Aftermath
Chapter 4- Recollection
A/N: I'm kinda running out of ideas now, so sorry if it sucks.
Disclaimer: Eames and Goren don't belong to me.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The day Ashlie got discharged finally came around. She was happy to be out of hospital. Eames picked her up after work and took her home. The house was spotless after the days of cleaning and throwing out the junk. She could tell Ashlie was glad to be there by her expression. She grinned as she walked in and saw her new home for the next few months. Maybe she was glad she was in a clean house with no alcoholics or drug addicts.
"Well here we are" Eames said welcoming. "This is your room," she said leading her down the hall. It had a nice bed, shelves, and painted a beautiful light purple colour.
"Thanks Alex. I really appreciate you letting me stay here," she said. She looked at all her belongings stacked on the shelves. Her clothes had been washed and put in draws and no longer smelt of smoke. She smiled as she breathed in the smell of lavender.
"Well we'll be having dinner about 7:30. I'll let you look around and stuff" Eames said. Ashlie nodded. She added the clothes she brought home from hospital to the others in the drawers. Eames had even fixed the rips in her pants so they'd last just a bit longer. Ashlie lay down on the bed and stared at the ceiling. She decided she'd make herself over - new clothes, hair and attitude. She stretched out, but recoiled from pain. She still had cuts and bruises and the needle marks were clearly visible. She sat up and inspected them. She ran her fingers over them and started to cry. She still didn't understand why it had happened to her. In her own father's house and he didn't even care. She missed her mum but knew she wouldn't come back.
'Whadda want Holly?"
"I isn't a question of what I want. It's a question of what I need. I need love and support. Why can't you see that?" she'd yell at him
"I don't give a shit," he'd yell back throwing a beer can at her. Ashlie would be looking on in horror at her parents.
"You used to love me. What happened?"
"That little shit, that's what happened," he'd say motioning towards Ashlie's room. Then he'd see her and jump up, storming towards her. Ashlie would try to run, knowing what was about to happen.
"Daddy, don't! Please daddy. I love you," she'd cry. But he'd do it anyway. He bashed her and kicked her until his wife would tear him off.
"What the hell are you doing? This is your child.your daughter! You know what? I'm doing something I should have a long time ago" she said, walking to her room, her husband following her. He slammed the door behind them and all Ashlie could hear were her mother's screams. She went to bed and hid under the covers. Every night she went to sleep listening to them yelling. The next morning she woke up and her mother was gone.
"Where is mummy?" she'd softly ask.
"Gone. So you have to do everything. Now make me some breakfast and clean the house" he'd order.
"But I have to go to school" she'd say. He'd get up and raise his hand.
"You'll go to school when I say so. Understood?" he'd spare her the thumping if she behaved right. Why did mum leave me here? She'd think. Ever since she hated her mum for leaving her with that horrible man. In time she learnt to put up with it an she became strong and cunning.
Ashlie ran out the room and into the kitchen to the only woman she could trust.
"Hey, Ashlie, what's wrong?" Eames asked.
"Promise me I'll never go back the ok? Just say it" she sobbed. Eames hugged her. This was something she had to tell Dr. Halliwell.
"Ok, ok. You'll never go back there" she soothed. "Tomorrow we are going to see Dr. Halliwell and sort everything out" she said. Ashlie wiped her tears away and nodded.
"I just keep thinking about what they did and I can't understand why. Didn't they love me?" she asked, sitting down. Eames followed her.
"I'm sure they did. It was probably hard for your mother to leave you there. She was being abused herself and just wanted to be free."
"But why not me? She knew he'd beat me and abuse me, and she left me" Ashlie said.
"I don't know why she left you. People do crazy things, its just human nature. Would you like us to track her down so you can find out for yourself?" Eames asked. Ashlie shook her head.
"No. I don't have a mother as far as I'm concerned. Hey tomorrow, I need to get something from the house, so can we go?" she asked. Eames nodded.
~*~*~*~*~*
"So how have you been so far?" Halliwell asked when they saw her.
"Well apart from one thing last night, ok" Ashlie answered. Eames was waiting outside with Goren.
"Can you tell me what that was?" she asked. Ashlie took a deep breath.
"Ok, well I just had these I dunno.flashbacks.of when I was little and the night mum left. Dad was beating us up really bad and I remember begging him not to. I kept saying 'don't daddy, I love you', but he didn't care. I woke up the next morning and mum had left without me" Ashlie told the doctor. She nodded.
"And how did that make you feel?" she asked.
"Angry, hurt. I couldn't go to school because he made me do the housework." Ashlie was feeling calm talking about it.
"Ok. How did it effect you growing up?"
"I felt like an outsider. I'd watch all the other kids leaving school with their mums and dads. They'd be greeted with hugs and poor little me would be walking home staring at the footpath trying to hide the bruises from the other kids" she recalled.
"So nobody did anything about it?" Halliwell asked, referring to the teachers.
"Nope. They'd ask what happened, but I'd just saw I was clumsy and kept falling over. One time they tried to talk to my dad but he abused them and pulled me inside."
"So what made you begin to become tougher and rebellious?"
"One day a gang of older kids saw me stealing and came over to me. They had been in the same situation and taught me what to do - like how to defend myself and what to say so I didn't get bashed. I became one of them. We understood each other. Then in high school I was one of the feared ones. Rough and tough. By then dad had stopped hitting me, but deep down I still wanted to be in a normal family." Ashlie felt much better talking about it all.
"Great. Well Ashlie we've covered a lot today. It may be a long journey, but if you keep at it you'll come out strong" Halliwell reassured. Ashlie smiled, knowing she was right.
"Thanks" she said and joined Eames and Goren outside.
"So when do we come back?" Eames asked.
"Tomorrow same time. Ashlie, in the mean time I want you to start two diaries. One of feelings and thoughts you want to share, and one for your personal use. Can you do that?" she asked. Ashlie nodded.
~*~*~*~*~*
Just as Eames had promised, they stopped back at Ashlie's old house to collect a few more things. Eames decided that to be on the safe side Goren should come inside with them. Ashlie kicked in the door, and led them inside. She instantly became more aggressive as she kicked her way through the much.
"See what I was talking about?" Goren said. Eames nodded.
"Now, he kept it here somewhere" Ashlie yelled out from her bedroom.
"Kept what?" he yelled out, thinking she was talking about the same thing as the woman who was there the other day. When no answer came he shook his head. "Forgot" he said. Ashlie came out her room holding a tin and a few shoeboxes and rummaged around the lounge. She pulled out the cushions, ripped open the fabric and made a huge mess.
"God damn it!" she yelled. Then she spotted the TV. She walked over and kicked in the glass with her boot. There lay what she was looking for. A plastic bag with a bundle of money in it.more than $10,000.
"Where did all that come from?" Eames asked.
"Dad's drug money, stuff he sold of mums and all his savings," she said. "Legally I own it now coz he is in jail and has no use for it" she said, throwing it in the air and catching it again. "Excellent. Ok we can go now," she said acknowledging Eames, but ignoring Goren.
A/N: I'm kinda running out of ideas now, so sorry if it sucks.
Disclaimer: Eames and Goren don't belong to me.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The day Ashlie got discharged finally came around. She was happy to be out of hospital. Eames picked her up after work and took her home. The house was spotless after the days of cleaning and throwing out the junk. She could tell Ashlie was glad to be there by her expression. She grinned as she walked in and saw her new home for the next few months. Maybe she was glad she was in a clean house with no alcoholics or drug addicts.
"Well here we are" Eames said welcoming. "This is your room," she said leading her down the hall. It had a nice bed, shelves, and painted a beautiful light purple colour.
"Thanks Alex. I really appreciate you letting me stay here," she said. She looked at all her belongings stacked on the shelves. Her clothes had been washed and put in draws and no longer smelt of smoke. She smiled as she breathed in the smell of lavender.
"Well we'll be having dinner about 7:30. I'll let you look around and stuff" Eames said. Ashlie nodded. She added the clothes she brought home from hospital to the others in the drawers. Eames had even fixed the rips in her pants so they'd last just a bit longer. Ashlie lay down on the bed and stared at the ceiling. She decided she'd make herself over - new clothes, hair and attitude. She stretched out, but recoiled from pain. She still had cuts and bruises and the needle marks were clearly visible. She sat up and inspected them. She ran her fingers over them and started to cry. She still didn't understand why it had happened to her. In her own father's house and he didn't even care. She missed her mum but knew she wouldn't come back.
'Whadda want Holly?"
"I isn't a question of what I want. It's a question of what I need. I need love and support. Why can't you see that?" she'd yell at him
"I don't give a shit," he'd yell back throwing a beer can at her. Ashlie would be looking on in horror at her parents.
"You used to love me. What happened?"
"That little shit, that's what happened," he'd say motioning towards Ashlie's room. Then he'd see her and jump up, storming towards her. Ashlie would try to run, knowing what was about to happen.
"Daddy, don't! Please daddy. I love you," she'd cry. But he'd do it anyway. He bashed her and kicked her until his wife would tear him off.
"What the hell are you doing? This is your child.your daughter! You know what? I'm doing something I should have a long time ago" she said, walking to her room, her husband following her. He slammed the door behind them and all Ashlie could hear were her mother's screams. She went to bed and hid under the covers. Every night she went to sleep listening to them yelling. The next morning she woke up and her mother was gone.
"Where is mummy?" she'd softly ask.
"Gone. So you have to do everything. Now make me some breakfast and clean the house" he'd order.
"But I have to go to school" she'd say. He'd get up and raise his hand.
"You'll go to school when I say so. Understood?" he'd spare her the thumping if she behaved right. Why did mum leave me here? She'd think. Ever since she hated her mum for leaving her with that horrible man. In time she learnt to put up with it an she became strong and cunning.
Ashlie ran out the room and into the kitchen to the only woman she could trust.
"Hey, Ashlie, what's wrong?" Eames asked.
"Promise me I'll never go back the ok? Just say it" she sobbed. Eames hugged her. This was something she had to tell Dr. Halliwell.
"Ok, ok. You'll never go back there" she soothed. "Tomorrow we are going to see Dr. Halliwell and sort everything out" she said. Ashlie wiped her tears away and nodded.
"I just keep thinking about what they did and I can't understand why. Didn't they love me?" she asked, sitting down. Eames followed her.
"I'm sure they did. It was probably hard for your mother to leave you there. She was being abused herself and just wanted to be free."
"But why not me? She knew he'd beat me and abuse me, and she left me" Ashlie said.
"I don't know why she left you. People do crazy things, its just human nature. Would you like us to track her down so you can find out for yourself?" Eames asked. Ashlie shook her head.
"No. I don't have a mother as far as I'm concerned. Hey tomorrow, I need to get something from the house, so can we go?" she asked. Eames nodded.
~*~*~*~*~*
"So how have you been so far?" Halliwell asked when they saw her.
"Well apart from one thing last night, ok" Ashlie answered. Eames was waiting outside with Goren.
"Can you tell me what that was?" she asked. Ashlie took a deep breath.
"Ok, well I just had these I dunno.flashbacks.of when I was little and the night mum left. Dad was beating us up really bad and I remember begging him not to. I kept saying 'don't daddy, I love you', but he didn't care. I woke up the next morning and mum had left without me" Ashlie told the doctor. She nodded.
"And how did that make you feel?" she asked.
"Angry, hurt. I couldn't go to school because he made me do the housework." Ashlie was feeling calm talking about it.
"Ok. How did it effect you growing up?"
"I felt like an outsider. I'd watch all the other kids leaving school with their mums and dads. They'd be greeted with hugs and poor little me would be walking home staring at the footpath trying to hide the bruises from the other kids" she recalled.
"So nobody did anything about it?" Halliwell asked, referring to the teachers.
"Nope. They'd ask what happened, but I'd just saw I was clumsy and kept falling over. One time they tried to talk to my dad but he abused them and pulled me inside."
"So what made you begin to become tougher and rebellious?"
"One day a gang of older kids saw me stealing and came over to me. They had been in the same situation and taught me what to do - like how to defend myself and what to say so I didn't get bashed. I became one of them. We understood each other. Then in high school I was one of the feared ones. Rough and tough. By then dad had stopped hitting me, but deep down I still wanted to be in a normal family." Ashlie felt much better talking about it all.
"Great. Well Ashlie we've covered a lot today. It may be a long journey, but if you keep at it you'll come out strong" Halliwell reassured. Ashlie smiled, knowing she was right.
"Thanks" she said and joined Eames and Goren outside.
"So when do we come back?" Eames asked.
"Tomorrow same time. Ashlie, in the mean time I want you to start two diaries. One of feelings and thoughts you want to share, and one for your personal use. Can you do that?" she asked. Ashlie nodded.
~*~*~*~*~*
Just as Eames had promised, they stopped back at Ashlie's old house to collect a few more things. Eames decided that to be on the safe side Goren should come inside with them. Ashlie kicked in the door, and led them inside. She instantly became more aggressive as she kicked her way through the much.
"See what I was talking about?" Goren said. Eames nodded.
"Now, he kept it here somewhere" Ashlie yelled out from her bedroom.
"Kept what?" he yelled out, thinking she was talking about the same thing as the woman who was there the other day. When no answer came he shook his head. "Forgot" he said. Ashlie came out her room holding a tin and a few shoeboxes and rummaged around the lounge. She pulled out the cushions, ripped open the fabric and made a huge mess.
"God damn it!" she yelled. Then she spotted the TV. She walked over and kicked in the glass with her boot. There lay what she was looking for. A plastic bag with a bundle of money in it.more than $10,000.
"Where did all that come from?" Eames asked.
"Dad's drug money, stuff he sold of mums and all his savings," she said. "Legally I own it now coz he is in jail and has no use for it" she said, throwing it in the air and catching it again. "Excellent. Ok we can go now," she said acknowledging Eames, but ignoring Goren.