Part 7.
Connie screamed.
She had never been much of screamer. She'd always being more of a tomboy, having hung out and played hockey with the boys since District 5. So when Guy, Fulton and Portman heard her piercing scream, they knew immediately that something was horribly wrong.
Running full pelt towards where they knew she had walked off on her way to the library after parting from them, they spotted her down by the side of the tennis courts, a well known short cut through to the street below. She was knelt down next to something and it was only when they drew nearer that they realised it was a someone and then that someone was actually Charlie.
They thudded up and felt their hearts stop as they took in the fact that once again Charlie had been beaten up and that this time he was unconscious. He was lay on his side, his face tilted down, bruises all up the one side of his face. His clothes were torn and muddy and there was single trickle of blood from a cut up on his hairline.
Fulton knelt next to Connie and gently shook Charlie. "Charlie? Charlie, can you hear me?" There was no response. Fulton glanced at Connie. "Go get the nurse, Connie. He's out cold."
Connie stood up and leaving her bag with Guy ran down the path back towards the main building. Portman sank down next to Fulton and rested his hand on Charlie's forehead gently. "Oh, sweet Jesus," he suddenly breathed.
"What?" Fulton turned to look at him and followed his gaze. Down at the side of Charlie's stomach just inside where his open shirt had curled around, a small dark red patch was beginning to soak through the material of his T-shirt. "Oh, Christ."
Portman scrambled to his feet and catapulted himself after Connie, yelling at the top of his voice. "CONNIE! We need an ambulance! NOW!"
As he disappeared from sight, Fulton turned frightened eyes on Guy, who was staring at Charlie, horrified. Shaking, he ripped his own T-shirt over his head and balling it up, placed in gingerly over the slowly spreading stain. Charlie shifted slightly and groaned low in his throat.
"Hey, Charlie?" Fulton said evenly, in a voice that was steadier than he felt. "Can you hear me buddy?"
Charlie's face scrunched up, his eyes still closed as he grimaced. He moaned weakly again and his one hand flopped into the air to hover for a moment before lowering to push feebly at Fulton's T-shirt.
"No, Charlie. Leave it there," Fulton gently caught Charlie's hand and held it carefully before slowly resting it back down onto the ground next to him as Charlie shifted over to lie more on his back.
After a few minutes, Fulton turned to see Portman's running back up towards them closely followed by Connie. "How is he?" Portman panted, out of breath.
"Coming round." Fulton said. Portman knelt down next to him and rested his hand on Charlie's forehead again and winced at the heat he felt starting there. Charlie moaned again and moved his head slightly under Portman's gentle touch. Connie had immediately gone to Guy who wrapped his arms around her tightly.
"Where's Adam?" Fulton asked quietly.
"Don't know. I asked quickly while I was down there, but nobody's seen him. I think he has Math this period."
Another minute passed before they heard the siren and saw the paramedics draw up in the driveway below. Two uniformed figures hurried up the path and as they reached them, Fulton and Portman moved back out of the way.
"What happened?"
"We don't know for sure. Connie here found him like this. We didn't see what happened."
"Okay. What's his name?"
"Charlie."
"Okay, Charlie, can you here me?"
Charlie hummed low in his throat, his head flopping to one side. "Charlie, we're just going to take a look at you buddy." One of the men, lifted Fulton's balled up T-shirt up out of the way and then lifted Charlie's own shirt carefully to look at the wound underneath, whilst the other one pulled Charlie's eyelid's up one by one to quickly shine a light in his eye. After he'd done that he pressed his finger against Charlie's neck.
Speaking something that sounded like gobbledigook to the Ducks, the two conferred before one shot off down the path. Turning to watch him they noticed another figure shooting past him back up the path.
Adam ran up towards the little group at the top of the path so fast he could not actually remember later, anything between coming out of class and getting to Charlie's side. He skidded to the ground next to Charlie, scrapping his knees and hands but not feeling anything as he cast wide horrified eyes over Charlie. He reached out a shaking hand to Charlie's shoulder. "Charlie?" His voice was trembling and high with fear. "Is he going to be all right? What happened?" He looked at Fulton and Fulton felt his heart clench at the fear he saw in Adam's eyes.
"We don't know, Adam. We just found him like this. I think he's...been...." He hesitated.
"What?"
"He's been stabbed by the looks of it." The paramedic broke in for them. He turned and took in the expression on Adam's face and his own face softened. "Its doesn't look too deep," he said gently. "Are you his friend?"
"No, I mean, yes." Adam took Charlie's one hand in his. "He's my boyfriend."
Surprise registered for an instance in the man's eyes, before a look of understanding crossed his face. "Do you want to come with him?"
Adam nodded fervently, his eyes never leaving Charlie's face.
Within a few minutes Charlie was strapped to a stretcher, in the ambulance and on his way to the hospital.
Connie screamed.
She had never been much of screamer. She'd always being more of a tomboy, having hung out and played hockey with the boys since District 5. So when Guy, Fulton and Portman heard her piercing scream, they knew immediately that something was horribly wrong.
Running full pelt towards where they knew she had walked off on her way to the library after parting from them, they spotted her down by the side of the tennis courts, a well known short cut through to the street below. She was knelt down next to something and it was only when they drew nearer that they realised it was a someone and then that someone was actually Charlie.
They thudded up and felt their hearts stop as they took in the fact that once again Charlie had been beaten up and that this time he was unconscious. He was lay on his side, his face tilted down, bruises all up the one side of his face. His clothes were torn and muddy and there was single trickle of blood from a cut up on his hairline.
Fulton knelt next to Connie and gently shook Charlie. "Charlie? Charlie, can you hear me?" There was no response. Fulton glanced at Connie. "Go get the nurse, Connie. He's out cold."
Connie stood up and leaving her bag with Guy ran down the path back towards the main building. Portman sank down next to Fulton and rested his hand on Charlie's forehead gently. "Oh, sweet Jesus," he suddenly breathed.
"What?" Fulton turned to look at him and followed his gaze. Down at the side of Charlie's stomach just inside where his open shirt had curled around, a small dark red patch was beginning to soak through the material of his T-shirt. "Oh, Christ."
Portman scrambled to his feet and catapulted himself after Connie, yelling at the top of his voice. "CONNIE! We need an ambulance! NOW!"
As he disappeared from sight, Fulton turned frightened eyes on Guy, who was staring at Charlie, horrified. Shaking, he ripped his own T-shirt over his head and balling it up, placed in gingerly over the slowly spreading stain. Charlie shifted slightly and groaned low in his throat.
"Hey, Charlie?" Fulton said evenly, in a voice that was steadier than he felt. "Can you hear me buddy?"
Charlie's face scrunched up, his eyes still closed as he grimaced. He moaned weakly again and his one hand flopped into the air to hover for a moment before lowering to push feebly at Fulton's T-shirt.
"No, Charlie. Leave it there," Fulton gently caught Charlie's hand and held it carefully before slowly resting it back down onto the ground next to him as Charlie shifted over to lie more on his back.
After a few minutes, Fulton turned to see Portman's running back up towards them closely followed by Connie. "How is he?" Portman panted, out of breath.
"Coming round." Fulton said. Portman knelt down next to him and rested his hand on Charlie's forehead again and winced at the heat he felt starting there. Charlie moaned again and moved his head slightly under Portman's gentle touch. Connie had immediately gone to Guy who wrapped his arms around her tightly.
"Where's Adam?" Fulton asked quietly.
"Don't know. I asked quickly while I was down there, but nobody's seen him. I think he has Math this period."
Another minute passed before they heard the siren and saw the paramedics draw up in the driveway below. Two uniformed figures hurried up the path and as they reached them, Fulton and Portman moved back out of the way.
"What happened?"
"We don't know for sure. Connie here found him like this. We didn't see what happened."
"Okay. What's his name?"
"Charlie."
"Okay, Charlie, can you here me?"
Charlie hummed low in his throat, his head flopping to one side. "Charlie, we're just going to take a look at you buddy." One of the men, lifted Fulton's balled up T-shirt up out of the way and then lifted Charlie's own shirt carefully to look at the wound underneath, whilst the other one pulled Charlie's eyelid's up one by one to quickly shine a light in his eye. After he'd done that he pressed his finger against Charlie's neck.
Speaking something that sounded like gobbledigook to the Ducks, the two conferred before one shot off down the path. Turning to watch him they noticed another figure shooting past him back up the path.
Adam ran up towards the little group at the top of the path so fast he could not actually remember later, anything between coming out of class and getting to Charlie's side. He skidded to the ground next to Charlie, scrapping his knees and hands but not feeling anything as he cast wide horrified eyes over Charlie. He reached out a shaking hand to Charlie's shoulder. "Charlie?" His voice was trembling and high with fear. "Is he going to be all right? What happened?" He looked at Fulton and Fulton felt his heart clench at the fear he saw in Adam's eyes.
"We don't know, Adam. We just found him like this. I think he's...been...." He hesitated.
"What?"
"He's been stabbed by the looks of it." The paramedic broke in for them. He turned and took in the expression on Adam's face and his own face softened. "Its doesn't look too deep," he said gently. "Are you his friend?"
"No, I mean, yes." Adam took Charlie's one hand in his. "He's my boyfriend."
Surprise registered for an instance in the man's eyes, before a look of understanding crossed his face. "Do you want to come with him?"
Adam nodded fervently, his eyes never leaving Charlie's face.
Within a few minutes Charlie was strapped to a stretcher, in the ambulance and on his way to the hospital.