AN: Here's part two. Please review
Jim was watching an old episode of Miami Vice on TV. Caitlin had gone to bed over an hour ago and besides the storm, things had been quiet ever since. Dori had called to check on things and Jim had reported that everything was fine. He didn't mention Caitlin being sick. He didn't want to worry Dori while she was out of town. The two then talked for a while and said there 'I miss you's' and 'I loves you' and hung up for the night.
That was twenty minutes ago. Jim had been relaxing watching TV ever since. In fact he was enjoying the fact of having a little alone time to himself. Caitlin was asleep, Griffin and Dori were gone, so beside Caitlin's room, he had the house to himself.
He sat back on the couch and propped his feet on the coffee table, when he heard a scream come from upstairs.
"Caitlin!" Jim shouted as he jumped off the couch and ran upstairs.
He threw open the door to Caitlin's room and ran inside her room. Jim didn't know what he expected to find, but Caitlin thrashing around in bed was not it.
He let out a sigh of relief and walked over to her bed. He reached out his arm to wake her up, but stopped when Caitlin started talking in her sleep.
"NO! I'M SORRY! DON'T HURT ME ANYMORE!"
Jim's jaw dropped. What was Caitlin dreaming about? He reached out and gently shook her shoulder. Caitlin screamed again and tried so hard to get away from his touch that she rolled over onto the floor.
"Caitlin!" Jim said going around to the other side of the bed. "Are you all right?"
Caitlin sat up on the floor and looked around. Her eyes were still glazed over from sleep.
"Caitlin," Jim said gently reaching out a hand to her.
She crawled back from his touch until she was against the wall. Thunder crashed loudly and Caitlin screamed.
"Caitlin it's okay. It's me Jim."
Caitlin looked up at him and shook her head. "I think I'm going to be sick."
She got up and went to run, but tripped over herself. Jim reached out and caught her. The impact however caused Caitlin to vomit all over her bedroom floor. Jim held her until she was through and there was nothing left but dry heaves.
"It's okay Caitlin," He said soothingly. "You're all right."
Weak from everything Caitlin collapsed in Jim's arms. He picked her up and placed her back in bed. He then put his hand on her forehead and found that she was burning up.
"My god."
He quickly walked into the bathroom and got a cool rag. He came back in the room, sat on the edge of the bed, and started wiping down Caitlins face and neck. She looked up at him with wide eyes.
"It's okay Caitlin. You're going to be all right."
"Y..you're not going to hurt me are you?"
Jim pulled away from her shocked at the question. "Caitlin why would you think I would hurt you? Is it because of your nightmare? Did you dream I was hurting you?"
"NO!" Caitlin all but yelled. "It wasn't you," she said more calmly.
"Then who was it?"
Caitlin turned away from him and didn't answer. Jim didn't push.
"All right Caitlin. I'm going to clean up this mess. Call me if you need anything."
Just as Jim went to get up, thunder crashed again and Caitlin grabbed his arm.
"NO! Don't go. Don't leave me here alone!"
Jim sat back down next to her. "It's okay. I'm not going far. I just need to clean this up all right? Then I'll be right here next to you."
Caitlin nodded and let go of his arm. Jim wouldn't have moved from her side, but the smell of vomit was not nice, especially when it settled. He didn't want to have to endure the smell and he was sure that Caitlin didn't want to either.
Jim quickly got the supplies necessary and cleaned up the mess. He took it out of her room, and disposed of it. Then he grabbed a glass of water and a bucket and went back upstairs to see Caitlin.
When he got back to her room she was sitting in her bed with her arms hugging her knees to her chest. Jim had never seen her so child like before. There was a raw pain in her eyes. It was so raw it made him hurt. More than pain, there was fear and although he had seen Caitlin scared before, it was nothing like this.
"Caitlin what's wrong?"
"It was just a bad dream."
"Why do I have a feeling it was more than just a dream?"
He walked over to her and handed her the water. "Sip on this."
Caitlin took the water and did as she was told. Jim put the bucket next to the bed and sat down.
"I'm sorry about making such a mess."
Jim smiled. "It's all right. Everyone gets sick." His face sobered. "Caitlin I wish you would tell me what's wrong."
Caitlin hugged herself tighter. "I've never told anyone."
"Well maybe it's time you did."
She sighed and looked away from Jim. She diverted her gaze to the now clean floor. She stared so intently it almost seemed her life depended on it.
"When I was thirteen, I was sent to a foster home with this guy and his wife. Things were okay at first you know. They bought me stuff and made me feel at home. I thought I might actually have found a family who cares about me."
She stopped and took a deep breath. Jim knew if she stopped now that she wouldn't finish.
"So what happened?"
"I was there for about three months when things started going bad."
"Bad how?" Jim asked, although he was almost afraid to find out.
"I came home from school one day. I wasn't feeling well. Kind of like tonight. Actually just like tonight. By the time I got in the door I knew I was going to be sick. I ran for the bathroom, but I didn't make it. I threw up all over the floor in the living room. He wasn't too happy. In fact he was really angry."
"Caitlin, what did he do to you?"
"He.he hit me. He hit me hard and a lot," Caitlin started to cry. "I could barely move the next day."
Jim moved so he could sit next to Caitlin. He put an arm around her shoulders.
"Where was your foster mother?" Jim asked, anger apparent in his voice.
"She wasn't home. Even if she had been she wouldn't have done anything. I found out later that he beat her too." Caitlin leaned into Jim. "After that he started hitting me almost everyday. My social worker realized what was going on and pulled me out."
"Did they put him in jail?"
Caitlin shook her head against Jim's chest. "There wasn't enough proof. He told them that I fell down the stairs. His wife backed it up. She was too scared to say anything."
Jim sighed and stroked her hair. "Caitlin I am so sorry."
"Remember before when you asked if I was scared of thunder?"
"Yeah."
"The first time he hit me it was storming. All I remember is the pain and the thunder." She started sobbing. "He hurt me so bad."
Jim embraced her and rocked her as she cried. "It's okay. It wasn't your fault."
He continued to sooth and rock her until her sobs were reduced to soft hiccups. Jim looked down and saw that Caitlin was asleep against him. He eased himself off the bed and laid Caitlin down. He covered her with the blanket and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.
Jim went downstairs and grabbed the rocking chair from the far corner of the living room. He carefully brought it upstairs into Caitlins room. He placed it next to the bed and sat down. He wanted to be close to her if she needed him. Whether she got sick again, or had another nightmare. Jim wanted to be there for her.
Jim was watching an old episode of Miami Vice on TV. Caitlin had gone to bed over an hour ago and besides the storm, things had been quiet ever since. Dori had called to check on things and Jim had reported that everything was fine. He didn't mention Caitlin being sick. He didn't want to worry Dori while she was out of town. The two then talked for a while and said there 'I miss you's' and 'I loves you' and hung up for the night.
That was twenty minutes ago. Jim had been relaxing watching TV ever since. In fact he was enjoying the fact of having a little alone time to himself. Caitlin was asleep, Griffin and Dori were gone, so beside Caitlin's room, he had the house to himself.
He sat back on the couch and propped his feet on the coffee table, when he heard a scream come from upstairs.
"Caitlin!" Jim shouted as he jumped off the couch and ran upstairs.
He threw open the door to Caitlin's room and ran inside her room. Jim didn't know what he expected to find, but Caitlin thrashing around in bed was not it.
He let out a sigh of relief and walked over to her bed. He reached out his arm to wake her up, but stopped when Caitlin started talking in her sleep.
"NO! I'M SORRY! DON'T HURT ME ANYMORE!"
Jim's jaw dropped. What was Caitlin dreaming about? He reached out and gently shook her shoulder. Caitlin screamed again and tried so hard to get away from his touch that she rolled over onto the floor.
"Caitlin!" Jim said going around to the other side of the bed. "Are you all right?"
Caitlin sat up on the floor and looked around. Her eyes were still glazed over from sleep.
"Caitlin," Jim said gently reaching out a hand to her.
She crawled back from his touch until she was against the wall. Thunder crashed loudly and Caitlin screamed.
"Caitlin it's okay. It's me Jim."
Caitlin looked up at him and shook her head. "I think I'm going to be sick."
She got up and went to run, but tripped over herself. Jim reached out and caught her. The impact however caused Caitlin to vomit all over her bedroom floor. Jim held her until she was through and there was nothing left but dry heaves.
"It's okay Caitlin," He said soothingly. "You're all right."
Weak from everything Caitlin collapsed in Jim's arms. He picked her up and placed her back in bed. He then put his hand on her forehead and found that she was burning up.
"My god."
He quickly walked into the bathroom and got a cool rag. He came back in the room, sat on the edge of the bed, and started wiping down Caitlins face and neck. She looked up at him with wide eyes.
"It's okay Caitlin. You're going to be all right."
"Y..you're not going to hurt me are you?"
Jim pulled away from her shocked at the question. "Caitlin why would you think I would hurt you? Is it because of your nightmare? Did you dream I was hurting you?"
"NO!" Caitlin all but yelled. "It wasn't you," she said more calmly.
"Then who was it?"
Caitlin turned away from him and didn't answer. Jim didn't push.
"All right Caitlin. I'm going to clean up this mess. Call me if you need anything."
Just as Jim went to get up, thunder crashed again and Caitlin grabbed his arm.
"NO! Don't go. Don't leave me here alone!"
Jim sat back down next to her. "It's okay. I'm not going far. I just need to clean this up all right? Then I'll be right here next to you."
Caitlin nodded and let go of his arm. Jim wouldn't have moved from her side, but the smell of vomit was not nice, especially when it settled. He didn't want to have to endure the smell and he was sure that Caitlin didn't want to either.
Jim quickly got the supplies necessary and cleaned up the mess. He took it out of her room, and disposed of it. Then he grabbed a glass of water and a bucket and went back upstairs to see Caitlin.
When he got back to her room she was sitting in her bed with her arms hugging her knees to her chest. Jim had never seen her so child like before. There was a raw pain in her eyes. It was so raw it made him hurt. More than pain, there was fear and although he had seen Caitlin scared before, it was nothing like this.
"Caitlin what's wrong?"
"It was just a bad dream."
"Why do I have a feeling it was more than just a dream?"
He walked over to her and handed her the water. "Sip on this."
Caitlin took the water and did as she was told. Jim put the bucket next to the bed and sat down.
"I'm sorry about making such a mess."
Jim smiled. "It's all right. Everyone gets sick." His face sobered. "Caitlin I wish you would tell me what's wrong."
Caitlin hugged herself tighter. "I've never told anyone."
"Well maybe it's time you did."
She sighed and looked away from Jim. She diverted her gaze to the now clean floor. She stared so intently it almost seemed her life depended on it.
"When I was thirteen, I was sent to a foster home with this guy and his wife. Things were okay at first you know. They bought me stuff and made me feel at home. I thought I might actually have found a family who cares about me."
She stopped and took a deep breath. Jim knew if she stopped now that she wouldn't finish.
"So what happened?"
"I was there for about three months when things started going bad."
"Bad how?" Jim asked, although he was almost afraid to find out.
"I came home from school one day. I wasn't feeling well. Kind of like tonight. Actually just like tonight. By the time I got in the door I knew I was going to be sick. I ran for the bathroom, but I didn't make it. I threw up all over the floor in the living room. He wasn't too happy. In fact he was really angry."
"Caitlin, what did he do to you?"
"He.he hit me. He hit me hard and a lot," Caitlin started to cry. "I could barely move the next day."
Jim moved so he could sit next to Caitlin. He put an arm around her shoulders.
"Where was your foster mother?" Jim asked, anger apparent in his voice.
"She wasn't home. Even if she had been she wouldn't have done anything. I found out later that he beat her too." Caitlin leaned into Jim. "After that he started hitting me almost everyday. My social worker realized what was going on and pulled me out."
"Did they put him in jail?"
Caitlin shook her head against Jim's chest. "There wasn't enough proof. He told them that I fell down the stairs. His wife backed it up. She was too scared to say anything."
Jim sighed and stroked her hair. "Caitlin I am so sorry."
"Remember before when you asked if I was scared of thunder?"
"Yeah."
"The first time he hit me it was storming. All I remember is the pain and the thunder." She started sobbing. "He hurt me so bad."
Jim embraced her and rocked her as she cried. "It's okay. It wasn't your fault."
He continued to sooth and rock her until her sobs were reduced to soft hiccups. Jim looked down and saw that Caitlin was asleep against him. He eased himself off the bed and laid Caitlin down. He covered her with the blanket and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.
Jim went downstairs and grabbed the rocking chair from the far corner of the living room. He carefully brought it upstairs into Caitlins room. He placed it next to the bed and sat down. He wanted to be close to her if she needed him. Whether she got sick again, or had another nightmare. Jim wanted to be there for her.