Ch. 39

"Laurie, what happened?" Sally asked, even as Laurie entered her room and attempted to close the door behind her.

Laurie shook her head and tried to dry her eyes.

"Oh, Dan was here," Laurie said, sniffing. "Came in and started talking like he usually does. Walter really hates that, though -- hates that Dan's been friendly with me."

Sally nodded and pursed her lips.

"Walter came in, then told Dan to back off," continued Laurie. "Dan did the wise thing and started to leave, but he put his hand on me just before that, and Walter attacked him."

Laurie wasn't looking at her mother as she sat down on her bed.

"It was so horrible, Mom," said Laurie, biting her lip. "They were fighting each other -- Dan surprised me enough, the way he was punching Walter, but Walter was vicious to him, like he wanted to kill him."

Laurie paused and looked out the window, half-expecting Walter to climb through it again.

"Then he did try to kill him," Laurie sighed and put her face in her hands. "He was screaming at him, and Dad came in and tried to stop it, and even he had a hard time -- I thought for sure that Dan was going to be dead. I saw his face go purple, and there was blood when Dad finally tore Walter away, and I just knew for a certain that Dan was dead, and Walter would go to prison and I'd never see him again."

Laurie heard a strange sound and looked up to realize her mother was laughing.

"Mom," said Laurie, reproachfully.

"Oh, Laurie," said Sally, walking over to her to hug and kiss her, "All that happens and the thing you worry about the most is seeing Walter go to prison?"

Laurie held out her hands in supplication, but her mother took then and put them against her bosom.

"Dear Laurie," said Sally. "I know it's hard to watch, but men are like that sometimes -- they just need to let it out and we women will watch on and think they've all gone crazy, but in the end they're all friends, and it never makes any sense."

"I doubt Walter and Dan will ever be friends now." Laurie said in a haunted voice. "You didn't see what Walter did to him."

"Well... if that's the case, then you will have to deal with it, honey," said Sally, smoothing back her hair and planting a kiss on top of it. "Walter is an extremely jealous boy, and if you can't handle that now, think about how it will be like living with that for the rest of your life."

"Mom--"

"I'm not making judgments, dear, just an observation, that's all. If you have a problem with his behavior, you talk to him, and if he cares about you enough he'll try to let up. If he doesn't, then you shouldn't even be giving him the time of the day."

Laurie sighed and nodded.

"Now, why don't we try to clean this mess up," said Sally. "I doubt your father is going to be much help with this. He thinks it was all good man fun, I'm sure."

In this case, Sally was correct. Blake was sitting on the sofa with his newspaper, the broken room around him, as if nothing had happened. Walter sat crumpled on the carpet next to him. He had a black eye, a cut on his cheek and lip; his forehead was bruised, and blood was dribbling down from his mouth and nose. Walter's dejected, wide eyes shone out from all the blood as Laurie came in, and she felt for him.

"Oh, Walter," Laurie said softly, as she approached him. She took his hand and tried to stand him up, but he wasn't budging. She winced a little as she pulled against her stitches, and suddenly Walter was standing again as he rushed to do it before she hurt herself. Laurie thought that was a sweet gesture, and would have forgotten all about what had happened before had she not had the evidence in front of her on his battered face.

"Now then," said Sally, with her hands on her hips. "Let me look at you."

Sally advanced towards Walter and he cringed away, but she was relentless. She held out her hands and attempted to touch his face but he dodged his way around her until she finally had her hold on him. He stared at her with confused eyes as she ran her fingers over his bruises. Sally made disapproving noises as she studied him.

"Laurie, get some ice and the first aid kit, will you?"

"Under the sink," said Blake, not taking his eyes off the paper.

"I'm fine," Walter said.

Sally threw her head back and laughed.

"You'll be fine when I say you are, young man," she told him. Walter looked sullen but he didn't say anything after that.

Laurie brought what her mother requested, and watched as her mother cleaned Walter's wounds and patched him up the best she could.

"There, all better," said Sally. "Just damaged pride and a few bruises."

Sally leaned in and kissed Walter on the forehead before he could react. He jumped away from her as if she had punched him there instead. Sally laughed and pat his behind. Walter looked at Laurie, aghast.

"Mom," said Laurie, coming to Walter's defense.

"What?" asked Sally, "The boy needs some motherly love."

"Shit, we gonna eat soon?" asked Blake, folding the newspaper. "I'm starved."

Sally gave Laurie an I-Told-You-So look and followed Blake into the kitchen. Walter seemed ready to leave, but Laurie grabbed his hand and bumped into him to push him towards her parents. It was subtle, but she caught Walter wince as she hit his stomach. Laurie frowned and quickly lifted his shirt before he could react. A dark red bruise had formed on his abdomen, right under his ribs. Laurie only had a few seconds to look at it before Walter tucked his shirt back down again.

"Walter," said Laurie, slowly reaching out and holding him gently to her. She pressed her face into his neck. He smelled of a mixture of Walter and blood. Feeling the warm skin of his throat next to her cheek made her cry a little. She was so relieved that he was all right; that he hadn't killed Dan. Walter held her in return and buried his own face in her hair. She thought she heard him sobbing, but when she pulled back, he just looked very tired. Laurie kissed him in between his mouth and his cheek, one of the few places that didn't have an injury as of the moment. Dan really had roughed him up. He might be a bit of a nerd, but he was still a crime fighter at night. But still, Walter was tougher and it showed. It made Laurie feel a bit triumphant over it in a way, until she felt guilty for feeling good about Dan's defeat. She wondered if he was all right. Of course, she wasn't going to call him now and see of he was okay -- Walter might kill her if she did that. Laurie felt terrified for a moment, then pushed the thought away. No, Walter would never do anything like that to her. In any case, she was going to have to ask her mother to check on Dan later, if she already hadn't planned to already.

Walter and Laurie went into the kitchen and joined her parents at the dining table.

"So, Walter, now that I know your name, I only have two more questions," joked Sally, "How old are you, and where do you work?"

"Ninety-seven," he told her. "And I'm a hobo, don't you remember?"

Blake burst out laughing. Sally looked so irritated that Laurie couldn't help but laugh too. What could you do besides laugh at that point? Laurie looked at Walter and grimaced. Some areas on his face were starting to swell from his wounds. She wondered how he was going to go to work looking like that.

"So, uh," said Blake, clearing his throat. "I'm going to make armor for Laurie."

"You are?" asked Sally, brightly, as if somehow Laurie's parents had secretly decided on a subject that would draw their attentions away from the big one at hand.

"Yeah, going to get her all patched up so she can't get stabbed again. You want armor too, Walter?"

"Yes please, for my face," Walter said. "For next time."

Laurie put her hand to her mouth as Blake laughed. Sally did too, though not as loudly he did.

"I apologize for the mess in the living room," Walter continued. "I will clean it up as soon as I am permitted."

"Hey kid," said Blake, shaking his hand at him, "No need for the fancy talk; no big deal, I'll clean it up."

Walter frowned and said nothing. He seemed to know better than to argue with Blake by now.

Dinner went by relatively normally -- well, as normal as it could be with Walter looking like he'd been hit by a truck -- but Laurie was still relieved when it was all over. Sally shooed them from the kitchen, and Blake shooed them from the living room. Laurie finally led Walter to her room, where she sat him on her bed.

Laurie knelt down in front of Walter, resting her elbows on his knees as she looked up at him with her chin on the back of her hands. Laurie studied him for a long moment with only warmth for him.

"Poor Walter," she said.

Walter looked down, but not at her. He seemed ashamed. Laurie put her hand on his and he took it and looked at her with sad eyes.

"Laurie," he said, as he caressed her cheek, then her hair with his other hand. "Do you hate me?"

"No," she said, shocked. "Of course not."

"Even if I destroyed your father's living room?"

"Of course."

"Even if I attacked him, and your... friend?"

"Dan is someone I know, Walter -- maybe he'd call me his friend; I don't know, but he's more like an acquaintance to me."

"Less than an acquaintance, I had hoped," Walter said, and he seemed quite pained at that moment.

Laurie stood up and sat down on the bed next to him. It hurt a little to twist herself, her side being a tender place, but she did it anyway.

"Walter," she said, "I don't know if I've done anything to make you think otherwise, but I tolerate Dan; that's all. He's okay -- but I'm not attracted to him. I'm not going to marry him or date him, Walter, no matter how much he decided to chase after me -- which he isn't. I'm with you, remember?"

Walter looked away.

"Hey," said Laurie, placing her hand on his cheek to move his head to face her, "Don't even think about Dan. He's just a guy. Do you know how scared I was today? I thought you were going to go to prison; that was what I told my mom and she laughed because that was the thing I was the most worried about. Not about someone dying in the living room, even if it happened to be Dan, Walter. You were the one I worried about above all else. Understand?"

Walter didn't respond, but he put his head on Laurie's shoulder and stayed there for a long while. Laurie tentatively stroked his hair, worried that he had a hidden cut or bruise there that her mother had missed. Walter sighed. Laurie lay back on the bed and urged Walter to do the same. They pushed themselves up on the bed until they were properly situated on it, and Laurie held Walter to her, closing her eyes as she did.

There they fell asleep together on top of the covers, lights on, and all.

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To be continued...