Here it is, the next part! I'll be away until Friday, so no updates until then. I'm going to be in New Orleans for Mardi Gras. Revies are the fuel to get me writign as soon as I return! ;)
***
To say that Lily was relieved when she was released from the hospital the next morning would be an understatement. Overjoyed comes closer. Ecstatic might just fit. Despite her happiness, her stomach was knotted with dread.
The scene from Travis's hospital room replayed in her head over and over. She had left the room as quietly as she had entered, her face a mask of confusion and hurt. She returned to her room, climbed beneath the covers, and sat there well into the night before falling asleep. Even still, she could not escape thoughts of Travis.
What would possess someone to do that?
She had heard of self-injury before, briefly, in a seminar in school once after a kid in their grade had attempted suicide. That, along with depression, eating disorders, and drug abuse, had been mentioned, but not really discussed. She thought back, trying to remember what the counselor had said, but nothing came to mind.
Halfway down the hallway, with her mother in the lead, Lily stopped. "Mom? Can you wait in the car for a couple of minutes?"
"What's wrong?" her mom asked, turning around. "I thought you'd be jumping to get home."
"Yeah," Lily said, fiddling with the strap of her sling. "I just wanna see Travis."
"Okay," her mother relented after a moments hesitation. "Don't be too long."
Lily nodded and headed off in the other direction.
Reaching Travis's room, she went to open the door, but held off when she heard voices inside. Pausing with one hand on the door handle, Lily leaned in, eavesdropping.
"Mr. Strong...we've had your son's medical records faxed over," she heard a voice say...Dr. Gary, if she wasn't mistaken.
She heard another man, Travis's dad she guessed, answer with a tired sigh.
"And?"
"There are some very interesting aspects here," the doctor said. "Left arm broken...three times? Most likely why it was broken in this crash when most of the force was toward his right side... Broken ribs, fingers..."
"Travis participates in a particularly rough class of martial arts," Mr. Strong said. "Unfortunately there's not much I can do about it."
"The reason I bring this up," Dr. Gary continued as if he had never been interrupted. "Is that these sorts of injuries, and the fact that they are so common...are conducive with abuse."
"I do not abuse my son," Mr Strong said, sounding angry now.
There was silence.
"Mr Strong...."
"It was his mother."
Lily frowned, pressing her ear to the door.
"Excuse me?"
"His mother," Mr. Strong said. "I wasn't home a lot...I didn't find out for...too long. And even then, I was skeptical. I never imagined... Anyway. We're divorced. Travis isn't allowed to see her...rather, the other way around."
There was silence from Dr. Gary.
"When can he come home?" Travis's father asked then.
"Today, as far as we're concerned," Dr. Gary said, sighing.
Another voice joined in then; Travis's. It was clear that he hadn't been listening. From what Lily gathered, he had been in the bathroom, changing.
"I'm ready to go, Dad," his soft voice said, and Lily had to strain to hear.
"Okay."
Lily stumbled away from the door, frantic not to be caught, and waited until the door opened.
"Oh, Travis," she said. "Good. I wasn't sure this was the right room."
He smiled shakily. "You're alright."
"Of course," she said, smiling reassuringly. "Looks like we're twins, too."
He stared down at his arm, safely strapped to his chest, his jacket hanging over his shoulder on that side. "Yeah...I'm sorry you got hurt."
"It's okay," she said. "It wasn't you fault."
He nodded, then turned to his dad. "Dad, this is Lily."
"We met, once," his father said, smiling through tight lips.
Travis turned from his father back to Lily.
"Was your mom mad?" he asked, worried.
Too quickly, she said, "No!"
He furrowed his brow.
"She was upset, but just because I was hurt. She doesn't blame you or anything," Lily said.
"Good," he replied, nodding.
Travis's father spoke up, "Travis, I think we need to get going."
He looked at his dad. "Right. Lily...I'll talk to you later?"
She nodded. "Yeah."
Travis gave her one last look as his father herded him off.
She watched as they went, standing beside Dr. Gary. When he was out of view, she finally turned to the greying doctor.
"I saw his arms," she said, eyeing him.
The doctor sighed, staring off. "I really should have told his father."
"Why didn't you?" she asked.
"We made a deal," the doctor said, shaking his head. "If you'll excuse me..."
Lily watched as he walked off, then shook her head, hurrying out to the car.
***
It was mid-afternoon, and the sun was shining, despite the chill in the air.
Lily was bored.
Her mother had gone off to work at three, leaving her home alone. She had already called Robbie, Ray, and Audrey to let them know that she was okay. They had offered to stop by, but she had declined. Now she wondered why.
Sighing, she leaned back into the pillows at the head of her bed.
Moments later she sat back up, grabbing her phone, dialing Travis's cell.
It rang four times, until finally, his voice came on the other line, sounding groggy. "Hello?"
"Hey...did I wake you?" she asked.
"Yeah," he yawned. "It's okay, though. They kept waking me up every hour to make sure I wasn't going to end up comatose...or whatever."
"Ugh," she frowned. "Sorry...I should let you sleep."
"No!" he said. "No, talk."
"I was just calling...because I'm bored out of my mind," she said truthfully.
"Understandable," he said. "You doing okay?"
"Yeah," she replied. "You?"
Travis laughed. "Yeah, considering...listen, you doing anything right now?"
"Hello? Bored out of mind?" she refreshed him.
"Right...meet me at the station?"
"You're allowed out?" she asked.
"Dad's at work," he replied.
"I'm not...but Mom's working, so..." she thought about it. "Yeah, meet you."
"Okay...bye."
"Bye."
Lily grabbed her jacket, tossing aside her sling to shove her arm through the sleeve, and tucked her cell phone in her pocket.
She had places to go, people to see.
***
Twenty minutes later, Lily was seated on the couch, her knees up, waiting for him to get there. She was absently tracing the material of her jeans, but looked up when the door swung open.
Travis stood there, hair disheveled from sleep, having also discarded his sling.
"Hey," he said, sitting at the other end of the couch, facing her, sitting Indian style
"Hey," she said.
There was a moment of awkward silence.
"Sign my cast?" he joked to break said silence.
"Only if you sign mine," she replied.
"Got a marker?" he asked. "A light one?"
"There's a silver sharpie around here someplace," she said, standing and going over to the table. "Aha!"
Retrieving it from a jar of pencils and pens, she returned, sitting next to him.
He shrugged off his jacket with some difficulty, and produced his left arm, pushing his sleeve up to the top of the cast.
"Blue, nice choice," she said, winking.
He smirked, watching her scrawl away in tiny letters.
"There!" she said a minute later, capping the pen. "Done!"
He twisted his arm to be able to read it.
'My hopes are so high that your kiss might kill me. So won't you kill me, so I die happy? My heart is yours to fill or burst. To break or bury, or wear as jewelry, whichever you prefer. Love ya! - Lily.'
He grinned as he read it, then grabbed for the marker. "My turn!"
She handed over the marker and held out her arm.
Concentrating hard on writing neatly despite his cast, Travis set to work.
Lily fidgeted anxiously.
"Done," he said, letting do of her arm.
She glanced down.
'I looked into your eyes and saw a world that does not exist. I looked into your eyes and saw a world I wish I was in. I'll never find someone quite as touched as you. I'll never love someone quite the way that I love you... Travis.'
She looked up. "Even if you did steal that, it's incredibly sweet."
He smirked again, and then leaned in to kiss her gently on the cheek.
"Tease," she laughed as he pulled away.
He shrugged. "You know me."
But suddenly it hit her, how much she really didn't know him. As he reached over to set the marker on the table, his sleeve revealed his lower arm.
"Travis," she said softly, eyes glued.
"What?" he asked, looking back. He followed her gaze, then slapped his hand down on his shirt sleeve, pulling it down.
"What happened?" she asked, already knowing the answer.
"Nothing really. Vicious cat my mom has," he lied so easily that she almost believed him.
She really wanted to.
"Travis," said again.
She reached out with both arms while scooting closer, taking his hand in hers.
He pulled back for a minute, then resisted, giving in.
She lifted the sleeve to his elbow, and let out a soft whimper as she saw the damage in full light. The old scars were barely noticeable beneath fresher cuts, the healing ones.
She looked up, but Travis was looking down to his lap, head hung low.
"Travis...why?" she asked softly.
He didn't answer, and she ran her fingers gently over his arm.
"Please...just give me a reason," she pleaded.
"I...you wouldn't understand," he said, his voice choked with emotion.
"Let me try!" she asked. "Please!"
He looked up, and she was shocked to see so much hurt in his eyes. She had never seen anyone look that lost.
"Travis," she said quietly, looking him in the eyes. "Tell me about your mother."
***
To say that Lily was relieved when she was released from the hospital the next morning would be an understatement. Overjoyed comes closer. Ecstatic might just fit. Despite her happiness, her stomach was knotted with dread.
The scene from Travis's hospital room replayed in her head over and over. She had left the room as quietly as she had entered, her face a mask of confusion and hurt. She returned to her room, climbed beneath the covers, and sat there well into the night before falling asleep. Even still, she could not escape thoughts of Travis.
What would possess someone to do that?
She had heard of self-injury before, briefly, in a seminar in school once after a kid in their grade had attempted suicide. That, along with depression, eating disorders, and drug abuse, had been mentioned, but not really discussed. She thought back, trying to remember what the counselor had said, but nothing came to mind.
Halfway down the hallway, with her mother in the lead, Lily stopped. "Mom? Can you wait in the car for a couple of minutes?"
"What's wrong?" her mom asked, turning around. "I thought you'd be jumping to get home."
"Yeah," Lily said, fiddling with the strap of her sling. "I just wanna see Travis."
"Okay," her mother relented after a moments hesitation. "Don't be too long."
Lily nodded and headed off in the other direction.
Reaching Travis's room, she went to open the door, but held off when she heard voices inside. Pausing with one hand on the door handle, Lily leaned in, eavesdropping.
"Mr. Strong...we've had your son's medical records faxed over," she heard a voice say...Dr. Gary, if she wasn't mistaken.
She heard another man, Travis's dad she guessed, answer with a tired sigh.
"And?"
"There are some very interesting aspects here," the doctor said. "Left arm broken...three times? Most likely why it was broken in this crash when most of the force was toward his right side... Broken ribs, fingers..."
"Travis participates in a particularly rough class of martial arts," Mr. Strong said. "Unfortunately there's not much I can do about it."
"The reason I bring this up," Dr. Gary continued as if he had never been interrupted. "Is that these sorts of injuries, and the fact that they are so common...are conducive with abuse."
"I do not abuse my son," Mr Strong said, sounding angry now.
There was silence.
"Mr Strong...."
"It was his mother."
Lily frowned, pressing her ear to the door.
"Excuse me?"
"His mother," Mr. Strong said. "I wasn't home a lot...I didn't find out for...too long. And even then, I was skeptical. I never imagined... Anyway. We're divorced. Travis isn't allowed to see her...rather, the other way around."
There was silence from Dr. Gary.
"When can he come home?" Travis's father asked then.
"Today, as far as we're concerned," Dr. Gary said, sighing.
Another voice joined in then; Travis's. It was clear that he hadn't been listening. From what Lily gathered, he had been in the bathroom, changing.
"I'm ready to go, Dad," his soft voice said, and Lily had to strain to hear.
"Okay."
Lily stumbled away from the door, frantic not to be caught, and waited until the door opened.
"Oh, Travis," she said. "Good. I wasn't sure this was the right room."
He smiled shakily. "You're alright."
"Of course," she said, smiling reassuringly. "Looks like we're twins, too."
He stared down at his arm, safely strapped to his chest, his jacket hanging over his shoulder on that side. "Yeah...I'm sorry you got hurt."
"It's okay," she said. "It wasn't you fault."
He nodded, then turned to his dad. "Dad, this is Lily."
"We met, once," his father said, smiling through tight lips.
Travis turned from his father back to Lily.
"Was your mom mad?" he asked, worried.
Too quickly, she said, "No!"
He furrowed his brow.
"She was upset, but just because I was hurt. She doesn't blame you or anything," Lily said.
"Good," he replied, nodding.
Travis's father spoke up, "Travis, I think we need to get going."
He looked at his dad. "Right. Lily...I'll talk to you later?"
She nodded. "Yeah."
Travis gave her one last look as his father herded him off.
She watched as they went, standing beside Dr. Gary. When he was out of view, she finally turned to the greying doctor.
"I saw his arms," she said, eyeing him.
The doctor sighed, staring off. "I really should have told his father."
"Why didn't you?" she asked.
"We made a deal," the doctor said, shaking his head. "If you'll excuse me..."
Lily watched as he walked off, then shook her head, hurrying out to the car.
***
It was mid-afternoon, and the sun was shining, despite the chill in the air.
Lily was bored.
Her mother had gone off to work at three, leaving her home alone. She had already called Robbie, Ray, and Audrey to let them know that she was okay. They had offered to stop by, but she had declined. Now she wondered why.
Sighing, she leaned back into the pillows at the head of her bed.
Moments later she sat back up, grabbing her phone, dialing Travis's cell.
It rang four times, until finally, his voice came on the other line, sounding groggy. "Hello?"
"Hey...did I wake you?" she asked.
"Yeah," he yawned. "It's okay, though. They kept waking me up every hour to make sure I wasn't going to end up comatose...or whatever."
"Ugh," she frowned. "Sorry...I should let you sleep."
"No!" he said. "No, talk."
"I was just calling...because I'm bored out of my mind," she said truthfully.
"Understandable," he said. "You doing okay?"
"Yeah," she replied. "You?"
Travis laughed. "Yeah, considering...listen, you doing anything right now?"
"Hello? Bored out of mind?" she refreshed him.
"Right...meet me at the station?"
"You're allowed out?" she asked.
"Dad's at work," he replied.
"I'm not...but Mom's working, so..." she thought about it. "Yeah, meet you."
"Okay...bye."
"Bye."
Lily grabbed her jacket, tossing aside her sling to shove her arm through the sleeve, and tucked her cell phone in her pocket.
She had places to go, people to see.
***
Twenty minutes later, Lily was seated on the couch, her knees up, waiting for him to get there. She was absently tracing the material of her jeans, but looked up when the door swung open.
Travis stood there, hair disheveled from sleep, having also discarded his sling.
"Hey," he said, sitting at the other end of the couch, facing her, sitting Indian style
"Hey," she said.
There was a moment of awkward silence.
"Sign my cast?" he joked to break said silence.
"Only if you sign mine," she replied.
"Got a marker?" he asked. "A light one?"
"There's a silver sharpie around here someplace," she said, standing and going over to the table. "Aha!"
Retrieving it from a jar of pencils and pens, she returned, sitting next to him.
He shrugged off his jacket with some difficulty, and produced his left arm, pushing his sleeve up to the top of the cast.
"Blue, nice choice," she said, winking.
He smirked, watching her scrawl away in tiny letters.
"There!" she said a minute later, capping the pen. "Done!"
He twisted his arm to be able to read it.
'My hopes are so high that your kiss might kill me. So won't you kill me, so I die happy? My heart is yours to fill or burst. To break or bury, or wear as jewelry, whichever you prefer. Love ya! - Lily.'
He grinned as he read it, then grabbed for the marker. "My turn!"
She handed over the marker and held out her arm.
Concentrating hard on writing neatly despite his cast, Travis set to work.
Lily fidgeted anxiously.
"Done," he said, letting do of her arm.
She glanced down.
'I looked into your eyes and saw a world that does not exist. I looked into your eyes and saw a world I wish I was in. I'll never find someone quite as touched as you. I'll never love someone quite the way that I love you... Travis.'
She looked up. "Even if you did steal that, it's incredibly sweet."
He smirked again, and then leaned in to kiss her gently on the cheek.
"Tease," she laughed as he pulled away.
He shrugged. "You know me."
But suddenly it hit her, how much she really didn't know him. As he reached over to set the marker on the table, his sleeve revealed his lower arm.
"Travis," she said softly, eyes glued.
"What?" he asked, looking back. He followed her gaze, then slapped his hand down on his shirt sleeve, pulling it down.
"What happened?" she asked, already knowing the answer.
"Nothing really. Vicious cat my mom has," he lied so easily that she almost believed him.
She really wanted to.
"Travis," said again.
She reached out with both arms while scooting closer, taking his hand in hers.
He pulled back for a minute, then resisted, giving in.
She lifted the sleeve to his elbow, and let out a soft whimper as she saw the damage in full light. The old scars were barely noticeable beneath fresher cuts, the healing ones.
She looked up, but Travis was looking down to his lap, head hung low.
"Travis...why?" she asked softly.
He didn't answer, and she ran her fingers gently over his arm.
"Please...just give me a reason," she pleaded.
"I...you wouldn't understand," he said, his voice choked with emotion.
"Let me try!" she asked. "Please!"
He looked up, and she was shocked to see so much hurt in his eyes. She had never seen anyone look that lost.
"Travis," she said quietly, looking him in the eyes. "Tell me about your mother."