Pain, scared, tried… These were only a few of the things that Cristina felt… But the one thing that stood out the most in her pounding head, was confusion. She kept running the same questions through her head, trying to understand what was going on or at least, what had happened. Like, why was she so stupid? Why did she have to be the one? Where were her parents? Did they even care? Where were her clothes? Why was is always so cold in hospitals? When would she be able to sleep? Why was Lincoln staring at her?
It wasn't even in a creepy way, it was like he was genuinely worried about her… But why? Didn't he hate her? He did say he forgave her, but was that an act to get her to relax? Did he really believe her that Rusty and the others were the ones to do this to them? And what of Paige? She confused her the most. First she's a bully, then she tried to get Rusty and the others to stop hurting her and then she told her how sorry she was… Cristina didn't know what to think anymore…
She just wanted to go home…
"Cristina?"
She looked up to see a woman walking into the room. She wore a white lab coat and one of those things doctors use to listen to people's heart and breathing. She didn't want to talk to another doctor…
"Hello dear, my name is Doctor Sara Combs. I'd like to ask you some questions."
Cristina sighed, hugging her arms around her chest. She was tired of doctors. This had to be the fifth one she had seen since she had gotten there and that didn't even count the ones that put on her casts or put in the stitches or the one that splint her nose… She hated hospitals. She wanted to go home.
"I've already explained everything to the last four doctors and the police."
The doctor sighed, lifting a clipboard. "I'm aware. We just need to know a few more things. Are you up to answering a few more question? I'll bring you and your two friends some ice cream afterward. I promise it will be quick."
Cristina sighed. She didn't want to answer any more questions… But she wouldn't mind some ice cream… She hoped they had vanilla… "Fine."
"Okay, first off, do you feel safe right now? I know this is a loaded question, but it has come to my attention that this boy is the one that you were accused of hurting. Do you feel threatened by him and if so, would you like him to be sent to the waiting room with his sisters?"
Cristina frowned, looking at Lincoln. She wasn't sure about him… But he and his sisters were the ones that had her brought to the hospital… And he didn't seem angry at her… It could be a trick… But Lincoln didn't seem like that kind of person… Then again… She didn't really know what kind of person he was… He did seem nice…
"How about I make the decision? That way you can just focus on getting better."
Lincoln stood from his seat next to Cookie, starting for the door.
"No, wait… Stay…"
Cristina didn't know who was more surprised, herself or Lincoln. She hadn't realized that she had been the one to speak, until Lincoln turned to look at her, raising a brow. "Are you sure? I don't want to make you uncomfortable."
Cristina felt like trash. He really did seem like he didn't want to hurt her… In fact, she couldn't think of a single time that she had heard of him even raising a hand against someone… And he had been really nice to her since they had found her… She was so stupid… She really misjudged him…
"Y..Yeah. I don't want to be alone…" Lincoln nodded, slowly moving back to his spot next to Cookie. They both let out sighs, continuing to watch her… It was true that Cristina didn't want to be alone. But Cookie was there. She hadn't left her side once. But she still felt better with another person there. She really owned them both. Cookie for sticking with her though out this whole mess and Lincoln for… Well, she owned him a lot…
"So… Is that a yes? About feeling safe?"
Cristina looked back at the doctor, sighing. "Yes, I feel safe." Okay, maybe not fully, but she wasn't going to say that.
"Alright… So right here it says that you told the police that the boys that attacked you threatened to strip you down to your underwear. Did they ever at any point touch you in anyway sexually?"
Cristina's face heated up and she awkwardly hugged herself tighter. "No. They pulled at my skirt and tore it, but they never touched… You know..."
Doctor Combs nodded, writing something down. "I see… That is good… Oh, here you said that the only girl in the group forced you to kiss her, is this true and would you consider this as sexual assault?"
Cristina started to pull at her hospital gown. It was suddenly a lot hotter… Perhaps she should have let Lincoln leave. He looked just as embarrassed as she felt. "Yes she kissed me… But I wouldn't say she assaulted me… It was mostly just kind of gross… Why are you asking these questions? I was punched and kicked. Paige didn't even lay a finger on me today. She was actually the one that got them to stop hurting me. She sounded horrified about the whole thing. I don't think she wanted to hurt anyone, she just wanted to play a prank on Lincoln."
The doctor nodded, once again writing. "I see… Well, this is good. At least we don't need to do a rape kit… Now, about these other two kids, could you describe them?"
"Are you serious? I'm sorry, you are an idiot."
Cristina felt weird. She didn't like this… She wasn't raped, so why would they ask about it?
"Excuse me?"
Cristina didn't like any of this… She pulled her legs up to her chest, pulling her gown tightly to herself. They wouldn't have tried to rape her… Right? What if Paige hadn't been there?
"You can't just drop that kind of thing on her. She was scared before, now look at her. Nobody ever mentioned that to any of you, so why scare her?"
Cristina felt like she was going to be sick…
"Listen young man, if you don't calm down, I'm going to have to ask you to leave. I have to ask these questions. It is protocol. Anyone that comes in with these kinds of injuries has the potential of having been…"
Cristina felt bile rise in her throat… "I'm going to be sick…"
Immediately, both Lincoln and Cookie rushed to her as she sat forward. They slid onto the bed next to her, trying to calm her. Cookie grabbed her water, holding it towards her, while Lincoln started to rub her back, pulling her hair from her face.
"Don't just stand there, get her something to puke it."
Cristina didn't know what to do… Her stomach felt like it was doing cartwheels…
"Here, take a couple of small sips of water. Just make sure to drink slowly."
Cristina nodded, accepting the straw as Cookie brought the water to her mouth. She took small sips… It helped a tiny bit…
"It's going to be okay Cris. We are here for you. Don't listen to that jerk, she doesn't know what she's talking about. Nobody is going to hurt you anymore."
Cristina nodded, letting Cookie pull the cup from her. "Y…Y..You don't think… That they were… Going to… You know…?"
Lincoln leaned in, pressing his head against her's. "No, absolutely not. Rusty is a lot of things, a perv being one of them, but I doubt even he would stoop that low. Nobody was going to hurt you like that and nobody will. I promise you that would never happen. That will never happen. Cookie is right, she shouldn't have asked you that."
"Here, use this if you think you are going to be sick… I'm sorry I scared you, that was not my intention… I'll just… leave you three… I'll have some ice cream brought to you…"
Cristina looked down at her feet. She didn't know what to do… Everything hurt, she was scared… And now she was even more confused than before…
Wha…?
Cristina felt something move through her hair. It took her a few moments to realize what was going on. Lincoln had pulled her hair band out and had started to comb through it with his fingers. At first it was a little weird, but after a few moments… It actually started to feel pretty good…
She started to relax. It was really weird being this close to Lincoln, but at the moment, any thought of him hating her was out the window. And with Cookie starting to rub her upset tummy… She was starting to feel… Safe…
Lincoln let out a tired yawn. It had been a long and very stressful day… He looked at the snoozing Cristina laying between him and Cookie, letting out a sigh. Poor girl didn't deserve any of this. She didn't do anything wrong… Well, she had been an ass to him, but that seemed tiny compared to what had happened to her.
He just hoped she realized that he had been serious about forgiving her. He didn't like to hold grudges even in the worst of times and honestly, he just wanted to help her move past this all… His eyes narrowed as he looked down at the hand Cookie was holding. It was in a cast. He guessed her hand hadn't actually broke, it was just a nasty sprain…
That was one grudge he didn't plan on letting go.
He didn't know what the heck Rusty's problem was with him, as far as he knew, they were friends. As for Boy Jordan… he couldn't even remember the last time he had talked to him. He could just barely picture his face. And Paige… That one confused him. They may have had… Something in the past, as he at one point had a bit of a crush on her and sent her a couple of love letters. After she quite rudely denied him, he moved on, figuring she would just forget about him like most of his other failed attempts at romance… Perhaps he offended her? But what did Cristina have to do with any of this?
He looked up at her face, frowning. She had a nose splint in and her face had several stitches, along with a few small bandages. She looked miserable…
She sighed in her sleep, her face scrunching in pain…
That only made him angrier. From what he understood, Rusty wasn't even the one that started hurting her, it was some random kid that was with him. Apparently the moron had it in his head that beating the hell out of Cristina was in some way for Lincoln. Lincoln didn't even know who it was. If they knew even the smallest amount about Lincoln, then they would have known that that was the last thing Lincoln would have wanted. Not to mention that the jerk wanted to strip Cristina down to her underwear and tie her to the flag pole at school…
The more he thought about those jerks, the angrier he got. And then there was the fact that Rusty poured the Flippy on her. As if beating her wasn't enough, might as well add insult to injury as well, right? And then there was Paige…
Something about her didn't seem right. She just didn't just didn't fit into the puzzle. She started out as a jerk, but ended up being the one that stopped Cristina from getting hurt worse…
Lincoln blinked away the thought. He didn't want to imagine her getting hurt any worse… Then a sudden thought came to mind. Why did Paige kiss Cristina? Did she like girls? That would help explain why she decided to nail Lincoln in the groin… Though, if she wasn't interested, she could have just said no…
Lincoln took another look at Cristina, giving her a thoughtful look. If Paige did like girls, maybe she had a thing for Cristina? That could be why she didn't want her to get hurt… Or maybe Paige just had a change of heart. After all, it was one thing to play a nasty prank on some one. It was a completely different thing to beat someone till their bones broke. Maybe it was both…
"Lincoln… can I ask you a question?"
Lincoln's eyes shot over to Cookie in surprise. For a moment, he thought she had fallen asleep too.
"Yes, of course. What do you need?"
Cookie hesitated before replying. Lincoln just figured she was trying to word it properly
"Um… Do you still have a thing for Cristina?"
Lincoln blinked at her a few times, feeling his face heat up. "No. I don't. Why?"
Cookie sighed, turning her body to get a better look at him. "I'm just trying to understand why you are still here. I mean, you could have dropped us off here and left… Why are you here? Did you really forgive her or was that just to get her to calm down?"
Lincoln turned his gaze to Cristina. Why was her there? "I don't really know. I mean, I might not have romantic feelings for her anymore, but I don't hate her. I never have and I doubt I ever will. Went I told her that I forgave her, I meant it. I know that it might seem a bit sudden, but I've been thinking it over. I mean, really, why should I be upset or angry at her? Because she doesn't like me? A lot of people don't like me, it's not the end of the world. Sure it hurt that she practically spit in my face after she found out I liked her, but I'm over it. That was almost a year ago. The things she said yesterday morning definitely hurt a lot more, but after all that we've been through and after finding out that she didn't prank me, those things seem pretty insignificant. I don't really know why I'm still here… But I do know that what happened to Cristina was unfair. Even if she had been the person who pranked me, beating her is going too far."
"I see… Do… Do you think you would ever want to be her friend?"
Lincoln looked back up to Cookie, giving her a thoughtful look. On one hand, it would be really weird to be friends with her… But after today, he doubted he could ever say he didn't have a small part of him that didn't still care for her, even if it wasn't in a romantic way. "Yeah… I guess I could say that I could. I mean, being friends with Cristina would be way better than being her enemy… But I guess that would be up to her. If she still holds a grudge against me, I can't change her mind."
Cookie sighed, looking down at her friend. "I'm pretty sure you already have. Look at her… She looks more comfortable right now, than I think I have ever seen her. I mean, come on, if you can change my mind about you, I'm sure you can change just about anyone's."
Lincoln raised a brow to her. "I changed your mind?"
Cookie nodded, her cheeks gaining a touch of color. "Well, yeah. I thought you were an annoying dork that let everyone walk all over you… But I couldn't have been more wrong. I saw the way you took charge in the van. Despite being the youngest, you kept your head and got everyone to calm down. You weren't even a jerk about it. Then with Cristina this afternoon, you yelled at her to force her to talk. I thought you were being a jerk, but then you pulled her into a hug to calm her. You have really surprised me and I'm sorry for misjudging you. I hope we can become friends too…"
Lincoln sighed. He didn't think he kept his head very well… He did yell after all… "I'm okay with being friends. I didn't realize you thought so poorly of me before, but I am surprised you want to be friends."
Cookie reached over Cristina, flicking Lincoln's forehead, startling him. "Of course I want to be your friend. I made you cookies didn't I? Besides, who wouldn't want to be your friend? You're lucky you're cute Bunny Boy, cause you can be a bit dense."
Lincoln gave her a confused look. "Bunny Boy?"
Cookie just shrugged, settling back down next to Cristina, pulling her casted hand into her arms, hugging it as she closed her eyes. "Yeah, your hair reminds me of a bunny. Now shut up and let me sleep."
Lincoln rolled his eyes, settling on his side of Cristina, looking up at the ceiling. Bunny Boy… That's a new one…
Wait…
…
Cute?
"Nnnaahh"
Cristina woke up in pain. Her foot hurt, her head was pounding and her hand was cramping. She could feel the muscles in her hand tensing up. It felt like they were trying to rip. She started to tear up. It hurt so bad. She lifted her hand, taking it in her other, trying to close her hand. It wasn't working.
"Please… Please…."
She sat up, realizing she was in an empty bed. She started to freak out. Where did Lincoln and Cookie go?
"Ahhh…"
Tears started to run down her face. The pain was getting worse, beginning to shoot up her arm. She didn't know what was happening. Why did it hurt so bad? Where was everyone?
"Ah… No no no… Please stop…."
She bit her lip, pulling her hand to her chest. The stupid cast was in the way… Why did they even put on a cast? It was only a sprain, right? If it wasn't broken, then why put on a cast?
"Ah…. Please…"
She bit her lip harder, starting to taste blood. She needed to get the damn thing off. She could rub the pain out if it was off, right?
She looked around, hoping to find something to help… She spotted the button thing that the doctor gave her in case she needed to call them. She tried to grab it, but accidently knocked it on the floor. She couldn't take it anymore. The pain, the stress, the loneliness… It was too much.
She looked at the metal rail on the side of the bed. She raised her arm. She swung…
"CRISTINA!"
Cristina froze, inches away from the rail. Lincoln… She turned her head, looking at the blurry shape of Lincoln. Her tears made it hard to see. If not for his white hair, she probably wouldn't have known how it was.
"Please… My hand hurts… The cast… It's in the way…"
Immediately Lincoln ran to her, setting something down before climbing onto the bed next to her, pulling her hand into his own. "Tell me what's wrong with it."
Cristina nodded, using her other hand to wipe away the tears streaming down her face. "My muscles… They hurt. They keep throbbing… I'm sorry, it hurts so bad… And I have a head ache… And my foot hurts. I tried to use the call button, but I knocked it over…"
Lincoln started to rub her hand, sliding his fingers under the cast, pressing his fingers into the muscles, doing his best to massage them… It helped a little.
"Hey, it's okay. Just don't hit the rail. You could hurt your hand worse, understand?"
Cristina nodded, looking down at her gown covered legs. "Yeah… I'm sorry… I was scared. I woke up and you guys were gone… I'm sorry… My head really hurts and it's hard to think…"
Lincoln sighed, scooting closer to Cristina, wrapping his arms around her, pulling her against himself before continuing to rub her hand, moving up and down her arm, while working around the cast the best he could. It really was starting to help.
"Don't apologize. You did nothing wrong. I'm sorry we left, I had to use the bathroom and on the way back I grabbed some ice cream… And don't worry, I washed my hands… Anyway, Cookie went with my sisters to pick up some food and to drop Leni, Luan and Luna off at home. They thought it would be best not to over crowd you and Lynn is our age so we thought you would be more comfortable around her… Not to mention she's a complete bad ass so she can help you feel safe. They should be back soon. I promise I won't leave you again without letting you know first, okay?"
Cristina nodded, leaning into Lincoln. He really was making her hand feel better… "Okay… Thanks Lincoln…"
Lincoln nodded, continuing to focus on her hand. "Of course. Once we get these muscles to relax, I'll get the doctor in here to bring you something for the pain, okay?"
Cristina nodded, leaning her head against his. "Thanks… But that's not what I meant… What I mean is, thank you for everything… For staying here with me… For being kind, for forgiving me, for helping me feel safe… For bringing me here… You have been nothing but kind to me. I might not have done that stupid prank, but I never gave you a reason to like me… Why are you still here?"
Lincoln took a deep breath, letting it out as a long sigh. His breath tickling her neck…
"I… Hmm… Cookie asked me this question while you were sleeping. I still don't really know the answer. I don't still have a crush on you or anything, but like I told her, I can't help but have some sort of feeling for you. I don't like seeing you hurt. I don't like seeing anyone hurt… And after thinking about the conversation I had with Cookie… Well, all of our problems just seem so insignificant, don't they?"
Cristina nodded. She understood what he was saying. She hated him for so long… But right now, she was really thankful he stayed with her. She really didn't want to be alone… And he made her feel safe. She hated feeling so helpless…
"Are we friends?"
Cristina blinked a couple of times, surprised by the question. "I'm sorry?"
Lincoln sighed, working his fingers up the bottom of her cast towards her wrist. "I want to know what we are. Are we still enemies? Or are we something else?"
Cristina thought it over. Were they friends? She didn't hate him anymore, so… She wasn't sure. Wouldn't it just be super awkward for them to be friends? "Do you want to be friends?"
Again Lincoln sighed, moving his hands back to her palm. "I'm not sure… I mean, I'm still a bit upset with what you said yesterday… Man… has it really only been a little over a day? It feels like it's been a lot longer… It's funny, I think Cookie wants us to be friends. She asked me this question, which it why I asked… But again, the more I think of it… I would much rather be your friend then your enemy."
Cristina nodded. It was a fair point. She was tired of their stupid rivalry or whatever it was… She had to agree. "Then… Should we be friends? I mean, only if you want to that is."
Lincoln let out a small chuckle, stopping the massage. "Sure, why not? I mean, would it really be the craziest thing to happen? Hmm… What a weird start to middle school, eh? I mean, you stop hating me, we become friends. What's next? … Does your hand feel better?"
Cristina nodded, closing and opening her hand a couple of times. It barely hurt at all… She felt a lot better. Her head was still pounding like crazy and her foot ached quite a bit, but her hand muscles felt a lot better. "Yeah, it really does. Thank you."
Lincoln nodded, gently placing her hand on her lap. "That great! Umm… Should I call the doctor in now? There is no reason you should be in pain. I'm actually surprised that they haven't come in to check on you for this long."
Cristina looked up at him, giving him a slightly nervous, yet amused look. "Well, after the way you talked to that last doctor, they were probably too scared to come in… Thanks for that by the way… I think I over reacted a bit… I was just really scared…"
Lincoln shook his head, moving to get up, leaning Cristina back against the bed. "No thanks necessary. She should have known better. Even if it was policy or whatever, it was too soon to ask that kind of thing. You don't need that kind of stress. What you do need however, is some pain medicine, food, this ice cream and a foot massage."
Cristina blinked in surprise, watching as Lincoln walked around her bed to pick up the call button. He… Wanted to give her a foot massage? Really? Wow… What a gentle man…
"There we go. Just give it a few moments and you pain will get sorted, okay? Oh, do you want your ice cream now or after diner? It will probably be mostly mealted after the food gets here, so if you want to wait until after, I can just get more when Cookie gets here. I could just return it, but you don't want to be alone."
Cristina sighed, sitting forward. "Oh, now is fine. I'm actually really hungry. I never got breakfast or lunch. Rusty and the others made me lose what I got from Flip's and well… I failed pretty hard with breakfast and just gave up…"
Lincoln nodded, tying the call button around the bed rail before walking back around to grab the ice cream. "Alright. Now, I wasn't really sure what kind of ice cream you would like, so I grabbed a chocolate and a vanilla. Whichever you don't want, I'll eat. I like both."
Cristina gave him a small smile. He seemed to have really thought threw everything… Even the little things… "I'll have the vanilla. I do like chocolate, but I really like vanilla."
Lincoln nodded, returning her smile with a larger one. "Alright, here you go. Would you like me to raise the head of the bed?"
Cristina nodded, accepting the ice cream and a spoon. "Yes please." She was actually looking forward to the ice cream. Her mouth was super dry and tasted of blood. She was really glad she didn't bite through her lip, as it already stopped bleeding.
She let out a relieved sigh as the bed rose. Sitting up helped her head ache a little. "Thank you. That's a lot better."
Lincoln nodded, taking a seat by her feet, pulling the blanket off her legs. "Of course and if you need something else, please, don't be afraid to ask. I'm here to help… Could you tuck your gown under yourself? If I'm going to give you a foot massage, I don't want to accidently see anything while I hold your foot."
Cristina nodded, setting her ice cream down and begun to tuck her gown under her like he asked. She couldn't help the slight blush that warmed her face. She really didn't think Lincoln had been serious about the foot massage… He really was a gentle man… She really misjudged him… She hoped he was serious about being friends. She owned him a serious debt…
As she finished tucking the gown between and around her legs, Lincoln pulled them onto her lap, starting with her casted foot. She picked up her ice cream, starting to dig in while he opened his, setting it down on the bed. With one hand, he ate his ice cream, while with the other, he started to massage her toes.
The cast on her foot was actually really weird. Again, it was a real cast, but this one only covered her last three toes up to just over her ankle. It supported everything, but it was really uncomfortable. She guessed it was hard to make a cast for just a couple of toes. She hadn't realized it, but when she stubbed her toe that morning, she actually broke her little toe, her second toe and one of the small bones connecting her little toe to her foot was cracked. She was never going to go bare foot again…
"So, how's the ice cream?"
Cristina snapped out of her thoughts, taking another bite. "Oh, it's great. I didn't realize that hospital ice cream was real ice cream… I mean, I thought it wouldn't have sugar."
"Oh, come on. We might try to make things healthier, but we aren't monsters."
Cristina and Lincoln both looked up, looking at the doorway as a woman walked in. It was some nurse. Cristina sighed. Another different person… She had to have had seen over two dozen different doctors and nurses today. It was ridiculous…
"Hello kids, what can I do for you? You did ring, right?"
Cristina nodded. "Yeah, I have a really bad head ache. My hand hurts, though nowhere near as bad as it was a few minutes ago. Lincoln massaged the pain away, but the muscles were cramping really bad. And my foot aches. He was just starting to massage that too."
The nurse nodded, smiling at Lincoln. "I see. I'll grab you something that will help with that in just a moment. It sounds to me like your muscles are spasming. That is normal with your injuries. It will probably happen again, so I'll have your doctor prescribe you a muscle relaxer. It's a good thing you have this little cutie. How did you convince him to give you a massage?"
Cristina felt her face grow warm again. "Oh, I didn't ask… he just… Offered."
The nurse nodded, grinning at the blushing Lincoln. "Wow, you've got yourself a winner here. Is he your boyfriend or something?"
Cristina shook her head, her face growing a lot warmer. "No, no. He's just a friend." A really kind, gentle man of a friend, but certainly not a boyfriend. That, would never happen. She doubted he would even want that anymore.
The nurse kept her smile, looking at them both for a moment longer before turning for the door. "Well, you're a lucky girl to have a friend like him. Anyway, I'll be back in just a few moments with something for that head ache. I'm certain it will go away in a couple of days. In fact, tomorrow it should feel a lot better. You'll have some nasty bruising, but none of you injuries are too serious."
Cristina nodded, going back to her ice cream, enjoying the cold moving down her throat. She liked this nurse. She was a bit odd, but she was definitely nice… And she was right, she was a very lucky girl. Even if she wasn't completely sure why. She was just glad that her issues with Lincoln her over for the most part. She definitely owed him a serious apology when she could think clearer and their friendship or whatever it was, was certainly weird and awkward, but it was nice.
"Well… She's… nice."
Cristina smiled, giving Lincoln a nod. He had finished his ice cream and had really started to massage her foot. Or at least what he could get to and if felt amazing.
"Yes. Yes she is. It's nice to talk with someone that has a sense of humor, even if she is a bit odd. And she's a lot nicer that those other doctors and nurses. I wish she was her earlier."
Lincoln nodded, sliding his fingers between her toes, making the crack, though without even the slightest bit of pain… He was good.
"Yeah. Some of those people were really weird… Although, the guy who put in your nose splint was kind of cool. He was wearing an Ace Savvy shirt under his lab coat… What does it fell like. Your nose splint that is."
Cristina sighed, setting her now empty ice cream dish on the table with her water.
"Well, it's not very comfortable, but at least I can breathe out of my nose now. It also helps hold my nose's shape, which is very good. I would hate for my nose to be lope sided for the rest of my life."
Lincoln nodded, pressing his fingers under her cast, pressing into the soles of her feet, taking care not to irritate the bandaged areas. "Yeah, but you would still look great… Err… Sorry, I guess old habits die hard."
Cristina sighed, enjoying the foot massage too much to care. "It's fine. I shouldn't be annoyed because you were attracted to me… Really, I can't even really remember why I was so mad. It's stupid really. So you kissed a photo of me, big deal. Maybe I was just nervous about what other people would think… I was suck a jerk to you and I'm truly sorry… Wow… That actually felt pretty good to say…"
Lincoln let out tired sigh. "I'm sure and I'm sorry for putting that in that stupid video. I should have considered how it would have affected you. I didn't and it embarrassed you… But that was in the past. This is now. Now we can start over."
Cristina nodded, closing her eyes, hoping to lower the pain in her head. "Yeah… Start over… I like the sound of that… Mmm…" Cristina felt her face heat up again. Lincoln pressed his thumb into the back of her calf. If felt really good. "Sorry… Where did you learn to massage so well?"
"Lincoln let out a small chuckle, making Cristina relax a bit more. "Well, when you live with ten sisters, you pick up a thing or two. With Lynn having her sports, Lori with her sore feet and Luna with her aching shoulders, I've had a lot of practice. I used to hate it, but now I guess it's just another skill I have. Besides, it's great for when I need to convince one of my sisters to do something. After a quick massage they are usually a lot more open to something new if you know what I mean."
Cristina nodded, letting out an amused sigh. "Yeah… So, what's it like living with so many sisters? I mean, you must feel over crowded a lot?"
"Not really. I mean, there are a lot of times where I wish I could have some me time, but other times, I actually feel really lonely. I'm the only guy in the house other than dad and I'm the only one that doesn't have a roommate. My sisters can get very loud and very annoying… But I wouldn't want to trade them for the world. They always have my back when it's most important and I'll always have their's."
Cristina sighed as Lincoln switched feet. Other than her head ache, she felt super relaxed. "Must be nice. I don't have any siblings and my parents are always on some stupid business trip. Though, I guess I could consider Cookie to be like a sister to me. I really couldn't ask for a better friend. She's been there for me from the beginning. I really owe her big time."
"Yeah, she's pretty great. She really cares for you and wants to help you in any way she can."
Cristina nodded, smiling to herself. "Yep… She seems to like you a lot too. I hear she even made you her amazing cookies? You must be special, she has only made them for her mother and me."
"Oh? Special how? I mean, I know she wants to be friends and I'm good with that, but I don't think she thinks too highly of me… Though, she does make the best cookies that I've ever had…"
Cristina nodded, grinning. He might be an intelligent kid, but he could be pretty dense too. With the way she had her eyes locked on him earlier… Well, that was between her and Lincoln… "Yeah, her cookies are the best…"
"Here we are dear. Something for the pain and I had your doctor order you a muscle relaxer."
Cristina looked up, jumping a little in surprise as the nurse came in, holding a small cup. She walked up to her, grinning at Lincoln as he continued to massage Cristina's feet. "Here you go. Make sure to take them with plenty of water. Do you need anything else?"
Cristina shook her head, taking the pills from the nurse before turning to grab her water. "No. Thank you though, but I'm all good. I just needed something for my head and Lincoln's sisters are bringing food, so I'm good."
The nurse nodded, moving back towards the door. "Alright then. Well, if you need anything else, just press the call bell and Nurse Hope will be right in, okay dear?"
Cristina nodded, giving the nurse a small smile. "Okay. Thank you."
Nurse Hope nodded, walking through the door, but paused when she nearly walked into some one "Ah, hello there. You must be the cute one's sisters."
Cristina let out a small chuckle, watching as Lincoln's face turned a slight shade of red. She took her pills, shaking her head in amusement. She still hated the hospital, but with this new nurse, who was actually really nice and with having Lincoln there, it was a lot better than it could have been. She would have hated to be there alone and even with Cookie there, it still wouldn't have been the same…
"Hey guys, how are you do… Aw, Lincy's giving her a foot massage, no fair."
Cristina grinned as Lincoln sighed, looking behind himself, ending the massage.
"Her feet were hurting and her hand was spasming, it's not that big of a deal."
His older sister… Lori was it? Stepped up next to the bed, followed closely by Lynn and Cookie. Their arms were full of bags from Burpin Burger. She loved Burpin Burger…
"Come on Linc, I'm messing with you. It's sweet that you did it. Now, who is hungry? Cookie said that Burpin Burger was Cristina's favorite and we all love it as well, so… Dig in. We got burgers, with and without cheese. There are fries and some sodas too. Oh, and the burgers without pickles are for Lincoln and Cristina. Apparently both of you are weird like that… Anyway, dig in."
Cristina sighed, taking the burger that Lori handed her, along with a thing of fries and a root beer… Her favorite… These people were great…
"Umm… Lori, are you forgetting something?"
Cristina looked up at Lynn, confused by the serious look on her face. Did something happen?
Lori sighed, handing out more food. "No Lynn, I didn't forget, I just think it's better for Cristina and Lincoln to eat first."
Something was wrong. Cristina could tell from the way that Cookie slouched and Lynn crossed her arms.
"What happened?"
They all looked at Cristina for a moment before all eyes moved to Lori. She was tired. Cristina could see the bags under her eyes. They were all tired. She could tell it was bad news, even before Lori said so.
"Well, I have bad news, good news and really bad news. Start eating and I'll tell you the bad news first."
Cristina nodded, feeling a bit nervous. What was she going to tell her? Had she somehow been hurt worse than the doctors originally thought? No, Nurse Hope would have told her if she was… What could it be… She unwrapped her burger, taking a bite. Even if there was bad news, she was still starving…
Lori took a quick look around, seeming to be making sure that everyone was eating… Either that or she was stalling…
"Alright… Well the bad news is that I still can't get a hold of your parents. I've called their cell phones, their work numbers and even the hotel that they are supposed to be staying in. I've left over a dozen messages, but none of them have been returned. I'm sorry, but they still don't know the truth."
Cristina swallowed her bite of burger. It went down like sand. She grabbed her soda, taking a sip. It helped a little… "I see… I can't say I'm surprised. They weren't here for me when I needed them to begin with, so I don't know why I thought they would be here now…" She took another bite of her burger. She wasn't going to let that news ruin her meal. Her parents could bite it…
"Hey, it's going to be okay Cris. They'll come right back home as soon as they get the messages, you'll see. Besides, you have me, Lincoln and the others. We are still here for you."
Cristina sighed, looking up at Cookie. She looked even more tired than Lincoln's sisters. Only Lincoln looked more exhausted, but he always looked like that… "Thanks Cookie… I appreciate that. I mean, I can't say I'm not disappointed in my parents, but I'm pretty used to it."
Cookie sighed, grabbing her things and moving around to the other side of Cristina, sitting on the bed. Cristina loved her friend. She was always there for her when she needed her…
"Well, you shouldn't be used to it. They need to get their heads out of their butts so I can kick it."
Cristina let out a small chuckle, letting Cookie lean against her. Definitely the greatest friend she could ever have….
"Which leads us to the next part of that news. When I dropped off our other sisters, we had a talk with our parents, who called Cookie's mother. We all agree that you can't go home until your parents return. With your broken toes, you hand and that concussion, even if it's only mild, it's not safe for you to be alone. You have two options. Either go home and stay with Cookie, her mother says she will still have to go to school, but Lincoln can come over to stay with you for the day. Or, you can come over to stay with us. You'll have to sleep on the couch, but Lincoln will be there. Also, Cookie's mother said she could come over to stay with you, but again, she will have to go to school. The decision is yours, so I'll let you think it over while I tell you the other news."
Cristina blinked a couple of times in surprise. She really didn't know which idea was better. On one hand, she was familiar with Cookie's home and had spent many nights there while her parents were on business trips. Not to mention, Cookie always made those amazing cookies… And Lincoln could stay with her while Cookie was at school…
On the other hand, if she chose to stay at the Loud's house, she would be around a lot more people, which she was slightly nervous about, but it could potentially be safer… and Cookie could stay with her when she wasn't in school… Then again, she still didn't really know Lincoln's sisters that well… Maybe it would be better to stay with Cookie…
"Now for the half good, half terrible news…"
Cristina snapped out of her thoughts. She could figure out where she would be sleeping later. She was just glad she didn't have to stay in the hospital. She was certain they were going to make her stay overnight… She really hated the hospital.
Lori paused to take a sip of her soda. Cristina could tell that the news must have been pretty bad… Wait, how could news be have good and terrible at the same time? That didn't really make sense…
So, the good news is that Flip had a security camera set up… I know, literally shocking. Apparently he was having issues with people trying to break in and steal stuff… Again, shocking… Anyway, he was looking over the footage from this afternoon when he saw what happened to you."
Cristina put her burger down, looking at Lori in shock. "So… They have proof that Rusty and his friends hurt me?"
Lori let out a tired sigh, making Cristina frown. Something was wrong…
"Sort of. The police looked over the footage this evening and found a few problems. But before I tell you them, there is a little bit more good news. The two boys that were with Rusty and the others, they admitted to beating you. As soon as the police went to question them, they crumbled. They are being charged with aggravated assault. They will never touch you again…"
Cristina knew that there was more bad news to come, but that didn't stop her from feeling the slightest touch of relief. There were at least two people who wouldn't be able to hurt her again…
"Which leads into the rest of the news. For starters, Rusty and that Boy Jordan kid didn't touch you, so they can't charge them with assault. However, they are technically accomplices, so they were considering charging them anyway. They bad news is, Boy Jordan's father is a very accomplished Lawyer and due to a over looked technicality, they can't be charged."
Cristina's heart rate started to quicken. "So… So Rusty and Boy Jordan are going to get away with everything scoot free… because of some mistake the police made…"
Cristina suddenly lost her appetite. This was bad… This was really bad. "Th..Then they know I told on them… Rusty said that if I said anything… He said… Oh god… He's going to kill me…"
She pulled her legs to her chest, wrapping her arms around herself. They were going to kill her… And she doubted Paige would be able to stop them this time… Wait, what about Paige? It didn't matter… Rusty was going to hurt her again… How could she have been so stupid? She should have just kept her mouth closed…
"Cristina, calm down. There is still a way to get them in trouble. One that not even Boy Jordan's father can worm them out of."
Cristina doubted it. Something else would happen… Why did this have to happen? Things were just starting to get a tiny bit better.
"Cristina, you know you are safe right? We decided to put our differences aside and become friends and friends protect one another. I promise, until this is sorted, we are here for you. Do you understand?"
Cristina sighed, giving Lincoln a small nod. She didn't know what he thought he could do… But he did have his sisters... and she had him and Cookie… okay… maybe they really did have some kind of idea… "Fine… What do the police think they could do?"
Lori stepped closer to her, dropping to her knees, looking up at Cristina. "Cristina, they can still charge Rusty, Boy Jordan and Paige for what they did to Lincoln. They couldn't charge you because there was no proof, but if we had proof that they did it, your name will be cleared and they will be charged with not only recluse endangerment and bullying towards Lincoln, but also for vandalizing the school. Not to mention the amount of trouble they will get in for almost ruining your life. I know it's not what any of us would want, but it would keep you a lot safer. And I promise, we won't let them hurt you. now, is there any think you can think of that might be able to help?"
Cristina sighed. Her head was still aching and with the new added stress, she couldn't really think that well. Maybe they could…
"Oh, holy crap… I just had a really good, bad idea."
Cristina looked up at Lincoln, raising a brow. What did he have planed? What could he think of that she didn't know? She hoped it wasn't really a bad idea… "What is it?"
Lincoln opened his mouth, pausing for a moment. "Okay… So… Wow, this is a really bad idea, but I think it could work… You said that when Paige kissed you, Rusty videoed it, right?"
Cristina nodded, feeling her face heat up. "Yeah, but I guarantee that he deleted it as soon as the cops were done questioning him."
Lincoln nodded, taking a sip of his soda. His eyes were darting back and forth, almost like he was seeing something that wasn't there.
"Yes, that is true, but didn't you also say that she told Rusty to send her a copy?"
Cristina nodded again, not sure where he was going with this. "Yeah, but she probably… Wait… Oh wow… She might not have deleted it… If the police questioned her, it would have been about Rusty and Boy Jordan. She didn't hurt me at all, she was the one to stop it…"
Lincoln nodded, a small amount of excitement working into his voice. "Exactly. She would have been a witness, not a suspect… Which means…"
"Which means maybe she would still have the video and might be able to help prove I didn't do the prank and that Rusty and Boy Jordan did…
Cristina cut him off, getting a little excited… Only for it to quickly disappear, getting replaced with doubt. "But why would she help? It would just get her in trouble for what happened to you…"
Lincoln leaned forward, grabbing her hands. "Yes, but I'm pretty sure she has a thing for you. After what Rusty did to you, I bet it has her thinking. If he was willing to let someone beat you so you wouldn't tell on him, what do you think he would do to make sure she didn't say a thing? If I told her I wouldn't charge her for the prank, maybe she would help. You know, for self preservation."
Cristina looked at him in shock. "Wait, you are willing to let Paige go without any sort of punishment… For me?"
Lincoln nodded, giving her a small smile. "Of course. We've already talked about this. The problems we had in the past are in the past. What happened to you is much more serious. I know Paige won't hurt you again and I highly doubt she would tempt fate by screwing with me again, so two birds with one stone, you know?"
Cristina sighed. He had some very good points, but she doubted it would be this simple… None of the was simple… "How do you know Rusty hasn't already thought of this all? I mean, what if he made her delete her copy? And what about Lincoln? Wouldn't Rusty and Boy Jordan already know that Lincoln knows that they were the ones that pranked him?"
"Nope."
Cristina looked at Lynn in surprised. She was still eating her burger. Must be nice to be so relaxed… "What do you mean no?"
Lynn shrugged, swallowing her bite with a sip of her soda. "They only talked about hurting you. As far as Rusty, Boy Jordan and Paige know, Lincoln still thinks you were the one that pranked him. In fact, I think we can work with all of this. I can get Paige to meet with Lincoln, don't worry about how, just leave that to me… We can leave the major planning to Lincoln, as he's… Well, quite frankly, there is a reason we call him the man with the plan. Really, all you have to do is focus on getting better. We will figure this out, I promise. Just tell us where you want to stay until your parents get home and we can get started, okay?"
Cristina sighed. She still wasn't so sure about this whole thing… There was a lot that didn't really make sense to her… But she did trust Lincoln, Cookie and Lincoln's sisters… After all, they had done nothing but treat her with kindness… Even if she didn't feel that she deserved it… And she had a feeling that this whole thing was way more complicated that they all thought… But she did know one thing…
"I think it would be best if is stayed with you all and Lincoln…"
First off, I want to be very clear with the fact that I know little to nothing about both law and medicine. I just know what I've been told by friends who work in these fields. If something doesn't make sense, that's okay, it doesn't make sense to me either, sorry.
Anyway, please feel free to tell me what you think and as always, have a good one.