Okay, here we go again. I don't think there is anything to warn you'all
about in this one...I hope. So on to Reviews...for 16 and 17...I think...
Oblivious Misconception: Thanks! We have fun with Darry, and I really appreciated your comment. I love the part when Soda pleads with Skye, its great. Im really happy you enjoyed it! And yes, Skye is a little floaty there, isn't she? It's great. Anyway, here's another update for you!
Tensleep: Once again, I screamed, and I know Kiera did too. HAHA... Social workers are stupid, I agree. But they get to deal with 'em. Fun, fun. I'm really relieved that you like the chapters where Reesa is so out of it, I was worried about that. It was really hard to write, but you made it worth it. I wish Darry could win an Oscar! He would deserve it, huh? I loved that! And about Dally, well, I explained that to you, so I'll leave it be. And Skye is interesting, she doesn't usually doesn't show it, but she has guts, or and attitude, whatever you want to call it. It just depends on the situation, really. Anyway...enjoy!
sodapop'll-be-min: Here's some more for you to read then! Have fun!
Thanks for the reviews People! Enjoy the next chapter. Its a little shorter than most, but a lot happens so don't worry.
Chapter 18
(Darry's POV)
The doctor said she was doing a bit better, and that had comforted me until I walked into the room. She didn't look any better and the doctor's reassurances that everything had gone fine and that that was a really good sign slipped from my mind quickly.
The last few hours had been the most chaotic in my life, with the fuzz, the doctors, Skye yelling at me, people everywhere demanding for my attention, and that's not to mention the state services worker who followed my every move like I were in court on trial and being questioned. I just wanted a break, but as I looked at Reesa again, I knew it wasn't ending anytime soon. It would be days before they let her out at this rate, and then I would have the fuzz to deal with, Skye at home, Rees in the hospital, and then everyone else to juggle around. I didn't plan on having much sleep for the next week or so. Oh, well. If it meant that everything would smooth over, it was worth it.
I was the only one in the room, the doctor had said I was the only one allowed at that point, and it was almost to quiet for me. No one was there...just me and Rees, but that didn't feel like two people, it only felt like one.
I sat holding her hand, not saying anything...just trying to relax. I was still upset, but it wasn't anything that I couldn't deal with. I mean, at least there wasn't a social worker sitting behind me to see what I was doing. Although, every few minutes a nurse would come in and check on things, but that didn't bother me. The nurses were good at staying out of your business or getting into it whenever needed. They had a knack of knowing when to do what, so they didn't bother me. They knew their place.
A nurse walked in just then, "Is everything going okay?" she asked while coming around to the side of the bed and doing her usual checks.
"Yeah...Thanks." I said.
She seemed so young to be a nurse and I questioned how it was that she was taking care of my sister that hardly seemed to be five years younger than her. I wondered also if she knew what had happened to Reesa, it just didn't seem right for her to know, not that I had a problem if she did, it was just that hearing, taking care of a patient because of that would have to be hard for a girl her age.
"Can I get you anything? You look horrible."
Well, thanks. Although I cant deny it, I'm sure I look like utter shit.
"I'm alright."
She cocked an eyebrow.
"Really, there's nothing you can do...uh...b-but thanks."
She gave me a side log glance and then left the room. I zoned for a minute, letting my eyes glaze over, before I turned back to Reesa. She was still lying in the same position on the bed, covered in blankets with visible lumps underneath from the multiple ice-packs surrounding her body.
I still had no idea why anyone would do that to her. She never asked for that kind of a beating, she would never deserve such a thing, no matter what she did. In my mind there was just no way that she could ever do something bad enough to get that, not to anyone. Reesa was too nice, too caring. Sure, she could be the biggest brat, or the most viscous girl you had ever met, but she hated hurting people in any way...she only did that when she felt it was needed...unless of course it was Skye she was talking to.
Thinking over it, I didn't think I had ever seen something quite that bad... it was just puzzling to me. Why Reesa? If it was the same people, then why just Reesa, and not Skye too? Not that I wasn't grateful it was only one of them, I couldn't handle it if it were both of them like that.
Reesa rustled a bit under the covers, flinching in her face just enough for me to catch it.
"Rees?"
I rubbed my hand against the side of her face and she groaned slightly at it.
"Hey, don't move, alright?"
She turned her head a little towards me and slowly opened her eyes in a squint, blinking almost constantly.
"Hey...how ya feeling, girlie?" I asked gently, still rubbing the side of her face. That was one thing that always made her feel a little more comfortable, it was something that Dad always did to her when she was sick, and she was a daddy's girl.
She didn't answer right away, but looked around without moving her head like she was trying to figure something out.
"Babe...do you know where you are? Do you remember what happened?"
She looked back to me, seemingly focussing on me for the first time.
"Darry, w-" her voice broke in weakness, "-where's Skye?" her voice was but a nearly inaudible whisper.
"She went home."
"Huh?"
"She went home, babe. Okay? She needed some sleep is all."
"But where is she?"
Her voice was panicky now, like she knew there was something wrong. But there was no way she could know. She was just freaked and confused. That was it.
"Honey, don't worry about her, okay? She's fine. Just relax. You need to relax, you've had a hard night."
"No...no...she...Skye....I have to talk to her...where is she....please..."
There were moments of hesitation and confusion between each phrase, but every time I tried to jump in and calm her down she would say something else. She was starting to freak me out though. I mean, she kept asking the same questions like she didn't understand what was going on, and she was all freaked out.
"Reesa, calm down. You need to relax. You're in no condition to be worrying about Skye, especially because there is no reason to worry about her."
I kept my hand on her face, trying to calm her, trying to get her to relax.
"Skye...no...they...where is she? I need...I need to see her...Skye...she...I want to see...to see Skye."
She would stop in the middle of her phrase or sentence and take a breath, a wheezing breath that scared me. I didn't know if it was because she was freaked out, or if it was just a conditional thing, but I thought it probably had something to do with pain. It couldn't feel to good for her to talk right then. Then again, maybe she was just loosing her track of thought.
"You can't see her now, your just gonna have to believe me that everything is fine."
My voice came out gentle, not stern like I thought it might. I was worried, but I was also starting to get a little frustrated at it. She didn't have the energy to fight me on this, so why was she trying?
"Darry...I /I to see her!" Reesa tried to sit up, tried with all her might to show me up, to get her way. But half way up the pain became unbearable, and she froze, trying to take breaths that wouldn't come. She didn't fall back down, but sat there instead, seemingly unaware of the world around her.
"Rees?" I reached for her shoulders and moved in a little closer to stabilize her racked body. Then I slowly laid her back down. She brought in a huge sobbing breath, "Dar...they...those bastards!"
She was full out sobbing, trying to get rid of the emotion by tossing her head side to side until I stopped it so she was looking at me. "Shhhh...hey, its okay, baby. You're all right now. Everything's gonna be fine now."
"The bastards...they hurt her...they hurt her!" more emotion crept into her voice, but it got quieter as sobs and tears overcame it.
I sat comforting her as much as I could until she semi calmed down. I don't think it was so much because I was there, than her just being completely exhausted and unable to continue it. Somehow, though, she stayed awake. I don't know if it was out of sheer will to show me she was fine...which she wasn't...or if she was just scared to not.
Pretty soon the doctor came back in, I suppose just to see how things were, although he usually had the nurses do most of that, he must have been on his rounds.
I didn't really respond to him when he walked in, I was a little preoccupied with making sure Rees didn't freak out again. The doctor stood just in the doorway, he had come over and taken the clipboard from the bottom of the bed, but then returned to standing quietly by the door. The only noise he made was the ruffling of papers as he looked through the charts, waiting.
After a moment I looked up to the doctor, not really changing positions, or speaking, just looking.
"How are things?"
I shrugged, and Reesa didn't say anything so he came up by the bed looking down to a semi conscious Reesa.
"Reesa, how are you feeling? Are you in much pain?"
Reesa didn't really answer, she didn't seem to notice that the doctor was talking to her, but I knew that she heard him. She knew what was going on, she just didn't want to respond, or didn't care to.
"Reesa...you need to answer the doctor, he's here to help you."
I think if she wasn't so tired she would have rolled her eyes at me. Then again, I didn't know that she even realized it was her doctor.
"Huh?" she asked, a little confused.
"How are you feeling?"
"Like shit."
"Reesa!" I warned.
"Its okay...that's an understandable answer after this last night. All right...Reesa, can you be a little more specific? Are you in a lot of pain or are you just tired? Dull, sharp? Do you have pain all over or in just one area?"
"Everywhere. Mostly dull."
"And other than dull, what it is?"
"Sharp?"
"I don't know...is it sharp? You've got to be the one to tell me that, can't ask me, I'm not the one feeling it."
"Um...sharp."
"Where are the sharp pains at?"
She shook her head a little, "I dunno." She said weakly, confusedly. And I don't think she did know.
"Okay. Well, thanks. You're doing much better, now get some rest, you need it."
The doctor left then, saying that I had five more minutes and then he would be back and I would have to leave. He said something about inspections or secondary examination or...I don't know.
For a minute after the doctor left, Reesa sat doing nothing. She didn't close her eyes, but she didn't do anything else either. Then she turned to me suddenly, "Darry?"
"Yeah?"
"How...did I get here?"
"Soda brought you in."
"But...how?"
"I don't know...we haven't really talked about it. You'll have to ask Soda later on."
"Darry...do you know what happened?"
Obviously she was still confused, I mean I knew she didn't remember anything about coming to the hospital, but /I I know? I was only sitting right next to her, having asked that question to her.
"Yeah, I know what happened. I'm sorry."
"For what?"
"For not being there."
"Darry...it wasn't your fault."
"Maybe not, but then again, maybe it was."
Her eyes started to slide closed, but she was fighting it.
"Reesa, its okay. You can go to sleep, you need your rest and I'm not going anywhere. Nothing will happen to you here."
She didn't say anything, but let her eyes close. After another minute of silence she asked, "Why were you crying?"
"When?"
Did she remember waking up earlier? I hoped not, that was a bad thing, I mean that I cried. Not because it was weak, I didn't care so much about that, but because she saw me cry at a time that I needed to be strong...for her.
"I don't know...but you were crying and telling me things and Soda was there...and I wanted to ask you about it, but I couldn't. Everything just fell...it disappeared and now I'm here."
"Oh, then. I was just overwhelmed with things. It was a hard night, Rees. But everything is fine now."
She drifted off fairly quickly after that, apparently having had her most important questions answered and content that everything was fine. I just wished I could do more than tell her that.
`~`~``~``~`~`
(Skye's POV)
Boring, boring, boring.
Yeah, I was bored. It was seven in the morning and no one was around to keep me company. Dally never came back and I sort of wished he would. I was all alone. No one came to visit me and I was beginning to drive myself insane. Darry left before the police did and he was certainly taking his time to get back. Soda, Pony, and Reesa were blatantly ignoring me. I hadn't seen any of them, particularly Rees, since way earlier in the morning. Apparently no one found it important to stick around and keep me company. I was tired and could've easily fallen back asleep, but something just felt wrong about sleeping in a hospital bed, so I didn't try my luck with it. It creept me out to think of who else had once laid in there. Nice thought.
After Dally left I was in a completely confused state and I had no idea what was going on. It drives me nuts when that happens, and it happens a lot. People like to leave me out of things. I don't know why. Maybe they'll think I'll let it slip somehow. Like the gang for example – if something serious happened and if anyone else gets wind of it, say the fuzz or Socs, then they won't tell me what it is. First off, I don't hang with either so how would it get back to them? And another thing, why would I want to squeal and get one of the gang jailed? Yeah, that would be a barrel of fun, let me tell you now. So, naturally I found myself once again in the dark and really not enjoying any minute of it at all.
I was so desperate for someone to come in and be with me that I even rang the nurse in to keep myself entertained. She would come in wondering what I needed and I would offer her a seat, which she refused each time because she said she had other work that she had to attend to. Then I would tell her that I was thirsty, but she told me that I couldn't drink anything because it would mix funny with my medication.
"What?" I had asked her. "Are you crazy?"
"No, I'm afraid not. You aren't to drink anything until you are released," she said while giving me a simple shrug of the shoulders.
"And when might that be?" I asked with mock-sweetness. "I'll dehydrate you know."
"You're supposed to leave later in the morning. And if you remember at all we had you drink plenty of fluids before we gave you the pain killers. You should be just fine until you get home."
Right. Of course I remembered that God-awful drink. The least they could've done was given me something that was a real drink. They made me drink a gallon of this yellowish-clear liquid that tasted like bubble gum and I was peeing every half an hour because of it. Never again. Never again.
So, because she wasn't interested in being with me I asked her to go fetch one of my siblings and she said she would... but she never did. I waited and waited and they never came. I rang her back asking her when she was going to get off her lazy ass and ask them, but she said she already had and they were planning on coming back.
It was then that I knew something was seriously wrong. I asked her to go talk to them again and she said she would. But when they didn't come for the third time, but they were here, I knew something else was going on. I wasn't sure what, because I was still messed up with the medicines, but I knew something fishy was going down and I couldn't hold still any longer. I was about to get up and go look for them myself. If they wouldn't come to me, I'd go to them and unload a ton of questions that I'd force them to answer. I knew they wouldn't like it so I was refraining myself, but I was about to.
That is until Darry came in.
"It's about time!" I said. "Gawd, Iwhere were/I you? I mean, I just loved being left alone with those delightful fuzz. There's nothing I enjoy more. Come on, the least you could've done was let someone else in here."
"Yeah, sorry about –"
"Or at least give me a reason for not coming back after I made that nurse go find you twice. Yeah, sorry, I didn't realize that it was so much of a hassle for you to divide up your time between me and... me."
"Hey, now you don't --"
"Oh, but wait. Y'all probably went home to sleep, huh? Yeah, figures. You drag me here and then you up and leave me by myself. Thanks a lot." I paused to roll my eyes. Hey, dramatic affects people. "Now, do you mind telling me what the hell Mason meant when he said that there were other people involved. Particularly did he say... Reesa? Yeah, wanna clue me in on anything? Or is that to big of a hassle, too?"
By that time Darry was staring at me with conviction and a little fury. Laudy freakin' da. He deserved whatever I felt like throwing at him. He knows I've had a hard night and he supposedly cared enough to bring me here, but he obviously doesn't even know the extent of it. I was beginning to think that maybe, just maybe, he might gain a little sympathy for me or possibly even respect. But he was standing there for the first time in three hours and he couldn't come up with a halfway decent excuse. He wasn't even trying.
"Are you through?" he asked sounding a tad annoyed.
"Uh... Yeah."
He raised an eyebrow briefly before continuing. "If you want to know – and apparently you do – I've been here the entire time. And!" he said louder as I opened my mouth to shoot something back at him. "I've had a good reason for not being around."
"What?"
"I've been talking to doctors and filling out forms –"
"You already did that," I interrupted him. "Why more? Does this have to do with Reesa?"
"...Yeah. Soda brought her in a couple of hours after you. She's been in surgery for the last two and a half hours." He looked away like he was ashamed of himself or something. My heart started to pound. What was going on?
"Um... what?"
Now he was giving me the weirdest stare as if I was supposed to know what he was talking about. Hello... clue me in? "Well, she kinda needs to go in if they want her to get any better."
"Okay, um, what the hell are you talking about? What happened?" If he didn't have my full attention before, he definitely had it now.
"I – you don't know what happened?" he asked. "Skye, how is it that you were there and don't know what happened?"
"Easy. You haven't told me yet." You know, I worried about him sometimes...
"But... they said the DNA matched and... this doesn't make sense...." He sat down in the chair.
"Darry, I swear to God if you don't tell me what's going on..."
He only stared at the wall opposite him in silence. He started to bite his nail as he tried to figure out what was going on. Maybe if he didn't leave me out in the dark I'd be able to /I him. He chewed on his lip for a second than started to talk again.
"Was Reesa with you, Skye?"
I shook my head. He should've known that. "She was at a party with Dally, of course she wasn't with me."
"You sure?"
"Yeah... Why? Is she hurt or something? Why's she in surgery?"
He shook his head in disbelief and it was driving me crazy. Could he not answer me like a normal person? "Yeah, she's hurt." He looked at me with empathy, although I'm not sure why. "Skye, Hun, they got to her too."
Okay, I /b he isn't talking about Miles and Clay. I would've known. That's impossible, isn't it? What would they want with her? She hasn't even as much as looked at Clay in the last year or so, why would she be having anything to do with them now? She's smarter than that. She has to be if she already knows them... But something told me that he was talking about them and it made my stomach churn to think of it.
"Are you sure?" I asked.
He nodded.
"But, when?"
He shrugged. "I was hoping you could tell me."
I shook my head. "I don't know anything about that. As far as I know I was the only one there. I'm sure I would've seen her."
Darry looked uncomfortable at this entire discussion. Welcome to my world, buddy. I feel your pain... and some of my own. Before I could say anything else he decided to throw something new at me. "Well, this shouldn't surprise you."
"Why not?"
He looked away while answering. "It's happened before, that's why."
My face paled and I froze in my spot. "Huh?"
He nodded but didn't say anything else. Uh-uh. No way. I am not letting him leaving me hanging this time. I've had enough. I won't tolerate this anymore. I have a right to know whatever it is that he knows and I don't. What did he mean this has happened before?
"Reesa's been raped before?" I was almost too scared to say it. I didn't want to know the answer to that. I really didn't. But I asked it anyway.
"Yeah," he said. He wasn't gazing at anything in particular anymore, except his hands. They seemed to amuse him or something because he wouldn't look away from them, even though he wasn't looking uncomfortable anymore.
"When?"
"Around two years ago."
"How come you didn't tell me?" If he thought this was going to make me feel better, he's wrong. If anything it made me feel like utter shit. Do I always have to be left out of everything? Why can't anyone trust me to understand and be mature about anything. I can be mature if I want. You have to at least give me a chance. It's bound to happen sometime. I don't know when that sometime is, but you can't not try.
"I don't know," he said shrugging. "I really don't know."
"Yes, you do!" I said. "Darry, I know you better than that. You never tell me anything important for a reason. I know you don't think I can handle it." I love being blunt. It's a gift, I'm telling you.
"Well, that's because you can't," he argued defensively.
"...Maybe I couldn't, Darry, but I can now. I can't have gone through all of that and not handle something else. Anything in comparison to Hell isn't anything at all." How profound of me. I'm quite proud of myself actually.
He was quiet for a moment while he reflected on what I said. He was looking a little worried and I'm not sure I liked it. Usually when he thought that hard about things he ended up asking a question I didn't want to answer or couldn't because... well, no one trusts me obviously. It's like the luck of the Irish, except it's the luck of Skye and the luck ain't good. "Skye, are you telling me that you're okay about all of this?"
That was by far the last thing I had expected him to say. I had somewhat expected an awkward question, but not something like that. When did he start being so up front? I didn't have any clue how to respond to that. It caught me completely off guard. Was I okay about it? IWas I okay?... /I I didn't know. I didn't have a lot of time to sulk and feel sorry for myself.... Okay, that's a lie, I have, but that's different. I was caught up in a moment and I was... let's move on shall we?
"Skye?"
I nodded. "Yeah. Who do you think I am? Dar, this ain't nothing. IBelieve me/I, I've been through worse I'm sure."
Was that a mistake? I think it was.
"Worse?" he asked aghast. "What do you mean you've been through worse?"
"I never said that." Ah, shit. What did I do?
"Yes, you did!"
"When?"
"Just now!"
"No, I said I've probably been through worse. I didn't say that I had."
"That means this has happened before... hasn't it?" At this point he was standing up and looking furious; a lot like Soda had earlier. Why does this not surprise me? "Hasn't it?" he pressed.
Gawd, what did I /I? I can't lie to him. I'm tired of lying. I'm sick of it. I want to purge myself of all my lies... but its not that easy. But does that mean I have to keep lying to keep myself from feeling uncomfortable? Man, I can't keep doing this to myself. It makes me sick, it literally makes me sick. Do you think all those flu symptoms just happened? I can't put myself through this anymore.
"Hun, you can tell me." He held my hand. Shoot, I'm tired of people doing that. I'll have to wash my hand for a straight week to get rid of the germs. "You /I to tell me."
I dragged my other hand down my face and gripped my jaw in a tight clench. I knew that he knew now and I don't know why he was putting my through this. He takes his parental responsibilities too seriously sometimes, I think.
"No," I said.
"Are you lying to me?"
Yes, of course I am, Darry. What else would I do? My life is made of lies, can't you tell? See, that would be the wrong thing to say so instead I answered, "Darry, I've never felt anything like this. Never." And that's the full and honest truth, Your Honor.
"Then what did you mean? Has Clay done this to you before?" He was being oddly gentle and it was sort of weird. I don't know the last time he was gentle with me aside from tonight – and even that was saying something. He made it a point to yell at me and find fault with everything I did. He was rough and downright mean when it came to the bottom of it. I hardly felt as if I connected with him in anyway at all. Perhaps that's why I resented Reesa and even Soda sometimes. They understand him perfectly and I don't know how they do it. Rees usually takes his side which I guess is okay since someone has to, but how does she do it? I think our relationship would be a lot stronger if he didn't have to fill the place of both mom and dad and he could actually act like a brother. And at the same time... I don't think I'd have him any different. I needed structure every once in awhile and (as much as I hate to admit it) I think he's good for me. Anyway, back to the question of Clay...
"No." I shook my head.
"Then who?"
And here comes the final moment of truth. He'll get what he's wanted to hear since the first time I mentioned Miles in his presence. I wouldn't be surprised if he threw back his head and laughed a moment before saying, "I told you so!" Okay, he's not that insensitive, but I wouldn't blame him if he did. Damn, I sure am being understanding for being in such a crappy mood. Oh, right, meds. They sure do mess with you.
But I couldn't bring myself to it and I only gave him a weak smile. "Sorry I didn't tell you sooner."
"Sorry?!" he almost yelled. Man, he's got a fickle personality. Maybe he's a schizo. Is he sad or angry? Sheesh, leave the poor defenseless girl out of this... rere. "No, I don't think you are. If you were, you wouldn't have held a secret like that."
Now, anyone else would've been taken aback at that and would've shut up faster than they ever had before. But not me. I had my ground to stand and I wasn't going to lower myself to such berating. Where do these big words come from? I'm smart! But anyway, I wasn't going to stay there and listen to that. "You think it was that easy," I said. He swallowed and didn't answer. "Well, it wasn't. I'm sorry to bust your bubble, but I've been living like this for so long I can't even remember when it started anymore. The longer it went on the harder it was to separate fact from reality. If I could've seen into the future and known that this is what would've happened to me I would've never even gotten to know Miles. And just because I didn't say anything doesn't mean I didn't want to. Have you ever heard of fearing for your life? Have you noticed that I am about half a foot shorter than Pony and Reesa? Have you happened to take into consideration that I can't move the coffee table to get under there and clean it? How do you expect me to fend off someone twice my size, weight, and strength? Because, you know that's just so easy. You were right. Is that what you wanted to hear? It's okay, I've said it now. Happy day. Darry, if I wasn't so afraid, I would've told you after the first time. I would've told you /I the first time if I had any indication I wouldn't come out of this clean and scratch free. But it's just not me to volunteer that sort of info, you know? And if you must know, I was a little embarrassed to mention it. Thanks for thinking of that."
"A little embarrassed?" he asked.
"Don't interrupt me. I'm on a roll.... You know how I've been missing so much school? Part of that, yes, was because I didn't want to go, but most of it was out of purely avoiding him. You could've banned me from going out with him all you wanted, but clearly that doesn't stop a guy like him. I'm not safe at home or at school or anywhere if you think about it. He's a stalker, I swear. He has this radar or something so he always knows where I am and he can get there and take me and –"
"Please. Stop," Darry begged. "I get it, you're sorry."
I was silent for a second before I answered. I don't think I've ever had my feelings hurt so many times in one sitting. "You should've known that from the beginning. I never meant for this to happen. I never meant for Reesa to be dragged into it either. I don't know how that happened, but I would do anything to take it back. She shouldn't have had to go through that again. Especially not because of me. Now what? Is she going to be okay?"
He shrugged. "We can only hope."
Oblivious Misconception: Thanks! We have fun with Darry, and I really appreciated your comment. I love the part when Soda pleads with Skye, its great. Im really happy you enjoyed it! And yes, Skye is a little floaty there, isn't she? It's great. Anyway, here's another update for you!
Tensleep: Once again, I screamed, and I know Kiera did too. HAHA... Social workers are stupid, I agree. But they get to deal with 'em. Fun, fun. I'm really relieved that you like the chapters where Reesa is so out of it, I was worried about that. It was really hard to write, but you made it worth it. I wish Darry could win an Oscar! He would deserve it, huh? I loved that! And about Dally, well, I explained that to you, so I'll leave it be. And Skye is interesting, she doesn't usually doesn't show it, but she has guts, or and attitude, whatever you want to call it. It just depends on the situation, really. Anyway...enjoy!
sodapop'll-be-min: Here's some more for you to read then! Have fun!
Thanks for the reviews People! Enjoy the next chapter. Its a little shorter than most, but a lot happens so don't worry.
Chapter 18
(Darry's POV)
The doctor said she was doing a bit better, and that had comforted me until I walked into the room. She didn't look any better and the doctor's reassurances that everything had gone fine and that that was a really good sign slipped from my mind quickly.
The last few hours had been the most chaotic in my life, with the fuzz, the doctors, Skye yelling at me, people everywhere demanding for my attention, and that's not to mention the state services worker who followed my every move like I were in court on trial and being questioned. I just wanted a break, but as I looked at Reesa again, I knew it wasn't ending anytime soon. It would be days before they let her out at this rate, and then I would have the fuzz to deal with, Skye at home, Rees in the hospital, and then everyone else to juggle around. I didn't plan on having much sleep for the next week or so. Oh, well. If it meant that everything would smooth over, it was worth it.
I was the only one in the room, the doctor had said I was the only one allowed at that point, and it was almost to quiet for me. No one was there...just me and Rees, but that didn't feel like two people, it only felt like one.
I sat holding her hand, not saying anything...just trying to relax. I was still upset, but it wasn't anything that I couldn't deal with. I mean, at least there wasn't a social worker sitting behind me to see what I was doing. Although, every few minutes a nurse would come in and check on things, but that didn't bother me. The nurses were good at staying out of your business or getting into it whenever needed. They had a knack of knowing when to do what, so they didn't bother me. They knew their place.
A nurse walked in just then, "Is everything going okay?" she asked while coming around to the side of the bed and doing her usual checks.
"Yeah...Thanks." I said.
She seemed so young to be a nurse and I questioned how it was that she was taking care of my sister that hardly seemed to be five years younger than her. I wondered also if she knew what had happened to Reesa, it just didn't seem right for her to know, not that I had a problem if she did, it was just that hearing, taking care of a patient because of that would have to be hard for a girl her age.
"Can I get you anything? You look horrible."
Well, thanks. Although I cant deny it, I'm sure I look like utter shit.
"I'm alright."
She cocked an eyebrow.
"Really, there's nothing you can do...uh...b-but thanks."
She gave me a side log glance and then left the room. I zoned for a minute, letting my eyes glaze over, before I turned back to Reesa. She was still lying in the same position on the bed, covered in blankets with visible lumps underneath from the multiple ice-packs surrounding her body.
I still had no idea why anyone would do that to her. She never asked for that kind of a beating, she would never deserve such a thing, no matter what she did. In my mind there was just no way that she could ever do something bad enough to get that, not to anyone. Reesa was too nice, too caring. Sure, she could be the biggest brat, or the most viscous girl you had ever met, but she hated hurting people in any way...she only did that when she felt it was needed...unless of course it was Skye she was talking to.
Thinking over it, I didn't think I had ever seen something quite that bad... it was just puzzling to me. Why Reesa? If it was the same people, then why just Reesa, and not Skye too? Not that I wasn't grateful it was only one of them, I couldn't handle it if it were both of them like that.
Reesa rustled a bit under the covers, flinching in her face just enough for me to catch it.
"Rees?"
I rubbed my hand against the side of her face and she groaned slightly at it.
"Hey, don't move, alright?"
She turned her head a little towards me and slowly opened her eyes in a squint, blinking almost constantly.
"Hey...how ya feeling, girlie?" I asked gently, still rubbing the side of her face. That was one thing that always made her feel a little more comfortable, it was something that Dad always did to her when she was sick, and she was a daddy's girl.
She didn't answer right away, but looked around without moving her head like she was trying to figure something out.
"Babe...do you know where you are? Do you remember what happened?"
She looked back to me, seemingly focussing on me for the first time.
"Darry, w-" her voice broke in weakness, "-where's Skye?" her voice was but a nearly inaudible whisper.
"She went home."
"Huh?"
"She went home, babe. Okay? She needed some sleep is all."
"But where is she?"
Her voice was panicky now, like she knew there was something wrong. But there was no way she could know. She was just freaked and confused. That was it.
"Honey, don't worry about her, okay? She's fine. Just relax. You need to relax, you've had a hard night."
"No...no...she...Skye....I have to talk to her...where is she....please..."
There were moments of hesitation and confusion between each phrase, but every time I tried to jump in and calm her down she would say something else. She was starting to freak me out though. I mean, she kept asking the same questions like she didn't understand what was going on, and she was all freaked out.
"Reesa, calm down. You need to relax. You're in no condition to be worrying about Skye, especially because there is no reason to worry about her."
I kept my hand on her face, trying to calm her, trying to get her to relax.
"Skye...no...they...where is she? I need...I need to see her...Skye...she...I want to see...to see Skye."
She would stop in the middle of her phrase or sentence and take a breath, a wheezing breath that scared me. I didn't know if it was because she was freaked out, or if it was just a conditional thing, but I thought it probably had something to do with pain. It couldn't feel to good for her to talk right then. Then again, maybe she was just loosing her track of thought.
"You can't see her now, your just gonna have to believe me that everything is fine."
My voice came out gentle, not stern like I thought it might. I was worried, but I was also starting to get a little frustrated at it. She didn't have the energy to fight me on this, so why was she trying?
"Darry...I /I to see her!" Reesa tried to sit up, tried with all her might to show me up, to get her way. But half way up the pain became unbearable, and she froze, trying to take breaths that wouldn't come. She didn't fall back down, but sat there instead, seemingly unaware of the world around her.
"Rees?" I reached for her shoulders and moved in a little closer to stabilize her racked body. Then I slowly laid her back down. She brought in a huge sobbing breath, "Dar...they...those bastards!"
She was full out sobbing, trying to get rid of the emotion by tossing her head side to side until I stopped it so she was looking at me. "Shhhh...hey, its okay, baby. You're all right now. Everything's gonna be fine now."
"The bastards...they hurt her...they hurt her!" more emotion crept into her voice, but it got quieter as sobs and tears overcame it.
I sat comforting her as much as I could until she semi calmed down. I don't think it was so much because I was there, than her just being completely exhausted and unable to continue it. Somehow, though, she stayed awake. I don't know if it was out of sheer will to show me she was fine...which she wasn't...or if she was just scared to not.
Pretty soon the doctor came back in, I suppose just to see how things were, although he usually had the nurses do most of that, he must have been on his rounds.
I didn't really respond to him when he walked in, I was a little preoccupied with making sure Rees didn't freak out again. The doctor stood just in the doorway, he had come over and taken the clipboard from the bottom of the bed, but then returned to standing quietly by the door. The only noise he made was the ruffling of papers as he looked through the charts, waiting.
After a moment I looked up to the doctor, not really changing positions, or speaking, just looking.
"How are things?"
I shrugged, and Reesa didn't say anything so he came up by the bed looking down to a semi conscious Reesa.
"Reesa, how are you feeling? Are you in much pain?"
Reesa didn't really answer, she didn't seem to notice that the doctor was talking to her, but I knew that she heard him. She knew what was going on, she just didn't want to respond, or didn't care to.
"Reesa...you need to answer the doctor, he's here to help you."
I think if she wasn't so tired she would have rolled her eyes at me. Then again, I didn't know that she even realized it was her doctor.
"Huh?" she asked, a little confused.
"How are you feeling?"
"Like shit."
"Reesa!" I warned.
"Its okay...that's an understandable answer after this last night. All right...Reesa, can you be a little more specific? Are you in a lot of pain or are you just tired? Dull, sharp? Do you have pain all over or in just one area?"
"Everywhere. Mostly dull."
"And other than dull, what it is?"
"Sharp?"
"I don't know...is it sharp? You've got to be the one to tell me that, can't ask me, I'm not the one feeling it."
"Um...sharp."
"Where are the sharp pains at?"
She shook her head a little, "I dunno." She said weakly, confusedly. And I don't think she did know.
"Okay. Well, thanks. You're doing much better, now get some rest, you need it."
The doctor left then, saying that I had five more minutes and then he would be back and I would have to leave. He said something about inspections or secondary examination or...I don't know.
For a minute after the doctor left, Reesa sat doing nothing. She didn't close her eyes, but she didn't do anything else either. Then she turned to me suddenly, "Darry?"
"Yeah?"
"How...did I get here?"
"Soda brought you in."
"But...how?"
"I don't know...we haven't really talked about it. You'll have to ask Soda later on."
"Darry...do you know what happened?"
Obviously she was still confused, I mean I knew she didn't remember anything about coming to the hospital, but /I I know? I was only sitting right next to her, having asked that question to her.
"Yeah, I know what happened. I'm sorry."
"For what?"
"For not being there."
"Darry...it wasn't your fault."
"Maybe not, but then again, maybe it was."
Her eyes started to slide closed, but she was fighting it.
"Reesa, its okay. You can go to sleep, you need your rest and I'm not going anywhere. Nothing will happen to you here."
She didn't say anything, but let her eyes close. After another minute of silence she asked, "Why were you crying?"
"When?"
Did she remember waking up earlier? I hoped not, that was a bad thing, I mean that I cried. Not because it was weak, I didn't care so much about that, but because she saw me cry at a time that I needed to be strong...for her.
"I don't know...but you were crying and telling me things and Soda was there...and I wanted to ask you about it, but I couldn't. Everything just fell...it disappeared and now I'm here."
"Oh, then. I was just overwhelmed with things. It was a hard night, Rees. But everything is fine now."
She drifted off fairly quickly after that, apparently having had her most important questions answered and content that everything was fine. I just wished I could do more than tell her that.
`~`~``~``~`~`
(Skye's POV)
Boring, boring, boring.
Yeah, I was bored. It was seven in the morning and no one was around to keep me company. Dally never came back and I sort of wished he would. I was all alone. No one came to visit me and I was beginning to drive myself insane. Darry left before the police did and he was certainly taking his time to get back. Soda, Pony, and Reesa were blatantly ignoring me. I hadn't seen any of them, particularly Rees, since way earlier in the morning. Apparently no one found it important to stick around and keep me company. I was tired and could've easily fallen back asleep, but something just felt wrong about sleeping in a hospital bed, so I didn't try my luck with it. It creept me out to think of who else had once laid in there. Nice thought.
After Dally left I was in a completely confused state and I had no idea what was going on. It drives me nuts when that happens, and it happens a lot. People like to leave me out of things. I don't know why. Maybe they'll think I'll let it slip somehow. Like the gang for example – if something serious happened and if anyone else gets wind of it, say the fuzz or Socs, then they won't tell me what it is. First off, I don't hang with either so how would it get back to them? And another thing, why would I want to squeal and get one of the gang jailed? Yeah, that would be a barrel of fun, let me tell you now. So, naturally I found myself once again in the dark and really not enjoying any minute of it at all.
I was so desperate for someone to come in and be with me that I even rang the nurse in to keep myself entertained. She would come in wondering what I needed and I would offer her a seat, which she refused each time because she said she had other work that she had to attend to. Then I would tell her that I was thirsty, but she told me that I couldn't drink anything because it would mix funny with my medication.
"What?" I had asked her. "Are you crazy?"
"No, I'm afraid not. You aren't to drink anything until you are released," she said while giving me a simple shrug of the shoulders.
"And when might that be?" I asked with mock-sweetness. "I'll dehydrate you know."
"You're supposed to leave later in the morning. And if you remember at all we had you drink plenty of fluids before we gave you the pain killers. You should be just fine until you get home."
Right. Of course I remembered that God-awful drink. The least they could've done was given me something that was a real drink. They made me drink a gallon of this yellowish-clear liquid that tasted like bubble gum and I was peeing every half an hour because of it. Never again. Never again.
So, because she wasn't interested in being with me I asked her to go fetch one of my siblings and she said she would... but she never did. I waited and waited and they never came. I rang her back asking her when she was going to get off her lazy ass and ask them, but she said she already had and they were planning on coming back.
It was then that I knew something was seriously wrong. I asked her to go talk to them again and she said she would. But when they didn't come for the third time, but they were here, I knew something else was going on. I wasn't sure what, because I was still messed up with the medicines, but I knew something fishy was going down and I couldn't hold still any longer. I was about to get up and go look for them myself. If they wouldn't come to me, I'd go to them and unload a ton of questions that I'd force them to answer. I knew they wouldn't like it so I was refraining myself, but I was about to.
That is until Darry came in.
"It's about time!" I said. "Gawd, Iwhere were/I you? I mean, I just loved being left alone with those delightful fuzz. There's nothing I enjoy more. Come on, the least you could've done was let someone else in here."
"Yeah, sorry about –"
"Or at least give me a reason for not coming back after I made that nurse go find you twice. Yeah, sorry, I didn't realize that it was so much of a hassle for you to divide up your time between me and... me."
"Hey, now you don't --"
"Oh, but wait. Y'all probably went home to sleep, huh? Yeah, figures. You drag me here and then you up and leave me by myself. Thanks a lot." I paused to roll my eyes. Hey, dramatic affects people. "Now, do you mind telling me what the hell Mason meant when he said that there were other people involved. Particularly did he say... Reesa? Yeah, wanna clue me in on anything? Or is that to big of a hassle, too?"
By that time Darry was staring at me with conviction and a little fury. Laudy freakin' da. He deserved whatever I felt like throwing at him. He knows I've had a hard night and he supposedly cared enough to bring me here, but he obviously doesn't even know the extent of it. I was beginning to think that maybe, just maybe, he might gain a little sympathy for me or possibly even respect. But he was standing there for the first time in three hours and he couldn't come up with a halfway decent excuse. He wasn't even trying.
"Are you through?" he asked sounding a tad annoyed.
"Uh... Yeah."
He raised an eyebrow briefly before continuing. "If you want to know – and apparently you do – I've been here the entire time. And!" he said louder as I opened my mouth to shoot something back at him. "I've had a good reason for not being around."
"What?"
"I've been talking to doctors and filling out forms –"
"You already did that," I interrupted him. "Why more? Does this have to do with Reesa?"
"...Yeah. Soda brought her in a couple of hours after you. She's been in surgery for the last two and a half hours." He looked away like he was ashamed of himself or something. My heart started to pound. What was going on?
"Um... what?"
Now he was giving me the weirdest stare as if I was supposed to know what he was talking about. Hello... clue me in? "Well, she kinda needs to go in if they want her to get any better."
"Okay, um, what the hell are you talking about? What happened?" If he didn't have my full attention before, he definitely had it now.
"I – you don't know what happened?" he asked. "Skye, how is it that you were there and don't know what happened?"
"Easy. You haven't told me yet." You know, I worried about him sometimes...
"But... they said the DNA matched and... this doesn't make sense...." He sat down in the chair.
"Darry, I swear to God if you don't tell me what's going on..."
He only stared at the wall opposite him in silence. He started to bite his nail as he tried to figure out what was going on. Maybe if he didn't leave me out in the dark I'd be able to /I him. He chewed on his lip for a second than started to talk again.
"Was Reesa with you, Skye?"
I shook my head. He should've known that. "She was at a party with Dally, of course she wasn't with me."
"You sure?"
"Yeah... Why? Is she hurt or something? Why's she in surgery?"
He shook his head in disbelief and it was driving me crazy. Could he not answer me like a normal person? "Yeah, she's hurt." He looked at me with empathy, although I'm not sure why. "Skye, Hun, they got to her too."
Okay, I /b he isn't talking about Miles and Clay. I would've known. That's impossible, isn't it? What would they want with her? She hasn't even as much as looked at Clay in the last year or so, why would she be having anything to do with them now? She's smarter than that. She has to be if she already knows them... But something told me that he was talking about them and it made my stomach churn to think of it.
"Are you sure?" I asked.
He nodded.
"But, when?"
He shrugged. "I was hoping you could tell me."
I shook my head. "I don't know anything about that. As far as I know I was the only one there. I'm sure I would've seen her."
Darry looked uncomfortable at this entire discussion. Welcome to my world, buddy. I feel your pain... and some of my own. Before I could say anything else he decided to throw something new at me. "Well, this shouldn't surprise you."
"Why not?"
He looked away while answering. "It's happened before, that's why."
My face paled and I froze in my spot. "Huh?"
He nodded but didn't say anything else. Uh-uh. No way. I am not letting him leaving me hanging this time. I've had enough. I won't tolerate this anymore. I have a right to know whatever it is that he knows and I don't. What did he mean this has happened before?
"Reesa's been raped before?" I was almost too scared to say it. I didn't want to know the answer to that. I really didn't. But I asked it anyway.
"Yeah," he said. He wasn't gazing at anything in particular anymore, except his hands. They seemed to amuse him or something because he wouldn't look away from them, even though he wasn't looking uncomfortable anymore.
"When?"
"Around two years ago."
"How come you didn't tell me?" If he thought this was going to make me feel better, he's wrong. If anything it made me feel like utter shit. Do I always have to be left out of everything? Why can't anyone trust me to understand and be mature about anything. I can be mature if I want. You have to at least give me a chance. It's bound to happen sometime. I don't know when that sometime is, but you can't not try.
"I don't know," he said shrugging. "I really don't know."
"Yes, you do!" I said. "Darry, I know you better than that. You never tell me anything important for a reason. I know you don't think I can handle it." I love being blunt. It's a gift, I'm telling you.
"Well, that's because you can't," he argued defensively.
"...Maybe I couldn't, Darry, but I can now. I can't have gone through all of that and not handle something else. Anything in comparison to Hell isn't anything at all." How profound of me. I'm quite proud of myself actually.
He was quiet for a moment while he reflected on what I said. He was looking a little worried and I'm not sure I liked it. Usually when he thought that hard about things he ended up asking a question I didn't want to answer or couldn't because... well, no one trusts me obviously. It's like the luck of the Irish, except it's the luck of Skye and the luck ain't good. "Skye, are you telling me that you're okay about all of this?"
That was by far the last thing I had expected him to say. I had somewhat expected an awkward question, but not something like that. When did he start being so up front? I didn't have any clue how to respond to that. It caught me completely off guard. Was I okay about it? IWas I okay?... /I I didn't know. I didn't have a lot of time to sulk and feel sorry for myself.... Okay, that's a lie, I have, but that's different. I was caught up in a moment and I was... let's move on shall we?
"Skye?"
I nodded. "Yeah. Who do you think I am? Dar, this ain't nothing. IBelieve me/I, I've been through worse I'm sure."
Was that a mistake? I think it was.
"Worse?" he asked aghast. "What do you mean you've been through worse?"
"I never said that." Ah, shit. What did I do?
"Yes, you did!"
"When?"
"Just now!"
"No, I said I've probably been through worse. I didn't say that I had."
"That means this has happened before... hasn't it?" At this point he was standing up and looking furious; a lot like Soda had earlier. Why does this not surprise me? "Hasn't it?" he pressed.
Gawd, what did I /I? I can't lie to him. I'm tired of lying. I'm sick of it. I want to purge myself of all my lies... but its not that easy. But does that mean I have to keep lying to keep myself from feeling uncomfortable? Man, I can't keep doing this to myself. It makes me sick, it literally makes me sick. Do you think all those flu symptoms just happened? I can't put myself through this anymore.
"Hun, you can tell me." He held my hand. Shoot, I'm tired of people doing that. I'll have to wash my hand for a straight week to get rid of the germs. "You /I to tell me."
I dragged my other hand down my face and gripped my jaw in a tight clench. I knew that he knew now and I don't know why he was putting my through this. He takes his parental responsibilities too seriously sometimes, I think.
"No," I said.
"Are you lying to me?"
Yes, of course I am, Darry. What else would I do? My life is made of lies, can't you tell? See, that would be the wrong thing to say so instead I answered, "Darry, I've never felt anything like this. Never." And that's the full and honest truth, Your Honor.
"Then what did you mean? Has Clay done this to you before?" He was being oddly gentle and it was sort of weird. I don't know the last time he was gentle with me aside from tonight – and even that was saying something. He made it a point to yell at me and find fault with everything I did. He was rough and downright mean when it came to the bottom of it. I hardly felt as if I connected with him in anyway at all. Perhaps that's why I resented Reesa and even Soda sometimes. They understand him perfectly and I don't know how they do it. Rees usually takes his side which I guess is okay since someone has to, but how does she do it? I think our relationship would be a lot stronger if he didn't have to fill the place of both mom and dad and he could actually act like a brother. And at the same time... I don't think I'd have him any different. I needed structure every once in awhile and (as much as I hate to admit it) I think he's good for me. Anyway, back to the question of Clay...
"No." I shook my head.
"Then who?"
And here comes the final moment of truth. He'll get what he's wanted to hear since the first time I mentioned Miles in his presence. I wouldn't be surprised if he threw back his head and laughed a moment before saying, "I told you so!" Okay, he's not that insensitive, but I wouldn't blame him if he did. Damn, I sure am being understanding for being in such a crappy mood. Oh, right, meds. They sure do mess with you.
But I couldn't bring myself to it and I only gave him a weak smile. "Sorry I didn't tell you sooner."
"Sorry?!" he almost yelled. Man, he's got a fickle personality. Maybe he's a schizo. Is he sad or angry? Sheesh, leave the poor defenseless girl out of this... rere. "No, I don't think you are. If you were, you wouldn't have held a secret like that."
Now, anyone else would've been taken aback at that and would've shut up faster than they ever had before. But not me. I had my ground to stand and I wasn't going to lower myself to such berating. Where do these big words come from? I'm smart! But anyway, I wasn't going to stay there and listen to that. "You think it was that easy," I said. He swallowed and didn't answer. "Well, it wasn't. I'm sorry to bust your bubble, but I've been living like this for so long I can't even remember when it started anymore. The longer it went on the harder it was to separate fact from reality. If I could've seen into the future and known that this is what would've happened to me I would've never even gotten to know Miles. And just because I didn't say anything doesn't mean I didn't want to. Have you ever heard of fearing for your life? Have you noticed that I am about half a foot shorter than Pony and Reesa? Have you happened to take into consideration that I can't move the coffee table to get under there and clean it? How do you expect me to fend off someone twice my size, weight, and strength? Because, you know that's just so easy. You were right. Is that what you wanted to hear? It's okay, I've said it now. Happy day. Darry, if I wasn't so afraid, I would've told you after the first time. I would've told you /I the first time if I had any indication I wouldn't come out of this clean and scratch free. But it's just not me to volunteer that sort of info, you know? And if you must know, I was a little embarrassed to mention it. Thanks for thinking of that."
"A little embarrassed?" he asked.
"Don't interrupt me. I'm on a roll.... You know how I've been missing so much school? Part of that, yes, was because I didn't want to go, but most of it was out of purely avoiding him. You could've banned me from going out with him all you wanted, but clearly that doesn't stop a guy like him. I'm not safe at home or at school or anywhere if you think about it. He's a stalker, I swear. He has this radar or something so he always knows where I am and he can get there and take me and –"
"Please. Stop," Darry begged. "I get it, you're sorry."
I was silent for a second before I answered. I don't think I've ever had my feelings hurt so many times in one sitting. "You should've known that from the beginning. I never meant for this to happen. I never meant for Reesa to be dragged into it either. I don't know how that happened, but I would do anything to take it back. She shouldn't have had to go through that again. Especially not because of me. Now what? Is she going to be okay?"
He shrugged. "We can only hope."