The woman looked official as her eyes scanned the waiting room. Clearly she looked for someone and from the frown on her face that someone wasn't there. But then her eyes found him, and she beeline it straight toward him.
Standing, he held out his hand.
Smiling, she extended her hand. "And your Oliver Queen. Josh Peter's and the other boys' soccer coach. It's nice to finally meet you, Mr. Queen, I'm Kim Reed."
"Since you know so much about me, please call me Oliver. And you're with?" Shaking her hand, he found her grip strong and her contact with his hand brief and professional.
"Texas Child Protective Services. And that's small town. We know everything, or at least we like to think we do. Plus of a lot of people are excited that your soccer season's about to start. What next week? Or the week after?"
"Yeah, we have a couple more weeks." Thank goodness, though he doubted it'd help them win. He gave a sigh as he added, "And now it looks like I'm officially down three players."
And he thought and I still don't have a goalie, and I somehow needed to make practice fun. He rubbed the back of his neck.
"That's what I hear, any word on the Franks boy?"
"He's in surgery. No news yet. We're all waiting."
"I'm praying for him, but right now I'm very interested in another one of your players. Do you know Janie Hall?"
"We've met."
"Have you seen her in the waiting room?"
"No."
The woman frowned. "Do you have a few minutes, I was wondering if we could have a private word?"
"Sure."
Oh, yes, he'd been waiting for this. Felicity had made the call for him right after he'd talked to her and told her about the terrible bruises on Josh's chest. He no longer had any doubt Josh's aunt beat him, and he intended to put an end to it ASAP.
Nodding at a nurse, the woman entered a small conference room and shut the door.
Pulling a small tape recorder out of her bag, she smiled. "I hope you don't mind but we record all conversations. It protects everyone. Could you please state your name?"
"Oliver Queen."
He narrowed his eyes as he wondered how to play this.
Josh's aunt seemed guilty, but the teen needed to be the one to finger her, since he only had Stan's word about who'd hurting the young man, and he planned to keep Stan out of this situation.
"This is in regards to one minor, Joshua aka Josh Peters, age 15," and she shuffled some papers and wearily stated a case number. Pulling out a yellow notepad, she clicked her pen. "Mr. Queen, could you explain how you know Josh Peters?"
"Please, call me, Oliver, and I'm his soccer coach. He's a member of my team."
"It's that a court ordered team?"
"Yes."
"Then, Josh has been in trouble in the juvenile court system?"
"More than once, like most of my team."
"He's a trouble maker then?"
"No. Let's just say he gets in a lot of fights, and he always throws the first punch." Something he personality respected Josh for, since if you wanted to win, attacking first was key and it could quickly end the fight in your favor. Josh was smart to hit first.
"Have you noted any signs of physical abuse on Josh's body? Perhaps seen bruises on his chest or back? I met with Josh a little while ago and noted some forearm bruising that looked like defensive bruises."
"The kid is a mass of bruises when I saw him in the cannery but explain defensive bruises."
She wrapped her arms around her head. "Like this. It's a natural reflex for children or an abuse victim to use their arms to protect their heads when they're being hit, so their forearms take the blunt of the blows." Removing her arms, she added, "It's a normal reaction. If a victim is knocked down, reflex causes the victim to curl up in a ball, and try to protect their heads. And I'd say Josh was probably kicked with a curved shoe from the shape of the bruises on his forearms."
It been years since he thought of himself as a victim but the thoughts of him doing that exact same thing, of tucking himself into a tight ball, of using his arms to protect his head more than once during his life blazed through his mind.
In a flash, he could see himself on the island, before he'd learned to fight, down on the ground being kicked, see men kicking him repeatedly. His brain fast forwarded to Russia, back to when he'd first joined the Bravta and just as quickly he was back in the league losing the gauntlet. The league had kicked him even after they had knocked him unconscious, and he'd hurt for weeks later. It still bothered him that they'd beaten him down four times before he could survive the gauntlet upright.
The social worker continued to talk but he couldn't hear, couldn't focus and he reached his hand in his pocket reaching for his life line, touching her hair tie in an effort to come back, in an effort to return to this time. Breath coming too fast, he tried to focus on the social worker's words since this was important, and he needed to help Josh.
"I noted that some of Josh's bruises are too old to have been caused by the fall he experienced a couple of days ago. I haven't seen his chest and back but his arms had several different stages of bruising."
With determination and sheer will, he pulled himself back to now. And he refused to even think about those letters, PTSD. Yes, he shut those thoughts off cold. "I saw his chest when we rescued him and the others. He has every color of bruising there is. His new bruises created from the fall are red or blue. But he also has purple or black bruises and then he has others that are green, yellow or brown. Of course, you know that bruises change color as they heal."
"I know that you know a lot about bruises."
He pressed his lips together for an instant. "Yeah, I do. I know yellow means that the bruise is at least seven to ten days old. And chest bruises take longer to heal. They can last up to four weeks."
"So you're telling me that you saw yellow bruises on Josh's chest?"
Swallowing hard, he tried to control his rapid heartbeat. "Yes, but I can't say where his bruises came from. I know that Josh gets in a lot of fights at school, and I know he's been fighting this week."
"You're sure about this?"
"I broke up a fight between him and Jordan the last time they were at practice, and I know he and Stan got in trouble for fighting at school the day they went missing. Sorry, but I don't know for sure where his bruises are from, though I admit something seems off about his household. And his sister came to see me when her brother went missing."
The woman made more notes on the yellow pad. "Go on."
"Ruby seemed worried and nervous when I suggested I talk to her aunt. She didn't want me to come to the house or want her aunt to know she'd contracted me. I went to see his aunt this morning. She first refused to meet with me but I talked her into it."
The woman smiled again. "I bet you did. And Ruby would be Josh's little sister?"
He refused to acknowledge the underlying current that pasted between them, since he had no desire to flirt with the woman, and he was well aware that most women found him attractive, but his heart belonged to Felicity and always would.
"Yes, Ruby is Josh's younger sister."
"Could you state Josh's aunt's name for the record?"
"Janie Hall. After meeting with Ms. Hall, I was surprised when she seemed unconcerned that Josh had been missing for two days. She described him as high strung, and she didn't mean it as a compliment. I've also mentioned to her that he's wearing rags."
"Rags?"
"Everything he wears is bare thread and has holes. And most of it is too big for him. Josh seems too thin. I've noticed that. And his aunt, Ms. Hall was unconcerned when I brought the topic up to her." He was hoping if the state couldn't find abuse maybe they would see neglect.
"Does Josh miss very many practices?" She asked out of the blue.
Shaking his head, he said, "No, he's never missed practice. Well, not until the last few days, though he's always running late, and now I'm beginning to think he does that on purpose."
"On purpose?"
"Yeah, I don't think he wants anyone to see him when he dresses out."
"That would make sense if he's being abused. Victims do that."
"What?"
"Hide the bruises on their bodies. Even though it's not their fault, they're embarrassed that someone's hurting them, and that sounds like what Josh could be doing."
He looked down at the floor, knowing he hid his scars under his clothes.
"But, Josh never said anything to you about any abuse or any problems at home?"
"No, though again I admit something seems off about his household. During my visit this morning, his aunt seemed unconcerned that he'd been missing for two days. She made light of the fact that he doesn't come home some nights and admitted that she locks him out after six p.m. I think that's why Josh was at the cannery. I think he's been sleeping there because I've been keeping him late at practices, and she's been locking him out."
More writing on the yellow notepad, she looked up, tapping her pen against the pad. "I heard you were instrumental in rescuing those boys from that abandoned cannery. Is that true?"
"Josh was instrumental in getting them rescued. He and Stan both. Without those two teens, they'd still be there dying. The way I look at it is if Josh hadn't figured out to have Stan rig those two old phones with power, and then figured out to use the handset to send out an SOS, he and Jordan would be dead right now."
"What you're telling me is this young man's smart."
"Yeah, he's not just smart. My fiancée says he's a genius." And pleasure flooded him as he thought about Felicity, and he also wanted her to understand that he was taken, since he could tell the woman was clearly admiring him.
"Maybe he's smart enough to hide the fact that someone's hurting him?"
"Yeah. I would think so."
And Kim Reed took the hint and clearly was doing her best to finish this up as she flipped the notebook shut and began to put it away. "Coach Queen, thank you for your time."
Reaching, she shut off the recorder before she ask, "Do you have any type of relationship with Josh? Does he trust you enough to tell you the truth if you asked?"
"I doubt it. Josh is an angry young man on his best days. And I'm probably not one of his favorite people."
"Off the record, I've already met angry Josh. He's already lied to me, and he's clearly getting beat up, probably by his aunt but he's covering for her. I'm sure he's afraid. His aunt's not going to take this accusation lying down, and if I'm going to make this stick in court I need Josh to talk, to tell the truth. And I'm pretty sure he's not going to talk to me on his own."
"And you want me to see if he'll talk to me?" His chest felt heavy knowing how hard it could be to talk about certain things.
"Will you help me? Rather will you help, Josh, somehow make him understand he has to tell the truth?"
"I can try."
#####OQ#####
Josh's eyes were heavy as he woke up. Nodding, going in and out of consciousness, he watched the room slowly coming back into focus, and he opened his eyes to find Coach Queen sitting beside his bed.
"Hey, Josh. I stopped by to check on you. You awake?"
"Barely? You came didn't you? You got us out of that building? You answered our SOS?"
"I did. I should have gotten your SOS sooner. Felicity figured it out, and I wish I'd have figured it out sooner and pulled you three out of there hours ago."
"At least you came. Thank you."
"Not a problem. How you feeling?"
Blinking, he used his good hand to rubs his face. "Truthfully, Coach, I'm pretty high right now. But tell me. What was stopping the door from opening? I need to know. It's bothering me."
Coach gave a small laugh. "I wondered how long it'd take you to ask. It was a very large rusty padlock that stopped you from opening the door."
"Figured it was something like that." Remembering, he attempted to sit up and pulled painfully on his tubes, with the words, "Jordan? What about Jordan? What happened to his legs?"
"Easy. Lie back down. Jordan's in surgery. Mae flew in a specialty surgeon who's doing everything he can to save Jordan's legs."
"Are they going to take his legs?" He looked intently at his coach.
Coach's face hardened. "They don't know yet, and right now no news is good news."
"But he's still alive? I did everything I could to keep him alive."
"I know you did and last I heard his doctor was trying to save his legs. I know that you did the best you could. I'm proud of you, Josh."
"You are?" A warmth spread across his face and he looked at the ceiling.
"Of course, you made the right decision to not dig Jordan out. Saved his life. He would have bled out the first day if you'd dug him out of the debris."
"Stan's okay, right? His leg was broken but it wasn't a bad break."
"And you made sure he splinted it. Stan told me, and he's just a couple doors down from you. He's doing well. The doctor's set Stan's leg, and they're pushing fluids into him. All of you were severely dehydrated. But I hear he'll be moving down to the main floor probably tomorrow."
"Unlike me, huh?" He smoothed the sheet.
"No, unlike you. But, Josh, Stan told me all the things you did to keep the three of them alive. They would have died without you."
"It's nothing."
"No, Josh. It was awesome now listen to me, I'm proud to have you on my team."
"Thanks, Coach." This time he was sure he blushed, and he looked away.
"You're welcome. Now, for the hard stuff." Coach asked quietly, "Where'd you get your bruises, Josh?"
He knew now was the time to tell but the words stuck in his throat. Clearing his throat, he forced out the words, "Stan told didn't he?"
"Yeah, he did. And it all makes sense now."
Ducking his head, he smoothed the sheet beneath his good hand, making the sheet flat, looking at only the sheet. He cleared his throat. "What does?"
"Why you were always late to dress out and how you would hang back after practice until everyone else left before you'd shower. I knew you were dragging. Everyone has been just thinking you're slow but now I see it was calculated. You were hiding the bruises."
He shut his eyes, hoping this would all go away.
"And I blame myself, I should have caught it. You let everyone think you were slow. Let them think that 'That's just, Josh, always late, Josh.' But now I see it was deliberate."
"It wasn't your fault, Coach." With a trembling hand, he continued to smooth the sheet.
"Yes, it was. You're part of my team. I should have caught that's the reason you were always late to dress out, the reason you hung back after practice, and why you volunteered to collect the extra soccer balls most days. Now I know why you were taking your time because you were waiting everyone out to hide the bruises. I understand that now. Can you tell me about it? Tell me who did this to you?"
Still the words wouldn't come out, instead he continued to smooth the sheet.
Coach sighed and urged, "You can talk to me. If you talk to me then I can help. And if someone's hitting you, telling on them is the only way to make them stop."
Turning his head, he said sharply, "Look, I'm high but I'm never going to be that high. I was stupid to tell Stan, and I only told him because I thought I'd die and now it looks like I missed my chance, so I can't. Besides, no one would believe me. She's powerful in this town."
He shut his eyes and wished this would all go away.
"She's only powerful because you won't tell on her. You're giving her that power. If you'd just talk to me, I'll help you. I promise I'll help you."
A laugh erupted and he groaned, But he opened his eyes and looked at the sheet. "You act like telling is easy. Like there won't be any consequences. Trust me, Coach, I've learned there are always consequences. Telling will make my life worse, and everyone's going to say I'm lying."
"Not everyone. I'll believe you if you tell the truth. I swear to you. Josh, would you look at me?"
He swallowed and turned his head and for a second he looked straight into Coach's blue eyes. "I promise that if you tell me the truth, I'll believe you. I understand you don't want to go into foster care but you have to stop her. And only you have the power to stop her."
He believed the man but that didn't change things. His lip trembled and he looked away and scrubbed his face with his good hand.
"Ruby doesn't want them to split us up. She thinks mom and dad would have wanted us to stay together. She'll hate me if I talk."
"I understand that. But your parents wouldn't want you to live like this. You have to tell the truth. And even if Ruby hates you to begin with, she'll get over it."
"You don't know Ruby, and have you ever been in foster care? It's not a walk in the park."
"No, I admit I haven't, but it's got to be better than getting beat up. I've been beaten up, and it's never fun. I don't want that for you."
"You, Coach? Beat up? I find that hard to believe. You're too strong."
His coach nodded and gave him a slight grin. "Believe it. I've been beaten up more than once. I've been where you are, where I couldn't stop someone from hurting me, and I don't want that for you. Okay, you talk and maybe you'll go into foster care. But it will only be for a little while, it will only be until they find someone to take all three of you. Stan told me you have some uncles who are willing to take all of you. Felicity's contacting them with the the e-mail address that you gave Stan."
Biting his bottom lip, he looked away. His voice darkened. "They gave up. Her lawyer beat their lawyer. It was like a chess game only we were the pawns. And I haven't talked to them in months, which means that I'm not going there, Coach. You're talking pipe dreams, and I don't believe in them anymore. And I haven't in a long time."
"I understand more than you know what it's like to be afraid to hope for things to get better."
"I don't believe that, not you, Coach." He couldn't stop from looking at the man now.
"Why not?"
"Why you're strong and buff, have a hot girlfriend, live on the beach and have a Porsche and a bike. What more could a guy want?"
His coach gave a ghost of a smile, maybe the first smile he'd ever directed his way. "What more indeed? I see your point. But, I've had a lot of tough times too and sometimes you have to take control of the situation. Stop giving your bully the power."
Josh swallowed hard and his chest felt heavy, as Coach paused then added, "And I'll admit I don't know for sure your uncles are coming for you but that doesn't change the fact that you have to change your situation. You need to tell the social worker the truth."
"That's easy to say but hard to do."
"You're brave you know?'
"No, I'm not."
"Yes you are. Now how long has she been hurting you?"
"I can't."
"You can. Why don't you start with telling me how long you've been covering for her?"
"I haven't."
But he couldn't look the man in the eye. "At least respect me enough not to lie to me. We're both smarter than that. And what if next time she kills you? She almost managed to kill you this time. You knew your spleen was bleeding since you told Stan, and I think you know the fall didn't do the damage. Admit it; you had the injury before you fell?"
Looking away, he winced as his coach said, "And what would Ruby and your little brother do without you? What would happen to them? They need you, Josh. You have to protect them. It's your responsibility now with your parents gone. And I expect you to stand up and protect them."
Frowning, he thought about coach's questions, turned them over in his head.
"You don't understand what you asking me to do."
"Then tell me, help me understand."
But the words wouldn't come out of his mouth. How could he tell Coach that he was afraid if he told, no one would believe him? And what if he'd end up back behind her locked door again? What if she got her hands on him after he tried to ruin her reputation?
"Please, Coach, just let it go. I'm tired. Thanks for stopping by."
"I know you might think you're protecting your little brother and sister by keeping silent, but you're not. What you're doing is enabling your aunt to keep hurting you. And what happens when just hurting you isn't enough? What if she starts hurting them too?"
Smoothed the sheet, his hand flattening careful lines, he found that his eyes watered as he remembered his aunt throwing Ruby to the floor, remembered how she'd ruthlessly knocked his sister aside, and he understood that the woman could easily turn on his sister at any time, that she could hurt Ruby too.
And he knew he couldn't protect her, not like this, no he couldn't protect either of them. And what if she started hitting Will?
"Talk to me. I can stop her if you talk to me. Let me help you. I can help you protect them. Both your sister and your brother if you let me help you."
"I can't. Please stop." His hand smoothed the sheet, repeatedly smoothed the sheet.
"Yes, you can. You can make a difference. All you have to do is tell the social worker what happened. Admit that she hit you. Just tell the truth."
He shut his eyes and turned his head and pretended to sleep. And finally Coach went away, and he felt bad inside but he managed to finally nod off.
#####OQ#####
He'd been drifting in and out again. His nurse had come and given him more pain killers, and he woke up really high and thankfully alone, when abruptly the sliding glass door slid open with a whoosh, and his aunt, sister and little brother entered the room. Suddenly, it'd became hard to breathe, as he cringed and sank back into his bed.
"Josh, I thought you were gone too. I was scared for you." His tiny younger brother ran to his side, and he barely threw his good left hand out in time to stop his brother from colliding with his injured body. Then he gently pulled his brother's soft body closer and kissed the top of his small head.
"Shh, Will, it's okay. I'm still here but don't jerk me around. I got hurt, and I'm in a lot of pain. Be still. Okay?"
"Okay." And his brother released him but his brother's hand carefully smoothed his bare arm, stroking his arm.
His sister reached and touched his hand on his broken arm, with the words, "You big idiot. What were you thinking falling through a roof? I swear if you weren't broken up, I'd beat you up myself."
Eyes blazing, his aunt leaned into his ear acting like she was going to hug him, and he cringed as she spat the words, "Josh, if you know what's good for you then you'd better keep your damn mouth shut."
"Child protective services has already been here."
Her hand reached and she put pressure on his cast, pressed slightly on his broken arm, making his arm hurt as she said, "What did you tell them?"
"That I fell through a roof. Stop. Don't do that. That hurts. Stop touching my broken arm."
She ran her hands up his cast hurting him. "You'd better remember that you can't prove anything. It's your word against mine."
Reaching, he searched for the long wand and pressed the nurse's button.
"You need something?"
His aunt's eyes narrowed, which kept him from saying the word 'HELP.'
"Yeah. I'm in pain. Can you come and bring me something?"
"Give me a minute. Let me check your chart."
"Please hurry. I'm really in pain. I can't wait long."
"Okay."
His aunt reached out and grabbed his face, squeezed his cheeks together, hurting him as he tried to winch away. "And don't forget to tell them how many fights you've been in lately."
"Stop touching me! You're hurting me. Stop."
Becky, his nurse, opened the door.
"What is going on in here?"
Becky's presence made him brave. "I don't feel well. Can you make them leave?"
"Josh, you can't be serious." Ruby's voice trembled.
"Oh yeah, I'm real serious. I've spent over 48 hours with a ruptured spleen, and let me tell you it hurts like hell. I want all of you to get the fuck out of here. Thanks for the visit but go."
"Watch your mouth, Josh," Coach Queen unexpectedly slid the door open, and his huge frame filled the small space and his aunt stepped back away from him.
"Yes, Coach." He ducked his head, but his chest lightened just because the man had stepped in the room.
"Yes, shut your lying mouth, Josh. If you know what's good for you, it's time for you to shut up."
He narrowed his eyes and sat up in the bell. "Time? I've had plenty of time to think about you hurting Ruby and Will if I die and that's not going to happen. So, this ends here. No more lies. I'm telling the truth."
"Good for you, Josh." His coach encouraged him. "Tell the truth."
"Go on, Josh. Since you wouldn't know the truth if it bit you." His aunt crossed her arms in front of her chest. "He's lying. Whatever he's told you, Mr. Queen, believe me he's lying."
He shut his eyes and it hurt to inhale. "You're the one lying. We all know you've beat me up repeatedly, ever since the first day I came to live with you."
"Josh! NO. Shut up." Ruby reached and squeezed his hand. "Please, don't. Be quiet."
Turning on her, he said violently, "No more lies. Tell the truth. Tell them that she hits me. Tell them that she's kicks me after she knocks me down. Tell them, Ruby. Help me. I need your help here."
"Josh, don't." Ruby's face looked pained. "You know what will happen."
"Yeah, we'll all get to live. Even me. Tell them, Ruby. Tell the truth about how she's attacked me, hit me with a clothes' hanger while I slept. Tell them. Please, don't lie anymore. NO MORE LIES. I could have died this time. I'm not ever going back inside her house. I'm never going back behind that locked door ever again. She'll kill me the next time."
Coach said in a mean voice, "And you never have to do that again, Josh. I promise you. NEVER again."
His aunt exploded and he was thankful Coach was in the room to protect him. "You're lying. I'll prove it. And you don't have to ever worry about coming back to my house. I'll get your probation revoked. I'll prove that you were trespassing when you fell through that roof. We'll see how you like going to juvenile detention for the next three to four years. I'm done with you."
His aunt moved toward him and his little brother stepped between him and her and in a very small voice said, "You're lying, Aunt Janie, cause you hurt Josh." Turning toward his coach, his brother pleaded, "Please make her stop. Can you please make her stop hurting Josh?"
"Shut up, Will," Ruby said bitterly.
His small little brother moved and laced his tiny fingers through his, as he said solidly, "NO. I WON'T. Aunt Janie hurts Josh. Hit's him. Over and over she hits him. Please, Aunt Janie, don't hurt Josh anymore. Someone make her stop hurting Josh. Can you make her stop?" His brother asked his coach.
"Yes, I can. I promise." Coach nodded, his large frame solid as he eyed his aunt.
And the young child's thin arm pulled him closer. Aunt Janie looked like she wanted to explode. Red faced, she glared at him. "Shame on all of you, lying on me. After all I've done for you. After I took you brats in. No one's going to believe this."
"Yes, they will." His sister and Will said together as Ruby moved so his siblings stood between her and him, and he was grateful his aunt couldn't get to him, since if looks could kill, he'd have died on the spot.
His coach faced his aunt. "I knew something was wrong when I talked to you. Ruby, tell the truth. Is your aunt hitting, Josh? Hurting Josh?"
She looked down at her feet and quietly agreed. "Yes. She hurts him. Okay, she hits him."
"RUBY! SHUT UP! If you don't shut up."
"You'll beat me up too?"
And as he watched, his aunt stepped toward the young girl, her fists clinched.
The small wisp of a girl stepped back, colliding with his bed, jarring him.
"Damn, Ruby. Don't bump the bed." He hissed through his teeth and his coach stepped between Ruby and his aunt.
"Sorry, Josh. But no more, Aunt Janie. I won't let you do it anymore. I mean it. Even if they do split us up there will be NO more. I can't watch you hurt him another time. He could have died this time and you were pushing on his broken arm a few minutes ago. I WANT to talk to the social worker."
His coach's voice deeped. "You need to step back, Ms. Hall. I've seen his bruises. And trust me, you're never going to get the chance to touch him again."
"Queen, you're once again putting your nose in where it doesn't belong."
"I haven't even started." He crossed his broad arms in front of his chest, and Josh let his shoulders slump.
A knock, and the door slid open, and Kim Reed stepped through.
"Janie Hall?"
"Yes."
"I'm Kim Reed, and I'm with Child's Protective Services. The hot line's had several calls concerning the bruises on Josh's body. I'd like to speak with you. And with the other children."
"Can I talk to you first?" He asked as his coach nodded at him. "Coach would you stay? I'm ready to talk, to make a difference."
"Oh course, I'll stay, and I know you're making the right decision." And for the first time in a long time, his chest seemed lighter.
The social worker said, "Would you please give us the room? And Ms. Hall, don't go far."
"Josh." His aunt said sweetly, "Remember, I'll be right outside."
The social worker removed a piece of tech from her bag. "Oh, don't worry I want to talk to you too. And with the other children. I want you also be aware that I've contracted the local law enforcement and fully intend to remove at least Josh from the household and possibility the other children as well."
The woman's face fell. "You have to be joking me. Do you know who I am?"
"Someone who'll be lucky if the state doesn't prosecute her for child abuse and neglect?" The social worker said deadpan.
His aunt's face reddened and for an instant he thought she was going to lunge at him, and he knew if looks could kill, he'd be dead now.
"You're not going to get away with this. I'll hire a lawyer."
"You have every right to retain an attorney. But I'd do it quickly, since you'll have a hearing within 48 hours."
"You'll be sorry for this you three, and Josh, I'm going to remember this."
Coach said, "You'll never get another chance at him or them. You've hurt him for the last time."
His aunt glared daggers at him, and he found his coach's blue eyes. "Coach, I'm tired, high enough I need to shut my eyes. You're staying right?"
The large man crossed his massive arms in front of his chest. "I'm not going anywhere."
And he breathed a sigh of relief as the man pulled up a chair and sat beside the bed, moving between him and his aunt. Will also stood beside him, his small body standing between him and her, his tiny hand reaching and clasping his with the words, "I'm here too, Josh."
"I have to ask your brother and sister to step out too." The social worker said.
"Please don't make them. I don't know if they'd be safe with her now. I want them to stay. Believe me they know."
"I know they do but they have to step out."
"I'll asked your nurse, Becky, to keep her eye on them."
With a loud sound of disgust, his aunt left the room, the glass doors closing with a whoosh.
His coach ushered the two out the door and quickly returned.
Then unable to stop, and knowing that for this minute he was safe, that his coach would protect him, he shut his eyes and began to talk.
"My parents died in an airplane accident, and they didn't leave a will. And we were supposed to live with my uncles, but then the aunt I'd never hear of appeared and got custody of us. And she hates me."
Opening his eyes, he looked a spot past Coach's shoulder. "The first time she beat me up was the first night I moved here. When I got on the plane in LA, they told them I could have the skateboard that my dad and I picked out together or a suitcase of clothes."
"I chose the skateboard. And I never even knew she was mad over me leaving the clothes at the airport until she turned and locked the door of her house. I didn't know that someone could hurt me like that. I'd never imaged it."
Looking down, seeing her hitting him, kicking him, his mind looked past everyone in the room. "I'd never been hit by anyone before that day. My parents barely yelled, let alone laid hands. But that day changed my life. When she locked the door, the first thing she did was hit me. I didn't understand that she could do that to me. Before, I knew what happened she had already whipped my ass. And Aunt Janie's been pissed at me ever since I abandoned my clothes in the airport in LA and brought the skateboard. And my aunt's refused to buy me any new clothes since, and now I think that she likes to hit me."
His coach reached out and patted his hand with the words, "She'll never hit you again, Josh. I promise you that."
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Yeah, not the end but the end of this chapter. And as always thanks for the read. And who thinks the aunt should get hers?