Chapter 1
Fear. Juliet felt her dad grab her head and hit it into the corner of the counter. Juliet screamed, bursting into tears. She felt blood trickle down her cheek. "GET INTO YOUR ROOM!" her dad shouted shoving her away. Juliet ran to her room screaming as loud as she could. The neighbors will hear me, Juliet thought, screaming still. "SHUT UP!" her dad yelled to her.
Pain. This hadn't been the first time that her dad hit her. He'd hit her before but never made her bleed. The only odd part was that, as far as she knew, her dad never abused her brothers or her mom, only her. He never hit her when his mom or brothers were around, only when they left. Juliet's eyes went blurry and she couldn't see anything. The world closed in around her until everything went black.
"Jules, are you okay?" Juliet's brother, Ewan asked, shaking her awake. Juliet cringed, feeling the gash in her head.
"Hey, stop that!" Juliet pushed his hand away. Ewan apologized and smiled at her hopefully.
"I made you a bowl of chicken soup and a plate of cookies. Dad told me what happened." Ewan nodded towards the bowl and plate on her nightstand.
"He told you what happened?" Juliet's eyes widened.
"Yeah, he said you fell and hit your head on the counter." Ewan clarified.
"Nuh- uh! He-" Juliet noticed her father standing in the doorway, his eyes burning with fury. Juliet quickly shut her mouth. Ewan tilted his head but shrugged the topic away.
"Hey bud, why don't you let your sister get some rest." Juliet's dad suggested gently. Ewan nodded and left the room. Her father walked to her bedside, glancing at her cut. "If you say a single word, I will whoop your ass so hard that you won't be able to sit for weeks. Do you understand me?" he grabbed her face making her wince and whimper.
"Yes." Juliet squeaked out just above a whisper. He let go of her face with a push. Juliet reached for her soup, but he smacked her hand away.
"No eating in the room." He growled. Juliet sighed.
Although Juliet was only six, she was very inquisitive and smart. She came from a tough family, her dad's motto was "Show No Weakness". Juliet usually didn't show weakness but her dad brought that out in her.
Juliet's eyes were heavy and she let them close, quickly falling asleep.
The next day Juliet woke up in her bed to her mom changing the bandages on her head. They didn't have enough money to bring Juliet to a hospital so that made do with what they had. Maryanne shushed her and rubbed her forehead. "I'm headed to work. See you later." Juliet's mom kissed her forehead and rushed out of the room. Juliet was able to sit up now and propped herself up on a few pillows. Ewan walked into her room and greeted her.
"Are you feeling better?" he asked. Juliet shook her head. Ewan frowned, "Dad said you can get some breakfast." He said, helping her get up. Juliet felt her legs wobble and the room spun around her. Ewan walked her over to the kitchen and sat her down on the chair. Ewan made sure she was steady and fled outside to do whatever.
"Juliet, you know you'll have to get stitches, right?" Her dad asked. Juliet shook her head.
"Mom said we can't get them 'cause we don't have the money." Juliet replied, her voice was weak and raspy.
"Exactly. That's why I'll give them to you." He said nonchalantly.
Juliet's eyes widened, "But, won't that hurt?" Juliet whimpered.
"Show no weakness." Her dad retorted.
Juliet felt tears well up in her eyes as she thought about getting stitches. "Will you put me asleep?" she asked, her voice cracking.
Frank shook his head. "I'm going to give you a few of my sleeping pills." He replied, pushing a plate of pancakes to her. "Now eat; you lost a lot of blood and you need food." He ended their conversation.
After Juliet was finished eating she walked back to her bedroom and sat on her bed. Frank walked in holding a few turquoise sleeping pills. He handed them to her and told her to take all three of them. While they waited for the pills to take affect, Frank got the stitching materials ready. Juliet felt her eyes get heavy and the room around her became distorted. Frank walked in holding a needle and some sterile thread. He tied a knot at the end of the thread and pulled the string through the loop of the needle. "Show no weakness." Was all he said before pushing the needle into her already sore scalp.
Juliet's eyes immediately popped open and watered as she felt the pain of a needle piercing her skin. She wanted to scream but knew that it would make it worse. She whimpered and her lower lip quivered as she felt the needle pull through the hole in her skin. Frank reached over for the bottle of beer on the ground and took a swig of it. Juliet clenched her blanket, trying to channel the pain. It didn't help.
After a few more excruciating minutes, Juliet's head was stitched up and re-bandaged. Frank walked out of the room, leaving Juliet in her bed. She wiped the tears off of her face and turned over. The pills took affect again and Juliet fell asleep.
Juliet woke up and looked at the time. 1:20 PM. She rubbed her puffy eyes and got out of her bed. She walked towards her front door and went outside to play with her friend, Maddy. Juliet walked across the street and knocked on her neighbor's door. Maddy promptly answered the door with a smile that turned into a gasp very quickly. "Are you okay?" Maddy asked, noticing her bloody bandages. Juliet shrugged and followed Maddy inside up to her room. Maddy's room was almost exactly like Juliet's room except, Maddy had more dolls and toys. "How did you get that?" Maddy asked, brushing one of her doll's hair.
Juliet looked around and motioned for Maddy to come closer. "My dad hit my head on the counter." Juliet whispered.
Maddy covered her mouth, "On purpose?" she asked through her hand. Juliet nodded. "Your dad is a meanie." Maddy crossed her arms. Juliet agreed.
"And guess what else?" Juliet asked. "He gave me 'titches without putting me asleep." Juliet said. Maddy slapped her hand over her mouth again.
"Did it hurt?" Maddy asked. Juliet nodded vigorously. "You should run away and live with me. My daddy is nice." Maddy offered with a generous smile.
"No, 'cause my dad will find me, and then he'll hit me again." Juliet shook her head.
"Well then run really far away so he won't find you." Maddy suggested. Juliet shrugged.
"Then we won't be friends anymore." Juliet replied. Maddy shrugged and the conversation ended there. Juliet grabbed her favorite doll and a brush. She brushed its hair and thought about running away. It seemed like the only option but almost impossible. She'd have to plan it, but maybe her dad would turn nicer.
After a little bit of playing with dolls Maddy and Juliet went outside to play. They rode their bikes along their street until Juliet saw her mom's car pull up into the driveway. Juliet hopped off her bike and ran to her mom. Juliet's mom was crying on the phone. "Mommy, what's wrong?" Juliet asked. Her mom waved Juliet away and rushed inside. Juliet signaled for Maddy to follow her as they walked inside and ran into Juliet's room to listen.
They cupped their hands around their ears and listened to Juliet's mom and dad talk. "I got fired today." Juliet heard her mom say. They both gasped. There was a loud bang coming from the kitchen and then the sound of a smack. Both of Juliet's parents were yelling and screaming.
"You should go home." Juliet said frantically. This had never happened before. Maddy nodded and ran out of the room and outside. The fight continued as Juliet shut her door and curled up under her blanket, trying to tune out the noise. Her parents' bedroom door slammed shut and Juliet heard footsteps stomp towards her room. She felt herself begin to shake and the blanket was pulled off her bed. Her mom's face was red and bruised. She scooped up Juliet and rushed outside, calling for Ewan. They got into their van and Maryanne started the car, driving away from the house. Juliet looked at her mother's hurt face.
"Mom?" Juliet asked, her voice was a gentle whisper. "Did he hit you, too?" she asked. The car stopped suddenly.
"Too?" her mom asked, but she didn't need an answer. Something clicked in her mind. She looked at Juliet through her rear-view mirror, her eyes softened. Ewan looked on with confusion. Maryanne got out of her car and grabbed Juliet, hugging her tightly. "Juliet, is that how you got this?" she gently touched Juliet's bandages. Juliet nodded.
"He told me not to tell or he'd hurt me more." Juliet buried her face in her mom's shoulder, sobbing.
"It's okay. We aren't going to see daddy again. We're going to live with Grandma and Grandpa for a little bit, while I work things out." Her mom said. Juliet nodded and got back into the van.
Once they arrived at their grandparents house, Juliet ran to her grandma. She gave Juliet a gentle hug and looked at the side of her head. "What happened, Sunshine?" she asked. Juliet explained what happened and her grandmother gasped. "That calls for some of Grandma's homemade cookies." Her grandma said, trying to hide the concern in her voice. Maryanne mouthed a 'thank you' to her mom. She turned around to leave and get Juliet and Ewan some clothes to wear.
"Ooh, Grandma, can I lick the spoon?" Ewan called from the living room. Grandma responded with a 'yes' and they began making cookies.
"Grandma, dad 'titched up my head without putting me asleep. I was really brave though and I only cried a little." Juliet boasted. Her grandma nearly dropped the batter.
"He did what?" Her grandma tried not to yell often.
"He stitched her head." Ewan clarified.
Grandma grabbed Juliet's hand and got down to her level. "We are going to the hospital right now." She said sternly, but still trying to be gentle.
Juliet frowned and followed her grandma out to the car. Ewan stayed with his grandpa. "Juliet O'Hara, you should have never let your father stitch up your head." Her grandma scolded. Juliet felt tears form in her eyes.
"But I didn't want him to whoop me." Juliet sobbed, her entire body shaking; it had been a rough day.
"I'm sorry Jules. It's not your fault, but we're going to the hospital to get your wound properly stitched." Grandma said, driving a little over the speed limit to get to the hospital. Her grandma used to be a nurse before she retired so Juliet trusted her.
"Grandma, will my 'titches get infected?" Juliet asked.
"If you let your dad stitch them then they will." Grandma replied angrily.
At the hospital, Grandma brought Juliet into the emergency room. She explained to the nurse what happened and she was immediately brought to a room. A nurse gave her an IV with anesthetic in it and told Juliet to count to ten. When Juliet got to nine she felt herself fall into unconsciousness.
Juliet woke up about an hour later, her head feeling much better. Grandma was at her bedside holding a teddy bear that looked like it was hurt real bad. She was also holding Juliet's favorite candy, Jawbreakers.
"Hi, Sunshine. Does your head feel better?" she asked.
Juliet nodded, "Do I have new 'titches?" she asked.
"Yes, and now you don't have to worry about getting an infection." Her grandma assured her, gabbing her hand and kissing it. Juliet still had an IV in her arm.
"Grandma, are they putting me asleep again?" Juliet asked, looking at her IV drip.
"No, sweetie, that's to make your head feel better." Grandma replied.
Juliet was still a little bit out of it from the anesthetic. "I feel weird." Juliet said, blinking a few times. Her grandma smiled.
After about an hour the anesthetic wore off and Juliet was feeling a lot better. She was able to eat her Jawbreakers and her mom came to visit her with Ewan. Juliet's mom had more bruises on her then before.
"Mommy, did dad hit you again?" Juliet asked quietly. Maryanne smiled, Juliet was very smart.
She nodded slowly, "But, I'm okay. I got you a few new dresses and I brought some clothes from home." Maryanne changed the subject. Juliet smiled and said 'okay'.
Juliet had to stay overnight at the hospital to make sure that the stitches did not get infected. Grandma stayed with her while Maryanne and Ewan went back to Grandma's house. Juliet barely slept; she kept having nightmares about her dad coming to the hospital and hitting her again. Each time Juliet would wake up in a panic, her grandma would calm her until she would fall back to sleep.
That morning, Juliet was released from the hospital and they drove back to Grandma's house. Grandma stopped at a local shake shop and they got shakes. Juliet got a strawberry shake and her grandma got a chocolate shake. They walked into Grandma's house and Juliet was greeted by Ewan. He was playing chess with his grandpa. Juliet looked around for her mom but couldn't find her. She turned to her grandma. "Where's mom?" Juliet asked.
Ewan stood up, "She went to get the sleeping bags from dad, but she's been gone for a while." He explained. Juliet nodded and went into the kitchen where the phone was.
She dialed her mom's phone number. She knew it because she had to write it down everyday at school. It was 559- 1020. The phone rang a little bit but went to voice mail. Juliet hung the phone up and turned to her Grandma. "No answer." She mumbled. Grandma shrugged.
It was only a few minutes later that someone knocked in the door. Juliet ran to it yelling, "Mommy! Guess what?" she swung open the door to reveal two police officers.
"Hi, can we speak to an adult please?" One of them asked. Grandma rushed to the door.
"What is the problem?" she asked.
"Are you related to Maryanne O'Hara?" The police officer asked. Grandma nodded. "She crashed into a wall in her car and died on impact." The other officer broke the new harshly. Juliet looked at her grandma, who's face flushed to a solid white. Tears formed in her eyes. "Cops think it's a suicide, considering that the car was in good shape and the wall was 20 feet off the road." The officer explained.
Grandma covered her mouth and sobbed quietly. Juliet looked around confused. The officer crouched down to her level. "Your dad has requested that we bring you back home." Juliet stood up straight in fear.
"I'll go get Ewan." Juliet ran to grandpa and Ewan in the living room. "Grandpa, mom got a su'cide. She hit a wall." Juliet tried to explain what she heard. Grandpa stood from his chair and quickly shuffled to the door. Juliet turned to Ewan. "Now we have to go back to dad's house." Juliet quivered. Ewan stood up and they walked to the door. An officer brought them to a transportation vehicle and drove them home. Juliet asked the officer in the front seat what happened.
"Why don't you ask your dad." The officer quickly replied. Juliet felt fear rush back to her as she remembered what was probably waiting for her at home. She turned to Ewan.
"Can I tell you something?" Juliet asked. Ewan nodded. "Ya' know the scratch on my head? Daddy did that. He hit my head on the counter on purpose." Juliet shook. Ewan gasped and offered her a hug. "I'm really scared to go back." Juliet cried.
Ewan shook his head, "I'll make sure dad doesn't hurt you." He promised. Ewan was a great big brother and Juliet gave him a hug.
"Thank you." She said.
At the house, their dad greeted them. Ewan looked up at him. "Dad what happened to mom?" he asked once the officers left.
"Your mother took a coward's way out. She drove her car into the wall on purpose and died." He fumed. Juliet gasped, letting tears fall from her eyes. Ewan did the same and they both fell to the ground in a crying huddle. "Now you two need to stop it." Their dad scolded. He stood them up and pushed them towards their room. Juliet squealed and grabbed Ewan's arm. They walked to Ewan's room. Juliet crawled onto his bed and curled into a ball. Ewan hugged her.
"It's okay." Ewan helped her sit up. "Show No Weakness."
Well, to whoever read this far, KUDOS!
I really really hope you guys enjoyed this. I put my best effort into it and I really love the way it turned out.
I'D REALLLLLLY APPRECIATE REVIEWS! Even if it just says "Continue" or "This frickin' sucks" It would mean the world!
This is why By Her Side has taken me so long to update.
Please, please PLEASE review.