*shines 'Angst Queen' crown* Ah, life is good...school is out...YIPPEE!
Merry Christmas Everyone! ^_~
MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY!!!!!!!
Liz- I'm glad you're lovin' the drama! Aw, I'm sorry you're not in a good mood. Lol...I don't think I'll disown you, even if those two go against all I stand for...^_~
Katie- Lol. Wow...now I feel all special! *eyes water with happy tears* You really think I'm the best? Really? *bear hugs Katie* I love you! *hands Katie a cookie* You're so sweet!
Sophie- *pats Sophie's head* Sophie dear, don't bang your head on the table. ^_^ It's bad for your brain...lol...not like I don't do it too sometimes. ^_^ Lol...You're really getting into this...I love it! My readers are INVOLVED! Whee! *grins* I'm glad you liked the Halley/Charlie thing. But worry not, Julie is only biding her time...I've noticed my patience level is increasing...I have prevented myself from rushing anything! Remember, there will be over forty chapters...there's more than enough time for ANYTHING to happen. ^_^ Lol, yes. Charlie forfeited some of his 'pathetic' points there. ^_^ He has a backbone somewhere in there! It's just hibernating for awhile...it's scared. ^_^ Lol...sorry about getting your hopes up for nothing. ^_^ I do that sometimes...You'll just have to see what happens! If I tell you now, I will totally ruin the element of surprise later! Then you won't gasp and fall to of your chair with surprise! Lol...just kidding...I doubt it's truly gonna be all that surprising. ^_^ Oh well. I try. Lol, I'm really getting into this. ^_^ I have it all planned out and I'm afraid to lose it...lol...I'm actually writing things down on paper before typing them up! *gasp* Then I can work on my story when I'm NOT on the computer! *gasps again* It's a shocking thing...I was in Houston this weekend so it gave me lots of time to write in my trusty notebooks...people at school thought I was crazy. ^_^ They're like "That psycho Chelsea girl is writing feverishly in a green notebook...be afraid..." Lol...You think they're getting better? I'm glad to hear that. ^_^ Lol, the other day I went back and was reading the beginning of my story again...I was like "Oh my gosh, I did NOT write that...I swear I didn't..." Seriously. Lol...but I'm glad that you think I'm improving. That gives me the warm fuzzies! ^_^ Merry Christmas!
Rachel- Thank you so much. ^_^ I'm glad you liked the chapter. (I really need to come up with a good synonym for 'glad'...o.O)
Banksiesbabe99- Lol....yeah. They aren't as perceptive as they thought. ^_^ Blind is a good way to put it. ^_^ Hehe, thanks for reviewing!
KShyne99- Heh, yeah. George is evil. Do ya think I have that well enough established at this point? ^_^ Thank you for the compliment! *blushes* You're all so sweet. *wipes away happy tears* I'm happy that you like Halley. ^_~
Snorts- Thanks for reviewing! ^_^ I'm delighted that you like the story. ^_^ Oh...new synonym for 'glad'! Whee for Chelsea!
DodgerMcClure.aka.Drama-Queen- Lol, I've been getting a lot of that. A violent bunch, aren't ya? ^_^ Lol...aren't we all...I'm glad my job as George-Hate-Supplier is being fulfilled to your liking. ^_^
Sophie Review #2- ^_^ Yes, behold the surge of Charlie angst! All hail the Charlie angst! ^_^ Heehee, I'm a craze setter! Whee!! ^_^ I feel so special! YES! WE SHALL OVER-POWER THE ADAM-ANGST!! *gets clubbed on the head and chased by said Machete-Wielding-Adam-Fans* Ahhh!!! *jumps under sofa* Adam fans are scary! *whisper* Even though Charlie's better *whisper*...EEK! *runs away from Machete-Wielding-Adam- Fans*...Hehehe...*cowers in corner* Eep...don't hurt me! Don't hurt me Machete-Wielding-Adam-Fans! *Machete-Wielding-Adam-Fans look skeptically at Chelsea*...Hee...*Chelsea smiles as Machete-Wielding-Adam-Fans crawl back into their little corner*...Whew...that was close...o.O...And yes, I agree. A lot of the new stories are lacking slightly in originality...You can only write the same story so many times and make it original. ^_^ There are several good ones, but only a select few have caught my eye. ^_^ Lol, I'm glad you liked my serenading. *grins* Yes, I have my special notebook. I had a purple one too, but I lost it. So I got a green one. ^_^ But now that I've halfway-filled my green one, I found my purple one again. Lol, yes! Run, little Sophie! Run; get yourself a trusty notebook! Heehee. You're special; you get serenades. ^_^ Lol...Yes, I checked for it the DAY it came out in September...*gasp* Nothing by Evanescence can be bad! It's...preposterous! *sniffles* But...but...no fair...*reads reviews on amazon.co.uk*...*eyes water*...*lip quivers*...*chin wobbles*...*breaks down into sobs* NOO!!! NOOO!! Say it isn't so! MY DREAMS HAVE BEEN SHATTERED! How can it have no songs by Evanescence? How can they do this to me?! I'M SUING FOR EMOTIONAL TRAUMA!! *sobs* So...unfair...*sniff*...I was hoping for more songs...more...songs...need...more songs...*wipes away tears and sniffs* Thank you...The fact that Christmas is close makes me happy. I hope Santa is good to you too, Soph!
Chroni- Aw, it's okay...*pats Chibi Chroni's head* It'll all be okay...now let go of the nice little Charlie...c'mon, I know you can do it...
Nebula- Ooh yay! You reviewed a lot! *grins and hugs* I love you! Lol, thanks for deciding to review. Reviews make me happy. ^_^ Lol, so you rightfully dislike Mr. Conway? *smiles* That's good. That means I'm not doin' so bad after all! ^_^ Lol, I'm not sure if George Conway is human or not either...I'm still debating that one. I'm glad you finally caught up. ^_^ Again, thank you for all your reviews! I enjoyed every last one of them!
Sloane Miette- Lol, you're nervous? ^_^ Cool...Hehehe, I hope this chapter was worth the however-many-days-it-took wait...lol.
Adriana- Lol...for some bizarre reason I got the hunch that you MIGHT want me to update...hmmm...*shakes head* Nah, couldn't be...*eyes widen* Wow, that's a lot of 'updates'...*gapes at sheer number of 'updates'* yeah, I'd say you and Cut & Paste are on a first-name basis here...^_^ Lol, yeah. Jen is in the OTHER story, silly girl! ^_^ Lol, yes. There you go. Jesse is in this one. *pats Adriana's head* Hehehe, you dunno what to write? How tragic is that...Lol...
Disclaimer- I don't own The Mighty Ducks...yet...*evil laughter*
-Chapter 27-
George yanked Charlie's bad arm roughly. Charlie heard a pop and yelped. George backhanded him again to shut him up.
"Easy on the arm." Charlie managed to say quietly to himself.
The elder Conway grabbed Charlie by the chin to make him face forward. "What was that? No, I don't even care. Did you TELL THEM?!" he bellowed, his voice echoing throughout the house.
Charlie shook his head vigorously, though George's hand prevented much movement.
"Then WHY were they here?!" he shouted with anger.
"I-I don't know. To get their paychecks?" he asked, almost timidly, shrinking back when he realized he couldn't physically take on his father at the time.
George released his hold on Charlie's chin to slap the boy in the face. Charlie stumbled back to the ground, still unable to support his weight.
"No, boy! That ISN'T why they were here! For some reason, they feel as if they must check up on you! If I find out you've told ANYONE and I mean ANYONE..." George said, allowing his enraged race to fill in the blank.
Charlie gulped and nodded slowly. "Ye-yessir."
George turned to walk away. He suddenly turned and addressed his son. "And get yourself cleaned up. We don't want any of those pesky teachers of yours getting any ideas..."
Charlie nodded and laid his head back down on the wooden floor, letting out a deep breath. He could tell his shoulder was dislocated. He knew that popping sound.
A thought suddenly hit him.
Hockey...dislocated shoulder...bad...
He was beginning to think he had bad karma from all those times he had lost his temper...
"Shoot..." me muttered under his breath, letting out a frustrated sigh.
He slowly reached up and grabbed the edge of a large table. He pulled up with one arm, allowing the hurt one to dangle uselessly by his side.
Steadying himself, he limped to the nearest bathroom and closed the door.
Charlie sat on the counter and looked at himself in the mirror dejectedly. He could hardly recognize himself.
He cradled his left arm gently. He couldn't move it and wondered if it was broken. He had landed hard on it, twisting it roughly into an unnatural position. Then his dad went and dislocated his left shoulder as well.
He laughed bitterly as he wondered what the Ducks would say if they saw him now. Their fearless Captain hiding in the bathroom, pondering the meaning of life...or lack thereof...
Charlie carefully slipped his shirt off to see how bad the bruises were. He winced. They were worse than he had thought.
His upper arms were healing slightly but his ribs, chest, back and sides were still black and blue. His neck was slightly red and purple in some places. His left arm was visibly broken and his shoulder was dislocated. He still had the cut on his forehead and a few sparsely scattered bruises on his face. Charlie wondered how his dad had the nerve to leave such blatant bruises. Most people would do the damage where no one could plainly see it. Then again, his dad was always DRUNK when this happens, so that isn't saying much.
He gently ran his fingertips over the gash on his forehead. He wondered if it would be a scar...
He leaned against the cold mirror, allowing his bare back to relax. He shivered slightly and closed his eyes. Only then did Charlie allow his mind to retrace the events of that evening, stopping when he stepped through the door of his house...
Charlie still didn't know for sure what had happened, but he knew he couldn't go to school tomorrow. He had to get to a doctor to get his arm and shoulder fixed up. Even HE knew better then to attempt hockey with a broken arm. He was no Adam Banks; his arm couldn't handle that kind of thing.
The hockey prodigy let out a deep sigh. The only problem was that he would have to explain all the other bruises and such.
He decided he would take it as it came; lie if necessary.
Charlie pulled his shirt back over his head, wincing as his assumed-broken arm got caught in a sleeve. He bit his lip to keep from yelping in pain.
He wasn't sure what he was going to do...
~~~*~~~
The next day Charlie did as he always did. Got ready for school and snuck out of the house.
He was roller blading again. He didn't know exactly which doctor he was supposed to go to, but he saw a free clinic on his way to school one time. He decided he would try that first.
He sped up and arrived as quickly as he could, considering his condition. He opened the door and the bell above it rang to signify his presence.
A woman looked up from her desk and smiled. "How may I help you?" she asked.
"Umm...can I see the doctor?" he asked as he removed his roller blades and walked over to the reception desk in socks.
She was about to say he needed an appointment before she took a good look at him. She normally would've made him wait, but he looked pretty bad. So she nodded and called to the doctor.
"Dr. Proctor will be out in five minutes. Make yourself comfortable." The lady said, motioning to the chairs.
Charlie nodded, not even thinking about how funny the doctor's rhyming name was. He was feeling a little too nervous thinking about what to say.
About five minutes later, a woman in a white coat led Charlie into a small room to be examined.
"Is this a check-up or do you have something in mind?" the doctor asked.
Charlie looked at his lap. "Umm...I guess I had something in mind." He said, unsure of how he was supposed to reply.
"What might that be?" the doctor asked with her intimidating little notepad.
"Uh..." Charlie said, trying to force himself to look at the doctor.
"Is it those nasty cuts and bruises you have?" she asked with slight suspicion.
Charlie closed his mouth and nodded.
"Okay then. How did you get them?" Dr. Proctor asked.
Charlie opened his mouth to say something, but he couldn't for the life of him remember his excuse. He closed his mouth again and began frantically trying to remember what to say. "Uh..." he said again.
The doctor raised her eyebrows.
"I guess it depends what you're talking about." Charlie finally said.
"Let's start with the gash on your forehead and your colorful variety of bruises." She said, trying to break the ice slightly.
Charlie just tensed slightly and nodded. His throat was dry and he had to take a calming breath to soothe his nerves.
"Some kids in my neighborhood jumped me the other day. I just figured I should get the cut stitched if it needed it." Charlie said, the line returned to him.
She nodded. "Is that what the bruises are from as well?" she asked. He nodded. "Okay then, take off your shirt."
He didn't bother protesting. He peeled off the black t-shirt and waited to see what she would do.
She took a good look at the various bruises and the makeshift wrap around his ribs. She walked around to see his back. She saw a few wayward cuts and several large bruises. She pressed gently on one of them.
He winced and took in a sharp breath.
"Did that hurt?" she asked.
"What do you think?" he said before he could stop himself.
She let out a sigh and walked back in front of him. "Did your parents come with you?" she asked.
The darkening of his eyes didn't go unnoticed by the doctor. He let out a bitter laugh. "Nope."
"Where are they?" she asked.
"My mom is dead and my dad-" he said before he stopped himself. He was about to say 'my dad caused this, of course he isn't here,' but he managed to save himself from such a slipup. "-my dad...uh, is at work. I'm by myself." He covered up, though he knew good and well his father wasn't at work.
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that." She said in reference to his mother's death. However, she noticed how he hesitated about his father. It piked her interest but she decided it wasn't any of her business.
She began cleaning up a few cuts and tended to a few bruises. Then she saw his limp arm lying at his side. It was swelling up and looked like it had been bent at an unnatural position.
"I can't believe it didn't notice it before...what about your arm?" she asked.
"Fell down the stairs. I'm somewhat of a klutz." He said simply, actually kind of telling the truth. Nothing he had said had been UNTRUE; it just wasn't the WHOLE truth.
She nodded and gently prodded at it, examining the limb carefully.
"It seems to be broken. And from what I've gathered your shoulder is also dislocated. How did THAT happen?" she asked out of curiosity, writing feverishly in her little notepad.
Charlie blinked a few times and contemplated his answer. When she looked up at him, peering through thin-rimmed glasses, he gulped nervously, unsure of what to say.
"Has anyone ever told you have pretty eyes?" he asked with an innocent smile, trying to avoid the question.
"Uh-huh, nice try. Now tell me. You aren't getting out of it." She said, crossing her arms across her chest sternly.
"Darn it..." he muttered to himself. New strategy...
When she cocked an eyebrow at him, he stiffened and tried to think of the best way to say it. "Umm...I fell down the stairs...again." he offered lamely.
"Really? Twice in one day? After being jumped by neighborhood kids? Wow...did you break a mirror or something?" she asked skeptically, suspicious of his stories.
He shook his head. "Nope...I just have bad karma." He replied with a bright smile.
"I would say so. Well I need to get a cast on this arm and get you to someone who can fix your shoulder. I'm not really permitted for this kind of stuff." She said, smiling and shaking her head while writing more down on her little notepad thingy.
He was jittery, hoping she would just leave his answers as they were and not give him the third degree. He was noticing loopholes. He figured telling would be much stupider then just lying about it. If he tells, his dad gets mad. Then his dad tells some story about how troubled 'the boy' is which only makes Charlie's life worse...
It wouldn't even be a COMPLETE LIE for once...Charlie knew he had been relatively screwed up lately...but still...
"Uh, my ribs kinda hurt too." He said, figuring he might as well get them wrapped while he was there.
"Really? Lemme guess...you hurt them during one of your trips down the stairs?" she asked with raised eyebrows.
"Heh, something along those lines. You're very perceptive." He replied.
"And you seem to be very predictable. You wait here; I'll go get some bandages for them." She said as she walked out of the room for a moment.
Charlie let out a sigh and looked at the white ceiling. That could have gone a lot worse...
Soon enough, the doctor came back in and began gently wrapping his ribs tightly with the bandage, careful not to inflict any further pain.
"Alright. I assume you should be getting to school if that's all you need. I suppose you could come in tomorrow morning and I can have a specialist drop by for you. Is that good with you?" the doctor asked.
Charlie nodded his head. She gave him a sling for his arm, telling him the cast could be put on the next day. The boy was soon out of the room and on his way to school. Now how to explain the damage to his coach...
MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY!!!!!!!
Liz- I'm glad you're lovin' the drama! Aw, I'm sorry you're not in a good mood. Lol...I don't think I'll disown you, even if those two go against all I stand for...^_~
Katie- Lol. Wow...now I feel all special! *eyes water with happy tears* You really think I'm the best? Really? *bear hugs Katie* I love you! *hands Katie a cookie* You're so sweet!
Sophie- *pats Sophie's head* Sophie dear, don't bang your head on the table. ^_^ It's bad for your brain...lol...not like I don't do it too sometimes. ^_^ Lol...You're really getting into this...I love it! My readers are INVOLVED! Whee! *grins* I'm glad you liked the Halley/Charlie thing. But worry not, Julie is only biding her time...I've noticed my patience level is increasing...I have prevented myself from rushing anything! Remember, there will be over forty chapters...there's more than enough time for ANYTHING to happen. ^_^ Lol, yes. Charlie forfeited some of his 'pathetic' points there. ^_^ He has a backbone somewhere in there! It's just hibernating for awhile...it's scared. ^_^ Lol...sorry about getting your hopes up for nothing. ^_^ I do that sometimes...You'll just have to see what happens! If I tell you now, I will totally ruin the element of surprise later! Then you won't gasp and fall to of your chair with surprise! Lol...just kidding...I doubt it's truly gonna be all that surprising. ^_^ Oh well. I try. Lol, I'm really getting into this. ^_^ I have it all planned out and I'm afraid to lose it...lol...I'm actually writing things down on paper before typing them up! *gasp* Then I can work on my story when I'm NOT on the computer! *gasps again* It's a shocking thing...I was in Houston this weekend so it gave me lots of time to write in my trusty notebooks...people at school thought I was crazy. ^_^ They're like "That psycho Chelsea girl is writing feverishly in a green notebook...be afraid..." Lol...You think they're getting better? I'm glad to hear that. ^_^ Lol, the other day I went back and was reading the beginning of my story again...I was like "Oh my gosh, I did NOT write that...I swear I didn't..." Seriously. Lol...but I'm glad that you think I'm improving. That gives me the warm fuzzies! ^_^ Merry Christmas!
Rachel- Thank you so much. ^_^ I'm glad you liked the chapter. (I really need to come up with a good synonym for 'glad'...o.O)
Banksiesbabe99- Lol....yeah. They aren't as perceptive as they thought. ^_^ Blind is a good way to put it. ^_^ Hehe, thanks for reviewing!
KShyne99- Heh, yeah. George is evil. Do ya think I have that well enough established at this point? ^_^ Thank you for the compliment! *blushes* You're all so sweet. *wipes away happy tears* I'm happy that you like Halley. ^_~
Snorts- Thanks for reviewing! ^_^ I'm delighted that you like the story. ^_^ Oh...new synonym for 'glad'! Whee for Chelsea!
DodgerMcClure.aka.Drama-Queen- Lol, I've been getting a lot of that. A violent bunch, aren't ya? ^_^ Lol...aren't we all...I'm glad my job as George-Hate-Supplier is being fulfilled to your liking. ^_^
Sophie Review #2- ^_^ Yes, behold the surge of Charlie angst! All hail the Charlie angst! ^_^ Heehee, I'm a craze setter! Whee!! ^_^ I feel so special! YES! WE SHALL OVER-POWER THE ADAM-ANGST!! *gets clubbed on the head and chased by said Machete-Wielding-Adam-Fans* Ahhh!!! *jumps under sofa* Adam fans are scary! *whisper* Even though Charlie's better *whisper*...EEK! *runs away from Machete-Wielding-Adam- Fans*...Hehehe...*cowers in corner* Eep...don't hurt me! Don't hurt me Machete-Wielding-Adam-Fans! *Machete-Wielding-Adam-Fans look skeptically at Chelsea*...Hee...*Chelsea smiles as Machete-Wielding-Adam-Fans crawl back into their little corner*...Whew...that was close...o.O...And yes, I agree. A lot of the new stories are lacking slightly in originality...You can only write the same story so many times and make it original. ^_^ There are several good ones, but only a select few have caught my eye. ^_^ Lol, I'm glad you liked my serenading. *grins* Yes, I have my special notebook. I had a purple one too, but I lost it. So I got a green one. ^_^ But now that I've halfway-filled my green one, I found my purple one again. Lol, yes! Run, little Sophie! Run; get yourself a trusty notebook! Heehee. You're special; you get serenades. ^_^ Lol...Yes, I checked for it the DAY it came out in September...*gasp* Nothing by Evanescence can be bad! It's...preposterous! *sniffles* But...but...no fair...*reads reviews on amazon.co.uk*...*eyes water*...*lip quivers*...*chin wobbles*...*breaks down into sobs* NOO!!! NOOO!! Say it isn't so! MY DREAMS HAVE BEEN SHATTERED! How can it have no songs by Evanescence? How can they do this to me?! I'M SUING FOR EMOTIONAL TRAUMA!! *sobs* So...unfair...*sniff*...I was hoping for more songs...more...songs...need...more songs...*wipes away tears and sniffs* Thank you...The fact that Christmas is close makes me happy. I hope Santa is good to you too, Soph!
Chroni- Aw, it's okay...*pats Chibi Chroni's head* It'll all be okay...now let go of the nice little Charlie...c'mon, I know you can do it...
Nebula- Ooh yay! You reviewed a lot! *grins and hugs* I love you! Lol, thanks for deciding to review. Reviews make me happy. ^_^ Lol, so you rightfully dislike Mr. Conway? *smiles* That's good. That means I'm not doin' so bad after all! ^_^ Lol, I'm not sure if George Conway is human or not either...I'm still debating that one. I'm glad you finally caught up. ^_^ Again, thank you for all your reviews! I enjoyed every last one of them!
Sloane Miette- Lol, you're nervous? ^_^ Cool...Hehehe, I hope this chapter was worth the however-many-days-it-took wait...lol.
Adriana- Lol...for some bizarre reason I got the hunch that you MIGHT want me to update...hmmm...*shakes head* Nah, couldn't be...*eyes widen* Wow, that's a lot of 'updates'...*gapes at sheer number of 'updates'* yeah, I'd say you and Cut & Paste are on a first-name basis here...^_^ Lol, yeah. Jen is in the OTHER story, silly girl! ^_^ Lol, yes. There you go. Jesse is in this one. *pats Adriana's head* Hehehe, you dunno what to write? How tragic is that...Lol...
Disclaimer- I don't own The Mighty Ducks...yet...*evil laughter*
-Chapter 27-
George yanked Charlie's bad arm roughly. Charlie heard a pop and yelped. George backhanded him again to shut him up.
"Easy on the arm." Charlie managed to say quietly to himself.
The elder Conway grabbed Charlie by the chin to make him face forward. "What was that? No, I don't even care. Did you TELL THEM?!" he bellowed, his voice echoing throughout the house.
Charlie shook his head vigorously, though George's hand prevented much movement.
"Then WHY were they here?!" he shouted with anger.
"I-I don't know. To get their paychecks?" he asked, almost timidly, shrinking back when he realized he couldn't physically take on his father at the time.
George released his hold on Charlie's chin to slap the boy in the face. Charlie stumbled back to the ground, still unable to support his weight.
"No, boy! That ISN'T why they were here! For some reason, they feel as if they must check up on you! If I find out you've told ANYONE and I mean ANYONE..." George said, allowing his enraged race to fill in the blank.
Charlie gulped and nodded slowly. "Ye-yessir."
George turned to walk away. He suddenly turned and addressed his son. "And get yourself cleaned up. We don't want any of those pesky teachers of yours getting any ideas..."
Charlie nodded and laid his head back down on the wooden floor, letting out a deep breath. He could tell his shoulder was dislocated. He knew that popping sound.
A thought suddenly hit him.
Hockey...dislocated shoulder...bad...
He was beginning to think he had bad karma from all those times he had lost his temper...
"Shoot..." me muttered under his breath, letting out a frustrated sigh.
He slowly reached up and grabbed the edge of a large table. He pulled up with one arm, allowing the hurt one to dangle uselessly by his side.
Steadying himself, he limped to the nearest bathroom and closed the door.
Charlie sat on the counter and looked at himself in the mirror dejectedly. He could hardly recognize himself.
He cradled his left arm gently. He couldn't move it and wondered if it was broken. He had landed hard on it, twisting it roughly into an unnatural position. Then his dad went and dislocated his left shoulder as well.
He laughed bitterly as he wondered what the Ducks would say if they saw him now. Their fearless Captain hiding in the bathroom, pondering the meaning of life...or lack thereof...
Charlie carefully slipped his shirt off to see how bad the bruises were. He winced. They were worse than he had thought.
His upper arms were healing slightly but his ribs, chest, back and sides were still black and blue. His neck was slightly red and purple in some places. His left arm was visibly broken and his shoulder was dislocated. He still had the cut on his forehead and a few sparsely scattered bruises on his face. Charlie wondered how his dad had the nerve to leave such blatant bruises. Most people would do the damage where no one could plainly see it. Then again, his dad was always DRUNK when this happens, so that isn't saying much.
He gently ran his fingertips over the gash on his forehead. He wondered if it would be a scar...
He leaned against the cold mirror, allowing his bare back to relax. He shivered slightly and closed his eyes. Only then did Charlie allow his mind to retrace the events of that evening, stopping when he stepped through the door of his house...
Charlie still didn't know for sure what had happened, but he knew he couldn't go to school tomorrow. He had to get to a doctor to get his arm and shoulder fixed up. Even HE knew better then to attempt hockey with a broken arm. He was no Adam Banks; his arm couldn't handle that kind of thing.
The hockey prodigy let out a deep sigh. The only problem was that he would have to explain all the other bruises and such.
He decided he would take it as it came; lie if necessary.
Charlie pulled his shirt back over his head, wincing as his assumed-broken arm got caught in a sleeve. He bit his lip to keep from yelping in pain.
He wasn't sure what he was going to do...
~~~*~~~
The next day Charlie did as he always did. Got ready for school and snuck out of the house.
He was roller blading again. He didn't know exactly which doctor he was supposed to go to, but he saw a free clinic on his way to school one time. He decided he would try that first.
He sped up and arrived as quickly as he could, considering his condition. He opened the door and the bell above it rang to signify his presence.
A woman looked up from her desk and smiled. "How may I help you?" she asked.
"Umm...can I see the doctor?" he asked as he removed his roller blades and walked over to the reception desk in socks.
She was about to say he needed an appointment before she took a good look at him. She normally would've made him wait, but he looked pretty bad. So she nodded and called to the doctor.
"Dr. Proctor will be out in five minutes. Make yourself comfortable." The lady said, motioning to the chairs.
Charlie nodded, not even thinking about how funny the doctor's rhyming name was. He was feeling a little too nervous thinking about what to say.
About five minutes later, a woman in a white coat led Charlie into a small room to be examined.
"Is this a check-up or do you have something in mind?" the doctor asked.
Charlie looked at his lap. "Umm...I guess I had something in mind." He said, unsure of how he was supposed to reply.
"What might that be?" the doctor asked with her intimidating little notepad.
"Uh..." Charlie said, trying to force himself to look at the doctor.
"Is it those nasty cuts and bruises you have?" she asked with slight suspicion.
Charlie closed his mouth and nodded.
"Okay then. How did you get them?" Dr. Proctor asked.
Charlie opened his mouth to say something, but he couldn't for the life of him remember his excuse. He closed his mouth again and began frantically trying to remember what to say. "Uh..." he said again.
The doctor raised her eyebrows.
"I guess it depends what you're talking about." Charlie finally said.
"Let's start with the gash on your forehead and your colorful variety of bruises." She said, trying to break the ice slightly.
Charlie just tensed slightly and nodded. His throat was dry and he had to take a calming breath to soothe his nerves.
"Some kids in my neighborhood jumped me the other day. I just figured I should get the cut stitched if it needed it." Charlie said, the line returned to him.
She nodded. "Is that what the bruises are from as well?" she asked. He nodded. "Okay then, take off your shirt."
He didn't bother protesting. He peeled off the black t-shirt and waited to see what she would do.
She took a good look at the various bruises and the makeshift wrap around his ribs. She walked around to see his back. She saw a few wayward cuts and several large bruises. She pressed gently on one of them.
He winced and took in a sharp breath.
"Did that hurt?" she asked.
"What do you think?" he said before he could stop himself.
She let out a sigh and walked back in front of him. "Did your parents come with you?" she asked.
The darkening of his eyes didn't go unnoticed by the doctor. He let out a bitter laugh. "Nope."
"Where are they?" she asked.
"My mom is dead and my dad-" he said before he stopped himself. He was about to say 'my dad caused this, of course he isn't here,' but he managed to save himself from such a slipup. "-my dad...uh, is at work. I'm by myself." He covered up, though he knew good and well his father wasn't at work.
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that." She said in reference to his mother's death. However, she noticed how he hesitated about his father. It piked her interest but she decided it wasn't any of her business.
She began cleaning up a few cuts and tended to a few bruises. Then she saw his limp arm lying at his side. It was swelling up and looked like it had been bent at an unnatural position.
"I can't believe it didn't notice it before...what about your arm?" she asked.
"Fell down the stairs. I'm somewhat of a klutz." He said simply, actually kind of telling the truth. Nothing he had said had been UNTRUE; it just wasn't the WHOLE truth.
She nodded and gently prodded at it, examining the limb carefully.
"It seems to be broken. And from what I've gathered your shoulder is also dislocated. How did THAT happen?" she asked out of curiosity, writing feverishly in her little notepad.
Charlie blinked a few times and contemplated his answer. When she looked up at him, peering through thin-rimmed glasses, he gulped nervously, unsure of what to say.
"Has anyone ever told you have pretty eyes?" he asked with an innocent smile, trying to avoid the question.
"Uh-huh, nice try. Now tell me. You aren't getting out of it." She said, crossing her arms across her chest sternly.
"Darn it..." he muttered to himself. New strategy...
When she cocked an eyebrow at him, he stiffened and tried to think of the best way to say it. "Umm...I fell down the stairs...again." he offered lamely.
"Really? Twice in one day? After being jumped by neighborhood kids? Wow...did you break a mirror or something?" she asked skeptically, suspicious of his stories.
He shook his head. "Nope...I just have bad karma." He replied with a bright smile.
"I would say so. Well I need to get a cast on this arm and get you to someone who can fix your shoulder. I'm not really permitted for this kind of stuff." She said, smiling and shaking her head while writing more down on her little notepad thingy.
He was jittery, hoping she would just leave his answers as they were and not give him the third degree. He was noticing loopholes. He figured telling would be much stupider then just lying about it. If he tells, his dad gets mad. Then his dad tells some story about how troubled 'the boy' is which only makes Charlie's life worse...
It wouldn't even be a COMPLETE LIE for once...Charlie knew he had been relatively screwed up lately...but still...
"Uh, my ribs kinda hurt too." He said, figuring he might as well get them wrapped while he was there.
"Really? Lemme guess...you hurt them during one of your trips down the stairs?" she asked with raised eyebrows.
"Heh, something along those lines. You're very perceptive." He replied.
"And you seem to be very predictable. You wait here; I'll go get some bandages for them." She said as she walked out of the room for a moment.
Charlie let out a sigh and looked at the white ceiling. That could have gone a lot worse...
Soon enough, the doctor came back in and began gently wrapping his ribs tightly with the bandage, careful not to inflict any further pain.
"Alright. I assume you should be getting to school if that's all you need. I suppose you could come in tomorrow morning and I can have a specialist drop by for you. Is that good with you?" the doctor asked.
Charlie nodded his head. She gave him a sling for his arm, telling him the cast could be put on the next day. The boy was soon out of the room and on his way to school. Now how to explain the damage to his coach...
