Chapter Two-Hundred and Ten
Thomas smiled as Brian helped John to hold Johanna, watching as Brian took most of the baby's weight for him to help with the pain of his wounds. His head shot up as the doorbell rang, slowly making his way to the door only to be greeted by none other than Leon and his niece. "What do you want?" He asked, jumping back as Leon shoved a warrant in his face.
"I need to investigate your home. The fire was arson, and Johnathan is a main suspect." Leon pushed himself inside, letting Jessica wander the house until she found something of interest. "I need to speak with Johnathan." He stated, jumping when John's voice floated down the hall.
"I'm right here." He limped his way toward Leon, the cast making a slight thumping noise as he pushed himself from spot to spot on the wall.
Leon looked over the teen, able to see that he'd been badly burned, and that his cast was holding something in his right femur together. "What can you tell me about the fire?" He asked, knowing that the first flames had been directly over John's head while he played.
"Not much." John shrugged, letting Thomas provide him with a chair to sit in to take pressure off of his leg. "All I heard was a boom, and then everything was on fire. I figured it was crossed wires or something…"
"How did your injuries occur?" Leon pushed, taking a seat in front of John and taking in the state he was in. He could see where a skin graph had been taken from his inner thigh, able to tell that it had been a large burn that had required the procedure.
John shook his head, aching to scratch at the bandages that needed changed, and wishing that his basketball shorts would cover more of his legs so that Leon wouldn't see the graph. "I can't remember a lot of them… I passed out from the smoke as soon as Brian and I got out… I remember falling when a beam almost crushed us, my leg caught on something a few minutes before we got out… I don't remember the others."
"What burn required the skin graph?" He pointed to John's thigh, knowing that the patch had to be sensitive.
John bowed his head, knowing that he would have to show him if he wanted this snake out of his home. "It's the one on my back… it was a third-degree burn… and it wasn't healing right so Ryan had me knocked out yesterday for the graph." He looked at his hands, the bandages having become so soiled that he couldn't wait any longer to change them. "Excuse me, I have to change these." He pushed himself from his chair, letting Thomas steady him as he started the climb to his room upstairs.
He paused at the top of the steps, letting Thomas return to Leon to work things out. "I've got it."
Thomas nodded, knowing that John was independent and needed to push himself if he was going to recover properly. "Call if you need anything."
John brushed him off, limping to his bedroom and pushing the door open. "That fuck?" He lifted a hand to his eyes, the image of Jessica lounging across his bed, butt ass naked burned into his brain. "Get out you Snake." He ordered, walking inside only a few steps to make way for her to leave.
"But, Sweet Cheeks-"
"Don't call me that!" He growled, picking up a spare blanket and tossing it to her. "And get out of my room!"
She ignored the blanket, standing from his bed and slinking toward him. "Okay, what would you like to be called?" She asked, touching his cheek and moving his hand from his face.
"Get out." He gritted his teeth as her hands rubbed against the burns that were only starting to heal.
"Johnny… what about our engagement?" She purred, slipping her hands around his waist only to jump away when he cried out in pain.
"Mom!" He screamed, the pain in his back like a whole new flame in his body. "Hurts!"
Clarissa rushed to his bedroom, catching him as he teetered and started to lose balance. "Jessica. Leave." She ordered, pulling John to her as he started to cry from the pain. She helped John from the room, knowing that he wouldn't want to be there with Jessica having ruined his safe place. Instead she took him to her bedroom, laying him on the bed and started to strip his clothes from him so that she could have a clear view to change his bandages. "Baby?" She traced a line of freckles on his side, skipping over the spots where his last name was branded into his skin. "You still awake?"
He didn't respond, his body having gone completely limp as his mind tried to give him refuge from the pain.
She sighed, washing her hands as best she could before she began changing the protective wrappings. "She is such a bitch." She growled, draping a blanket over his hips to save him some dignity as she fixed him up.