get into drugs, trouble with the police. I wanted to help her, I always checked up on her, but the last three foster homes she was in she got abused, first one was just emotionally but the second one who was Anthony, physically…"
"You mean he hit her?" Bobby asked angrily interrupting her.
"Yeah but she said it wasn't bad, just a couple bruises every once and a while. After she went to Perkins and he was worse." She stopped taking a deep breath. "During the first month she was there I was told by her social worker she had gone to the hospital three times. When I would try to talk to her she would tell me she fell, or got it in gym class…"
"But you knew, why the fuck didn't any one say something to that fucker. I would've rung his neck." Evelyn put her hand over his.
"Trust me I know you would." She said with a smile. "She never said he touched her, she was scared of him and if she didn't say anything you know we can't do anything."
"How'd Frankee get here?" Bobby asked.
"I went into work and her social worker asked to talk to me, he said that she stole Perkins care and drove it into a brick wall going pretty fast, she left a note in the car for someone to find explaining everything. I went to see her at the hospital when she woke up and talked to her she told me everything in the letter and more. I couldn't leave her like that, so I adopted her. She was really quiet when I first got her here and she would have attacks or freak out, when she did talk she was very irritable. I didn't think I could help her."
"Why didn't you call us home to help you out, I would've been here."
"I knew she couldn't handle you guys being home so I couldn't ask for you help, every time she was hurt was by a guy." Bobby nodded understanding. "I was going to give up on her, but one night she came to me crying, it was the anniversary of her parents death." Evelyn gave him a sad smile. "She told me how her mother always told her to tell her everything, even if it would disappoint her, and she never got a chance to. We stayed up all night and she told me everything, from what drugs she's tried, sex, alcohol to what was going through her head when she tried to kill herself."
Evelyn gave Bobby a few minutes to let everything process and sink in. He thought about it, she had only been living with Evelyn for about a year and a half she still had the memories of what the two bastards did to her fresh in her mind, and what happened to her this morning probably didn't help her much.
"When you two were talking in the bathroom, why did you tell her it was okay to be scared? What's she scared off?"
"She said she felt like she was back at Perkins, and that scared her more than anything, she didn't say why but you can probably guess. It's still a fresh memory to her something she can still visualize. She's only really use to you boys, she horses around with you guys because she knows you're her brothers and you're not going to hurt her. Those guys weren't you and they hurt her." Evelyn turned back to the stove.
"She was almost in tears..." Bobby said out of the blue, Evelyn turned around and looked a him. "But she didn't cry."
"I only saw her really cry once, she doesn't show that emotion too often she tries to make everything seem okay, why don't we finish talking later, Frankee's been out side a long time, almost an hour would you mind going to check on her?"
"One more question, why do her hand shake so much and why does she take medication."
"First of all that's two questions." Evelyn said with a smirk.
"So."
"Like I said she use to have attacks, like a twitch but when they get too bad she would hurt her self by pushing her self against something. When I asked Frankee why she did it she said because she didn't want to hurt anyone else the medication is to help stop it, if you want to know anything else I suggest you at Frankee yourself. Now can you get Frankee?"
Bobby nodded and jumped off the counter giving Evelyn a hug and a kiss on the cheek. He walked through the living room glancing at the girls then at Jack who now had his back facing him and his face hidden under his hands. He smiled and shook his head.
He walked out on the porch, it was dark and at first glance he didn't see anything or anyone there. He opened the door and looked around but didn't see anything there either. He noticed a small light from the end of a cigarette and turned on the light to see Frankee sleeping in the chair with her feet up on another chair.
He walked over and inspected her a little closer. Her hand hung down and her cigarette was burning out by the ash on the ground he knew she just feel asleep a short time ago, her coat was around her tightly, her MP3 layer was on and her left hand was cradled to her chest it still looked swollen and bruised but didn't expected it to be healed yet, but by the look he knew it hurt, since it hurt to look at it.
Bobby reached out and put his hand on the side of her face, she was cold. She moved her face away from his hand and slowly opened her eyes. She looked a little confused almost like she didn't really know where she was as she took her headphones out. Bobby just smiled, he was no stranger to concussions.
"Don't worry you're home." Bobby said watching her sit up. "How you feeling squirt?"
"Like I got hit with a baseball bat." She said with a smirk.
"No shit Sherlock." He answered. "It's cold as hell out here, why are you still out here anyway."
"I was thinking about something, and I guess I fell asleep." She said putting her feet down sitting up straight and rubbing her face. She felt lightheaded and a little nauseated.
"Ma's got supper almost done…" Frankee shook her head with a laugh.
"Food's the last thing I want right now."
"Ma's not gunna let you go with out food, so you might a well pick at it like you normally do." Bobby said sitting in the seat Frankee had her feet on.
"I know the kids who are doing this, or the one behind it at least, but I don't get why? If this is all because I hit him then he's over reacting but if it's some kind of way to get back at you for what you did to his brother then he's being an ass because you didn't he was killed by the cops, right?" Bobby nodded.
"Yeah, but this kid is just fucked up… that's a lot of thinking for a girl who's concussed."
"Yeah my head hurts just thinking about it." She said rubbing her face and Bobby laughed at him. "The one who went out my window is Leroy, I found his necklace in the snow." She said softly handing the necklace to him. "Ma told me I have to talk to the police tomorrow."
"Maybe it's a good thing, this kid's a fucking nut case." He said leaning back.
"I'm sorry." Bobby looked at her for a moment.
"Why the hell are you apologizing about you never did anything."
"It's my fault, if I just kept my mouth shut or walk away like ma says I wouldn't have triggered any of this." She said sadly.
"First of all you're a Mercer, shit happens secondly this isn't your fault. Do me a favor." She nodded for him to go on. "Stop thinking." Frankee smiled with a slight laugh. "Now come on, ma's waiting." He said helping her up and walking into the house behind Frankee.
