TW- descriptions of dog attack (non graphic)
"Thanks for coming over Stella" called Matt as Kelly walked with her to the front door.
"It was no trouble I had a good time" she replied genuinely.
"Bye Stella" called Sonny as he waved from his seat on the couch.
"Good night Sonny, see you soon"
"Thanks again Stella you're really good for him" admitted Kelly once they reached the door, he wasn't sure the day would have gone so smoothly without her there.
"Really Kelly it's no problem, it was nice to see him happy and smiling"Kidd responded in a soft voice, seeing the young blonde laughing after everything he'd been through was better than winning the lottery.
"Yeah"sighed Kelly in a heavy voice, he was afraid that days like this would be a rare occurrence.
"What's bothering you Kelly?" Inquired Kidd as she picked up on the man's dreary tone.
"We can't stay inside forever, what are we going to do?"Kelly sighed, he knew they would inevitably have to brave the outside world again but he was by no means ready. Chicago was a busy place no matter where they went they were going to run into people, which would likely lead to Sonny becoming distressed again. Kidd pursed her lips before placing a hand on Kelly's shoulder.
"You just need to start small" she advised, in all honesty she didn't know what else to say. Kelly nodded before continuing in a somber tone,
"I thought about taking him for a walk somewhere but if we wander too far from the house and he panics I'm not sure how we'll get him home safely", Kidd frowned at the dejected expression on Kelly's face and began raking her mind for a solution.
"Actually Kelly I think I might have an idea, I just need to make some calls but it means I have to tell someone about Sonny" stated Kidd, hope rising inside her, she was pretty sure her plan would work.
"That's ok, as long as it helps" Kelly answered as right now they were desperate.
The next day when Stella stopped by the house before her shift started, she was unsurprised to find Sonny doodling in his notebook as he watched sponge-bob again , she found it fascinating how much comfort the obnoxiously loud cartoon offered the teen.
"Morning Sonny" greeted Stella.
"Hi" he smiled finally looking up, Stella sighed internally he looked even worse than he had the day before, the lack of sleep was definitely getting to him.
"Morning Stella have you got time for breakfast?" Asked Matt from his place in the kitchen breaking into her thoughts.
"Nope sorry, I only popped by to say a quick hello to my favourite artist" smiled Kidd and instantly Sonny blushed as he looked back down at his notebook. Suddenly the silence was interrupted by a knock at the door and Stella immediately beamed as Kelly headed towards the sound.
"I also thought I'd introduce you another one of my friends" stated Stella getting up and following Kelly leaving behind the two Casey's who shared a confused look. Sonny was half way to the door when an excitable Dalmatian came bounding towards him. His heart started beating rapidly and his mid was screaming at him, telling him to run . He sprinted into the kitchen and jumped up onto the dining table. He started to pant as his eyes frantically searched the room for the Dalmatian, finally his eyes locked on the dog sat on the floor looking up at him with wide eyes.
A few seconds later Matt came rushing in,
"Sonny it's ok" he assured as he saw Sonny's frightened expression.
"No it's not, why aren't you panicking? It's dangerous" yelled sonny hysterically as he pointed at Tuesday, he didn't want Matt to get hurt, he couldn't understand how the man was standing so calmly. Sonny's breathing began to slow down as Kelly, Kidd and a man Sonny had never met before appeared. As the man crouched down next to dog Sonny's heart clenched,
"Be careful" cried Sonny in a strangled voice.
"Oh Tuesday won't hurt anyone, she's harmless" informed the man petting the Dalmatian affectionately. Even though he'd only been a firefighter at fifty one for a few months he'd already heard a lot about the boy. When Stella asked him for his help he had instantly agreed. He may have never met Sonny before but he knew how much he meant to the veterans of fifty one.
"That's what she wants you to think" shot back Sonny in a deadly serious tone.
"I promise you she's friendly" the man assured.
"I'm not risking it again" Sonny roared, he could hear the thunderous sound of his own heart beating.
"Again" asked Matt in a worried voice feeling himself fill with dread, Sonny offered a small nod in response and pulled up his right trouser leg. The three adults winced as they saw the large angry scar marring the teens leg.
"Last time I didn't even have a chance to judge if the dog was friendly or not"
#(start of dog attack)
An eight year old Sonny bounced his leg up and down, Ryder had left him in the uncomfortably hot car while he discussed business with an old associate. They'd been travelling for four hours straight when Ryder had parked the car and warned Sonny to stay put. However after twenty torturous minutes Sonny reached his breaking point, he desperately needed the toilet and something to drink. As he Hesitantly hopped out of the car his legs were like jelly and he felt dizzy from the heat; he leant against the car waiting for the nausea to pass. Feeling more alert he pushed himself off the car and headed towards the house Ryder was in. All of the sudden he heard a loud growl and he found himself flying to the floor, a searing pain shot through his leg causing him to let out a heartbreaking scream, he didn't hear the dogs owner attempting to pull the dog off or Ryder running towards him. He didn't know how Ryder freed him from the dogs jaws but the next thing Sonny remembered was the feeling of being in the man's strong arms.
"Shhh buddy it's going to be alright" repeated Ryder over and over as he carried him into the house, Ryder placed him down on the kitchen table to allow him to see the wound properly. What happened next would stay with Sonny forever. Ryder pulled away his shredded trousers and held Sonny down as his friend poured alcohol on the wound, Sonny had let out an agonising shriek as a burning sensation engulfed his leg. The rest of that night was a painful blur to Sonny. Despite Sonny's urgent need for medical attention Ryder didn't want to risk getting caught and going to prison. After Sonny had passed out from the pain Ryder's associate contacted a friend who was a licensed doctor and willing to do anything for the right price, when he arrived the man didn't ask any questions and he quickly got to work patching up Sonny. The man had stitched Sonny up best he could but he only had limited supplies which was why Sonny had been left with a pretty nasty scar.
Sonny's first clear memory after the attack was waking up to find himself nestled in warm comfy blankets, as he began to whimper Ryder's warm voice cut through the air,
"Hey buddy it's alright, go back to sleep you're going to be alright" promised Ryder gently carding his fingers through Sonny's hair until he fell back asleep. Over the next few days Sonny drifted in and out of consciousness, each time Ryder was by his side whispering soothing words in an attempt to calm the injured boy. When he finally became alert he found that his leg had been wrapped in a white bandage, the bite was still immensely painful but Sonny no longer felt like his leg was on fire. It took Sonny three months before he was able to walk properly on the limb again. But the teen hadn't been up close to a dog since, Ryder had been extra careful to keep him away from them.
#(end of dog attack)
"Sonny I promise you Tuesday is different" swore Ritter.
"How do you know? Maybe no one has annoyed her yet?" Yelled back Sonny. The teen was working himself up more and more, something needed to be done soon.
"Do you know why some dogs are vicious ?" Asked Casey gently, Sonny stood still a thoughtful expression on his face.
"No" Sonny admitted honestly.
"It's because their owners didn't look after them properly or give them the right training, there's no such thing as a bad dog only bad owners" announced Matt leaning down to stroke the Dalmatian who had been watching Sonny the entire time .
"Yeah and Tuesdays owner Ritter wouldn't hurt a fly, ain't that right Ritter?" stated Kelly gesturing towards the man who was still sat beside Tuesday.
"Yep, I promise she's safe" repeated Ritter offering Sonny a kind smile. Reluctantly Sonny climbed down from the table but then proceeded to stand as far away from Tuesday as possible without leaving the kitchen.
"So much for Tuesday helping calm Sonny down" muttered Stella feeling guilt wash over her at the fear her idea had inflicted on the teen.
"It's not your fault, you couldn't have known" comforted Kelly, one of the most difficult parts of helping Sonny was not knowing what would upset him. Before Stella had chance to reply she caught sight of the time displayed on her watch.
"Damn it, we have to go or we'll be late for shift" cursed Stella glancing towards Ritter who was already back on his feet.
"Come on Tuesday" Ritter called as he ambled out of the kitchen, the pooch continued to look at Sonny with sad eyes as she refused to move, the dog could feel the fear radiating off the boy. Eventually the dog bowed its head and padded out of the room.
"Wait!" Called sonny who felt his heartache when the dog had started to skulk away,
"S-she deserves a chance, she can stay" stuttered Sonny fear still gnawing at his stomach.
"Are you sure Sonny?" Kelly questioned cautiously.
"Yeah, but please keep her on the other side of the room for now " begged Sonny not quite feeling ready to approach the canine.
"That's ok Sonny" responded Matt, after seeing the boys scar he couldn't blame him for being terrified, he wished he had been there to comfort the boy when it happened.
Sonny was perched at the bottom of the stairs watching Kelly attach Tuesday's lead, Stella and Ritter had left for work a while ago. The entire time Sonny had been keeping his distance and eyeing Tuesday apprehensively. After a tense morning Kelly thought now would be a good time to take Tuesday to the park.
"As soon as you feel uncomfortable just tell us Sonny and we'll come straight home, ok?" reminded Matt for the fifth time in the last ten minutes. Kelly wasn't sure who was more anxious about going out Sonny or Matt. Sonny nodded minutely before shakily rising to his feet and together they left the house, as ready as they'd ever be to face their obstacle.
On the way to the park which was a few minutes away Sonny walked alongside Matt, while Kelly walked a few meters ahead with Tuesday. Thankfully there wasn't many people around but that didn't stop Sonny from frantically looking around as if he was expecting a swarm of people to suddenly appear. Once they reached the park Matt felt the teen stiffen beside him. The park wasn't as busy as the supermarket but it was just as loud and people were a lot more lively. Some were running back and forth, others talked loudly as they walked in pairs and some were walking dogs of their own.
"Sonny we can go home if you want?" Offered Matt sensing the boys discomfort.
"N-no I need to do this" Sonny insisted, he didn't want to be stuck inside for the rest of his life.
"Are you sure sonny?" Asked Matt again anxiety spreading through him.
"Yes, I can do this" Sonny declared shakily but as he took a few steps forward panic surged through him. He pushed aside his pride and fear of being mocked and reached out ; he firmly grasped Matt's hand in his own , he knew he was way too old for hand holding but it gave him the reassurance he so sorely needed. In response Matt gave the teens hand a comforting squeeze as they started following Kelly and Tuesday through the park. When Sonny's breathing began to speed up Matt wrapped his arm around the time they reached halfway through the park the teen was pressed firmly against Matt's side but Casey didn't mind. Sonny's breathing was steady and he wasn't shaking like he had been at the store. His eyes were fixed on Tuesday but instead of fear they were now filled with amusement. As Kelly threw a stick sending Tuesday running Matt swore he even saw a smile on the teens face.
As they reached the exit of the park Kelly turned around and flashed Sonny a triumphant smile which the boy happily returned. Despite there being significantly less people on the way home Sonny remained glued to Matt's side. Matt couldn't help the warms glow that ignited in his chest or the bright smile that appeared on his face, being able to hold his boy this close was a dream come to true.
"You did good Sonny I'm proud of you" announced Matt gently stroking the boys arm. He knew this was only the beginning of a very long journey but progress was progress, no matter how small.