Clementine ran to Violet dropping to the ground at her side, nearly hitting her head on a soft ball hanging from a tree limb by a rope right above them. She scraped her knees but she didn't care.
"Vi? Vi!" Clementine shook her lightly, no response. Her face was red, Clementine placed her hands on her cheeks, they were hot, very hot. "Violet!" When Violet didn't answer again, Clementine threw the softball bat that was lying on her chest to the side and pressed her ear to the blonde's chest. Her heart beat was rapid and soft. Clementine pulled out her cell phone and pressed "911". With every ring Clementine's heart beat faster, eyes glued to the motionless girl.
Finally an operator answered, "This is 911 what's the nature of your emergency?" They said in a calm voice.
"M-my friend, she's unconscious... she feels so hot." Clementine tried to swallow her panic, picking Violet's hand up and holding on to it as if willing her to be okay.
"How long has she been unconscious?" the operator asked.
"I-I don't know, I don't know!" The panic was rising up and she pushed it down again, "I just found her about five or ten minutes ago. She was unconscious outside when I found her. Her heart's beating really fast."
"What's you address?" The operator asked, they were so placid it almost made Clementine scream as she quickly gave them Violet's address, "Please stay on the line, an ambulance is on the way. Is your friend sweating?"
Clementine touched Violet's face, "No, she's not... is that bad?"
"While you wait for the ambulance, if you could use a sponge or rag to pour cold water over her skin. Or a garden hose since you're outside."
"Right, yes, a hose..." Clementine unwillingly left Violet's side, running around the yard frantically looking for a hose. After a minute of searching Clementine found a water spigot. She hurriedly twisted the handle, she could hear the water running but nothing came out. Clementine fell on her knees to look up into the spout. It had been cemented shut. Clementine stood up and kicked it in frustration. "I don't have any access to water..." A dry sob broke out of Clementine's throat as she spoke to the operator, her complete helplessness to do anything to help Violet choking her.
"Just stay on the line ma'am, someone will be there shortly." they repeated. Clementine growled in frustration as seconds ticked by like minutes, too frozen with fear to even cry. She was on her knees next to Violet again, stroking her hair and watching closely for signs of life. Just as Clementine was about to start yelling obscenities into the phone demanding to know what was taking so long an ambulance could be heard blaring not far off. "Has the ambulance arrived?"
"I can hear it!" Clementine leapt up and ran to the front yard, waving her arm around as the ambulance pulled into the driveway. "Yes, it's here!"
"Thank you for staying on the line ma'am, you may hang up now." The operator barely managed to say before Clementine hung up and shoved her phone in her pocket.
"What's going on?" Mr. Adlon said, awoken by the sirens he pushed the door open and watched with narrowed eyes as two EMTs followed Clementine into the back yard. He staggered out as the EMTs were loading Violet on a stretcher. Clementine hovered anxiously by her head, staying close but out of the way as she answered the EMTs' questions to the best of her ability. "What's going on?" Mr. Adlon repeated as the EMTs began carrying Violet's motionless body to the ambulance.
"What's your relation to the patient sir?" An EMT asked holding his hands out as the other started an IV on Violet's hand in the back of the ambulance.
"I'm her dad!" He yelled as if he was offended.
"Yes sir, you may ride up front. A doctor will have to speak to you once we get to the hospital, we aren't allowed to make a diagnosis."
Mr. Adlon grumbled as he climbed in the front of the ambulance, appearing annoyed by the inconvenience of the whole situation.
"Can I come along too?" Clementine begged, worry swelling up inside her.
"Sorry Miss. Family only." They replied curtly closing the doors and driving away, sirens blaring.
Clementine jumped in her car and followed the ambulance all the way to the hospital. She was in no condition to drive as dread filled every space of her being, but what choice did she have? She swerved into the hospital parking lot, parked a little askew in a space, not bothering to adjust it as she ran inside to the ER as fast as she could.
Clementine slammed into the counter, "Violet Adlon!" Clementine said louder than she intended as she struggled for breath. The lady behind the desk cocked an eyebrow at the brunette before typing on the computer.
"Ms. Adlon has yet to be admitted, you'll have to wait." The hospital worker said. Clementine nodded reluctantly and began her pacing in the waiting room, too jittery to sit down. Waves of nausea hit her at random, temporarily stopping her in her tracks before she shakily continued on. Images of Violet's motionless body, her usually pale face unnaturally red, over took her mind, allowing room for nothing else.
After an hour of relentless pacing Mr. Adlon came strutting out of the ER. Clementine ran up to him, "How is she? Did they say what's wrong?"
"Huh?" the man turned to look at her, surprised to see her there, "I don't know, doctors are with her, said they are moving her out of the ER and to a normal room. I'm taking a cab home, I'm not spending the night here."
Clementine squeezed her hands into fists at her sides, "This is your fault." She whispered angrily, "You locked her out again, didn't give her any water. Made her practice all day in the heat."
Mr. Adlon stepped closer, a sneer on his face as he whispered menacingly back, "Prove it. She's a dedicated athlete with a college scholarship. That's exactly what she'll tell anyone who asks too, just like a good little girl." He stepped forward and grabbed Clementine by the wrist, pulling her uncomfortably closer. "No Adlon has ever gone to college, but she will. She'll have chances that I never had. I did that. I gave that to her." He released the brunette and walked out of the hospital.
"Not if you kill her first!" Clementine shouted, drawing some stares as she glared after him before rushing to the admissions desk.
"Violet Adlon, she was admitted earlier, came in an ambulance. May I have her room number?" Clementine rushed her words, anxious to see how Violet was doing.
"Yes Miss." She clacked on her keyboard, each keystroke like a pang to her heart as she waited with baited breath. "She was admitted just a few minutes ago, room 204." Without even a thank you Clementine rushed out of the ER and down the hall, she knew this hospital better than she would've liked. Having spent countless hours here when her parents were admitted before their passing. She skipped the elevator, not fast enough, she ran up the stairs taking them two at a time. Flying out of the stairwell she went skittering across the corridor and rushing into room 204 without even knocking.
"Violet!" Clementine screamed when her eyes landed on the blonde lying in the hospital bed, monitors beeping, IV bags dripping. Violet was still unconscious as nurses and doctors rushed around. A nurse ran to stop Clementine's approach.
"Out!" the nurse said, blocking Clementine's attempts to push past.
"What's going on? Please! Tell me something." Clementine pleaded, a tear leaking from the corner of her eye, quickly followed by a flood of tears. Once she let one fall she couldn't keep them in any longer. "She's my best friend and m-my girlfriend. Please..." The nurse shepherded Clementine into the hallway, gently pushing her into a chair.
"Are you the one who called 911?" The nurse glanced around the hall as Clementine nodded a tearful yes. "I'm strictly not allowed to give out information to non family, but seeing as how you probably saved her life by calling when you did..." the nurse lowered her voice and leaned in closer. "I'm going to be honest with you kid." Clementine looked her in the eyes, nodding again, "She's suffering from a pretty serious case of heat stroke. We're getting fluids in her and surrounding her with ice packs. The most important thing for her right now is to get her body temperature down, once that's handled we can... start to assess the situation..."
"Assess... what are you assessing for?" Clementine tried to keep her voice level, not wanting to draw attention or appear angry at this nurse that was giving her information. "Once she gets cooled off she'll be fine... right?"
"Depending how long she was left overheated, there could be swelling in her brain or other vital organs, which could cause permanent damage... There's no way of knowing until she's cooled off and hydrated. Once her body temperature is back to normal we'll run some tests to make sure everything is fine. I know this all sounds horrifying but try and keep your spirits up okay? Odds are that we'll monitor her for a day or two and she'll be out of here." The nurse smiled sadly and patted Clementine on the shoulder just as the piercing scream of alarms filled the air. Clementine's heart dropped as the nurse ran quickly back into Violet's room. A fresh wave of tears rolled down her face, leaving warm tracks down her cheeks. She could taste her own sorrow as salty liquid rolled over her lips in torrents.
Clementine pulled her legs up in the chair and continued to cry into her knees, hiding her face from the world that couldn't possibly understand her pain. She stayed that way for a while, allowing herself to cry. As the hot tears slowed their decent Clementine pulled back, wiping at her cheeks with the neck of her blouse. The alarms had long ceased their ringing from Violet's room, she hoped that was a good thing as she pulled out her phone to check the time. It was nearly ten o'clock, there was no way she was going to be home by midnight because there was no way she was leaving Violet. She called Lee.
"Aren't you supposed to be at the movies?" Lee answered with a chuckle.
"Lee, I'm at the hospital." Clementine started, trying to steady her shaky breath.
"What's wrong? Are you okay? I'm on my way!"
"I-I'm fine Lee, sorry to scare you, it's Violet," Clementine hurried to explain. "I went to pick her up and she was unconscious. They say she had heat stroke... she hasn't woken up yet..."
"Okay... it's okay Clem, calm down..." Lee took a deep breath, calming down himself. "I'll have Carley drop me off, I'll drive you home-"
"No." Clementine said sternly. "I'm not leaving her."
Clementine could hear Lee's deep sigh coming from the other end of the line, he knew full well how stubborn his daughter could be, "Can I bring you some more comfortable clothes? Your cell phone charger? Do they have somewhere you can sleep?"
Clementine glanced at her phone, seeing that she only had 10% battery life left. "That would be amazing, thank you Lee. I'll sleep in this chair if I have to but I'm hoping they'll let me in Violet's room soon... and I can sleep on the couch."
Clementine could hear Lee talking to someone away from the phone, most likely Carley, "Okay Clem, I'm going to bring you an overnight bag. We'll need to talk when I get there. What's the room number?"
Clementine swallowed hard, wondering what Lee could want to talk about. "Room 204 and Lee... could you grab the tablet too. Oh! And my hat?" He agreed and they hung up. She continued sitting by the door, waiting, until finally the same nurse as before exited. Clementine jumped from her chair when she saw her.
"It was just a false alarm, equipment malfunction. Violet's temperature is almost back to normal and she's lucid if you want to come in and talk to her." The nurse said with a smile as Clementine sprinted into the room.
Relief washed over her like a monsoon when Violet's eyes fluttered open in greeting. Ignoring the nurses still bustling all around, Clementine ran to her side. Pecking her lips quickly as her heart raced in her chest. She grabbed Violet's hand in both of hers, being careful of the oxygen monitor attached to her finger. "How do you feel?" She inhaled deeply, trying to regulate her breath and calm her heart.
"Confused... Clem, what happened?" Violet asked groggily.
Clementine felt tears welling up in her eyes again, fighting them back, trying to be strong for Violet. "I came to pick you up for our date. You were unconscious in the back yard... I called 911. Do you remember anything at all?"
"My dad locked me out, told me I could come back in when I could catch a pop fly without dropping it." Violet said, mouth dry as she spoke. The same nurse was listening in with concern.
"When did he lock you out Vi?" Clementine asked softly. Rubbing her hand gently between her own.
"Around 9am I think?" Violet said, face scrunched in concentration. "I was going to sneak back it and get ready for our date, but I got really dizzy."
The nurse looked at Clementine and motioned her to the side, Clementine got up, reluctantly letting go of Violet's hand. "Do things like this happen often?"
Clementine looked over at Violet, not wanting to betray her trust but her safety was more important, "Yes." Clementine answered with resolve, "It's been happening since we were kids, but got much worse when we got into high school. That's when her dad really started drinking a lot."
The nurse nodded in understanding, "Since she's still 17 I legally have to report this to DFCS."
"To what?" Clementine asked.
"The Department of Family and Children Services, it's who you report to when you suspect child abuse." The nurse explained.
Clementine nodded in understanding. Now that her immediate panic was gone guilt weighed heavy on her shoulders. Violet's safety should have been her main concern from the start... More than their friendship or their trust. Clementine should have been willing to risk their relationship to keep Violet safe, but her silence almost killed her. Clementine frowned as she went back to Violet's side.
"None of this was your fault Clem..." Violet said, reading her girlfriends mind. She weakly reached up to caress her cheek before dropping her hand back to the bed unable to hold it up any longer. "Trust me, my dad has been turned into DFCS before. They've never had enough evidence to do anything. It was my word against his and then he would just get even madder..." Violet trailed off, exhaustion clear on her face.
Clementine kissed her on the forehead and stroked her blonde locks. "This is going to stop Vi. You'll be 18 soon, you can move in with us and your dad can't stop you. Lee will keep you safe. I'll keep you safe."
Violet frowned at Clementine, fear in her eyes, "I don't want him to hurt you too." Violet whispered, Clementine knew she'd be crying if she wasn't so extremely dehydrated.
"Close your eyes Vi, get some rest. I'll be here when you wake up. I promise." Clementine smiled as Violet's lids closed as if weighted down. Clementine pulled a chair next to the bed and rested her head on top of her folded arms on Violet's bed. As Clementine closed her eyes she could feel Violet's fingers lightly brushing against her hair. After a few minutes Violet's hand stilled and a knock came at the door.
Clementine slowly got up to open the door. Lee walked in, Clementine threw her arms around the man, hugging him tight. "How is she?" Lee whispered. Clementine nodded her head towards the door, gesturing for them to talk outside.
They left the room, leaving the door open just a crack behind them. "She's okay I think. She woke up for a little bit. She seemed alright. What did you want to talk to me about?"
"This happened because of Violet's dad right?" Lee asked, Clementine nodded. Lee took a deep breath and continued, "I thought as much. I've called the police on that man more than once, but nothing's ever come of it." Clementine stared at him in surprise, she had no idea that Lee had done that for Violet. "I'm going to talk to the nurse, make sure they don't give Violet's room number out to anyone else. If he steps foot in this room you call for a nurse immediately, understood?"
"Yes Lee." Clementine was glad that he was taking this seriously, "Violet turns 18 in just a couple weeks... can she stay with us?"
"It's the only place I'd feel safe for her to be. She's not going back home. I'll go pack her stuff up or we can go while he's gone." Lee said.
Clementine threw her arms around the man that she considered her dad for the longest time. "Thank you."
"Of course sweet pea. Now here," Lee handed Clementine her bag, "Try and get some sleep okay? I'll visit in the morning." With a kiss on her head he was gone.
Clementine changed into her pajamas and plugged her phone into the wall, resuming her position by Violet's bed before falling into a restless sleep. She woke up to nurses checking Violet blood pressure. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and stood, stretching out her aching back.
"How is she?" Clementine asked the nurse.
"Better than we could have hoped." The nurse answered, "She should be set to go home tomorrow."
"Thank you so much!" Clementine grinned as the nurse left the room, leaving them alone at last, she turned to smile at Violet who was sitting up partially in her bed. A tray of breakfast foods sitting on her adjustable bed table.
Clementine moved to the side of the bed, "Can I sit?" she asked timidly. Violet moved over to give Clementine room, blushing in her thin hospital gown as she nervously pulled at the edges to make sure she was covered.
Clementine reached over to grab the tablet from her bag, "I believe I owe you a movie." She sat down and propped the tablet up on the table that was positioned over the bed.
"What a romantic first date..." Violet rolled her eyes.
"I don't know, seems like I'm doing a pretty good job... I've already got you half undressed and you're moving in with me tomorrow." Clementine smirked.
Violet looked affronted and playfully nudged Clementine's arm.
"Really though..." Clementine said in a soft voice, "I'm sorry I didn't do anything to help you sooner. I'm so glad you're okay. If you'd of-of..." Clementine stopped, holding back tears as Violet awkwardly intertwined her fingers with Clementine's. Violet snuggled in as close as she could.
"Clem... we all made mistakes, but I'm okay. I have a feeling everything's only going to get better from here." Clementine smiled as she started a movie, something happy and grabbed an apple slice off of Violet's breakfast tray.
A/N: Everyone happy? Yes? Great. Don't read any further then. Just... let it end here. For those with angst in their hearts, follow me.
Clementine woke up to the sound of her phone ringing. She glanced up bleary eyed to find the credits scrolling on the movie she must have fallen asleep during. Clumsily she reached for her phone and answered it just in time, "Hello?"
"Clem! Are you still at the hospital?" It was Carley, she sounded distraught.
"Yes, what's going on?" Clementine whispered as she stood from the bed, trying not to disturb Violet who was still sleeping.
"There's been an incident with Lee." Carley sounded like she was taking deep calming breaths.
Clementine stepped out of the room, "What do you mean? Is he okay?"
"He's fine, just a little bruised, but Clem... t-the police arrested him Clem..." Carley's voice cracked as she spoke. Clementine sunk down the wall where she stood until she was sitting on the ground.
"Arrested?" Clementine's heart dropped into her stomach.
"Lee said he was going by Violet's house to pack up her clothes before visiting you at the hospital. About an hour later I'm getting a call from the police station" Carley sobbed into the phone.
Clementine leaned her head back against the wall, eyes closed, not understanding what she was hearing. "What happened exactly?"
"Honestly Clem... I-I don't know... All I know for certain is that Violet won't have to worry about her dad ever again... he's dead Clem... Lee killed him." Carley grew quiet, both her and Clementine silently clinging to their phones, trying to grasp onto their new reality.
Coach was dead, Violet's 17 years of practice had finally come to an end but the game was far from over.
A/N: Don't get mad, I warned you.