Guys! Guys! Guys! I made it to 200 reviews!!!!!! This is amazing! I love you all so much! I'm so sorry about the wait! I finally figured out what I wanted to happen in this chapter, it just took me such a long time, lol.
Lunar-Eclipse412: Believe me, May wants to adopt them all too. But it's not that simple, apparently. Thank you so much for reviewing!
brighteyes421: I'm so sorry! This story is honestly breaking my heart to write. These boys just deserve so much better. Thank you so much for reviewing!
lizjanie: Of course! I absolutely love requests! I can't wait to write yours! Thank you for the review!
Elliebean: OMG. I love that you reviewed before even reading. That made my day! Thank you so much!
ShadowSolstice16: I'm sorry! Im not used to emotions either, lol. I hope these boys will be okay. Thank you for reviewing!
InkSpatteredHands: AWW! Thank you so much. It gives me a warm feeling too. I love writing them as brothers. It's just so much fun and I'm addicted to writing things as far from canon as I can possibly get, I guess. Thank you so much for reviewing!
thelongmarauder: I'm so sorry for another intense chapter last time. This one is just a bit more calm, so I hope it's better. Thank you so much!
Les Phansie: ... HAHAHAHAHAHAHA YOU DONT THINK IT CAN GET WORSE THAN SPIDERS REVENGE?! Wait... seriously? ... like... like it's bad, kid. It's bad. But it's okay, it'll probably be a while before I post it, if at all, because it's like really bad. Thank you, thank you, thank you! I'm so glad you liked this chapter! It was rough. I just feel so bad that I'm doing this to them. They all deserve better. Thanks for reviewing!
Ktlasiar: I know! I'm so sorry! Thanks for reviewing!
OllieCollie: i know. Crutchie really shouldn't go to jail... he really, really shouldn't... thanks for reviewing!
ariav1200: I can't wait to see how this ends either... thank you so much for your review!
NewsiesOnAMission: keep crossing your fingers. I guarantee nothing. Thank you for your review!
queenlmno: I don't know why I hurt them so much! It's a problem! I need to stop... but I can't. And yes... I have a lot of stories where Race is a lot worse off than he is in any of the ones that I've posted. It's not good... thank you for your review!
Guest: Ya know... it should work out like that. But Should is a strong word and I can make no promises, lol. Thank you so much for your review!
SinfullySimple: I'm so so sorry about the wait! Thank you for your review! I'm so glad you love this story!
selizabethharrisburg: Thank you so much for the tips! They help so so much! I'll do my best to stop questioning myself within my text. Thank you so much for everything! Love ya, Holly!
Guest: It's okay! It's okay! I'm back! I'm so sorry for the wait! Thank you!
Okay! Okay!
Please enjoy!
Everything hurt. It was bright and it was hot and everything hurt.
He wasn't used to the pain. Alcohol would make it go away. He needed a drink. A drink would fix it.
"He was gonna kill him, May..."
He was. He still didn't stop himself.
"Can you hear me?!"
There was so much shouting around him. Everything spun and he couldn't even open his eyes to watch it whirl.
It was hard to keep track of where things had gone downhill.
This was their fault. The little bastards where only supposed to stay for a few weeks. He was fine before they showed up.
"One good deed cancels out a bad one..."
He hated them. They made his life more complicated from the start. Put on a great show, they did, but it didn't stop the burning rage he felt for them when they were behind closed doors. He couldn't remember when it started or when it got worse. He could remember watching them be ushered into his house for the first time. He could remember them flinching at every touch. He could remember the words his old friend had said to him before leaving them.
"They're what I like ta call 'troubles'," Wiesel explained, glaring down at them like they had been badmouthing him the whole way there. At least the oldest one. The one that held the two littler one's close. "They have a problem with discipline. They's been pushed 'round a lot but I can't say they weren't asking for it."
He knew the signs of abuse. He wasn't an idiot.
"Mr. Snyder, try and relax!"
He knew the kind of abuse, too. Each one of them was only slightly different. They'd been separated. Different marks from different people.
Physical abuse was the clearest on the older one. Bruises were all over him. He still had a split lip and a swollen eye. His lips were pressed firmly together. He was a quick learner and a fierce protector. He bit his tongue because he wasn't scared of getting hit. He was scared of getting them hit.
The same kind of bruises were seen on the blue eyed boy to the eldest's right. A cut was left on his temple and his jaw had a fading bruise on it. But that wasn't what the trained eye caught. He caught the baggy clothes and the hunched posture and the way he was so wary of wandering hands.
Again, physical abuse was clear on the littlest. The one with the twisted up leg and the crutch under his arm. But there was more than that. He looked ashamed of his disabilities as he tried to hide the evidence behind him and the other boys.
There wasn't supposed to be three of them. He'd only agreed to one. He guessed it was supposed to be the oldest. Jack Kelly, thirteen, run away from two homes. That was supposed to be all he could handle. But here he was, his old pal, three kids instead of one.
"Mr. Snyder you have to stay awake!"
Kids had never been in the plan. He didn't want them. He just wanted the investigation off his back.
He'd be a lousy father anyways.
He needed a drink. That would make it all go away. He just needed a drink.
"Kelly! Get me a drink."
He didn't understand why everything was white. It was all so bright. It just kept getting brighter and brighter and brighter.
Until everything went black.
He couldn't move. He was tied down- no. Not tied down. He didn't get tied down anymore, not like that. He was with Jack. He was with Jack and Jack wouldn't let him be tied down like that. Jack would protect him. Everything was going to be okay.
Only it didn't feel like it. He felt jumpy, like he wanted to be panicking. Everything hurt. A groan escaped his lips as he tried desperately to force his eyes open. He couldn't. It hurt. He had a sinking suspicion that they were both swollen shut. What had he done this time?
He couldn't remember, really. Everything was sort of a blur and the parts he could remember made him shutter. He remembered the sound of flesh against flesh; a fair fight if he'd been allowed to fight back. Only it hadn't stopped there. He remembered the snap of a belt attacking his exposed skin; not a fair fight. He had nothing to defend himself with. He remembered the knife. He remembered his blood running cold. He remembered trying to roll away. He remembered the blade rushing towards his side.
He remembered screaming.
He remembered a bang.
He wanted Crutchie.
He wanted to move. More than anything in the world he wanted to stand, to run. Run far away maybe. Maybe to Jack's perfect place, the place he'd been promising to take them for years so they could get away from this place that so many wanted to call home.
They called it hell.
Voices made themselves known somewhere in the room. Race tried to keep himself from panicking. Blindness wasn't something he could easily adapt to. "Kelly?" It should've been a scream; a desperate plea for his brother to be there to hold his hand and tell him everything was okay. All that came out was a muffled moan.
Tears started spilling down his cheeks, finding their way down from the boy's swollen eyes and soaking his face. He wanted to wipe them away. If Snyder saw him crying he'd be a goner for sure. He couldn't help but let out a choked sob when he couldn't lift his arms. It was happening again. He was tied down. He was alone. He was hurt. And no one was coming to save him.
"Hey, hey, hey, kid... don't move, okay? I'm gonna call in a nurse. You're alright..." someone soothed. It wasn't Jack. So Race panicked even more.
"I can't move!" he tried. "Let me out! Please! I don' wan' it!" He could hardly understand what he was trying to say. Something was stopping the sound from getting too far and he didn't like it. "Where's my brotha'?! Please! I wan' my brothers!"
"Anthony, it's alright! You're safe! You're in the hospital!"
He couldn't breathe. He wasn't alright. Nothing was alright. "I wan' Jack! Where's my brothers?"
"We're gonna have to sedate him, sir. He's gonna hurt himself." He didn't like the voice. He didn't like the idea. He just wanted out.
"Just let me try to calm him down. He's scared and his family isn't here..." He didn't know who it was. His mind couldn't grasp onto the vaguely familiar voice because he only wanted to hear Jack, screaming at everyone to back off until they allowed the older boy to crawl over to him and cradle him in his arms.
But Jack wasn't here. If Jack was here, Race would feel a hand in his hair. If Jack was here, Race would hear a whispered voice in his ear. If Jack was here, it wouldn't all seem so scary. "Anthony... can you hear me?" The boy whimpered at the voice, trying to turn away. He just wanted away. His head hurt, his throat hurt even more and he couldn't open his eyes. He wanted so badly to just be able to see. "Higgins, no one is here to hurt you... were only trying to help you..." Race could feel the breath on his ears making him flinch, only causing his head to throb in pain. "Hey, take a breath... I know you want your brothers, but right now you have to calm down..."
The voice grew more and more familiar as he actually began to listened to it. He knew who it was. He wished he didn't, but he did. "Mr. Kloppman?"
Race didn't know the man who was here. And the man here didn't know him. So why was that man here?
"Take a deep breath, kiddo... it's okay. Jack's on his way. He'll be here soon..." Despite the instinct not to trust, Race felt himself heaving in as much air as he could in order to let out another sob, simply wanting to cry more when he felt the scratches in his throat.
Race remembered screaming.
He didn't want this. He didn't want to be laying in a hospital. He didn't want to be in the presence of a complete stranger being unable to defend himself at all. He just wanted Jack.
Without his consent, even as he continued to sob, slow and quietly, hands began touching him. His exposed skin burned, more uncomfortable than he cared to admit. In a moment of pure desperation the boy called out, "Mr. Kloppman please don't let them touch me... please make it stop..."
He must've said it clear enough this time. The mask couldn't hide his pleas this time. "Hey, hey, hold on a second. You're scaring him..."
Before Race could say anything else, cold air hit the area surrounding his lips. Someone was lifting the mask. Someone was trying to understand him. "Please..." the child croaked out. "Don't let 'em touch me... I j'st wan' m' broth'rs..."
"They're coming... I promise they're coming. These people are just trying to help you," Kloppman tried to explain. But Race just shook his head, noting that the throb only got worse when he did so.
"I don't like 'em touchin' me... please don' let 'em..."
In all honesty, the teacher did not know what to do. The boy in front of him was beyond petrified and all he was asking was for the nurses to stop touching him. They were just trying to help, truly. Kloppman knew that. But he could understand why the touch wouldn't be welcome at that moment. It only took a quick glance. So the man gently put the mask back down and gave the child a small, sad smile. "Just... is there any way you could make sure everything's normal without touching him?"
With a sigh and a shrug the nurse simply did as he was told, doing his best to check over the injured child without laying a hand on him. "Thank you..." Kloppman smiled, before letting his eyes drop back down to the boy in front of him. The poor kid was a wreck. His left arm was completely broken, wrapped up to his elbow in a big white cast, his left ankle was badly sprained, swollen to almost twice the size it should be, and his side... the minute Kloppman had heard the word stabbed he'd felt nauseous.
He shouldn't be here, he knew that. But he'd been sitting in that uncomfortable chair for three hours now, watching over this boy who was all alone at the moment with no one to help him calm down when he woke up. He was a teacher. His student was in trouble. What else was he supposed to do?
When the door creaked open again, the old man twisted in his seat to catch a glimpse of the dark colored woman that he'd become a bit aquatinted with before. "Oh baby... you're awake..."
The boy mumbled out something through his mask, possibly the woman's name, as he tried to turn his head towards the probably more familiar voice. He knew the child was scared of him. Anyone with eyes could see that. He didn't like it. This boy deserved to have people who would look out for him instead of beat him until he was black and blue every time he made the tiniest mistake.
"Thank you, Todd... for staying with him..."
"Of course, Miss Larkin," Kloppman replied easily, watching as Medda pulled another chair up beside Race who still looked to be sobbing a bit. He was so desperate to fight his eyes open. It was clear he did not like the dark. "I trust you got some rest?"
"As much as I could manage after staying for Jack and being up for six hours after I was allowed to see this one," she explained bitterly. Race had never heard Medda sound so angry in his entire life. He supposed she had a right to be. But Race was the one that deserved to be here, laying in the hospital. Jack wasn't supposed to get hurt. He never was. "How's he doin' doc? Is he alright?" the kind woman asked. Race had forgotten about the man till then, just waiting for someone to make him pass out again. He would rather be asleep than be in a room with two strangers. Even if Medda was there.
"He looks to be doing just fine, but he needs plenty of rest at the moment. It would be easier for him to get some if he was a little more relaxed."
Medda nodded. Carefully, she leaned forward and whispered out, "Hey baby... is it okay if I hold your hand?"
The way she had to ask made Kloppman even more nervous. This boy was fifteen years old. He should be out being reckless with his friends, rebelling against his parents, figuring out what he was going to do about his future. Instead, as far as the man understood, he was constantly trying to shield himself and his brothers from being beaten time and time again by the man who was supposed to be raising them and giving them warmth and protection from the world.
He watched the child nod only slightly, still tense about the touch but willing to try for this woman. She slowly slid his palm into her own and rubbed circles around on his skin with her thumb, allowing a small smile to take over her face when he didn't pull away.
He knew what he wanted to do. He just prayed to God he could do it right.
"What do you think happened?"
"I don't know, Katherine... something bad enough for Jack to not want us there."
Katherine snorted. "I'm pretty sure Jack didn't really want us there in the first place," she countered, letting her chin rest in her hand as she stared out into the street in front of them. They used to play here, her and her old friend. Right out there in the front yard. She missed it.
"Well, that certainly didn't stop you," David smirked, nudging the girl with his soldier.
"Me?" Katherine laughed. "What about you? I think he probably told you to get lost a lot quicker than he told me to." She glanced over to see the boy placing a hand over his chest and looking very mockingly offended.
"Only because I met him first and he clearly thinks you're pretty!" It was true. And she'd be lying if she said she didn't find him incredibly attractive too. But that wasn't what she needed to be thinking right now.
"We did the right thing, right? Do you think they'll be okay?"
"Katherine, if you hadn't cornered me and forced me to spill what was going on, they'd all still be with that guy, probably getting even more hurt." David didn't think he could handle the screams again. He'd only heard them for a few days before they'd all become too much. And now, because he'd said something, another boy was laying in a hospital bed, beaten and bloodied because some maniac was angry that he was about to get caught. But it was over now. It had to be over now. From what he'd heard, the sobs and panicked words of a teenager who'd been through too much, that man was going down. Maybe for good.
"I should probably get goin' before your dad sees me, huh?"
With a groan, Katherine shook her head. "I've been home alone for the past two weeks. Dad's been out of town and I hate being in the house by myself! It makes me feel like I'm gonna be stuck here forever."
"Well, hey... Les and my parents are at my Grandparents house. They were supposed to be back by now, but Les convinces them to stay longer." His little brother was always a persuasive kid. "He misses his old room, apparently. He does not like our new apartment."
A laugh escaped Katherine at that. "Sounds like Les..." she nodded, standing up and sighing as she glanced around, trying to think of anything she could do or say to get their minds off of all of life's problems. That's when an idea hit her. "What do you say we go into my house, and do something we haven't done in two years?"
The grin that spread onto the boy's face was priceless. Katherine has missed him. He'd missed her too.
"Everything-But-The-Kitchen-Sink-Sunday?"
Nodding as the rushed towards the door, she squealed in excitement. "Everything-But-The-Kitchen-Sink-Sunday!"
And for the first time in a long time, the two old friends felt like kids all over again. But somewhere in the back of their minds, they knew that there were three boys who wished they could all be doing the same thing. And they wished they could help them do just that.
Jack was about to rip his hair out, he was gripping onto it so hard. It was the one thing he'd been trying to prevent, the one thing that would break him, the one thing he couldn't handle.
They were going to be separated. It hadn't been said. But Jack was young, he wasn't stupid. It was bound to happen now. And he didn't know what to do. He couldn't even try to convince anyone that his brothers needed him at this point. It was clear he'd done a lousy job of protecting them. But that didn't stop his burning need to be by their side, trying his best to shield them from the fists and the belts and the screams and the slurs. He couldn't let them get hurt anymore. He couldn't watch them bleed out and scream in pain anymore.
"Jackie, you have to take a breath, alright? We're gonna figure this out..."
That only made Jack feel even worse. Figure this out... It meant May didn't know what to do either. It meant that the boy still locked inside the chief of police's office was still bound to be questioned for a crime that he was forced to commit. It meant that the boy laying in the hospital alone would be scared for too much longer than he should be. It meant that Jack was losing them and he wasn't even getting a say. He raised them. They were his. That was all that should've mattered.
"I'm scared, May... last time we were separated..." Jack could hardly finish. He dusted at his cheeks, staring blankly out the window of the car that he sat in. They weren't moving, Manhattan traffic and all that... he felt so far away from both of his brothers in that moment. He just wanted to hold onto both of them so tightly and never let go. "Last time we were separated... I couldn't stop them from gettin' hurt. Race don't like bein' touched by people n' Crutchie don't even remember it. Every time I ask him about it... he can't even think of it. I don't want 'em ta go through that again..."
The "I can't trust people no more" part went unsaid. But May heard it anyways. Jack didn't want to go through it again. He'd been through too many foster homes. They all had. People pretended to care and then tossed them back to the rats. He wanted so badly to fix this. He wanted so badly for it all to be okay.
He could fix this. He had to fix this. But he couldn't do it alone.
"I'll figure it out, Kelly. I promise..."
Okay, there ya have it...
Sorry about the long wait! I really hope you guys enjoyed this!
I'll be back as soon as I can with a request! School starts for me on Monday, and I'm working, and I'm in a show... so it might be a little bit. But I can't wait!
As always, thanks for reading! Make sure to tell me what you liked, what you didn't, what you'd change or what you'd improve by leaving me a review! Love ya, friends!